What Are Common Core State Standards?

More than a year ago, governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia committed to developing a common core of high-quality academic standards in English language arts and mathematics for grades K-12. This state-led effort is known as the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which gave birth to the Common Core curriculum.

Why are Common Core State Standards important?

As communication, commerce, and technology continue to advance at a rapid rate, so too do the skills necessary to be competitive in the global workforce. In order to keep pace, America’s children must be prepared no matter where they live or where they go to school. In the past, academic standards have been different from state to state, thus leaving some of our students at a competitive disadvantage.

What will Common Core State Standards mean for students?

The standards will provide more clarity and consistency in what is expected of student learning across the country in English language arts and mathematics. Until now, every state has had its own set of academic standards, meaning public education students at the same grade level in different states have been expected to achieve at different levels. The Common Core State Standards are aligned with college and work expectations, focused and coherent, rigorous and authentic, internationally benchmarked and based on evidence and research.

How will the Common Core Standards impact teachers?

The Common Core standards will provide important goals for teachers to ensure they are preparing students for success in college and the workforce. They will help teachers develop and implement effective strategies for their students by providing benchmarks for skills and knowledge that their students should have by the end of the year.

What are Essential Standards?

The North Carolina Essential Standards have been written for the subject areas other than mathematics and English language arts. They are narrower and deeper, have clear articulation of skills, understandings and learning experiences critical at each grade level. They are infused with writing, 21st Century content, thinking and learning skills and life skills throughout the content standards. They are embedded with rigor, relevance, and relationships between and among subject areas, and developed for readiness. They are measurable and concise, integrated and driven by the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy.

How will Surry Coungy Schools introduce and implement the Common Core and Essential Standards?

Educators will spend the 2011-2012 school year attending state and local sponsored sessions and working through state-prepared resources and modules. In February and March of 2012, selected teachers will begin to write curriculum maps/crosswalks (instructional guides) for the new curriculum. They will embed these guides into the districdt’s learning management system, Haiku. Before teachers leave for the summer they will receive the instructional guides and training from content teachers who have attended the state subject-area sessions. During the summer of 2012, teams of teachers will continue to produce resources to tie to the instructional guides and they will forward these documents to teachers throughout the summer via the learning management system.

Students will begin to receive instruction and assessment of the Common Core/Essential Standards in the fall of 2012. For more information, visit the Surry County Public School website that links to local implementation documents at www.surry.k12.nc.us or www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards.