silverchips
October 5, 2012
Editorials
Common Core State Standards a step forward The modern American school system is based on standardization. From standardized tests to standardized curriculums, standardization seems unavoidable. Regardless of one’s opinion on a standardized approach to education, the basic objectives of the recent Common Core Standards Initiative (CCSS) are proving difficult to argue against. CCSS is an initiative to set a standard core curriculum for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics across the United States. The program is being initiated on a state-by-state basis. Thus far, 45 out of the 50 states, along with two territories and the District of Columbia, have implemented the CCSS pathway. The idea at the heart of the CCSS is that students will meet specific benchmarks for each grade level, and that teachers will work to develop a selection of essential skills in their students. The widespread philosophy of “teach to the test” has the potential to be eliminated under CCSS, as its approach discourages rapid-fire instruction on a multitude of topics and instead encourages students to form a complete understanding of disciplines. This is similar to the approach that has been adopted by several Asian countries, whose test scores tend to be ranked far ahead of those of American students. Teachers’ lessons can be as flexible as they were prior to CCSS, as long as the students can demonstrate their proficiency in the core skills by the end of the unit. As the CCSS website explains, “Local teachers, principals, superintendents and others will decide how the standards are to be met. Teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and tailor instruction to the individual needs of the students in their classrooms. ” The system emphasizes a set of goals which are, in principle, reasonable. Students today are falling behind early on in their educational years, and the CCSS aims to identify students’ potential areas of weakness. Colleges and employers are expecting more and more from applicants, and the CCSS develops students’ dexterity in several essential areas. The list of standards is not extensive and allows room for teachers to write their own parts of the curriculum. The standards should serve as an underlying organization. The new structure isn’t wrong or detrimental, but there is the possibility that they could be interpreted as a checklist instead of a guideline. Regardless the standards are actually quite useful. For ELA, the goal is to have all second semester 9th graders completely capable of writing an essay. The first semester of 9th grade English is now completely focused on writing, which is a base that is infinitely useful to have in high school, and certainly more useful then the ability to pass multiple choice tests and jump through standardized hoops. In math, the CCSS places focus on the basics: K-5 is totally dedicated to giving a strong foundation in basic arithmetic, fractions, and decimals. The standards make sure that every student will be entirely prepared for all higher math classes. Instead of rushing students through the basics despite their shaky foundations, the CCSS will give students a solid debriefing in essential math processes. Instead of tossing kids into Algebra and Geometry who don’t know their long division, the CCSS will ensure that students have basic computational ability. The CCSS has the potential to be a step forward for schools across the country. The curriculum has been vetted countless times with educators from around the country and even international help. The CCSS website touts that all of the standards are internationally benchmarked and there has been enough teacher admiration of the standards that CCSS does not seem like a step in the wrong direction. In short, CCSS has the potential to be an incredible overhaul to Montgomery County’s current curriculum, if implemented effectively. Maryland recently joined the list of states operating under the CCSS guidelines, but thus far it is not abundantly clear how the state plans to integrate the CCSS into the current school system. Communication regarding the CCSS has been limited, and the dialogue between teachers and the officials that are imposing the system has been inadequate. As a result, not many teachers possess an adequate understanding of the CCSS program unless it directly affects their class. Lack of communication has the potential to be the biggest trip up in the implementation of CCSS. The amount of misinformation about the program itself, not even the curriculum, is so great that the CCSS website has a lengthy page dedicated to Myths vs. Facts. Standardized curriculums only work if every teacher fully understands the changes they must make to fit the new standards. If it is not well communicated or understood the curriculum is ignored. Many have declared that CCSS will result in more standardized testing, but that claim is not entirely substantiated. CCSS does not call for more testing. Within the countries off of which the CCSS is based, students rank highly in math and english, yet multiple choice based testing is highly discouraged. As increased testing is not a provision of the CCSS more standardized testing would not be a result of the program itself but of faulty or misguided implementation. The foundation of learning in elementary and middle school along with the core classes is so incredibly important for the rest of a students education career and life that it should be standardized across the country to ensure the most successful and highest learning. But for now, we have little evidence that the CCSS can pragmatically achieve such results. The ideas are there, but it’s the effective implementation (or lack thereof) that will determine whether the CCSS is the solution for which Maryland’s students have been waiting.
B4
JULIA BATES
Changing our look, keeping our legacy Silver Chips celebrates 75 years with a new look By Ruth Aitken It’s the story from your typical high school movie: on the first day back to school after summer break, jaws drop. The braces have come off and the acne has been cleared. The geeky guy or the awkward girl now strolls through the halls tanned, toned, and suddenly attractive. But you may be surprised at who Blair’s top transformation story is: this year, the newspaper is getting a makeover, too. Silver Chips aims to remodel its basic design in order to modernize the look of the paper. We have developed new headings for the tops of the pages, devised a new approach to page layouts, and adopted different techniques for displaying photos. Our style is simpler and more classic this issue than it has been in the past. Having fewer gimmicky design elements on our pages will mature the paper. Though Silver Chips is published by high school students, it need not look amateur. Major newspapers like the Washington Post and the New York Times typically tend to have a sparse, streamlined style. Since Silver Chips hopes to emulate major newspapers in terms of quality of writing, it seems only logical that Silver Chips should similarly seek to imitate more professional design schemes. This year is Silver Chips’s 75th anniversary as a public forum for student expression. We are studentrun and free from prior review by school administration. Silver Chips print has a longstanding record of journalistic excellence, and we want the paper’s design to reflect its reputation. Silver Chips is currently one of the finalists for the 2011/2012 Pacemaker Award, which is the most prestigious recognition awarded to high school newspapers nationwide. The criteria that Pacemaker judges look for in a paper includes inventive layouts and a clean design. The Silver Chips redesign is in coherence with the Pacemaker’s ex-
pectations for how an outstanding student newspaper should appear. Progress stems from continual change; in our willingness to break from our old design template, we are hoping to rejuvenate our look. Silver Chips strives to continuously improve in order to provide Blair’s students with a quality newspaper.
LEAH HAMMOND
Ombudsman Ruth Aitken As the school year changes, so do we; our staff cycles as the previous year’s seniors graduate and a
new crop of juniors join the Silver Chips staff. A changing staff means an array of new perspectives. New Silver Chips writers mean an influx of fresh ideas that can update the paper and carry it into the future. In order to accommodate the visible changes to the newspaper, the Silver Chips staff has reorganized the cycle schedule. We have increased the time that we devote to layout development, and emphasized creative, innovative, and professional page designs. We have included more time in the cycle for page planning; the staff hopes that extra focus on the pages’ appearance will help us uphold our newfound commitment to a more mature design scheme. Though our approach to design may change, the character of Silver Chips will remain as it always has. We will continue to cover the same breadth and variety of stories. Though there will now be a unified design throughout the paper, we still represent a variety of student perspectives. Silver Chips is committed to being the voice of Blair’s student body, and that voice will carry over any change that the paper makes. The ombudsman represents the relationshp between the newspaper and the audience. Comments, questions, suggestions? Email the ombudsman at silver.chips.ombudsman@gmail.com.
Corrections In the Best of Blair Sports article, author Josh Schmidt was not credited. Zoe Waldrop’s article concerning the Virginia online education developments was mistitled. “A trip down a different road” failed to note that the students quoted in the story who were identified only by first names were anonymous sources.