Passing Notes — May 2011
May 14, 2011Top MA High Schools Preparing Students for College and Career
May 25, 2011Reproduced from a special report sponsored by the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy.
Across the nation, thoughtful, state-specific strategies for Common Core State Standards implementation are being developed and put into action.
Teachers, governors, business leaders and others contend that implementing a set of high-quality, comprehensive and rigorous education standards across states will help to ensure America’s place as a global leader. It will help to strengthen our economy while giving each child an equal opportunity to achieve the American dream. With each state in charge of its own educational standards, experts agree that successfully implementing a core set of education standards in math and English language arts shared by all states will be a complicated undertaking. They also agree it is vital to the nation’s global competitiveness.
Inconsistent, varied learning standards lead to disparity in the quality of instruction across states. As a result, a child’s readiness for a career or for college is often determined by where he or she lives. Families that relocate cannot count on their children being prepared for their new school, and the educational impact can be significant—especially for military families and others who move frequently.
To ensure a high-quality, globally relevant education for all Americans, educational leaders from across the country have developed a consistent set of requirements in core subjects to prepare students for careers and college. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which draw from the best state and internationally benchmarked standards, set a rigorous definition of career- and college-readiness. They focus on students’ development of high-order thinking and the application of complex concepts to the real-life situations that most people face in college and the workplace. The CCSS are also designed to guide instruction in a logical manner, resulting in students mastering core concepts sequentially and in depth.
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