Core Curriculum Content Standards - Essay Example

Core Curriculum Content Standards The United s has developed a set of Core Curriculum Content Standards that outline the content and curriculumtypes for public schools. Similarly, the state of New Jersey issued their own Core Curriculum Content Standards as a means of demonstrating the necessity of structure to content and skills based instruction. The curriculum standards have a number of comparative and contrasting elements. This essay functions to examine the nature of both of these sets of standards through analysis of their comparative and contrasting elements.

In large part it’s clear that the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards are derived and greatly influenced by the National Core Curriculum Content Standards. In large part, both the New Jersey curriculum standards and the National Core Curriculum Standards are designed to prepare students for the college environment. Indeed, this is one of the major noted concerns of the establishment of the standards, as it was believed that previously public school systems had not gone far enough in establishing stringent enough instructional methods that consider the importance of college preparation.

Another important element that is reflected across both curriculum standards is the importance of combining both content and skill specific knowledge. In both instances, this knowledge is incorporated into the specific curriculum designations. Indeed, it’s noted that, “. The Standards set a rigorous definition of college and career readiness, not by piling topic upon topic, but by demanding that students develop a depth of understanding and ability (‘Myths vs. Facts).” Indeed, it’s clear that the underlining philosophy behind the two sets of standards are directly in-line with each other.

While the overriding philosophy of the state and national curriculum standards are in-line with each other they differ along a specific line. In these regards, the differences between the standards are in terms of level of content instruction. When the National Core Curriculum Standards were instituted one of the criticisms that was raised concerned the nature and potential of a national curriculum to reduce or ‘dumb down’ the overriding standards throughout the nation. As such, the National Core Curriculum Standards do not reduce the curriculum elements, but extend them to strengthen the standards in relation to international benchmarks.

The overriding point in these regards is that the main difference between the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards and the National Core Curriculum Standards is the extent of skill and curriculum content that is added within the National Standards. When considering the rest of the structure of the content standards, it’s clear that they are derived from the same set of class categorizations. In these regards, the break down of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, world languages, and technological literacy all stand as the core curriculum requirements in both the national and state standards.

In conclusion, this essay has considered the overarching elements that are considered within the National Core Content Curriculum Standards and the New Jersey Core Content Curriculum Standards. It has demonstrated that in large part both sets of standards contain the same elements. In terms of differentiating elements, the National Standards augment the state standards, such that they are more complex. Ultimately, both standards work within the same structural dimensions. References ‘Myths vs.

Facts’ Core Standards. http://www.corestandards.org/about-the- standards/myths-vs-facts