We all know that testing makes up a big part of how a public school are funded and at times the testing difficulty can impact the average scores of each school. When the testing standard is different in each state, some having test that are more difficult than in other, it may not show a fair image for how well as school is doing when compared to others. In my opinion I think that it would be a good idea to have a set standard for every state and school. I do understand that each state may have a different range of students and that they might have different resources, but if the standards are not set high then students may never get to the educational point that they need to achieve before high school or college. If there are students that are in a higher range, then maybe those students could participate in programs that offer accelerated classes to keep their minds engaged. That would be an example of a con for having common core education standards within each state. The bar might be set a bit low for particular students, but I believe having high standards will be more beneficial in the long run than having low standards.
It might seem as unfair to some schools, especially those that may be less funded already with students that are already falling behind, but maybe it could be a wake up call for the staff to help and encourage the students to try harder and learn more. Students are not “less smart” because of where they live, but they may be less interested in their grades and education depending of their home environment. Which is why after school clubs and tutoring programs are so essential to public education.
As for a positive aspect to common core testing, it will help school aim higher and be able to be compared to other states fairly. Because if there was no core testing and some states gave test that were less difficult than others, than comparing those with one another would not give the right view of the schools capabilities.
Some questions that would be great to consider would be:
How would the graduations rates change if students entering high school were all at the required math, english and reading levels? If there were no common core education standards set, how would that affect students who move from state to state various times from k-12?