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K-12 Core Curriculum

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort to establish a shared set of clear educational standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics. These have been informed by the best available evidence and the highest state standards across the country and globe.

Why A Common Core?

  • Common standards will help ensure  students are receiving a high quality education consistently from school to school and state to state.
  • We need college and career ready standards.  Data shows that even in high-performing states students are graduating and passing all the required tests and still require remediation in their post-secondary work.
  • We need students moving from our colleges  and universities into the workplace, ready to compete in the emerging global marketplace.

How Was the Common Core Developed?

  • The Standards made careful use of a large and   growing body of evidence. This evidence included scholarly research; surveys on what skills are required of students entering college and workforce training programs; assessment data identifying college and career ready performance; and comparisons to standards from high-performing states and nations.

Strengths of the New Core

  • Aligned with expectations for college & career success
  • Consistent across all states
  • Includes both content and application of  knowledge through high-order skills
  • Informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society

K-12 Language Arts Common Core

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects are states’ efforts to ensure that all students are college and career ready in literacy no later than the end of high school. The K-12 Language Arts standards progress from kindergarten through twelfth grade to meet this goal.

  • The Common Core Standards are:
    • End of year, grade-by-grade descriptions (K-12) of what students should know and be able to do (performance) in reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language.
    • Aligned with college and work expectations.
    • Rigorous in content and application of knowledge through high-order skills.
    • Built upon strengths and lessons of current state standards.
    • Internationally benchmarked so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society.
    • State-led in connection with the CCSSO and the National Governors Association.
  • The college and career readiness standards are the same in grades K through 12; however, text complexity and skill specificity differ at each level.
  • There are three genres of writing (narrative, informative/expository, and argument) implemented at each grade level.
  • The overall focus of the core is on the depth of comprehension in reading and writing, not on the breadth of information covered.
  • Core instruction will be based on thematic content units not on strategies and sub-skills in isolation.
  • Students will be assessed through performance tasks, i.e., authentic reading and writing.
  • The Core does not include scripted lessons and teachers will use their skills in determining how to teach the concepts.
  • Comprehensive Balanced Literacy will continue to be part of the curriculum in elementary grades, with shared reading, guided reading, and writing blocks.

K-12 Mathematics Common Core

There are several reasons why moving to the CCSS is beneficial for mathematics instruction in Jordan School District:

  • First, this is a structure that is used in countries with high mathematics achievement. Thus, this is a transition to “world-class” mathematics instruction for Jordan School District.
  • Second, it better prepares all students for college and/or careers by the time they graduate from high school. By studying topics more in depth and by examining the interrelationship among mathematics concepts, students will be better prepared for the ever increasing quantitative skills needed for our rapidly advancing technical economy.
  • Third, the new core’s structure allows students more flexibility to accelerate or slow down their mathematics learning as they progress through their secondary education.

Transition information:

  • Students in grades 6-9 in 2011/2012 will transition to the CCSS next year.
  • Students in all other grades will transition to the CCSS in 2012-2013.
  • Courses in middle and high school mathematics will still be differentiated to address the needs of students at varied levels (see student pathways document.)
  • Course names have changed in secondary math however, students will learn all traditional secondary mathematics topics under the new structure.
  • CCSS Courses will be recognized by colleges, universities and NCAA as preparation for college.

Common Core Official Website