I finally got a chance to see “Waiting for Superman.” Critics on both sides have discussed this film on radio, in blogs, newspapers, etc. After all the discussion, I wanted to see it for myself. When I told my kids how we were spending our Friday night, they couldn’t have been less excited to see “a movie on education.” I took them anyway. If I can pay and watch the Sponge Bob movie, then surely they could bear an education movie, I thought. (SpongeBob . . . . I still can’t believe I endured that movie!)
We all enjoyed the film and there was a lot of discussion afterwards. My son stomped me though, when he asked about the term “proficient.” It was interesting that he would pick up on that term out of all the facts cited in the film. I was stuck on a response because proficient is relative. If you live in Massachusetts, it’s defined differently than if you’re in Ohio or California. The students profiled in the film lived in DC, California, and New York, so the standards of proficiency varied.
Certainly in my consulting practice with students across state lines, I see a great deal of variance in the rigors of high school curricular requirements. For this reason, among others, states have begun to adopt Common Core Standards. This initiative, led by a conglomerate of supporters including Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), the National Parent Teacher Association, and College Board covers English and mathematics standards thus far. The majority of states have adopted these core standards. As parents are communicating with their teachers, they may want to consider how the curriculum for their child will be modified in these crucial areas, particularly if their child is still developing in skills and content.