National Standards, No Problem for Westwood Schools

On Wednesday morning the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to replace the state's already high educational standards with national guidelines. Westwood school officials say they feel it will not affect the school system much, and that they are ready for the change.

"You know, I'm really not concerned at all," said Superintendent John Antonucci. "The reality is that the system in Massachusetts had an integral role in creating the national standards. I don't see there being a major academic impact here."

Antonucci explained he has faith in the standards that have been adopted because of the similarities on the state and national level. He also noted that many state officials involved, such as the governor and education commissioner, are close with President Obama and were major parts in creating the new standards.

According to Mass.gov, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education cited the "increased academic rigor and stronger expectations for student performance" as the reason for the change. The board voted 8-0 to adopt the Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics on Wednesday. This made Massachusetts the 27th state to adopt the academic standards.

 These standards will continue to be assessed through MCAS, in an effort to ensure that all students in Massachusetts are ready for college and beyond.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative was launched in June 2009 and was designed to have a single set of standards in English language arts and math. This is to define what each student should be able to do to be ready for further education and a career.

Antonucci said in towns like Westwood, the standards are actually much higher than the national level anyway. He said the school system offers a rigorous, high quality education which will help make the transition an easy one.

"I feel good academically here," said Antonucci. "Westwood displays a high level of education. The MCAS was not exactly written for the Westwoods of the world, so I think we should be fine."

Thurston Middle School Principal Allison Borchers agreed with Antonucci saying Westwood's education is already up and beyond set standards. She noted the emphasis on math is something that should be taught thoroughly at the middle school age, so she thinks the standards are right on point.

"There is a lot of common ground between the state and national level," said Borchers. "Here at Westwood we teach things above and beyond, so from what I can tell there won't be a huge change."

Mass.gov reported that former commissioners of education, Robert Antonucci and David Driscoll, who were responsible for the design and implementation of the Education Reform Act of 1993 and MCAS, voiced support for Common Core. Former Boston Public Schools Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant also encouraged the Board to adopt the standards to meet high educational expectations.

All districts will be expected to align curriculum to the new standards by the start of the 2012-2013 school year.