And all language arts books must be "accessible" so we lowered the reading level on everything. No, common core never says that. Though they do lean more toward nonfiction literacy.
I am not particularly a CC hater, but I do think that the shift to a strong emphasis on nonfiction is a terrible idea. Reading fiction is important for developing empathy and thinking about other people's choices and situations; I personally believe that this is a crucial skill for citizenship.
My own kids are nonfiction gluttons, so the CC standards will let them slide through easier, but I really want them reading literature. There will have to be some afterschooling on this.
The new math standards are more "rigorous" for the part of kids who were not pushed through Algebra II before, and now will be. (And those parents are mighty concerned that their kids will flunk out of high school if they don't get there-- the worry is real for them). I am not sure they're any more rigorous for the kids who really need challenge.
I do think that our school system understands this problem and will try to differentiate, but have not been under CC long enough to get their feet under them yet. I am still hoping for more nuance in implementation.
I persist in asking the school district to treat the standards as a floor, not as a ceiling-- which is what standards ought to be. We shall see.
DeeDee
