K-12 Curriculum Development

Press Release
Today, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a set of state-led education standards, the Common Core State Standards, at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, GA. The English-language arts and mathematics standards for grades K-12 were developed in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders including content experts, states, teachers, school administrators and parents. The standards establish clear and consistent goals for learning that will prepare America’s children for success in college and work. 

Click here to view the full press release.

Related Stories:

Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School Officer, testifies at a hearing about Improving Our Competitiveness: Common Core Education Standards on December 8, 2009. (YouTube)

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan congratulates Kentucky on being the first state to accept the Common Core State Standards in English/language arts and mathematics on Februrary 17, 2010. (YouTube)

Common Core State Standards Initiative
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

On March 10, 2010, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) released the official draft of the K-12 Common Core State Standards, which will be open to public comment until April 2. The process of developing these standards has been state led by the governors and chief state school officers in 48 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia, with input from a wide range of stakeholders- including educators, researchers, content experts, national organizations, and community groups.

The standards cover mathematics, English-language arts, and briefly, literacy in history, social studies and science and lay out grade-level specific goals, as well as college- and career- readiness standards. The CCSSO and NGA Center have said that once these standards are finalized, they will develop a set of common core standards in science and potentially other subject areas.

The standards are based on the following criteria:

• aligned with college and work expectations;

• clear, understandable and consistent;

• include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;

• build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;

• informed by other top performing countries;

• and evidence-and research-based.

National standards and college- and career- readiness have been an ongoing theme across the current initiatives of this administration, including Race to the Top, the ESEA rewrite, and within the President’s budget. While the Obama administration did not have a role in the drafting of the standards, both the President and Secretary Arne Duncan have avidly pushed for the development of a common, higher set of standards as part of an overall education reform agenda.

“We will end what has become a race to the bottom in our schools and instead spur a race to the top by encouraging better standards and assessments… And I'm calling on our nation's governors and state education chiefs to develop standards and assessments that don't simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity.”
                                                - President Barack Obama, March 10, 2009

While adoption of the Common Core Standards is voluntary for states, qualification for the $4 billion Race to the Top fund is heavily tied to the development and implementation of national standards. Also, with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization hearings currently underway, the Department of Education has indicated that it would like to see a set of national standards included in the rewrite.

The full set of documents, (70 pages of math standards and 60 pages of English-language arts standards), are posted at www.corestandards.org.  The deadline for public input is April 2, 2010.

What are your thoughts on the Draft of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English?

Source:
http://trianglecoalition.blogspot.com/2010/03/common-core-state-standards-draft.html

One Country, One Set of Standards
The Tech Online Edition - MIT's oldest and largest newspaper
By Ryan Normandin
February 12, 2010

K-12 Curriculum Development has followed the Common Core State Standards Initiative, Race to the Top, and the development of common standards for the past year.  This brief article may be the most informative and well written article posted to date. 

Excerpt:
"Therefore, there exist two major problems with state-determined standards. The first is their very nature — all American citizens should be learning the same thing and be held to the same standards. The disconnects that exist between states’ own standards are astonishing and are harming students nationwide. The second issue is the quality of the standards created by individual states. In order to meet federal mandates, obtain certain funds, and look good, states are lowering the bar in public education. And that is unacceptable."                 -  Ryan Normandin

Courier-Journal
Louisville, Kentucky
By Antoinette Konz
February 9, 2010

On February 10, Kentucky will become the first state in the nation to endorse the “Common Core State Standards Initiative,” during a meeting of officials from the state Department of Education; the Council on Postsecondary Education, which coordinates the state’s higher education system; and the state’s Education Professional Standards Board, which certifies that state’s teachers and school administrators.

Education with John Merrow (View 3 min. 50 sec. video)
Learning Matters

John Merrow addresses Race to the Top, the Common Core State Standards Initiative, testing and accountability programs, and the current state of education in the United States on this YouTube video developed by Learning Matters.

Merrow began his career as an education reporter with National Public Radio in 1974 with the weekly series, “Options in Education,” for which he received the George Polk Award in 1982.  He is currently President of Learning Matters and scholar in residence at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching at Stanford. Since 1984 he has worked in public television as Education Correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and as host of his own series of documentaries, The Merrow Report.  

He blogs regularly at Taking Note: Thoughts on Education.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the observations made by John Merrow.  Do you agree with all of his points?  Do you have a different opinion?  Should public schools and policy makers consider different options?

View this article at National Center for Policy Analysis.
Posted January 22, 2010

Did Texas make the right decision?

Should the Federal Government dictate the curriculum for all 50 states?

Is Texas making a mistake by possibly losing out on millions of dollars in Race to the Top Funds?

What are your thoughts?

State-Federal Tensions Loom in Standards Effort
Education Week
By Michele McNeil
January 14, 2010

"In the latest push for common academic standards, coming up with the standards themselves may be the easy part: The political sensitivities that scuttled virtually every previous attempt are very much on the minds of those leading the effort this time around."

This article provides an update on the Common Core State Standards Initiative.  Whether you have been following the Common Core State Standards Initiative or this is the first time you have been introduced to the recent standards movement, this article will provide readers with a historical perspective and interviews from state education leaders.

Education Week also provides stories related to state standards, assessment, featured stories, web extras, State of the States, and other resources which will provide readers with an overview of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
Look on the right side of the story for these resources and articles.

http://tiny.cc/N7M9h
By Bridgette Wallis
Dallas Public Education Policy Examiner
January 3, 2009

"There are already several indicators that the Race to the Top will be rife with politics, ideological battles, and special interest groups vying for a slice of the pie."

This article addresses the following topics:

Common Core State Standards

Race to the Top Funds

Increasing Role of Federal Government in Public Schools

Additional articles and updates on the Common Core State Standards Initiative may be found in the Archives.

The message below announced the release of the PowerPoint Presentation and the recording from the National Forum that was held in Washington, D.C., on December 2, 2009.  Please feel free to visit the site and share it with your friends.  Frequently, I run into teachers and administrators who have never heard about the Common Core State Standards Initiative.  This information would be a good introduction for educators or other interested stakeholders.  The Common Core State Standards Initiative is supported by the National Governors Association.  Please feel free to share your thoughts on the National Forum and the implications of the Common Core State Standards Initiative on curriculum and instruction.

Colleagues:

Thanks to all of you who participated in the Common Core State Standards Initiative National Forum. The PowerPoint presentation and recording of the event is now available at Common Core State Standards Initiative.

CCSSO and NGA
 

There are two new resources which will assist educators in understanding National Education Standards.  If you are still considering the pros and cons of state standards versus national standards, then these resources will provide you with additional data and opinions to consider.  Both resources come from respected authors, not tabloid news or editorials in the local newspaper.

Resources on National Education Standards:

National Education Standards: Getting Beneath the Surface (Free Online)
Education Testing Service (ETS) - 2009
By Paul E. Barton

The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future (Book)
Teachers College Press - 2010
By Linda Darling-Hammond