Common Core State Standards are a set of uniform expectations for American students in English language arts and mathematics. The standards apply to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. They are designed to prepare students for college and for entering the work force. They are also intended to ensure that student learning in the key subject areas is consistent in all states and territories of the United States and in schools run by the Department of Defense (DOD). The DOD provides education for children of U.S. military members stationed around the world. States, territories, and the DOD adopt the standards voluntarily. Before the standards were developed, each state or territory and the DOD had its own learning standards.
The standards grew out of a school accountability movement that developed in the United States during the 1990’s. At that time, many states adopted tests to measure student achievement. The tests were intended to show whether students had the common core of knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in college or in competing for jobs in a global economy. The efforts to create nationwide graduation requirements, assessments, and educational accountability were supported by state governors of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Business leaders also played an important role in promoting and developing standards-based reform models.
By 2009, the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers together had formed the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The state-led effort established Common Core State Standards for mathematics and English language arts. The mathematics standards include mathematical content and practice. The English language arts standards cover reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and media and technology. Standards for science were also developed through a separate effort known as Next Generation Science Standards.
Also in 2009, President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the availability of competitive federal grants. The Race to the Top grants contained incentives for states to adopt the Common Core State Standards as part of education reform.
The decision to adopt national standards created heated debate across the United States. Most educators, politicians, and education and other industry groups at first supported the adoption of the new, tougher standards. Advocates said that nationwide adoption of standards would set clear expectations for students, including uniform high school graduation requirements. The standards would raise the bar for student achievement and align curriculums, texts, and other educational media with the high standards of other nations. Supporters pointed to reports and studies that demonstrated the positive impact of national benchmarks.
Opponents of the Common Core State Standards included both liberal and conservative groups, educators, and professional associations. They claimed that the standards, in effect, allowed federal, state, and territorial governments to control local school systems. They criticized the lack of teacher involvement in developing the standards and the absence of emphasis on creativity and literature in the new curriculums. They also pointed to research that showed there was no connection between international education benchmarks and U.S. economic growth.
Critics also questioned whether standards were suitable for children in lower grades. They argued that because the development of the standards was focused on what high school graduates should know, the ways in which younger students learn was not taken into account. Finally, as student assessment results became available in areas that had begun to apply the new standards, even supporters of national standards became concerned. Many student test scores were noticeably lower than those of previous years. Opposition from parents and educators developed in some states.
In 2010, some states began replacing their existing standards for English language arts and math with the Common Core State Standards. By 2011, most states had adopted the standards. Those educational systems began rewriting their curriculums to align with the Common Core State Standards for implementation by the 2014-2015 school year. However, some states later revised or stopped using the Common Core standards.
