StateImpact is answering reader-submitted questions about the Common Core, a new set of expectations for what students should know and be able to do in math and English at each grade level. Florida is one of 45 states that have fully adopted the Common Core.
Today, we’re answering a question posed from a reader (in Arizona, thanks for reading!) about financial literacy education and a question about what Common Core standards say about teachers teaming up on lessons.
Carrie Heath Phillips, program director for Common Core State Standards with the Council of Chief State School Officers, provided the answers.
I teach financial education for grades K-12 on behalf of a credit union. My question relates to aligning the presentations that I make to the Common Core Standards.
In previous years, I would review the performance objectives under the Social Studies Standard, and prepare lessons that addressed these performance objectives (e.g., budgeting, saving money, checking accounts). In this way, my presentations were in sync with what the students had to learn.
With the new standards will there continue to be performance objectives to which I can refer? If not, what will replace these performance objectives? Will Common Core Standards affect personal finance objectives, and if so how?
Here’s Phillips’ answer:
“The Common Core State Standards are for English language arts/literacy and mathematics and therefore do not cover financial literacy.
If you previously used performance objectives under your state’s social studies standards, those social studies standards would still be the same and could still be aligned with your program.
Also, the Council for Economic Education has a resource pointing to some Common Core State Standards to consider incorporating into lessons and units on financial literacy education. http://www.councilforeconed.org/resource/common-core-state-standards-standards/
And our second question:
I have heard conflicting thoughts on teaming while trying to implement the Common Core in an Elementary classroom. Does Common Core support teachers teaming? Could you point me in the correct direction to find some literature on this matter?
Again, here’s Phillips:
The Common Core State Standards are silent on how a teacher would teach, but instead outline what students should know and be able to do in English language arts/literacy and mathematics in each grade.
It is up to local communities to decide if team-teaching is the right way for them to help students achieve the expectations in the Common Core State Standards.
We’d note that both questions emphasize a difference between standards and curriculum.
Standards chart the course for students, laying out what they are expected to know by the end of each grade. But schools still have some flexibility to determine how and what to teach students so they meet standards.
Decisions such as requiring financial education or teachers to work together on lessons would still be left to states or local school districts to decide.