Common Core

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, also known as Common Core, began in 2010 as an effort by many U.S. states to make school standards more consistent. Its main goal was to ensure that students in K–12 education across the United States learn similar skills in English language arts and mathematics by the end of each school grade. This helped teachers and parents know what students should be learning at each level.

The initiative was supported by groups like the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. It aimed to give schools clear goals for what students need to know so they could be ready for college or jobs after finishing high school. By having the same standards, students moving between states would not face big changes in what they are learning, making transitions smoother. This effort sought to better prepare students for the workforce and higher education.

Background

In the 1990s, a movement began in the U.S. to create national educational standards for students. The goal was to clearly outline what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. This helped teachers and schools measure if students were meeting these expectations.

Development

In late 2008, a group came together to create standards for what students should learn in school. They worked on making clear goals for skills in reading and math. The idea was to help teachers and parents know what students need to succeed in college and jobs.

Many people helped create these standards, including teachers, college experts, and others. These standards are used by many states to guide what is taught in classrooms. There are also special tools to help students who are learning English as a new language.

Adoption

Forty-six states and the District of Columbia joined the Common Core State Standards Initiative, but some states like Texas, Virginia, Alaska, and Nebraska did not. Later, some states decided to stop using these standards.

The standards for math and English were released in June 2010, and many states adopted them soon after. States were encouraged to adopt these standards to be eligible for special federal education grants.

English Language Arts standards

The goal of the English Language Arts standards is to make sure students are ready for college and careers by the time they finish high school. These standards have five main parts: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language, and Media and Technology.

Reading standards expect students to read more complex materials as they move through grades, and to understand and learn from what they read. States and schools choose their own books, but some examples include works by famous authors like William Shakespeare, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and modern writers like Amy Tan.

Writing standards focus on creating logical arguments with strong reasons and evidence. Students also learn to do research projects, both short and long, to get ready for future school and work tasks. Speaking and listening standards help students share and discuss ideas clearly, whether in small groups or big presentations. Language standards teach students to use words correctly and understand new vocabulary. Media and technology standards include learning how to use technology, like keyboarding, to create and understand different kinds of media.

Mathematics standards

See also: Mathematics education in the United States

The Common Core mathematics standards aim to make math lessons more focused and connected. They want to fix problems with old math curricula that tried to cover too many topics lightly. The standards include two main parts: practices for how to do math and content that should be learned at each grade.

The practices list eight important ways students should learn math, like solving problems and using math tools wisely. The content part shows what math skills kids should know from kindergarten through eighth grade and in high school. High school math includes topics like numbers, algebra, functions, geometry, and statistics. The standards don’t say exactly how to teach these topics, leaving that decision to local schools. The big changes include focusing on fewer topics more deeply, connecting ideas across grades, and balancing understanding, skills, and real-world use.

Assessment

The Common Core standards led to the creation of two groups of states working together to develop tests. These tests helped make sure schools were meeting the new standards.

One group, called PARCC, included states like Florida and New York. They created tests that checked student progress throughout the year and at the end.

The other group, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, included states like California and Washington. They focused on creating online tests that could adjust to each student’s level.

Some states chose to leave these groups and create their own tests instead.

Reception

The Common Core State Standards have received both support and criticism from various groups. Experts who helped create the standards say they will help students be ready for college or jobs by focusing on important skills. However, some people worry that the standards might not make a big difference in how well students learn.

Some educators and politicians have raised concerns about how the standards are put into place. They say that schools need more resources and better teaching materials to make sure the standards work well. Others worry that the standards take away local control of education and might push out subjects like art and music that students enjoy.

Impact

Kentucky was the first state to use the Common Core State Standards, starting in August 2010. By 2013, the state saw improvements, with the high school graduation rate rising from 80 percent to 86 percent. Test scores also improved, and more students were ready for college or careers.

However, some challenges appeared. Test scores were still low, and changing how teachers teach took time. Experts noted that adjusting to the new standards would take several more years. As of 2023, 41 states still use the Common Core curriculum.

Adoption and implementation by states

As of March 21, 2019, many states in the United States had adopted the Common Core State Standards. Some territories, like the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the American Samoa Islands, also adopted the standards, but Puerto Rico did not. By May 12, 2015, five states had decided to stop using Common Core, and nine more were considering similar actions.