Common Core Standards Initiative Update

Bill Blynt
Jan 11, 2010

What is the status of the movement to develop a common set of learning standards in the United States? Launched in July 2009, the Common Core State Standards Initiative is a collaborative effort between the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. The goal of this initiative is to develop a common set of core learning standards for Math and English/Language Arts for grades K-12. "The developed standards will be research and evidenced-based, internationally benchmarked, aligned with college and work expectations and include rigorous content and skills". (www.corestandards.org)

Currently supported by all but three (Texas, South Carolina and Alaska) of the fifty states and three territories, the initial draft of the standards is targeted for release in January 2010. Once released to the states, each state will estab lish a timeline and process for review and adoption of the standards. Each state may elect to adopt the standards as written or elect to include additional standards beyond the common core. Each state's adopted set of core standards must represent a minimum of 85% of the common core standards developed by the Common Core Standards Initiative.

The movement to create a common set of core learning standards was motivated by the difficulty educators encountered as they attempted to evaluate student performance across states and countries. As each state developed its own set of standards and corresponding set of assessments, comparing student performance levels between students in different states was extremely difficult if not impossible. Students determined to be proficient in one state could be, based on a different states standards, assessments and criteria, listed as deficient in another state. The level of student performances in specific schools was used as the criteria to determine if a school was successful or not. Whe! n educat ors began to closely examine the multitude of systems in place it became apparent the system was flawed.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative attempts to create a system of common standards that can be used by states as they attempt to establish clear, measurable standards that are aligned to a national benchmark. If all states are able to align their standards to national benchmarks, it is hoped that the discrepancies between student performance and how that performance is judged across states will be reduced. The Initiative has also attempted to examine standards from other countries in an effort to insure that our students will be held to comparable achievement levels. It is hoped that this alignment provides our students with the opportunity to compete for high-wage, high-skill jobs in a knowledge-based economy.

The overall goal of the Common Core Standards Initiative is to develop a set of standards that clearly identifies the expectations th at students must meet. They must articulate what teachers are expected to teach and what students are expected to learn. These expectations must help prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in college and careers. Once created and adopted, states must then create a fair system to judge student performance that can extent across state and national borders. The task of the Initiative is a beginning. Once completed, each state must use the work as a jumping off point in developing a system in their own state that leads to renewed clarity of education expectations for teachers, students and parents. The curriculum must be focused and aligned to internationally benchmarked standards. Instructional goals must be set at high levels with a focus on promoting deep understanding of critical content. Finally, a system of judgment must be developed that provides an opportunity to compare and evaluate student achievement across states that is fair to all .

Sources:
www.corestandards.org
www.ccsso.org
District Administration:  October, 2009