If you haven’t heard of Common Core Standards, you will be soon. As our nation struggles to improve our educational systems, state by state, it became evident that the educational standards set by individual states varied dramatically across the United States. What constituted a proficient in one state was considered advances or emerging in other states.
The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort, launched more than a year ago by state leaders, including governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, 2 territories and the District of Columbia, through their membership in the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.
The Standards are designed to meet the goal of preparing all students for success in college and their careers. This will result in moving even the best state standards to the next level. Since this work began, there has been an explicit agreement that no state would lower its standards. As a country we need college and career ready standards because even in high‐performing states – students are graduating and passing all the required tests and still are not prepared to enter the 21st century work force.
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.
Information Adapted from: http://www.corestandards.org/
