Idaho Core is Common Core!

Some are trying to  defend Idaho Core saying it’s been tailored for Idaho and isn’t the same as Common Core. But Idaho Core is Common Core.

Looking at the banner across the top of the Idaho State Dept. of Education website you might get the impression that Idaho Core Standards are unique to Idaho.

Let’s start with English Language Arts.  When you click on that link it takes you to the page, Idaho Core Standards English Language Arts/Literacy Tool Box. Sounds Idahoish enough but spend a few minutes on that page and you’ll notice- there’s no link to Idaho Core Standards!  But, surprise, surprise, there is a link to CCSS for ELA Literacy.  Click on that and it takes you to a page titled,

“The Idaho Core State Standards [CCSS] for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects Annotated, with explanation.”

In the title it admits that Idaho Core State Standards are, actually, Common Core State Standards.  (CCSS)

Just below that is an explanation of the page,

This unpacked/annotated version of the CCSS was developed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

What? Did that say…North Carolina Department of Public Instruction?  I thought these were Idaho’s??

 

Keep scrolling down the page until you finally get to a link that says Idaho Core Standards.  But even behind that, in parenthesis, is CCSS.

Just to be fair, let’s do a little comparison of Idaho Core and Common Core to see how unique Idaho Core really is.  We’ll just look at a few.

Kindergarten Reading

Idaho Core:

RL.K.3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

Common Core:

RL.K.3With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

 

6th grade Reading

Idaho Core:

RL.6.1Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Common Core:

RL.6.1Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

 

11-12th grade Reading

Idaho Core:

RL.11-12.5 Analyze how an author‘s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

Common Core:

RL.11-12.5Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

 

The math standards won’t take as much effort.  Go to the Idaho Core Math page, beyond the title there is no mention of Idaho Core.  All of the links go directly to the Common Core Standards.

Arkansas, Utah, Arizona, West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Iowa, Nevada, Missouri, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Maine; these are just the states that I’m aware of that have renamed the Common Core Standards to make them sound more local.

But to quote Shakespeare,

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

And that which we call Common Core by any other name would still stink.