Learn the basics about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS): how they will affect teaching, the benefits and key features of the standards, assessment, and what teachers can do now to prepare for CCSS implementation.
This article is also available as handout to download and print.
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent a coherent progression of learning expectations in English language arts and mathematics designed to prepare K–12 students for college and career success. The standards define the knowledge and skills students should have in their K–12 education, emphasize learning goals, describe end-of-year expectations, and focus on results, leaving room for teachers to determine how these learning goals should be achieved.
The CCSS effort was launched in June, 2009, through a partnership of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center). State leaders in the two organizations developed the CCSS, together with parents, teachers, school administrators, and experts from across the country. Both national and international research and evidence informed development of the standards. After public comment, the final version of the CCSS was released in June 2010.
In English language arts (ELA), required content includes classic myths and stories, America’s founding documents, foundational American literature, and Shakespeare. Additional subject matter remains in the purview of states and local education agencies. The CCSS also require that students learn about literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
ELA standards include three sections: a comprehensive K–5 section and two content area-specific sections for grades 6–12 (one for ELA and one for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects).
Each section is divided into strands: K–5 and 6–12 ELA have Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language strands; the 6–12 history/social studies, science, and technical subjects section focuses on Reading and Writing.
Each strand is headed by a strand-specific set of College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards that is identical across all grades and content areas. Individual grade-level standards are defined in K–8; the standards use two-year bands in grades 9–12 to provide flexibility for local educators in high school course design. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity. Together they define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.
In grades K–5, the standards provide a solid foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals. In grades 6–8, a major emphasis is placed on the study of ratios, proportions, and algebra. In grades 9–12, the standards require students to apply mathematical thinking to real-world problems. Rather than covering a plethora of topics, the CCSS require deep comprehension and the ability to apply mathematics to problems they have not encountered previously.
The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics begin with eight Standards for Mathematical Practice. These standards describe ways in which students should engage with the content, processes, and proficiencies of longstanding importance in mathematics. They apply across all of the grades, K–12. The standards include:
The standards for mathematical content are designed as learning progressions through the grades and define what students should understand and be able to do in mathematics. For kindergarten through grade 8, there are grade-specific standards. At the high school level, the standards are organized by “conceptual categories.” Each of these sets of standards includes a number of “domains,” which group related standards to provide coherence around key mathematical ideas.
For kindergarten through grade 8, there are grade-specific standards. Each contains a number of domains including the following:
The standards at the high-school level outline the mathematics expected of all students in order to be prepared for college and a career. They also include additional mathematics for students who choose to take advanced level courses. The high school standards are organized by “conceptual categories,” each providing a “coherent view of high school mathematics.” These include:
Two consortia of states—the Washington-based SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium and Achieve’s Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers—have received Race to the Top funding to begin designing both summative and formative assessments that can be used by states adopting the CCSS. These assessments are expected to be available during the 2014–2015 school year. Assessment comparisons will become easier among states with common assessments: Students who achieve proficiency in one state should also meet proficiency in another.
The CCSS are not national standards, but rather a voluntary, coordinated effort among states to set common expectations for all students. Many states are currently developing implementation plans with timelines and considering how the CCSS align with existing state standards. Alignment analyses are being developed and are available on many state departments of education websites. Most plans will include professional development for school and district staff before and throughout implementation, until the CCSS assessments become available in 2014.
Form a professional learning community and begin by reading the CCSS for your grade level and in your subject area. Consider these questions:
For more about the Common Core State Standards, visit Education Northwest (opens in a new window) .
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