The Common core state standards

1. The Common core state standards By: Brooke Brewer brooke.brewer@smail.astate.edu

2. What are the Common Core State Standards? • Standards that have been created with the help of different teachers, school administrators, parents, community leaders, and experts. • CCSS provide distinct, uniform frameworks for each grade • CCSS focus on core understandings and procedures.

3. Why were the CCSS created? • To ensure that students are receiving the highest quality education from state to state, consistently. • To provide a key building block to prepare students for success in college and in the workforce.

4. What states have adopted the Common Core State Standards? • 45 States and 3 United States Territories have adopted the Common Core State Standards. All states with the exception of the following have adopted the CCSS… Other areas that have adopted the CCSS… • Alaska • Texas • Minnesota • Nebraska • Virginia • District of Columbia • Puerto Rico • Guam • American Samoa Islands • U.S. Virgin Islands • Northern Mariana Islands

5. Cons of the Common Core State Standards… • Initially, the transition to the CCSS will be a difficult adjustment for students and teachers. • The results of the CCSS will not be instant, it will be a slow, gradual process. • The CCSS will not have an equivalency test for students with special needs. There will be no modified tests. • The CCSS will cause many textbooks that are being used now to become obsolete, resulting in the schools having to purchase new materials that are Common Core ready.

6. Cons of the Common Core State Standards (continued)… • The Common Core Standards Assessments will be online, therefore forcing schools to update their technology. • Conflict: The expense spent in buying new technology. • Conflict:Some school districts may not have enough computers to test each student in a timely manner. • The CCSS only have standards that apply to English-Language and Mathematics right now. • Conflict: There are currently no Science or Social Studies. It is up to the individual states to develop their own frameworks for those subjects.

7. Pros of the Common Core State Standards… • The CCSS will now compare to the standards of other very academically successful countries. This is positive considering that the United States has dropped in educational rankings over the past few decades. • Using the CCSS, states will now be able to compare standardized test scores accurately. • States will have to pay less for test development, scoring, and reporting, seeing that one test will developed and each of the states that adopted CCSS can now split the costs.

8. Pros of the Common Core State Standards (continued)… • Students will now be better prepared for college and global work with the increased rigor in the classroom. • The CCSS will increase the development of higher level thinking skills. The Common Core Standards Assessments will cover several skills within each question, instead of the students just being tested on one skill at a time, like they are today. • Assessments of the Common Core Standards will be more authentic to the student’s learning. Students will now have to give an answer, state how they arrived at the conclusion, and defend it, rather than just giving a correct answer and moving to the next question.

9. More pros of the Common Core State Standards… • Transition between schools will now be easier for students who move continuously, seeing as the standards are the same (for those states that have adopted that Common Core Standards). • Teacher collaboration and development will be enhanced with the Common Core Standards. Teachers across the nation will now be teaching the same curriculum, making it easier for teachers to share ideas and projects to further enhance their classroom criteria.

10. Frequently Asked Questions • Will the Common Core State Standards keep local teachers from deciding what or how to teach? • No, the Common Core Standards are a clear set of goals and expectations for what our students need to succeed. Teachers will continue to create lesson plans and modify instruction to the needs of their students. • Does having common standards lead to dumbing down the standards across the board? • No, the Common Core Standards have been built from the best and highest state standards in the country. These standards are designed to guarantee that all students, despite where they are living, receive that absolute best education to prepare them for college or a career.

11. More Frequently Asked Questions… • Why are the Common Core State Standards for just English-Language Art and Math? • English and Math were the first subject chosen to have uniform standards created because these two subjects are the main base in which students build on, even for other subjects. • Where can I learn about efforts to develop standards in other subject areas? • Other groups are working on standards in the arts, world languages, and science. • Arts: http://www.arteducators.org/news/national-coalition-for-core-arts-standards-nccas • World Languages: http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1 • Science: http://www.nextgenscience.org/.

12. References • http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards • http://www.corestandards.org/frequently-asked-questions • http://www.corestandards.org/in-the-states • http://teaching.about.com/od/assess/f/What-Are-Some-Pros-And-Cons-Of-The-Common-Core-Standards.htm