An easy response to ‘Why do I have to learn this?’
The Common Core State Standards in English/language arts help define what it means to be college and career ready, as well as responsible citizens. By George Manthey
S
o what does it mean to be college and career ready? The creators of the Common Core Standards may have pro- vided an answer to that question for English language arts – at least with the anchor standards they developed
for reading, writing, listening and speaking, and language. The Common Core English language arts standards are or-
ganized so that each of the standards (K-12) support one of these anchor standards. It was recently suggested to me that I add the anchor standards to the standards progression page I’ve included in ACSA’s Standard Finder, and in doing that I gained a new perspective about the power of these standards. Here is a sampling of them:
In reading: No. 6. Assess how point of view or pur-
pose shapes the content and style of a text. No. 7. Integrate and evaluate content pre-
sented in diverse formats and media, includ- ing visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. No. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argu-
ment and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
In writing: No. 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print
and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. No. 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.
In speaking and listening: No. 3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use
of evidence and rhetoric. No. 4. Present information, findings and supporting evi-
dence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, and the organization, development and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
As I studied the anchor standards I thought about how dif-
ferent political campaigns and the workings of our legislators would have to be if students graduated from high school meeting these standards. Think about what might be different if candi- dates understood that voters would : • delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims; • gather relevant information and assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; • evaluate a speaker’s point of view, rea-
soning, and use of evidence and rhetoric; and • follow the line of reasoning.
A higher purpose Educators often stumble at the student
question, “Why do I have to learn this?” The Common Core Anchor Standards make it easier to respond to that question. Columnist Richard Cohen recently
pointed out that in the current presidential campaign we have had candidates who had “a nonsensical tax plan, zero knowledge of foreign affairs” and have characterized someone who extols the value of college as “a
snob.” Cohen argues that ignorance has become “an attribute, an entire platform: Vote for me, I know nothing and hate the same things you do.” But if our students were really career and college ready, as defined by these anchor standards, such an ap- proach would make a candidate irrelevant. There just might be something else lurking in this talk of ca-
reer and college readiness: the skills necessary to be effective and responsible citizens. What higher purpose could there be for an educator? Who knew that purpose might be described in “stan- dards?”
Editor’s note: The all-new Standard Finder Version 9.1 is avail- able for $35 online at
shop.acsa.org.
George Manthey is assistant executive director, ACSA Educational Services.
May/June 2012 15
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