Common Core Standards: What Do Parents Need to Know?

How were the standards developed?

The common core state standards effort was launched in June 2009 through a partnership of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association working together with parents, teachers, school administrators, and experts from across the country.  National and international research, evidence and standards-including standards from countries that are often recognized for high-quality education-informed development of the Common Core.  After public comment, the final version of the Common Core was released in June 2012.

English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts include standards for use in English language arts courses, as well as literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects.  The standards for English language arts describe expertise that students will develop in the areas of reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language.  The standards also describe how students use and strengthen these skills—particularly reading and writing—in other subjects at their grade level.

Key Features of the Standards:

Reading:  Text complexity and growth of comprehension

The reading standards place equal emphasis on the sophistication of what students read and the skill with which they read.

  Writing: Test types, responding to reading, and research

The writing standards apply to many types of writing: arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.

Speaking and listening:  Flexible communication and collaboration

The speaking and listening standards require students to develop a range of broadly useful oral communication and interpersonal skills.

Language: Conventions (grammar), effective use, and vocabulary

The language standards include the essential “rules” of standard written and spoken English.

Mathematical Practice and Mathematical Content

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for mathematics include two types of standards:  one for mathematical practice (how students are able to apply and extend math principles) and one for mathematical content (what students know about math).  The two are linked together while students are learning.

Standards for Mathematical Practice:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

For more about the Common Core State Standards, visit:

http://educationnorthwest.org/common-core/

www.ode.oh.us

www.corestandards.org