Common Core

Common Core State Standards

Common Core is a set of learning standards designed for kindergarten through twelfth grade in math and language arts.  These educational goals summarize what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade level.  The standards were developed to ensure that all students graduate high school with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful at the college level and beyond.  All but seven states have adopted Common Core and are implementing it across all grade levels.  Common Core differs from the previous state standards in that it calls for more critical and analytical thinking skills.  The popular saying is that before, the standards were a mile long but only an inch deep; students were getting a little bit of everything, not given the chance to look at subject matter comprehensively.  To foster and maintain this depth of knowledge the same basic concepts are taught from kindergarten to twelfth grade that increase in scope, detail, and complexity.  With Common Core the work is focused in the process of gathering information for analysis rather than I the memorization of facts an figures.  Students are presented with more practical applications of problem solving, research, and data analysis.

The standards should not be confused with curriculum; they simply inform educators on what concepts should be mastered over the course of a given school year.  Each state, county, district, school site may decide how to teach the standards using the programs and materials that they determine to be best for their particular demographic.  The hope is that Common Core will provide students with opportunities to engage in the learning process in a more meaningful way and give them the tools and resources to compete with an increasingly globalized world.

For more information, click on the link to LAUSD Common Core Page listed below: