Jaeger, Paige

The Common Core State Standards are under attack from many arenas but, argues Paige Jaeger, critics should instead be honing in on Race to the Top. It has driven the ills of excessive testing, teacher measurement, and data-archiving monsters that track “achievement” by numbers.

The very language of the Common Core State Standards calls for librarians’ key skills: research; equipping students to access, evaluate, and synthesize information; and strengthening literacy. Paige Jaeger, a coordinator of school library services in Saratoga Springs, NY argues that librarians can build a strong case for a seventh shift in the CCSS: research.

The Common Core State Standards place strong emphasis on vocabulary, and librarians are in a prime position to actively support this shift. This month's "On Common Core" column shares how, including selecting read-alouds with robust language, helping students find engaging (and challenging) nonfiction books that match their interests, carefully choosing titles for reading lists, and initiating independent reading incentives.

Knowing the research behind text complexity is critical to understanding the Common Core's call for more complexity, and how reading for pleasure fits in.