Common Core Standards Developed for K-12 Students

In 2010, the National Governors’ Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers led a national effort to develop Common Core Standards for K-12 students in the nation’s public schools.

To date, 44 states have approved and adopted the standards. In Georgia, former Gov. Sonny Perdue and former State Superintendent Kathy Cox led the effort.  Gov. Nathan Deal and Superintendent John Barge support the standards and are implementing them throughout Georgia’s public schools.

Common Core Standards are based on skills that students should develop as they move through grades K-12. They are not based on content to be taught and learned. The Georgia Department of Education is providing leadership in the adoption and implementation of the Standards for all public school systems in Georgia.

To date, Common Core Standards have been developed for English Language Arts and for Mathematics. The National Council of Social Studies developed the Common Core Standards for Social Studies. These are included in the standards for English Language Arts.

The timeline in Georgia for adopting and implementing the Common Core Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics is as follows:

1.     January – May 2012 – grade-by-grade teacher professional learning;

2.     2012 – 2013 – classroom implementation;

3.     2014 – 2015 – projected date for assessment.

The Standards provide a consistent framework to prepare students for success in college and/or the 21st Century workplace. They have the following characteristics:

• Developed by standards experts and educators;
• Supported by rigorous international standards;
• Received multiple rounds of feedback from states and national organizations representing educators, including the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the National Council of Teachers of English.

For students in Georgia, the Common Core Standards mean the following:

• Rigorous knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college and/or careers;
• Consistent expectations across states for all students, regardless of whether they decide to attend Georgia Tech or UCLA or pursue a job in Georgia, Maine, or Indiana;
• Relevant content and application of knowledge through high level thinking skills.

For educators in Georgia, the Standards mean the following:

• Clear, focused expectations that assist educators in being on the same page and working together with students and parents toward shared goals;
• A common-sense next step that is aligned in our current Georgia Performance Standards.

For taxpayers of Georgia, the Common Core Standards mean the following:

• Long-term potential savings on textbooks and instructional resources as a result of a consistency in the development of materials across states.

Examples of Common Core Standards are as follows:

1.     Grades 11-12 for Literacy in History, Social Studies, Science, and Technical Students:  Range of Writing. 

Common Core Standard:  Write routinely over extended time frames [time for reflection and revision] and shorter time frames [a single setting or a day or two] for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

2.     Grades 11-12 for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.

Common Core Standard:  Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (i.e., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

As District III School Board member, I support the move toward Common Core Standards for grades K-12 in public schools of Georgia. Our nation is mobile.  Our families move across the nation with frequency.

Having a standardized set of skills for our students to achieve is also a benefit for employers who want assurance that they will find a trained workforce for their needs in the communities in which they locate.