Article #1

“Iowa Core Reaction”

While browsing the Iowa Core website, I was floored by the amount of

information presented. Multiple categories, sub-categories, and vague statements were

all that I saw at first, but as I dug deeper, I came upon a section that really defined what

the Iowa Core was all about. This section helped me to better understand what I would

be expected to cover in my elementary classroom one day.

At first, the Iowa Core website seemed a bit overwhelming; so many sections and

so many unfamiliar terms and acronyms were being presented. The first section I read,

Key Design Considerations, was also the most helpful in understanding what this website

was all about. The Iowa Core is made up of the College and Career Readiness Standards

(CCR), which define a general set of expectations that students must meet in order to be

ready for the college and career worlds, and the Grade-Specific Standards, which

basically define what the students should know at the end of the year (Iowa Core, 2012).

Both the CCR and Grade-Specific Standards dictate the expectations in reading, writing,

speaking and listening, and language, with the addition of literature, informational text,

and foundational skills in the reading category of the Grade-Specific Standards. After

reading this section, I had a clearer understanding of my role in the Iowa Core, although I

According to the Iowa Core website, “the Standards define what all students are

expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should teach” (Iowa Core, 2012).

After reading about the CCR and Grade-Specific Standards, I was actually relieved to

know that I would still have the freedom to implement my own teaching methods and

that the Standards act as a guide. As a current school employee, however, I know that

each school district can choose certain materials that teachers must use, so I could

possibly be restricted to only using those materials. I also know that a lot of standard

materials don’t account for students who are not performing at grade-level, or are

performing above grade level. Likewise, the Iowa Core Standards also have “no

definable intervention methods for those students who are well-below or well-above

grade-level average” (Iowa Core, 2012). In this case, I assume that the course of action

is determined by the individual students’ specific case.

The most interesting part of the Iowa Core is that one of the main purposes is to

define end-of-year expectations (Iowa Core, 2012). According to the CCR Standards,

“students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific

standards, retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding

grades, and work steadily toward meeting the more general expectations described by the

CCR Standards” (Iowa Core, 2012). What better way to measure a student’s progress

than to check and see how they are progressing during the year toward a pre-defined end

goal? This would show me, as the teacher, what I need to do to help my student, since a

younger student would need very specific guidance.

In conclusion, I believe the Iowa Core will help me as a first-year teacher because

I will have a set of standards that I can follow that will help me measure the progress of

my students. As first, it seemed overwhelming, but once I wrapped my head around

some of the major concepts, I was more prepared to accept the Standards and that they

are student-based and are in place to ensure all students in Iowa are prepared for the ever-

References

Iowa Core. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2013, from Iowa Department of Education,

Iowa Core Literacy Standards website, http://www.educateiowa.gov/index.php?

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