Common Core State Standards
A Primer for Parents
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What are the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) ?
 The Common Core State Standards grew out of an effort
to develop a set of educational standards that are
consistent across the country.
 The Common Core State Standards replace an individual
state’s state standards for education which determine
what is going to be taught and when it will be covered.
 In Louisiana, they are replacing our GLE’s (Grade Level
Expectations).
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What are the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) ?
 The standards provide a set of learning skills that all
American students should achieve in order to be
successful in a career or college.
 The standards are more rigorous than state standards
have been in the past.
 The standards are written for ELA and Math and
progress from kindergarten through high school.
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What are the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) ?
 The Common Core State Standards were developed
by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
and the NGA Center (National Governor’s
Association) working with parents, teachers, school
administrators, and educational experts.
 They have been adopted by 46 states so far.
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Common Core State Standards in ELA
In ELA, there are 3 major shifts
or changes in instruction.
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Common Core State Standards in ELA
1. More complex text will be used.
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Common Core State Standards in ELA
2. Evidence from the text will be used to
support both reading and writing.
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Common Core State Standards in ELA
3. There will be a much greater emphasis
gaining knowledge from non-fiction text.
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Common Core State Standards in
Math
There are 4 instructional shifts
in Math.
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Common Core State Standards in
Math
1. The math curriculum is more focused
so that fewer concepts, or topics, are
covered at each level, but what is
included is covered in much greater
depth.
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Common Core State Standards in
Math
2. The order in which math topics are
covered has been rearranged so that
the overall progression of instruction is
more coherent.
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Common Core State Standards in
Math
3. There is increased emphasis on
understanding math. This includes being
able to justify why an answer is correct
and applying math to real-life problems.
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Common Core State Standards in
Math
4. Precision and fluency in math are also
being stressed.
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Where are we at with implementing
the Common Core State Standards?
 1. We are in a transitional period. The Common Core
State Standards are being phased in.
 2. Kindergarten and first graders from 2012-13 have
started the CCSS.
 3. In other grades, the curriculum is shifting toward
the CCSS more slowly so that there are no gaps in
what students learn.
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How will we assess student mastery of the
Common Core State Standards?
 New standardized tests, known as the PARCC tests,
are being developed.
 PARCC stands for Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers.
 PARCC is a group of 23 states who are working
together to design a set of common assessments for
grades K-12 in English/Language Arts and Math
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How will we assess student mastery of the
Common Core State Standards?
 The tests will be given in grades 3-11.
 This testing will be done online.
 Current LEAP and iLEAP tests are shifting slowly
toward PARCC tests.
 PARCC testing will begin in the 2014-2015 school year,
and will replace current LEAP, iLEAP and ITBS testing.
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What about Science and Social
Studies?
 Science and Social Studies are not part of the
Common Core Standards or PARCC testing.
 At the state level, the curriculum in science and social
studies is being made more rigorous.
 The state will develop new, more rigorous tests for
science and social studies and these will also be given
for the first time in 2014-2015.
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Sources
 Common Core State Standards –
www.corestandards.org
 Louisiana Department of Education
www.doe.state.la.gov
 Louisiana PASS- www.louisianapass.org
 PARCC- www.parcconline.org
 Parent resources- www.pta.org
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