The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.
What are educational standards?
Educational standards help teachers ensure their students have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful by providing clear goals for student learning.
Why do we need educational standards?
We need standards to ensure that all students, no matter where they live, are prepared for success in postsecondary education and the workforce. Common standards will help ensure that students are receiving a high quality education consistently, from school to school and state to state. Common standards will provide a greater opportunity to share experiences and best practices within and across states that will improve our ability to best serve the needs of students.
Standards do not tell teachers how to teach, but they do help teachers figure out the knowledge and skills their students should have so that teachers can build the best lessons and environments for their classrooms. Standards also help students and parents by setting clear and realistic goals for success. Standards are a first step – a key building block – in providing our young people with a high-quality education that will prepare them for success in college and work. Of course, standards are not the only thing that is needed for our children’s success, but they provide an accessible roadmap for our teachers, parents, and students.
Standards do not tell teachers how to teach, but they do help teachers figure out the knowledge and skills their students should have so that teachers can build the best lessons and environments for their classrooms. Standards also help students and parents by setting clear and realistic goals for success. Standards are a first step – a key building block – in providing our young people with a high-quality education that will prepare them for success in college and work. Of course, standards are not the only thing that is needed for our children’s success, but they provide an accessible roadmap for our teachers, parents, and students.
What are the Common Core Standards
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) are pleased to present the final Kindergarten-12 Common Core State Standards documents that our organizations have produced on behalf of 48 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia. These English language arts and mathematics standards represent a set of expectations for student knowledge and skills that high school graduates need to master to succeed in college and careers.
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards
History
The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) is an effort designed to improve educational outcomes for students by developing a set of common, voluntary, internationally-benchmarked academic standards in mathematics and English language arts. For more details, check out the CCSSI overview.
- The CCSSI is a state-led effort designed to improve educational outcomes for students by developing a set of consistent, clear K-12 academic standards in English language arts and mathematics. In 2009 the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the coordinators of the initiative, convened a group of leading experts to develop K-12 standards for math and English language arts in 2010. These standards are relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills young people need to be prepared for both college and work in a global economy.
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Education Board adopts Common Core standards to keep Massachusetts students national leaders in education
Massachusetts educators and staff were integral in drafting of standards to increase expectations for students in the Commonwealth and across the country
MALDEN - The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education cited the increased academic rigor and stronger expectations for student performance when it voted 8-0 to adopt the Common Core Standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics on Wednesday, making Massachusetts the 27th state to adopt the internationally benchmarked academic standards that promise to keep the Commonwealth's students national leaders in education. The Common Core Standards will continue to be assessed through the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), ensuring that all Massachusetts students continue to achieve at the highest levels in the nation and preparing them to succeed in the global economy.
Launched in June 2009, the Common Core State Standards Initiative is designed to develop and implement a single set of national standards in ELA and math to define what every student should know and be able to do in order to be fully ready for post-secondary education or a successful career. Massachusetts played a leading role in the development and review of the standards over the past 13 months. Curriculum experts and educators from across the Commonwealth reviewed and submitted comments on drafts that were incorporated throughout the development process to ensure that the expectations set in the final versions met or exceeded the state's strong standards for students.
"Today's vote is a strong statement of the Board's commitment to keeping Massachusetts competitive in the global economy," said Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Chair Maura Banta. "I am very grateful to all the professionals who provided the Board with such a thorough and thoughtful analysis. We look forward to your continued contribution as we identify unique Massachusetts standards that should be added to the Common Core."
"All along, the conversation about Common Core has been about the Commonwealth seizing the opportunity to improve upon our already high standards," said Education Secretary Paul Reville. "Today's action ensures that Massachusetts will continue to be the recognized leader not only in performance but in setting the direction for nation's future education reforms."
"Adopting the Common Core standards allows us to retain our standing as a state that holds all students to high academic expectations. These standards will spur academic achievement in the classroom," said Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester. "This decision also puts us right where we should be – at the table with other states to collaborate on innovative curricular and instructional strategies that will benefit students and educators for years to come."
The Common Core standards were developed using the most effective academic standards from across the country and around the world. These standards are designed to provide teachers and parents with a common understanding of what all elementary and secondary school students are expected to learn. The standards are aligned with expectations that define the knowledge and skills needed for success in college and and/or workforce training programs. They are designed to drive high quality instruction in the nation's classrooms. The standards include rigorous content and build on strengths and lessons of the state's current standards.
The Board has discussed the standards at four previous meetings over the course of the past year. BESE sought public comment while engaging department staff, outside experts, district curriculum leaders and teachers in a process involving analysis and feedback.
The standards were also fully vetted, reviewed and approved by national organizations including Achieve, Inc., which called them "a significant advance over current state standards," and the Fordham Foundation. The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE), in a side-by-side analysis comparing the state's current standards to the Common Core, deemed that Common Core "meets the business community's objective of enhancing the college and career readiness of our students."
In addition, external review teams of Massachusetts educators and academics assembled by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education did their own analysis of both the Common Core and the state's academic standards and found them to be of equal quality and strength. Both teams recommended adoption of the Common Core standards. In their final review, the team that reviewed the ELA standards noted that the Common Core document "bespeaks an abiding belief in high academic achievement through the pursuit of the best possible educational praxis."
Among the strengths officials highlighted as distinguishing factors within the Common Core:
- The focus on reading and writing across the curriculum
- The attention to speaking, listening and vocabulary
- The consideration of emerging new literacies (such as digital and print sources) for research and communication
- The treatment of varying student needs and achievement levels in the delivery of the math curriculum
Two former commissioners of education, Robert Antonucci and David Driscoll, who were responsible for the design and implementation of the Education Reform Act of 1993 and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) this week voiced support for Common Core based on the academic rigor set forth in the standards. Likewise, former Boston Public Schools Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant encouraged the Board to adopt the standards based on the value added to the state's current high expectations.
Business leaders also this week announced their backing of the new, higher standards. In addition to MBAE, the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the Progressive Business Leaders Network and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable all encouraged the Board to adopt Common Core based on their review of the standards and conclusion of the strong academic foundation contained within both the math and English Common Core frameworks.
Later this summer the ELA and mathematics curriculum framework review panels will be reconvened and charged with identifying unique Massachusetts standards to augment and strengthen the Common Core. This will be brought to the Board this Fall for final approval.
Once fully adopted, the new frameworks will be posted on the ESE website, and widely publicized. Regional statewide professional development sessions on the new standards will be offered over the next year, through the District and School Assistance Centers, the Readiness Centers and other venues. All districts will be expected to align their curricula to the new standards by the start of the 2012-2013 school year.
http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=5634
Curriculum and Instruction
Common Core State Standards Initiative
In December 2010, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the
Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care adopted new standards for English language arts and literacy across the disciplines, referred to as the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy (2011). The new standards incorporate the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History /Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects and a small number of supplemental Massachusetts standards and features.
Commissioner Chester has set the expectation that all public school districts and charter schools in the Commonwealth will have aligned their curricula to the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy (2011) and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics (2011) by the end of the 2012-13 school year.
Massachusetts Side-by-Side Comparison Documents
The documents found at the below URL compare the new standards to the previous standards and are designed to help districts align their curricula, instruction, and assessments to the 2011 standards including:
- Comparison of the Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 8 2011 Massachusetts standards with the standards of the Math Curriculum Framework (2000) and Supplement (2004)
- Comparison of the 2011 Massachusetts ELA and Literacy Standards with the standards of the ELA Curriculum Framework (2001) and Supplement (2004)
- Comparison of the new 2011 mathematics model high school course standards with the high school mathematics course standards in the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework (2000).
- Comparison of the new 2011 Grade 8 standards with the Algebra I course standards in the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework (2000)
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