PreK to Common Core Correlation Debate: It Matters to All Of Us

Earlier this week Education Week published an article Common Core Poses Challenges for Preschools, by Jaclyn Zubrzycki (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/12/07/13prek_ep.h31.html?tkn=XRTF5u5aDLomVIu%2FXBMmpoQPhjSCEAn110zQ&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1). The article highlighted the ongoing tension between two approaches to early childhood education: increasing and measuring academic rigor as per the Common Core State Standards vs. young children’s developmental needs. Opinions from several experts on both sides of the argument were quoted in the article, one of whom was PreschoolFirst’s Mari Blaustein, Director of Early Childhood Initiatives at the Source For Learning (SFL). She was interviewed about the Common Core Correlation Project that was facilitated by SFL in partnership with the National Head Start Association. This eight month project guided Head Start experts to correlate the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework to the Common Core State Standards for the end of the Kindergarten year (CCSS-K). The resulting correlation document is available for review and comment by the broader education community and stakeholders at the SFL website (http://www.sourceforlearning.org/news.cfm?newsid=68).

Here’s why we believe this Correlation project is crucial to the future of early childhood education in the US. Early learning standards and definitions of school readiness vary across the nation—but do young children really differ from state to state? Correlating the Head Start Framework with common-core standards is just common sense; as both sets of guidelines are used in multiple states. Representatives at National Governors' Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers state that “there are no plans to create nationwide common-core standards in the mold of the K-12 standards for early childhood.”

States boast of their intense efforts to put high early learning standards into place so PreK is integrated into the elementary curriculum. Of note: implementing guidelines and accountability are voluntary in most states for private programs. Some states have written and linked their early learning standards to the Common Core, but this expensive, time consuming, and laborious process only creates an alignment that will be used in one specific state. It is still “state-centric.”

Critics of the Common Core argue that the scope of standards are too narrow because they only address English Language Arts and Mathematics, that the they are too academically rigorous and thus “misguided” or unachievable, and are “top down.” Critics also feel that the Common Core are profoundly incomplete and ignores important social, communication, and self-regulation skills.

Prior to publishing an opinion about the Common Core State Standards, we suggest that anyone—expert or otherwise—review:

a) background info and the podcasts that are on the CCSSO website that explains how/why the Common Core are designed they way they are (http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Digital_Resources/Common_Core_Implementation_Video_Series.html);

b) personally review the broad array of state early childhood (PreK4) standards and their corresponding K level standards. After a careful review, we believe that the CCSS-K are actually much more developmentally appropriate than almost all of the K benchmarks/standards created by individual states for ELA and Math;

c) review the Correlation of The Head Start Framework to the Common Core State Standards in Kindergarten pages 1-19 (http://www.sourceforlearning.org/news.cfm?newsid=68);

d) research the status and array of benchmarks for Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) in each state.

We hope all early childhood educators and stakeholders will make the effort to become informed and join this essential debate.