What evidence and research were used to develop the standards? (CHP)
The standards made careful use of a large and growing body of evidence including the following:
 Scholarly research (see research base for Mathematics here (pages 91-93) and for English
language arts (ELA) see Appendix A.)
 Surveys on the skills required of students entering college and workforce training
programs
 Assessment data identifying college- and career-ready performance
 Comparisons to standards from high-performing states and nations
 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) frameworks in reading and writing
for English language arts
 Findings from Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) and other
studies, which conclude that the traditional U.S. mathematics curriculum must become
substantially more coherent and focused in order to improve student achievement
For more information on the evidence and research behind the standards, please see this
publication by Validation Committee Co-Chair David Conley:
http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/2014/CCSS_Insight_Into_Development_2014.pdf.
Non-profit Student Achievement Partners has also compiled a condensed list of critical research
behind the Common Core for Mathematics and English language arts (ELA).
What were the criteria used to guide development of the standards? (CHP)
The following criteria guided the content and skills included in the Common Core State
Standards:
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Alignment with expectations for college and career success
Clarity
Consistency across all states
Inclusion of content and the application of knowledge through high-order skills
Improvement upon current state standards and standards of top-performing nations
Reality-based for effective use in the classroom
Evidence- and research-based
Common Assessments (MM)
States continue to have the flexibility and authority to choose the assessment they believe is best
to measure statewide academic standards. Many states have decided to work with other states to
develop common assessments that will provide meaningful feedback to parents, teachers and
policymakers to ensure all students are progressing toward attaining the skills they need to be
successful in college, careers and life. Two state-led consortia exist today: Partnership for
Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the Smarter Balanced
Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced). States within these consortia have been working to
develop these assessments since 2010, working with teachers in each state to write test questions
and field-testing these assessments to make sure they are fully aligned with state standards. The
tests were fully administered for the first time in the 2014-2015 school year. For more
information on the test your state has chosen to use as one measure of a student’s academic
progress each year, visit your state education agency website or download the National PTA’s
assessment guide for your state. Additionally, there are two state-led consortia working through
the National Center and State Collaborative Partnership (NCSC) and the Dynamic Learning
Maps Alternative Assessment System Consortium (DLM) to create a new generation of
assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. There are also two stateled consortia, ASSETS and ELPA21, developing assessments for English language learners.
What does this work mean for students with disabilities and ELLS
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State
School Officers strongly believe that all students should be held to the same high expectations
outlined in the Common Core State Standards. However, how students meet these expectations
will and should differ based on children’s needs. For more specific information on the
application of the Common Core State Standards for students with disabilities, please click here,
and for information on application for English language learners, please click here.
Additionally, 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.
Who led the development of the CCSS? (OM)
States led the development of the Common Core State Standards. In 2009, state leaders,
including governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, two territories and the
District of Columbia, came together and decided to develop common, college and career-ready
standards in mathematics and English language arts. They worked through their membership
organizations – the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and
the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to accomplish this. The development
process included defining expectations for what every child should know and be able to do when
they graduate from high school and then creating content standards for grades K-12 aligned with
these expectations. States relied on workgroups of educators, representatives of higher education
and other experts to write the standards with significant input from the public in 2009 and 2010.
States then appointed a validation committee to review the final standards. The final standards
were published in June 2010 and available for each state to review, consider and voluntarily
adopt. More detailed information on the development process is available in the complete
timeline of the process or The Common Core State Standards: Insight into their Development
and Purpose paper.
What are educational standards? (CHP)
Educational standards are the learning goals for what students should know and be able to do at
each grade level. Education standards, like Common Core are not a curriculum. Local
communities and educators choose their own curriculum, which is a detailed plan for day to day
teaching. In other words, the Common Core is what students need to know and be able to do, and
curriculum is how students will learn it.
The Common Core State Standards are educational standards for English language arts
(ELA)/literacy and mathematics in grades K-12. Please click here to read the ELA Common
Core State Standards and click here to read the mathematics standards.
Are the standards developmentally appropriate for students? (SG)
The expectations of students in the Common Core State Standards are backed by research and
the expertise of educators of what is developmentally appropriate for children to know and be
able to do in literacy and math in early grades. For more detailed information on what the
Common Core says about English Language Arts and Literacy in Kindergarten and the research
supporting it, please take a look at this fact sheet compiled by Student Achievement Partners.
As or perhaps more important for standards being developmentally appropriate is how standards
are taught, which is determined locally by communities and educators. An example is how this
might work with the kindergarten math standard, “Fluently add and subtract within 5.” It is
developmentally appropriate to expect students by the end of kindergarten to be able to do this.
However, it is not developmentally appropriate for kindergarteners to be sitting quietly alone at
their desks completing worksheets for 30 minutes on adding and subtracting within 5. It would
be developmentally appropriate for kindergarteners to be playing a game with other children that
helped them build this skill, with a teacher supporting and guiding their learning. In fact, the
standards themselves point to the importance of play stating, “[T]he use of play with young
children is not specified by the Standards, but it is welcome as a valuable activity in its own right
and as a way to help students meet the expectations in this document.” The standards welcome
play and encourage implementation of instruction that is play-based, engaging, and cognitively
enriching.
Early childhood experts and national education organizations have discussed research supporting
the developmental appropriateness of the Common Core State Standards including the National
Association for Education of Young Children, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, and early
childhood expert Douglas Clements.
Is adoption of the standards voluntary? (OM)
Yes. Adoption of the standards is voluntary. It is up to each state and territory to decide if they
choose to adopt the Common Core State Standards as their state educational standards in English
language arts and mathematics. States can tailor the standards to address their needs.
Here is a map showing the states that have adopted the standards.
How can I help my child meet the goals of the Common Core? (SG)
The Common Core State Standards provide clear and transparent benchmarks that parents can
use to track if their children are on the path toward college and career readiness. Still, these are
higher standards and parents may find the methods and approaches different or have difficulty
helping their children with homework as states transition to these standards. Fortunately, these
standards provide a great starting point for parents to have a conversation with their child’s
teacher about what their child should be learning in the classroom and how families may be able
to help their children outside of school.
Additionally, online resources such as Be a Learning Hero are designed to assist parents in
helping their children. This site includes resources developed to support your child’s learning in
Math and English language arts at home. Parents can search by state, grade, subject and type and
access resources to support children outside of the classroom.
Where can I find the Common Core State Standards for ELA and Mathematics?(CHP)
To read the Common Core State Standards, please visit this link. To view the standards in
Spanish, please see this translation of the standards.
Many states have customized the Common Core State Standards to fit their local state needs and
context. To view the standards in your state, visit your state education agency website, which can
be found at this link.
How can I tell if texts are aligned to the Common Core State Standards?
The standards are not curricula and do not mandate the use of any particular curriculum.
Therefore, the Common Core State Standards does not prescribe instructional materials or
lessons. States and organizations have come up with tools and rubrics to help inform decisions
about purchasing materials and build understanding of what aligned materials look like.
There are groups that help communities make better informed decisions such as EdReports.org,
EQuIP, IMET, and the Textbook Navigator.
Myth v fact:
Add Be a learning hero link for math question