Katarina Miller

UL100ZA
Evaluation of Sources: Common Core Standards
1. Database- Common Core Standards: The New U.S. Intended Curriculum
a. Citation: Porter, A., McMaken, J., Hwang, J., & Yang, R.. (2011). Common Core
Standards: The New U.S. Intended Curriculum.Educational Researcher, 40(3), 103116.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.emporiastate.idm.oclc.org/stable/41238917
b. Relevancy: This source helps give background information on my topic. The article goes
into great detail about the Common Core and what the goals of the standards are. This
source supports my topic, because it explains the standards without being biased about
the results of them.
c. Accuracy: This article did not seem to be written with bias. The sources that were listed
all deal with the Common Core standards websites, other articles from teachers, analysis
of state assessments, and other sources. The information is presented as facts.
d. Currency: This article was written in 2011, so it is not outdated. The information that is in
the article is still relevant because it explains the Common Core, and is not just a news
article. This article compares the rigor of the Common Core standards compared to
states other standards, which are still true facts today.
e. Authority: This article was published by the American Educational Research Association.
All the members of this group are educators, administrators, directors of research, testing
or evaluation in federal, state and local agencies, counselors, evaluators, graduate
students, and behavior scientists. The three authors of this article are educational
researchers.
f. Purpose: The purpose of this article was to inform the public about what the Common
Core Standards are. It was also written to discuss the differences between the old state
standards and the Common Core Standards. The article was written in a mostly-clear
way. I was able to understand most of the text, but there were times that I was confused
by the wording.
g. Rating: I would give this article a 4 out of 5. It gave excellent background information that
was helpful in understanding what the Common Core Standards are. It was mostly easy
to understand, but some areas were a little difficult to understand.
2. Database- Adapting to Change: Teacher Perceptions of Implementing the Common Core State
Standards
a. Citation: Burks, B. A., Beziat, T. R., Danley, S., Davis, K., Lowery, H., & Lucas, J. (2015).
Adapting to Change: Teacher Perceptions of Implementing the Common Core State
Standards. Education,136(2), 253-258. Retrieved from:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.emporiastate.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?
vid=2&sid=3c679c33-f09f-464c-a7665183875f4fb8%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4206&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d
%3d#AN=111972225&db=aph
b. Relevancy: The source relates to my topic, in that it discusses the Common Core State
Standards in schools. However, the majority of the study that was conducted was in
grades 6-12. For this project, I had planned on focusing on the elementary schools and
Common Core. Therefore, this article is somewhat helpful, but I think that I could find
more relevant sources.
c. Accuracy: When I was reading through part of the article, I did not detect any bias. All of
the writing seemed very fact-based. Much of what the article discussed came from the
study they conducted from their teacher interviews. The other sources that the authors
used were other educational journals, or Common Core websites.
d. Currency: The article was written in 2015, it is still current. This article is definitely still
relevant for teachers today. Since the Common Core State Standards were implemented
quickly, many teachers were not trained in how to teach with these particular standards.

e. Authority: The authors are all affiliated with Auburn University. This article was published
by Education. I think these sources combined are able to form an article that is written in
a credible way.
f. Purpose: The purpose of the article was to present the results of the study that was
conducted on how high school and middle school teachers felt about teaching with the
Common Core State Standards. However, it also describes how education is constantly
changing, and how it is sometimes is difficult to keep up with the change. There is
support for the Common Core, despite less than 50% of teachers being professionally
trained in how to teach the standards.
g. Rating: I would rate this article a 3. This article was very interesting for me to read
through, especially the paragraphs that talked about how education is always changing,
and how teachers are constantly criticized. However, much of the information was not
relevant for this particular research project that I am working on.
3. Book- Navigating the Mathematics Common Core State Standards
a. Citation: Christinson, J. (2012). Navigating the mathematics common core state
standards. Englewood, CO: Lead Learn Press.
b. Relevancy: This book relates to my topic, but it is very specific to discussing how
teachers should teach math in the Common Core Standards. There are parts that do not
apply to me right now, but I know that this could be a valuable resource when I am a
teacher in the future.
c. Accuracy: The writing of this book does not seem biased towards one side or the other
relating to the Common Core Standards. The sources that are listed in the book all come
from the Common Core websites, or the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
The information seems to be written from a factual point of view.
d. Currency: This book was published in 2012, it is not outdated. The information in this
book is definitely still relevant today, as teachers are always looking for ways to more
effectively teach their students.
e. Authority: This book was published by the Leadership and Learning Center, which is a
corporation whose goals are to help schools implement standards into their schools. All of
the authors of this book work with the Leadership and Learning Center, and come with
decades of experience in education.
f. Purpose: The purpose of this book is to guide educators through implementing the
Common Core State Standards into their classrooms. Each chapter in this book is written
by one of the authors. The chapters seem to be written from a factual point of view, and
the intended audience is educators.
g. Rating: I would rate this book a 5. The information in this book would definitely help
educators learn strategies for teaching math with the Common Core Standards. It also
breaks down the standards by grade and category, so the overall topic does not seem so
overwhelming.
4. Book- Creating Standards-Based Integrated Curriculum: the Common Core State Standards
Edition
a. Citation: Drake, S. M. (2012). Creating standards-based integrated curriculum: The
common core state standards edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
b. Relevancy: The source deals with creating standards-based integrated curriculum.
Although it goes into a lot of details in dealing with the Common Core, I do not think it
defines it as fully as some other texts. However, I do think that there was helpful
information in creating integrated curriculum.
c. Accuracy: While scanning this book, I did not detect any bias in the writing. The author
uses evidence-based practices for much of her reasoning. She collected her resources
from a vast array of sources, mostly from educational guides.
d. Currency: This book was published in 2012, it is a current source. As teachers are still
understanding how the Common Core State Standards work, this source is relevant
today. This book also gives lots of examples that are still helpful for teachers today.

e. Authority: Corwin Publishing published this book. The author of this book has been in
education for many years. Currently, she is a professor in Ontario, teaching
undergraduate students. She is also a researcher, who is continually finding educators
with good practice. Susan Drake is qualified and has the authority to write about
education.
f. Purpose: The purpose of this book is to inform educators, and others involved in
education of how to create integrated curriculum using the Common Core State
Standards. There are many resources and examples throughout this book that teachers
would find helpful in conducting effective classroom activities.
g. Rating: I would rate this book a 4. While there are many helpful activities and strategies, I
do not think that those are helpful to my current project. This book is very well-written and
contains a lot of good information for teachers.
5. Website- http://www.corestandards.org/
a. Citation: Preparing America's students for success. (2016). Retrieved March 05, 2016,
from http://www.corestandards.org/
b. Relevancy: This website definitely relates to my topic of the Common Core State
Standards and how they are in schools now. There is a section that describes the
standards, and discusses many myths and facts that there are about the standards.
There is also a tab to look into the Common Core Standards in different states. This is
helpful because each state adopted their own additional standards along with the
Common Core Standards.
c. Accuracy: While I was reading through some of the posts from this website, I did not
detect any bias; it seemed very professionally put together. This website seemed to be
written from a factual point of view, and did not bring opinions into it. This website
retrieved their information from a variety of sources, including the Common Core authors.
d. Currency: The source was most recently updated in 2016, so it is current. Even though
the standards were adopted in 2010, this shows me that they are continuing to discover
new and more helpful information relating to these standards. As the Common Core
Standards continue to be implemented in schools, there will be more and more research
relating to this topic.
e. Authority: This website was published by the Department of Defense Education Activity.
The website authors have also worked with The Council of Chief State School Officers,
the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, and the Common Core
authors. I think all these sources are credible, and have authority to write a website such
as this.
f. Purpose: The overall purpose of this website is to inform. However, there are many
different groups of people that can be informed through this website. One teacher that I
interviewed mentioned that she uses this site to clarify certain standards and their
meaning. There is a section that talks about what parents should know about the
standards. This website can also inform people who are generally wondering about what
the Common Core State Standards are.
g. Rating: I would rate this website a 5. The information on this site was very helpful and
informative. It might be a little repetitive in explaining what the Common Core State
Standards are, but I think it can be read easily. I also like how there were sections for
different audiences, especially the parents section.

6. Website- http://community.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=5559
a. Citation: Kansas College and Career Ready ELA Standards Standards Documents.
(2012). Retrieved March 05, 2016, from http://community.ksde.org/Default.aspx?
tabid=5559

b. Relevancy: This source relates to my topic because it is the source of the Kansas College
and Career Ready Standards. Kansas adopted the Common Core State Standards, but
added some of their own parts to the standards. This website supports my questions
about the Common Core State Standards.
c. Accuracy: I do not detect any bias in this website. It is definitely written from a factual
perspective. The source received the materials from the Common Core State Standards.
d. Currency: This source was published in 2012, it is still current. This website is the main
source for the Common Core State Standards, so if there is anything to update, it would
happen on this website. The information from 2012 is still relevant today.
e. Authority: This website is part of the Kansas Department of Education, and that is a
source that is credible. The standards are called the Kansas College and Career Ready
Standards, because Kansas adopted the Common Core Standards and added additional
standards. There is contact information for people who work for the Kansas Department
of Education, and they would be knowledgeable about any questions.
f. Purpose: The purpose of this website is to inform what the public about the Kansas
College and Career Ready Standards. The website is written from one point of view, and
the site has a complete information on the standards. The information is mostly clearly
presented.
g. Rating: I would rate this website a 4. I think there is a lot of helpful information about the
standards in Kansas, but there are times that I find it a little difficult to find the standards I
am looking for, and its hard to navigate.