The Common Core
State Standards
for Mathematics
Common Core Development
• Initially 48 states and three territories
signed on
• As of November 29, 2010, 42 states have
officially adopted
• Final Standards released June 2, 2010, at
www.corestandards.org
• Adoption required for Race to the Top
funds
Common Core Development
• Each state adopting the common core either
directly or by fully aligning its state standards
may do so in accordance with current state
timelines for standards adoption not to
exceed three (3) years.
• States that choose to align their standards to
the common core standards accept 100% of
the core. States may add additional standards.
Benefits for States and Districts
•
•
•
•
Allows collaborative professional development based
on best practices
Allows development of common assessments and other
tools
Enables comparison of policies and achievement
across states and districts
Creates potential for collaborative groups to get more
economical mileage for:
– Curriculum development, assessment, and
professional development
Characteristics
• Fewer and more rigorous.
• Aligned with college and career expectations
• Internationally benchmarked
• Rigorous content and application of higher-order
skills.
• Builds on strengths and lessons of current state
standards.
• Research based
Intent of the Common Core
• The same goals for all students
• Coherence
• Focus
• Clarity and Specificity
Coherence
• Articulated progressions of topics and
performances that are developmental and
connected to other progressions
• Conceptual understanding and procedural skills
stressed equally
NCTM states coherence also means that instruction,
assessment, and curriculum are aligned
Focus
• Key ideas, understandings, and skills are
identified
• Deep learning of concepts is emphasized
– That is, time is spent on a topic and on
learning it well. This counters the “mile wide,
inch deep” criticism leveled at most current
U.S. standards.
Clarity and Specificity
• Skills and concepts are clearly defined
• Being able to apply concepts and skills to
new situations is expected
CCSSM
CCSSM stands for
Common Core State Standards
for Mathematics
CCSSM Mathematical Practices
The Common Core proposes a set of
Mathematical Practices that all teachers
should develop in their students. These
practices are similar to NCTM’s
Mathematical Processes from the Principles
and Standards for School Mathematics.
8 CCSSM Mathematical Practices
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in
solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the
reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
8 CCSSM Mathematical Practices
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated
reasoning.
Common Core Format
Domains are large groups of related
standards. Standards from different
domains may sometimes be closely
related. Look for the name with the
code number on it for a Domain.
Common Core Format
Clusters are groups of related
standards. Standards from different
clusters may sometimes be closely
related, because mathematics is a
connected subject.
Clusters appear inside domains.
Common Core Format
Standards define what students should
be able to understand and be able to
do – part of a cluster.
Common Core Format
K-8
High School
Grade
Conceptual Category
Domain
Domain
Cluster
Standards
(There are no preK Common Core Standards)
Cluster
Standards
Grade Level Overview
Grade Level Overview
Critical Areas –
similar to
NCTM’s
Curriculum
Focal Points
Format of K-8 Standards
Grade Level
Domain
Format of K-8 Standards
Standard
Cluster
Standard
Cluster
Format of High School
Domain
Standard
Cluster
Common Core - Domain
• Domains are overarching big ideas that
connect topics across the grades
• Descriptions of the mathematical content to
be learned elaborated through clusters and
standards
Common Core - Standards
• Standards are content statements. An
example content statement is: “Use
properties of operations to generate
equivalent expressions.”
• Progressions of increasing complexity from
grade to grade
Common Core - Clusters
• May appear in multiple grade levels in the K8 Common Core. There is increasing
development as the grade levels progress
• What students should know and be able to
do at each grade level
• Reflect both mathematical understandings
and skills, which are equally important
High School
Conceptual Categories
• The big ideas that connect mathematics
across high school – such as Functions or
Probability and Statistics
• A progression of increasing complexity
• Description of mathematical content to be
learned elaborated through domains,
clusters, and standards
High School Pathways
• The CCSSM Model Pathways are two
models that organize the CCSSM into
coherent, rigorous courses
• The CCSSM Model Pathways are NOT
required. The two sequences are examples,
not mandates
High School Pathways
• Four years of mathematics:
– One course in each of the first two years
– Followed by two options for year three and a
variety of relevant courses for year four
• Course descriptions
– Define what is covered in a course
– Are not prescriptions for the curriculum or
pedagogy
High School Pathways
• Pathway A: Consists of two algebra courses and
a geometry course, with some data, probability
and statistics infused throughout each (traditional)
• Pathway B: Typically seen internationally that
consists of a sequence of 3 courses each of which
treats aspects of algebra, geometry and data,
probability, and statistics.
Additional Information
• For grades preK-8, a model of
implementation can be found in NCTM’s
Curriculum Focal Points
www.nctm.org/cfp
• For the secondary level, please see NCTM’s
Focus in High School Mathematics:
Reasoning and Sense Making
www.nctm.org/FHSM
Acknowledgments
• Thanks to the Ohio Department of Education
and Eric Milou of Rowan University for
providing content and assistance for this
presentation