EAST LANSING - In the last installment of our 3-part series, we took a look at how after-school tutoring centers can help students and parents with the common core. But what are teachers doing to implement these new requirements?

Every Monday Catherine Foster looks over her lesson plans for that week trying to keep each student’s individualized needs in mind.

“I definitely feel it’s difficult for the common core to teach with because it is great to have the guidelines but there are things that as a teacher and with students there’s so many different needs,” said Foster, an elementary education student-teacher at Michigan State University.

As a student-teacher just beginning to implement the standards, Foster can agree with other math teachers, that have been practicing the common core for years.

“The expertise in each subject level is lacking and the state hasn’t given any resources to getting teachers more expertise in their different subject areas,” said Cecilia Anderson, a math teacher at East Lansing High School.

Schools are lacking the resources to apply and help students prepare for higher education.

“I feel like I could be better prepared, a lot of high school has come pretty easy to me, so going into next year I’m going to have to work harder to learn on my own rather than with the guidance of a teacher,” said East Lansing High School senior Torey Redmond.

And this means more help from parents at home.

“They[parents] call me up sometimes saying ‘Jeff, this is not how we learned how to long divide you know so what is going on with this?’ There’s definitely a disconnect right now," said Jeff Burgess, math teacher at East Lansing High.

Parents and teachers alike can agree that a steady transition from each grade level with a strong foundation can help make things a little more clear.

Now some teachers are still complaining that although the state has passed the common core standards they have failed to efficiently test them out.