Can the Common Core State Standards Advance Complex Instruction and Student Achievement? A Cross-National Examination of the Effect of National Curriculum, Instructional Guide, and Test-Based Control

• In Event: Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: Political and Practical Issues in Standards Implementation

Abstract

Moving past the former standard-based accountability policy, NCLB and toward CCSS, there is much discussion about whether and how the new policy will advance complex instruction and student achievement. One of the key questions begging to be answered is how the three key components of CCSS—national standards, instructional guides, and test-based control—interrelate with complex teaching and classroom achievement. This study uses a cross-national data (TIMSS 2007) to inform this question. Findings show that countries with more specified instructional guides tend to have lower level of complex instruction. More interestingly, the effects of complex instruction on student achievement tend to be stronger when national curriculum and more specified instructional guides were in place.

Author

• Yoonjeon Kim, University of California - Berkeley