Higher Expectations, Higher
Achievement
Mississippi College- and Career-Ready
Standards
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The challenges in Mississippi
• Based on a report of 2013 ACT scores, only 12 percent of
Mississippi students were ready for college in English, math,
reading and science, compared to 25 percent of students
nationwide.
• 47% of third-graders are not reading on grade level according
to our state tests
• According to the 2013 National Assessment of Education
Progress (NAEP) report, 18% of 4th graders are proficient in
reading and 19 % of 8th graders are proficient in reading
• 24% of 4th graders are proficient in math and 18% of 8th
graders are proficient in math.
Mississippi College and
Career-Ready Standards
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Why are we raising the bar in
Mississippi?
• Mississippi Board of Education’s vision – a
world-class educational system that gives
students the knowledge and skills to be
successful in college and the workforce.
• Our state is raising education standards
because it is critical to the success of our
students and our communities.
• We expect more from our students by moving
to Mississippi College- and Career-Ready
Standards.
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Career-Ready Standards
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Why Mississippi College- and
Career-Ready Standards?
•
Preparation: The standards are college- and career-ready. They
will help prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to
succeed in education and training after high school.
•
Competition: The standards are internationally benchmarked.
Common standards will help ensure our students are globally
competitive.
•
Equity: Expectations are consistent for all – and not dependent on
where a student lives.
•
Clarity of purpose: The standards are focused, coherent, and
clear. Clearer standards help students (and parents and teachers)
understand what is expected of them.
•
Collaboration opportunity: The standards create a foundation to
work collaboratively across states and districts, pooling resources
and expertise, to create curricular tools, professional development,
common assessments and other materials.
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Career-Ready Standards
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Local Control of Academic
Standards
• The state sets academic standards – the goals
for what students should learn - but local school
districts may build on these standards.
• Provide a district example here of local control.
• Local school districts choose the curriculum –
what is taught and how.
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Career-Ready Standards
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Why New Standards?
• We want our children to have every opportunity for
success, and to do that, we need to set higher
expectations for our students by raising our academic
standards in the core subjects of mathematics and
English language arts.
• Just look at the statistics. Mississippi ranks at or near the
bottom of the country in reading, math and ACT scores.
We all know there are a number of reasons for that but
setting goals for students to be better prepared for
college and the workforce can help.
• About 60% of careers today require some form of
education after high school – a degree or certificate.
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Career-Ready Standards
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Why Work with Other States?
• Many other states face the same challenge of
preparing students for the careers of the 21st
century.
• Through a state-led, voluntary effort, Mississippi
adopted higher, more rigorous standards in the
core subjects of mathematics and English
language arts that are comparable with every
other state and any other country.
• 45 states and the District of Columbia adopted
these standards.
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Career-Ready Standards
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The Process: Development
•
•
•
•
•
•
2007 – State education chiefs discussed development of common
standards.
2008 – Governors voted to approve a policy statement putting state leaders
in charge of national effort to establish “common core” of standards.
2009 – Ed chiefs and governors launch the Common Core State Standards
Initiative.
2009-2010 – Standards developed by teachers and content experts, the
National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers
(AFT), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and National
Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), among other organizations .
March 2010 – Draft K-12 standards released for public comment (10,000
comments received).
June 2010 – Ed chiefs and governors release final Common Core State
Standards.
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Career-Ready Standards
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The Process: Adoption
• After the standards were published in 2010,
each state had the opportunity to review the
standards and choose whether to adopt them.
• Mississippi followed the same process it always
follows in reviewing and updating standards,
which happens every five to seven years.
• State Board of Education held a public comment
period prior to adopting the standards in 2010.
They were named Mississippi College- and
Career-Ready Standards.
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Career-Ready Standards
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What is changing in English
language arts?
• Challenging students with different types of
texts.
o What this means: Students will continue to read
classic literature, stories, and poems in English class,
but they also will be challenged with studying and
analyzing nonfiction texts in all subject areas.
o The benefit: Students will be prepared to read,
analyze, and write about all types of texts at a higher
level, whether they are fiction or nonfiction, when they
graduate from high school.
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Career-Ready Standards
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What is changing in English
language arts?
• Evidence from the text must be used in oral
presentations or written papers.
o What this means: In all classes, students will be
required to gain a deeper knowledge of the text,
whether fiction or nonfiction, and use evidence to
back up arguments.
o The benefit: Students will be better prepared to
support their reasoning and decisions with evidence,
not just opinion – a valuable skill for college and the
workforce.
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Career-Ready Standards
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What is changing in English
language arts?
• Increased vocabulary across all grade levels.
o What this means: There will be a greater focus on
vocabulary in all subject areas and at all grade levels.
o The benefit: Students will continue to learn new
vocabulary words as they progress through school
and the correct context in which to use them.
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Career-Ready Standards
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7th grade MCT2 Analysis Sample
Question
Because District residents did not live in a state, their right to vote and elect
delegates to the House of Representative was looked at differently than
were the voting rights of residents of the states.
Which statement below is a correct evaluation of the cause of the situation
described in the sentence above?
A. Because many lawmakers wanted the nation’s capital to be located in
their state, a compromise was made to create a capital city that
belonged to none of the states.
B. Because one hundred square miles of land was needed for the capital
city, Maryland and Virginia offered George Washington a section of land
along the Potomac River.
C. Because the country had not established a capital city, Congress met in
several different cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York.
D. Because the District residents were not allowed to vote for President,
Congress passed an amendment to the Constitution.
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Career-Ready Standards
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7th grade English sample
question under new standards
You have read three texts describing Amelia Earhart. All
three include the claim that Earhart was a brave,
courageous person. The three texts are:
– “Biography of Amelia Earhart”
– “Earhart’s Final Resting Place Believed Found”
– “Amelia Earhart’s Life and Disappearance”
Consider the argument each author uses to demonstrate
Earhart’s bravery.
Write an essay that analyzes the strength of the arguments
about Earhart’s bravery in at least two of the texts.
Remember to use textual evidence to support your ideas.
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Career-Ready Standards
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What is changing in
mathematics?
• Students will work more deeply in fewer topics.
o What this means: Teachers will cover fewer concepts
in each grade but go into more depth on each
concept to make sure every student gains a full
understanding.
o The benefit: Students will gain a full and foundational
understanding of mathematics at all grade levels.
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Career-Ready Standards
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What is changing in
mathematics?
• Students will understand why the math works
and be asked to talk about and prove their
understanding.
o What this means: Students will not just memorize
formulas but will learn the foundations of
mathematics.
o The benefit: Students will learn critical foundational
concepts and problem-solving skills in early grades so
they are prepared for higher levels of math, such as
algebra, when they reach the middle grades.
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Career-Ready Standards
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What is changing in
mathematics?
• Students will be asked to use math in real-world
situations.
o What this means: Students will learn strategies for
solving problems and draw from their foundational
understanding of math.
o The benefit: Students will gain critical thinking and
problem-solving skills that they can apply in
postsecondary education and the workforce.
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Career-Ready Standards
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Example: Algebra I SATP2
Question
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Career-Ready Standards
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High School Math Sample
Question Under New Standards
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Career-Ready Standards
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What is NOT Changing?
• Standards in other subject areas: The
Mississippi College- and Career-Ready
Standards are only for mathematics and English
language arts; however, there are literacy
standards for history/social studies, science, and
technical subjects that should be incorporated in
social studies and science lessons.
• Students will still be tested in other subject
areas of science and U.S. history.
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Career-Ready Standards
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How will we know student
achievement is improving?
• In Spring 2015, Mississippi will measure
students against these standards for the first
time.
• Not as many students will be on grade level in
mathematics and English language arts as
before.
• These are higher standards, and it will take time
for Mississippi students to master them.
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Career-Ready Standards
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Summary
• Mississippi is moving to higher academic
standards in mathematics and English language
arts for grades K-12.
• These higher standards will benefit every
Mississippi student because they will prepare
students for college and the workforce.
• All schools will teach to these higher standards
in Fall 2014. Students will be measured against
these standards in Spring 2015.
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Career-Ready Standards
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Questions/Comments
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Career-Ready Standards
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