Dive Brief:

• The National Association of Secondary School Principals recommends Common Core implementation be slowed down due to inadequate training — for teachers and themselves.  
• The group has written a policy brief asking state, local and federal lawmakers to slow down their rush for accountability mandates surrounding the new standards.  
• Race to the Top funding has been contingent upon state's promises to tie teacher evaluations to Common Core assessments in the 2015-2016 school year, but U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has since indicated that this could be pushed back a year. The principals believe, however, that the rollout is moving too fast for effective implementation and evaluation.

Dive Insight:

The NASSP, which is the leading organization for middle and high school principals, supports the Common Core. What they don't support is haphazard implementation of the standards. According to their policy brief, Common Core will only be successful if we "set reasonable expectations for educators and build the capacity of school leaders and teachers to implement college and career ready standards and administer assessments aligned with those standards.” The "reasonable expectations" are key, especially if many teachers feel ill-equipped for the implementation.  

Some of the brief's recommendations for federal policymakers: provide financial resources and backing to help states implement the Common Core; get rid of punitive amendments in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; delay assessment-evaluation ties for two year; eliminate "dual testing" where teachers are held accountable for student scores on "old state assessments" but are expected to teach for the new standards.

As for state policymakers, the brief calls for the creation of a 5-10 year plan for Common Core implementation and doing away with outdated state assessments not tied to the standards. On the local level, it calls for continued professional development around the new standards, ensuring teacher and principals have time to collaborate around them, and focusing on principal training sessions on instructional leadership and not school management.