New York State will be releasing the test scores from the first-ever national Common Core curriculum testing standards this week. The New York Daily News reported that educators across the state have braced for a sharp drop in the percentage of students who are deemed proficient in math and reading. According to a sixth-grade teacher at P.S. 241 in the Bronx, the Common Core is a necessary step toward readjusting attitudes and setting a higher bar for students:
"The fact that so many families have been misled into a false sense of accomplishment in past years is the real tragedy, and why it's so important that our state, city and union leaders are now trying to reverse course — however hard that may be."
"Raising the bar is scary and will require all of us invested in improving education to work harder, and even relearn parts of our craft. But I’d rather take that leap now than spend another decade or more being lulled into a false sense of security, only to find my students still aren’t ready to be productive citizens."
