Common Core State Standards

For many years, each individual state's education department was responsible for determining which academic goals and objectives were appropriate for students in that state, at each grade level. The state department of education was also responsible for ensuring that local school districts implemented a curriculum and instructional plan that would aid students in meeting those grade-level standards. Further, state standardized tests (such as the STAR or CAHSEE in California, the FCAT in Florida, and the MCAS in Massachusetts) were designed to measure whether or not students were proficient in meeting these standards, and student performance on these tests would impact funding and staffing decisions, teacher incentive pay, and a whole slew of other far reaching decisions.   Beginning in 2010, federal legislation was enacted that would support the development of a standardized measure for student performance in English language arts and math across all states. Rather than implement a state-by-state educational model, there would be a uniform set of academic standards for English language arts and math that would be expected of all students, regardless of their geographic location. These standards, referred to as the Common Core State Standards, also place an emphasis on college and career readiness.   But not every state readily adapted the new standards. Some states began implementation almost immediately, but others rolled out the standards by various grade levels and subjects over a period of several years. But inevitably, all states will adapt the Common Core State Standards for English language arts and math at all grade levels. So it is important to understand how that will impact your child, and what you can do to support adaptation in your local schools.   In the near future, states that adopted the Common Core State Standards will be encouraged to work to develop new assessments as well. And publishers have already begun developing curriculum aligned to the Common Core State Standards, which you may see adopted in your local schools as well. As with anything, it is important to work closely with your student's teachers to ensure that you know how best to support the classroom instruction, which is also a cornerstone of the Club Z! tutoring model.   For more information about the Common Core State Standards, including a list of standards by subject and grade level, please visit http://www.corestandards.org/.