A Critical Analysis of the New York State Common Core Learning Standards

This study examined the 2011 New York State Common Core Learning Standards. At the time of this study, these standards were new and just being introduced to teaching and learning. The goal of the study was to critically analyze and compare the content of the new standards for grades kindergarten through fifth grade by using content analysis methods. This study was a comparison of the previous New York State standards introduced in 2005 to these new standards introduced in the 2012--2013 school year. The goal of the study was to identify the events that have preceded the 2011 standards and then to take a critical look through a conceptual and content analysis to identify the educational beliefs, theories, and pedagogies embedded with these new standards. Then by examining the language and terms used in these documents, the findings explain the similarities and differences between the 2005 and the 2011 NYS learning standards, as well as help to frame the six educational shifts that these new standards impose on classroom teaching.