Full and original article posted on Telegram & Gazette
The Telegram & Gazette editorial board may have more questions after the Worcester Regional Research Bureau’s recent forum on Common Core featuring Superintendent Melinda Boone, Commissioner Mitchell Chester, Professor Richard Bisk and English Language Arts Curriculum Liaison Phyllis Goldstein (“Disconnected rhetoric,” editorial, Dec. 15, Telegram & Gazette), but the answers shine more light on local flexibility of the standards.
It is true that the Common Core positions Algebra I in ninth grade, while it has been available to 8th graders in the past. This is because it has become a more rigorous course and these concepts may not be developmentally appropriate for students at the younger ages. Local districts, however, have the discretion to provide the course to 8th graders whom they have determined are ready for it sooner.
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