PA Common Core: Myths vs. Facts

Myth: Adopting common standards means bringing all states’ standards down to the lowest common denominator. This means that states with high standards are actually taking a step backward by adopting the Common Core.
Fact: The standards are designed to build upon the most advanced current thinking about preparing all students for success in college, career, and life. This will result in moving even the best state standards to the next level. In fact, since this work began, there has been an explicit agreement that no state would lower its standards. The standards were informed by the best in the country, the highest international standards, and evidence and expertise about educational outcomes. We need college- and career-ready standards because even in high-performing states, students are graduating and passing all the required tests but still need remediation in their postsecondary work.

Myth: These standards amount to a national curriculum for our schools.
Fact: The Common Core is not a curriculum. It is a clear set of shared goals and expectations for what knowledge and skills will help our students succeed. Local teachers, principals, superintendents, and others will decide how the standards are to be met. Teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and tailor instruction to the individual needs of the students in their classrooms.

Myth: The standards will be implemented through No Child Left Behind (NCLB), signifying that the federal government will be leading them.
Fact: The Common Core is a state-led effort that is not part of No Child Left Behind or any other federal initiative. The federal government played no role in the development of the Common Core. State adoption of the standards is in no way mandatory. States began the work to create clear, consistent standards before the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided funding for the Race to the Top grant program. It also began before the Elementary and Secondary Education Act blueprint was released, because this work is being driven by the needs of the states, not the federal government.

Source: Common Core State Standards Initiative

Gettysburg's Green Businesses, Internships and More Featured in September/October Issue

It’s September again, and we can hardly believe it. The children are back in school. Summer vacations are coming to an end, and there’s much to do to get ready for the autumn months. In the September/October issue of Celebrate Gettysburg, we’re sharing practical ideas and useful information for transitioning from summer into fall.

But first, the Gettysburg-Hanover area will join with communities across the nation in pausing to reflect on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Locally, Gettysburg College will offer a religious service beginning at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, September 11, on the lawn north of Pennsylvania Hall. During the service, bells will toll to honor the more than 3,000 individuals who lost lives during the attacks. At 6 p.m., the College will hold a secular remembrance event on the lawn north of Pennsylvania Hall with special guests Gettysburg Mayor William Troxell, Sen. Richard Alloway and Rep. Dan Moul. Following the remembrance event, a candlelight vigil will take place at Quarry Lake, west of the College’s athletic facility.

The Exchange Club of Hanover will host the September 11 Memorial Healing Field at West Manheim Township Elementary School, 2000 Baltimore Pike, Hanover, from September 9-12. More than 3,000 American flags will be flown on the school property in memory of the victims of the 2011 terrorist attacks.

In this issue…

Emergency services personnel in New York, Washington D.C. and Shanksville sacrificed much on September 11. In Gettysburg, members of ACVESA (Adams County Emergency Services Association) do the same for our communities. Writer Adam Kulikowski and photographer Noel Kline share the story of this volunteer service organization in “United to Serve.”

Gettysburg businesses are integrating the latest in environmental “green” practices into their establishments. Writer Kim Weaver and photographer Anastasia Tantaros explore how Gettysburg is investing in the environment in “Growing Green Business.”

Are you a college student looking to land that coveted internship? Writer Chris Little and photographer Casey Martin reveal what college career services experts and seasoned college interns have to say about finding and making the most of an internship in “Testing the Waters.”

Other highlights of the September/October issue include:

· Fall planting advice from Gardening Guidance columnist Steve Zimmerman
· First Person with the Adams County Arts Council’s executive director Chris Glatfelter
· Back-to-school lunch ideas for the kids in Edible Enlightenment
· Adams and York County poets in Artisan
· On the Menu features Scozzaro’s Steel City Pub

A Note from the Editor

I am pleased to be able to write to you as the new editor of Celebrate Gettysburg magazine. As a contributing writer for Celebrate Gettysburg since 2008, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to share stories of the people, places and events that make Adams County and Gettysburg a unique place to call home and to visit. And, I am thrilled for this opportunity to take on a larger role as editor on the remarkable Celebrate Gettysburg team.

All of us at Celebrate Gettysburg appreciate you, our readers, for your support of Celebrate Gettysburg over the past five years. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your homes and communities.

—Michael Vyskocil, editor

editor@celebrategettysburg.com