What are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) ?

You may have heard teachers or the local news referring to the Common Core State Standards.  These are the new math and language arts standards adopted by the 2011 Idaho State Legislature. These standards were designed through a voluntary, state-led effort and coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).  This group set out to define the knowledge and skills students should have to graduate and succeed in post-secondary education and the workforce. Standards in other top performing countries also played a key role, with the hope that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy.Idaho joined the effort in January 2009.  


It is believed that these standards are aligned with college and workforce expectations, and will be clear, understandable, and consistent for schools and teachers to implement.  They include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills. 

As teachers in Middleton begin to work with these new standards, we are finding that they will require more advanced and deeper thinking of all students. The standards appear to be rich and deep, but we anticipate that they will require much more of student performance than the multiple choice ISAT of the past.

Here is a brief timeline of Idaho's expections for implementing these standards and when they expect students to take the new state standardized test.

Timeline for Implementation

Many Middleton teachers have begun the process of professional development as they familiarize themselves with the new CCSS.  Currently, the advanced reading intervention and advanced math groups that we work with are using the CCSS to plan learning targets for your children.  If you have more questions about the standards themselves, please ask or check out the website: http://www.corestandards.org/.  If you have questions about implementation in Middleton I'd be glad to help.