To the Editor:

[Re: Erin Birden's letter of August 15, "Needed: Mathematically Literate Adults"] I, too, hope that our students' curiosity and drive to learn will be stimulated by the pursuit of numerical reasoning and mathematics. But, I struggle to believe that a series of scripted lessons dictated by the "one-size-fits-all" Common Core Standards approach is going to energize the generation of learners in our schools today. The imposition of Common Core Standards for both Math and English Language Arts curriculum has severely curtailed the freedom and flexibility that teachers have in individualizing instruction to address a wide range of differing learning needs.

The development of the Common Core Standards in both Math and ELA began by identifying a desired "end-point" where the developers wanted the students to be, the so-called elusive and undefined "college and career readiness" we hear so much about. To get there, representatives of the major test companies created a set of instructional standards without any consideration of developmental readiness or age-appropriate expectations of students. No classroom teachers - those who understand and experience student learning best - were invited to participate in the development of the standards. Evidence-based research on learning was largely ignored as the Common Core developers pursued their own opinions about what learning should be and what the end-point should look like.

Since the federal government imposed the standards on the states in 2010 (before they were even developed), the Common Core has been met with a great deal of controversy. Math standards were considered too limiting and ELA standards redefined how and what students would be asked to read. If anyone is interested in specifics, that information is readily available on the internet. It is not in our students' interest to acquiesce and accept curricular changes that damage public education simply because the State Department of Education has been bureaucratically complicit in carrying out unproven education directives. As students and teachers look forward with renewed energy, excitement, and cautious optimism to a new school year, it can only be hoped that teachers, like yourself, will be able to report honestly on the many ways that you are meeting the learning needs of all your students.

Jack Bestor

24 Walnut Tree Hill Road, Sandy Hook         August 24, 2016