Shifting the Locus of Control: Why the Common Core State Standards and Emerging Standardized Tests May Reshape College Writing Classrooms

Oct 3, 2026

The text examines how the 2010 Common Core State Standards and the emergence of large-scale standardized assessments (notably PARCC and SBAC) may reshape college writing instruction. It argues that although the Standards originate in K-12, their assessment regime can shift control through professional development networks, vertical alignment of K-20 testing, and new funding for education reform. Emphasis is placed on reasserting teacher agency and framing assessment as teaching and learning rather than accountability control.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Common Core and aligned assessments

Origins and adoption

Critiques of the Standards

Accountability and shifting control

Implications for college writing classrooms

Shifting the Locus of Control: Why the Common Core State Standards and Emerging Standardized Tests May Reshape College Writing Classrooms by Joanne Addison In 2010 the Common Core State Standards, a set of outcomes-based standards detailing core skills for K-12 English Language Arts and Math classrooms across the US, were released. This was followed by the release of related standards-based assessments, most notably the large-scale standardized tests developed through the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) . Because the Standards and their attendant standardized tests are limited to the K-12 curriculum, they are generally thought of as something happening within our elementary and secondary schools, not something that may have a direct effect on how we teach writing at the college level. By mapping the increased control of professional development networks for teachers by private philanthropists and testing companies, vertical alignment of K-20 standardized tests, and new approaches to funding education reform and research, we can begin to see how and why the Standards and emerging standardized tests will reshape our college writing classrooms. Understanding this shift is crucial to reasserting teacher agency at all levels of the curriculum and reinforcing assessment as primarily a teaching and learning practice, not a system of accountability and control. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), released in 2010, mark the first time the United States has successfully moved to adopt nation-wide learning standards for our K-12 classrooms in almost every state.1 The CCSS are self-described as “a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA) .These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade” (Common Core State Standards Initiative [CCSS], 2015) . While the Standards do not dictate use of any specific curriculum or pedagogy, they do aim to standardize what is taught in all of our public schools. Initially, forty-three states, the District of Columbia, and four territories adopted the Standards in full. And with the Standards come new high-stakes standardized tests, such as the one developed through the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) and the one developed through the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) . Twenty-one states and the U.S. Virgin Islands are using the SBAC standardized test and thirteen states are using the PARCC standardized test. The most significant lure used to encourage adoption of the Standards and new standardized tests was increased eligibility for President Obama’s Race to the Top grants—a $4 .35 billion dollar initiative (United States Department of Education, 2009, p. 2) . Many of us are more familiar with the controversies ignited by adoption of the Standards than the Standards themselves. Critique of the Standards fall into three broad categories: 1. The Standards are not developmentally appropriate—i.e. , in many instances the Standards require children to master skills that they are not cognitively able to master at the specified age, 2. The Standards fail to address the most significant issues in education today—e.g. , the impact of poverty on educational opportunity, and 3. Federally mandated accountability tied to the Standards has led to a massive increase in dollars and time spent on standardized testing, significantly decreasing instructional time and funds for other initiatives. So much criticism has been leveled against the Common Core State Standards, PARCC, and SBAC that many are simply waiting for the Standards to fail and the tests to be abandoned. As of this writing, two states have dropped the Standards and four are considering doing so. Further, PARCC initially counted twentysix states among its ranks (now down to thirteen) while SBAC counted thirty

FAQs

How do the Common Core State Standards and PARCC/SBAC extend beyond K-12 into college writing?

The document argues that standardized assessments and vertically aligned testing can influence how writing is taught at the college level, even though the Standards target K-12 skills.

What criticisms are described regarding the Common Core State Standards and related tests?

Critiques include developmental inappropriateness, failure to address major educational issues like poverty, and increased federally tied accountability that reduces instructional time for other initiatives.

Why does the author say waiting for the Standards to fail is not the best approach?

The text contends that while criticism persists, teachers are still being trained, materials are being revised, and substantial funding is already reshaping influence networks that reach higher education.

Oct 3, 2026

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