Opinion: National standards "content-empty"

Sandra Stotsky, professor of Education Reform in the Department of Education Reform, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in a recent commentary on EducationNews.org, discusses her views on the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI). 

"In June 2010, the CCSSI offered the nation two sets of English language arts standards: one set called 'college and career readiness anchor standards,' and the other, grade-level standards that build towards these anchor standards. With few exceptions, both sets of standards consist of content-empty and culture-free generic skills.

"Why are they so bereft of substantive content? In large part because they reflect a faulty diagnosis of why many American students are unprepared for authentic college-level work. The misdiagnosis comes from CCSSI’s reliance on the results of ACT surveys to guide the development of its standards." To read more of her views, visit the Think Tanks section online.