Common Core State Standards
Common Core State Standards Initiative
NEW! On July 19th, 2010, the New York State Board of Regents adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Mathematics and CCSS for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, with the understanding that New York State may add additional expectations to the Common Core. Please see the July Regents item for additional details:
Over the summer, the State Education Department will convene two groups of educators (one for ELA and one for Mathematics) that will review the Common Core and determine if there are additional standards for New York State to add (up to 15%). In the fall, the Board of Regents will review those recommendations and share the recommended standards with the public for feedback. Additional information about the implementation timeline is forthcoming.
Common Core State Standards documents
On June 2, 2010, the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers released the final Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects and Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. The final documents, as well as supporting materials, are available at http://www.corestandards.org; for your convenience we have listed a direct link to them in PDF format. The Common Core State Standards Initiative website includes additional resources, including statements about the application of the standards to students with disabilities and English language learners, an FAQ, the validation committee report, and other documents. This can be accessed at http://www.corestandards.org
Introduction to the Common Core State Standards (66.09 KB)
Common Core State Standards Initiative Toolkit - This toolkit was designed as a space to gather public feedback on the final draft NGA/CCSSO Common Core State Standards.
National Governors Association/Council of Chief State School Officers Common Core State Standards Initiative
National Governors Association (NGA)/Council of
Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Common Core
State Standards Initiative
In April 2009, Governor David Paterson and former Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) along with fifty other states and territories to participate in the national dialogue to develop these voluntary standards. New York State is committed to be a part of this dialogue and will provide updates to the public through this website and future opportunities for public engagement.
On September 21st, 2009, the NGA Center and CCSSO released the first official draft of the college- and career-readiness standards and asked for a period of public feedback ending on October 21st, 2009. The draft College and Career Readiness Standards for Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening and the College and Career Readiness Standards for Mathematics can be accessed at http://www.corestandards.org/Standards/index.htm . The Board of Regents discussed New York’s involvement in the Common Core State Standards Initiative process and the impact on New York State at their October 13th, 2009 full board meeting. The Regents item for this discussion can be viewed at http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2009Meetings/
The Common Core State Standards Initiative website provides supporting information about the process, including a Frequently Asked Questions document, an Executive Summary, PowerPoint on the initiative, and a list of the Work Group members (for ELA and mathematics), the Feedback group, and the Validation committee. All of these materials are accessible through the left navigation bar on the main Common Core Standards Initiative page http://www.corestandards.org .
Chapter 57 of the Laws of 2007 asked the State Education Department to establish a timeline and process to review and evaluate the New York State Learning Standards which were approved in 1996, beginning with English language arts. According to Section 1, Part A, 211 of the Laws of 2007:
The Regents shall periodically review and evaluate the existing Regents learning standards to determine if they should be strengthened, modified or combined so as to provide adequate opportunity for students to acquire the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in employment or postsecondary education and to function productively as civic participants upon graduation from high school. Such review and evaluation shall be conducted upon a schedule adopted by the Regents, provided that a review and evaluation of the English Language Arts Standards shall be completed as soon as possible, but no later than the end of the two thousand seven-two thousand eight school year.
Over the past two years, the Standards Review Initiative English Language Arts Panel has reviewed and completed revisions to the ELA Standards under the direction of Regent Saul Cohen, Standards Review Coordinator Walter Sullivan, members of the Steering Committee, and ELA Co-chairs Dr. Bonne August and John Harmon. The revised ELA learning standards were presented to the Board of Regents at its December 2009 meeting. The Regents Standards Review Initiative continued as a parallel track with the national standards dialogue. New York’s participation in these parallel tracks will bring together the research, scholarship, and expertise necessary to ensure world class standards for all New York students. To learn more about the Standards Review Initiative, please see http://www.p12.nysed.gov/standardsreview/.
Common Core Standards Review and Adoption Process-December 2009 HTML/Word
Status Report on Draft "Common Core College and Career Readiness Standards for Mathematics and Standards for Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening"-November 2009 HTML/Word
Status Report on Draft "Common Core State College and Career Readiness Standards for Mathematics and Standards for Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening"--October 2009 HTML/Word
New York State Common Core Standards Review and Adoption Process Update--April 2010 HTML/Word
Update 7/19/10: The New York State adopted the Common Core State Standards on July 19th, 2010.
Will New York State adopt the Common Core State Standards in ELA and mathematics?
Adoption of the Common Core State Standards in ELA and mathematics is voluntary for states involved in the process. According to the NGA/CCSSO Talking Points document, “…it is fully intended that states adopting the common core may choose to include additional state standards which go beyond the common core.” The State Education Department has committed to taking a leadership role in the development of Common Core Standards. At this time, the decision to adopt these standards will be determined by the Board of Regents, with public input, after the K-12 ELA and mathematics grade-level expectations are released to the public in Winter 2009/2010.
Why is this initiative important?
This initiative will affect 45.1 million students across the United States (91% of the student population). A common set of academic standards for students will help create a common set of rigorous student achievement expectations across the country, as well as provide opportunities for states to pool resources and collaborate on supporting materials and assessments.
Will the Common Core State Standards include a mandated state-wide curriculum for teachers?
No. According to the NGA/CCSSO Talking Points document, the Core Common State Standards are not curriculum; the “curriculum that follows will continue to be a local responsibility (or state-led, where appropriate).”
Will a national assessment be developed to measure the Common Core State Standards?
According to the NGA/CCSSO, the common core state standards will ultimately be the basis for a system of high quality assessments. According to the NGA/CCSSO, some states will “voluntarily come together to develop new innovative, common assessments as part of the Race to the Top program.” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has pledged to use $350 million from the Recovery Act for the development of new assessments to measure the common core standards.
Is there a timeline for the development and implementation of the Common Core State Standards?
At the December 2009 Board of Regents meeting, the Board voted to implement a review and adoption process for the Common Core State Standards and support the development of college- and career-readiness standards for ELA and mathematics learning standards and grade by grade performance expectations. To view the timeline visit http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2009Meetings/