Let’s get to the Core of Things

OHS takes a look at the different opinions of the new common core classes.

Denis O’Leary
OHS Junior Chris Blair is ready for the new Common Core classes

Denis O'Leary and Juan Quero

With the start of the new school year, Oxnard High School is experiencing some educational changes. As a result, the California Standardized Test (CST), was eliminated. Beginning with the newly introduced common core assessment, staff and students had varying responses to the new style of teaching.

Some students do not find the course name and composition of the classes beneficial to their education.

OHS Senior James Jolin said that the combination of Algebra 2, Geometry, and Statistics to form Mathematics 3 “might be bad, because [now] you do not know what you are doing, [before] when you did algebra you knew you were doing algebra. [Students] knew what math class [they] were doing … now you do not know what you are doing.,” Jolin said.

Likewise, OHS Senior Erickson Abundo Resurreccion stated that “every time [the teacher] changes [the methods they use] it is going to confuse other kids. If you can barely understand geometry how could you change it? it is going to confuse the students even more.”

Although some OHS students believe the course changes are not beneficial, the administrators say this method will get more students prepared for college. OHS Ex-Assistant Principal Mr. Richard Urias said that “the new math changes are going to be good for students and teachers. Right now we are in the beginning and it is always difficult when you make changes on something new, but in the long run this is going to be better for students and this is going to be a better achievement for math in a result.”

Mr. Urias said that students would not be confused because the idea is for them to learn to do a single mathematical problem with different mathematical techniques. “So for example if there’s a problem that they’re solving, and if it’s mostly algebra but you need a little bit of geometry to solve it. you’re going to need to learn the little bit of geometry to solve for it,” Mr, Urias said.

Advancement Via Individual Determination (A.V.I.D.) and Math teacher Mr. Andrew Mostowa also has a positive view of the common core classes. “I love it. The curriculum is really cool. The kids complain that it is so hard but that is what learning feels like. You having to learn stuff, I like [ it because it aids me] to show how everything [in mathematics]  is related”

The common core brought some changes that some, teachers and students alike might like or dislike. However, the idea is to teach and learn mathematics with what common core provided.