Potential ramifications of common core state standards adoption on information literacy

Abstract

While the potential effect of the Common Core State Standards on student depth of knowledge and learning behaviors is still just a possibility, it is important for information literacy instructors to know what to look for as states begin implementation of the CCSS. With 45 United States adopting the standards, any potential changes should be consistent among the student populations of most post-secondary institutions. In the next few years, as states adapt standards towards assessing critical and extended thinking rather than recall and reproduction, there should be data to begin assessing actual ramifications of CCSS adoption. While CCSS offers a marked pedagogical shift and an increase in college readiness expectations, the potential level of increased information literacy development among high school graduates is still open for debate. Such pedagogical change is reliant on many factors, which are out of the control of policy makers and educators; additional study of state assessments will be required to verify if the theory behind the standards actually returns results from its implementation.