California ?conditions favorable for Common Core ?implementation

With the adoption of the Common Core standards by 43 states, the nation’s schools have embarked on one of the most ambitious reform strategies in the post-World War II era.

Opposition to the new academic standards, however, has emerged on several fronts. Some states are threatening to withdraw from the Common Core altogether. Nationally, support among the general public is shaky and eroding, at least based on the results of recent polls.

By contrast, the situation is different in California, where the prospect of implementing the Common Core without significant resistance seems greater than in many other states.

Here are eight reasons why:

1. All major legislative bodies – and relevant office holders – support the Common Core.

Gov. Jerry Brown, the state Legislature, the State Board of Education and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson back the Common Core.

2. There is no significant public opposition to the Common Core.

Most of the opposition to the Common Core has come in heavily red states. California is a deeply blue state – Republicans make up a declining share of the electorate and have an increasingly marginal influence in the Legislature.

In some states, like New York, there is rising opposition from the progressive left, especially among teachers. The New York State United Teachers union voted earlier this year to withdraw its support because of the top-down implementation there and other reasons. It’s possible that similar opposition will emerge in California. But so far that has not occurred to any significant extent. National Education Association chief Dennis Van Roekel, in endorsing the New York teachers even praised California for involving teachers in “crafting the implementation plan from the beginning.”

3. All four higher education systems in California strongly endorse the Common Core.

All four systems of higher education in the state – the University of California, the California State University, the California Community Colleges and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities – have come out strongly in favor of the Common Core and pledged in different ways to work toward its successful implementation. In a public letter, the heads of the four systems said the Common Core “has the potential to dramatically improve college readiness and help close the preparation gap that exists for California students.” California is thought to be the only state where the higher education systems have come together in such a unified way.

4. Teachers unions also support the Common Core.

Ultimately it will be up to teachers – those in the classrooms who are face-to-face with children on a daily basis – to be responsible for the successful implementation of the new standards. So far, the California Teachers Association is a strong backer of the Common Core, and the California Federation of Teachers supports it too, although with more reservations.

California is also emphasizing a “support and improve” model of accountability, rather than the “test and punish” approach of NCLB – all of which is likely to encourage teacher support for the new reforms rather than alienate them from the outset.

5. Common Core standards are integrated with other key reforms.

Common Core standards have been fully integrated into other reforms underway in the state – principally California’s reform of its school finance system and the adoption of the Local Control Funding Formula. Under the LCFF, each district must draw up a Local Control and Accountability Plan and specify how it plans to reach goals in eight “priority areas” set by the state. Common Core implementation is one of the eight priority areas school districts are expected to focus on.

6. California has invested significant resources in Common Core implementation.

A sign of the state’s commitment to the Common Core was the agreement by Brown and the state Legislature to allocate $1.25 billion for districts to spend on implementing the standards during the 2013-14 school year – specifically for professional development, instructional materials, technology upgrades to ensure smooth administration of online assessments, and for other purposes.

7. California has been a leader in developing new assessments aligned with the Common Core.

California has been heavily involved in the assessments created by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. California is one of the consortium’s “governing states,” which allows it to vote on policy decisions. Significantly, the consortium will move its operations to California in the fall, when it becomes an independent unit in UCLA’s National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing.

8. Field tests prepared students for taking Smarter Balanced tests in the spring of 2015.

California may well be better prepared than many other states, at least on a technical level, for the full-scale administration of the Smarter Balanced assessments next spring. That’s because the state decided to have all eligible students take the field test last year. State officials say the process went relatively smoothly, and are optimistic that at least from a technical perspective the same will occur during the full administration of the assessments this spring.

It’s also true that California has a fractious, at times fickle populace, and popular opposition to the Common Core could emerge from any number of directions. There are other problem areas that could affect the rollout of the new standards in California, including whether teachers are adequately prepared to teach according to the standards, and whether they have curriculum materials that are adequately aligned with them.

For now California appears set to move ahead with the new standards without running into significant opposition, at least in the classroom or on the political front. What is still unknown is whether the new standards will achieve their long-term goal: ensuring that students graduate from high school prepared to succeed in college or other career pathways.

• • •

Louis Freedberg is the executive director at EdSource. This article originally appeared at tinyurl.com/lpqko2w