Mt. Sinai School Officials: 'We Will Adapt To, Not Adopt Common Core'

Mt. Sinai District Superintendent Enrico Crocetti assured parents Wednesday evening that the district was tackilng common core standards, but very little would change in the way that they teach.

“We are looking to enhance the structure. We aren’t looking to teach to the core,” said Crocetti. “That’s not what we do here. We exceed the core.”

Deena Williams-Timo, Executive Director for Educational Services, gave an hour-long presentation on how the district will incorporate Common Core standards, stressing that it is part of what they do, not all they do.

 “We are not locked into a program,” said Williams-Temo. “There is some control that we have as a district as how  we implement it. We may adopt or adapt to Common Core. By adopting we would buying the programs, downloading everything without question," she said. 

Williams-Temo said the district would not adopt, but adapt to the standards.

"We are adapting. We didn’t run out and buy the programs. We have taken what we can use or we have decided to use what we already have in place because it provides more that Common Core.”

Some of the Common Core main shifts according to Williams-Temo are:

·      Increased rigor

·       Deep understanding 

·      Text based answers

·      Academic vocabulary

“Mt Sinai has been doing all of the above before the introduction to Common Core,” she said.

However, some audience members said the shift has caused tears and frustration during homework time.

“My child is crying when we sit down to do their math homework,” said one resident. Several in the audience echoed the same concern, questioning whether teachers were able to adequately teach the new material.

Crocetti said he was “alarmed” by what he was hearing. He later met with concerned parents to further listen to their concerns.

"If we need to change our approach, I think maybe we need to make some fast moves," he said. "Elementary school should be a place of learning and smiles."

Crocetti said the district is working with teachers and provided additional training over the summer as well as ongoing training.

“We have to hold our students to a higher standard and give them the tools to do it,” said Crocetti. “In the end we are adapting where it is right to do so and maintaining our curriculum where it is right.”