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Common Core FAQs

What are educational standards?

Educational standards are a set of content expectations written for each grade level to help teachers ensure their students have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful.   Standards provide clear grade level goals for student learning that identify what students are expected to know and be able to do in the content areas of English language arts, mathematics, health, physical education, science, second language, social sciences, and the arts.

 

What is the Common Core State Standards Initiative?

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort to establish a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts and mathematics. The initiative allows states to voluntarily adopt the sets of standards. The initiative seeks to bring diverse state curricula into alignment across the United States to ensure a guaranteed, viable curriculum for students and enable each student upon graduation from high school to enter entry level college courses at two and four year programs or enter the workforce. 

 

Who led the development and the adoption of the Common Core State Standards Initiative?

The nation’s governors and education commissioners, through their representative organizations the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) led the development of the Common Core State Standards and continue to lead the initiative. Teachers, parents, school administrators and experts from across the country together with state leaders provided input into the development of the standards.

 

States across the country collaborated with teachers, researchers, and leading experts to design and develop the Common Core State Standards. Each state independently made the decision to adopt the Common Core State Standards, beginning in 2010. The federal government was NOT involved in the development of the standards. Local teachers, principals, and superintendents lead the implementation of the Common Core.

 

How do the Common Core State Standards compare to previous state standards?

The Common Core State Standards were written by building on the best and highest state standards in existence in the U.S., examining the expectations of other high performing countries around the world, and careful study of the research and literature available on what students need to know and be able to do to be successful in college and careers. No state in the country was asked to lower their expectations for their students in adopting the Common Core. The standards are evidence-based, aligned with college and work expectations, include rigorous content and skills, and are informed by other top performing countries. They were developed in consultation with teachers and parents from across the country so they are also realistic and practical for the classroom.

 

Are the standards internationally benchmarked?

Yes. International benchmarking played a significant role in both sets of standards. In fact, the college and career ready standards include an appendix listing the evidence that was consulted in drafting the standards and the international data used in the benchmarking process is included in this appendix.

 

The Common Core State Standards are a clear set of shared goals and expectations for the knowledge and skills students need in English language arts and mathematics at each grade level to ultimately be prepared to graduate college and/or career ready. The standards establish what students need to learn, but they do not dictate how teachers should teach. Teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and tailor standards based instruction to the individual needs of the students in their classrooms.

 

What grade levels are included in the Common Core State Standards?

The English language arts and math standards are for grades K-12. Research from the early childhood and higher education communities also informed the development of the standards.

 

What do the Common Core State Standards mean for students?

The standards provide clarity and consistency in what is expected of student learning across the country. This initiative helps provide all students with an equal opportunity for an education, regardless of where they live. The Common Core State Standards will not prevent different levels of achievement among students, but they will ensure more consistent exposure to materials and learning experiences through curriculum, instruction, and teacher preparation among other supports for student learning.

 

Can parents have access to the Common Core Standards?

Yes.  Parents can download copies of the California Common Core Standards at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/

 

Will there be tests based on the Common Core State Standards?

Yes. States that adopted the Common Core State Standards are currently collaborating to develop common assessments that will be aligned to the standards and replace existing end of year state assessments. These assessments will be implemented in the 2014-2015 school year.  In California, students will take the Smarter Balanced Assessment in grades 3-12 to measure proficiency on the Common Core Standards.  Parents may view a practice test site that includes released test items at:         

SBAC Practice Tests

 

What does this work mean for students with disabilities and English language learners?

The Common Core State Standards give states the opportunity to share experiences and best practices, which can lead to an improved ability to serve young people with disabilities and English language learners. Additionally, the standards include information on application of the standards for these groups of students.

 

Why are the Common Core State Standards written for just English language arts and math?

English language arts and math were the subjects chosen for the Common Core State Standards because they are areas upon which students build skill sets which are used in other subjects. They are also the subjects most frequently assessed for accountability purposes. 

 

Are there plans to develop common standards in other areas in the future?

CCSSO and NGA are not leading the development of standards in other academic content areas. Below is information on efforts of other organizations to develop standards in other academic subjects.

 

  • Science: In a process managed by Achieve, with the help of the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, states are developing the Next Generation Science Standards. More information about this effort can be found here.

 

  • World Languages: The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages published an alignment of the National Standards for Learning Languages with the ELA Common Core State Standards. More information about this effort can be found here.

 

  • Arts: The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards is leading the revision of the National Standards for Arts Education. More information about this effort can be found here.

 

Do the English language arts standards incorporate both content and skills?

Yes.  In English language arts, the Common Core State Standards require certain critical content for all K-12 students, including:

 

  • Classic myths and stories from around the world;
  • America’s Founding Documents;
  • Foundational American literature: and
  • Shakespeare.

 

The remaining crucial decisions about what content should be taught are left to state and local determination. In addition to content coverage, the Common Core State Standards require that students systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

 

Do the English language arts standards include a reading list or any other reference to content?

The Common Core State Standards include sample texts that demonstrate the level of text complexity appropriate for the grade level and compatible with the learning demands set forth in the standards. The exemplars listed in the standards are considered high quality texts for each grade level and provide a rich set of possibilities. This ensures teachers have the flexibility to make their own decisions about what texts to use with students, while providing an excellent reference point for teachers when selecting their texts.

 

What type of books and materials are recommended for the English language arts standards?

The Common Core State Standards require certain critical content for all students. In addition to content coverage, the standards require that students systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. English teachers will still provide instruction in literature as well as literary non-fiction. However, because college and career readiness overwhelming focuses on complex texts outside of literature, these standards also ensure students are being prepared to read, write, and research across the curriculum, including in history, science, and elective courses.

 

Do the mathematics standards incorporate both content and skills?

Yes.  In mathematics, the Common Core State Standards require certain critical content for all K-12 students, including:


In K- 5, Common Core State Standards lay a solid foundation in:

  • Whole numbers;
  • Addition;
  • Subtraction;
  • Multiplication;
  • Division:
  • Fractions; and
  • Decimals.


In grades 6-12, the Common Core State Standards require students to:

 

·      Apply mathematical principles, concepts, and reasoning to real world issues and challenges

·      Apply algebraic properties and reasoning

·      Apply analytic properties

·      Conduct statistical analysis

·      Apply geometric rules and functions

 

Taken together, these elements support a student’s ability to learn and apply more demanding math concepts and procedures as they progress through the middle school mathematics pathways and beyond. It is intended that all students have the opportunity to progress through what has been traditionally called multiple variable calculus.  The mathematical progressions presented in the Common Core State Standards are coherent and based on evidence. The progression in the Common Core State Standards is mathematically coherent and leads to college and career readiness at an internationally competitive level.

 

Will CCSSO and NGA be creating common instructional materials and curricula?

States that have adopted the standards may choose to work together to develop instructional materials and curricula. As states join together to adopt the same Common Core State Standards, publishers of instructional materials and experienced educators will develop new resources around these shared standards.  In CA, the materials will be State Board approved for use in public schools. 

 

What has Los Gatos Union School District done to prepare for the Common Core instructional implementation? 

The teachers and administrators in Los Gatos Union School District have been preparing for Common Core instructional implementation since their inception in California in 2011.   The staff remains committed to implementing a successful transition from our current state standards to the new Common Core Standards and assessments by:

 

·      Building a strong understanding of the new standards, 21st Century Learning Skills, assessment development, Capacities of the Literate Individual and the Standards for Mathematical Practices 

·      Supporting teachers with on-going professional development

·      Creating a culture to support the Professional Learning Community across the district with Teacher Leaders at every school site who are experts with Common Core and who share in the responsibility to support their colleagues with a successful transition

·      Providing informational evenings for parents

 

As well as attending county and district professional development sessions, the Teacher Leaders along with grade level teams/departments have attended extensive professional development provided by Learning Systems Associates in curriculum mapping and aligning instruction to the Common Core Standards. Ongoing grade-level professional development continues as the teachers align assessments to the Common Core Standards. We are excited to provide curriculum that allows students to delve deeper into conceptual understanding in a robust and challenging way.