In the efforts to ramp up the public education system in the United States, new national standards have been proposed to be the next logical step. In the past, standards were left up to individual states, which created huge variances in what and how children were taught. It also created disparities when it came to preparing students for higher education. Something had to be done, educators and lawmakers decided. Hence, common core standards were born.
What are Common Core Standards?
Common core standards were developed by the and the . Standards were developed with input from educators and administrators from around the country. The standards focus on English Language Arts and Mathematics, but standards span across other core subjects taught in public schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. Common core standards are now in place for pre-kindergarten instruction to ensure every student is fully prepared to enter public school.
According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website, the standards are designed to provide students with the appropriate knowledge and skills throughout their K-12 education. Key features of the core standards initiative include:
- Easy to understand and consistent
- Build on current standards for individual states
- Are competitive with standards in other top-performing countries
- Line up with current expectations for college and the workforce
- Include rigorous content and knowledge application
- Are evidence-based for easy assessment
states that these common
