Dec. 11, 2013:  The Common Core State Standards Initiative, new educational standards designed to elevate curriculum levels and improve the American educational system, adopted by forty-five states, has arrived at The Bronxville School.

"It's the biggest thing to happen in American public education in decades," said Margaret Mager, Bronxville School PTA president. The initiative's two major facets involve teaching new curriculum standards and testing to measure its effectiveness.

Not only has the initiative brought changes to the school’s curriculum, it has also increased anxiety levels among students, teachers, and parents.  Dr. Thomas Wilson, middle school principal, stated that the rollout of the Common Core initiative will continue to bring significant change along with rethinking and a retooling of the curriculum.

"Common Core is fraught with issues over entire school systems," Wilson explained.

Issues at The Bronxville School have arisen, in particular, around eighth grade math, which has become a flash point for initial frustration.

"Students were coming home from school saying that they were no longer being told how to answer the math problems," said Wilson.

Dr. David Katz, president of the Bronxville Teachers' Association, placed part of the blame for across-the-board frustration on New York State’s implementation of Common Core. "The state rolled out new tests for new standards without having first provided the documents that would allow teachers to be able to teach to those new standards," he said.

Parents have seen lower test scores and expressed concern about them.

Approximately seventy parents of eighth grade students attended a meeting on Wednesday, December 4, where Dr. Wilson explained aspects of the changing math curriculum. At the meeting, Wilson showed slides comparing math problems from previous tests and problems based on the new Common Core standards.

In a conversation after the meeting, Wilson explained that new math standards ask students to grapple with the unknown in solving problems. "It asks them to dig into the problems piece by piece," he said. "Problems will not be laid out for them as before."

Wilson pointed out that eighth grade math has become a Common Core focal point in Bronxville because of the school's multiple math course offerings at that level. He stated that students who opt for Algebra I or Algebra I Honors rather than Math 8 are at a disadvantage because Math 8 is "packed with essential material" not to be missed in meeting the new standards.

"Apparently a gap is appearing in the New York State test scores for students who went right into Algebra I without exposure to Math 8," Margaret Mager said.

Wilson stated that the school will address this gap as it brings its curriculum in line with the Common Core standards. "The curriculum content is of high value for the students," he said. "By everyone's estimation, it is what students need to be math literate."

According to Dr. Katz, the state has created frustration for teachers by releasing materials in a piecemeal manner. "The materials are being released slowly," he said. "Right now a math teacher is teaching without knowing what's coming next."

For parents and students concerned about test scores, Dr. Wilson emphasized that Common Core tests are less about individual achievement than providing a means to understanding about how an individual and a cohort of students learn. "The purpose of testing is to gauge programmatic health," he said.

As the school develops its curriculum in response to the Common Core State Standards Initiative, there will be additional workshops to explain and discuss changes with parents.

"We find ourselves in a very messy but exciting place," said Dr. Wilson.

Pictured here:  Dr. Thomas Wilson, Bronxville Middle School principal.

Photo by A. Warner