Common Core Corner
CCSS IMPLEMENTATION IN FUESD
Top 10 Things Parents Need to Know about the Common Core State Standards
The CCSS are a set of high-quality, consistent academic goals that raise the bar for student achievement, and will help build a world-class education system in California. The standards define the knowledge and skills all students should master by the end of each grade level in order to graduate from high school fully prepared to enter college and career.
Why do we need new educational standards and what do they mean for students and their families in our district? Here is a list of the top ten facts about the CCSS that all parents and community members should know.
#1 The goal of the CCSS is college and workforce readiness for all students.
As students progress through the grades, they will build the skills and knowledge needed to be prepared for college-level coursework and the demands of 21st century careers. Students will receive an education that not only leads to a high school diploma, but also to success in college, career, and life after graduation.
#2 States led the effort to develop the CCSS, not the federal government.
#3 The CCSS are not a curriculum and do not tell teachers how to teach.
#4 Better standards call for better assessments.
#5 The CCSS focus on 21st century skills.
#6 The CCSS create consistent learning goals for all students regardless of where they live or go to school
#7 The CCSS are aligned to college and workplace expectations.
#8 The CCSS are benchmarked against academic standards from the world's top-performing countries.
#9 The CCSS call for changes in teaching and learning English Language Arts and Mathematics.
In Mathematics, students will develop a foundation for mathematical skills and learning from kindergarten through 12th grade, giving them the building blocks to understand why and how math works in the real world. Students will still develop math fluency (basic facts mastery), but they will also be expected to show their understanding by explaining in writing and through math models how they solved math problems.