Common Core & RLS
“Bringing Common Sense to the Common Core”
In the news, from our teachers, from our community, there are questions and concerns raised about Common Core. You may have read stories relaying concerns from parents who could not understand how to help their student with his Tuesday night math homework, or community leaders who support the standards and see them as a step in the right direction in educating our youth to be competitive in the global economy of the future. Just what is the Common Core, and how is Resurrection Lutheran School (RLS) approaching it?
The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) is a set of standards that details what K-12 students should know in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics at the end of each grade level. It is NOT a curriculum. North Carolina (and most states in the US) have adopted the Common Core as their standards for each grade. This replaced the North Carolina Standard Course of Study standards that were previously in place.
As a parochial, thus private, school, RLS has the flexibility to approach student learning and achievement as we best see appropriate for our families. On the other hand, RLS has the responsibility to ensure the quality of education prepares our students to be successful in the next step of their particular educational journey.
RLS is one of 945 Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) Elementary/Middle Schools that educate over 107,000 students. The LCMS School Ministry has released a statement about CCSSI, which states that Lutheran schools have a long heritage of academic excellence in education, and each school will continue to choose its curriculum as it sees fit.
RLS teachers are not tied to a “scripted” curricular interpretation of Common Core, or any other standard for that matter. Curricular resources are carefully selected by the faculty to best meet the needs of the students at RLS. RLS does not follow any county or state-wide mandated testing program tied to any funding model from government sources.
At Resurrection Lutheran School, the staff and administration will continue to stay aware of the standards as they evolve and mature, and will continue to evaluate new learning materials to support our curricular programs. As partners in education, it is important for us all, as families and educators, to understand the components of the Common Core State Standards. We should know that the implementation, and any associated early roll-out problems in public schools, is a separate thing than the standards themselves. We should know that our RLS teachers have thoroughly reviewed the standards and have incorporated them into their lesson planning where appropriate.
Resurrection continues to be completely dedicated to providing a Lutheran educational experience that is Christ-centered as well as academically-focused. Please contact our principal, Tom Kolb (tomkolb@rlscary.org) should you have more questions regarding RLS and the Common Core.