• The Development of the Common Core State Standards
     
    In the spring of 2009 the National Governors’ Association and the Council of Chief State Schools’ Officers met to discuss the possibility of states voluntarily collaborating to develop a set of common standards and assessments. At that time, 48 states agreed to work toward this goal and the result was the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA & Math.

    These standards are benchmarked to the academic standards of the highest achieving nations in the world and reflect research on the skills and knowledge students need to be successful and competitive in the universities and careers of the 21st century, placing greater emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving, literacy, and application of skills and knowledge.

    As these standards were developed, new assessments tied to these standards were created simultaneously. California has adopted the CCSS as our state’s official standards for ELA & Math and has adopted the new Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) assessments to measure student growth and achievement relative to these new standards. These new assessments will be officially administered to all students, and schools will be held accountable for achievement on them for the first time in the spring of 2015.

    AB484 Legislation

    With California’s adoption of the Common Core standards and the selection of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) assessments to measure achievement of the CCSS, AB 484 was initiated. The new legislation renames the state assessment and accountability system as Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP). The legislation is wide-ranging and there are a number of questions yet to be answered, particularly in relation to Federal “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) requirements, but the key provisions are as follows.

    Academic Performance Index (API): The API is suspended for the 2013-14 & 2014-15 school years and during this time would be reformulated to include the new MAP assessments and to include yet to be determined measures of school quality other than test scores.

    CAPA: The CAPA will continue to be used for students with significant disabilities in ELA & Math in grades 2-11 and science in grades 5, 8, & 10.

    Science Tests: NCLB (CST/CMA) requires assessment of science performance at certain intervals so California will continue to use the existing NCLB Science tests at grades 5, 8, & 10 until new assessments aligned to the recently adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are developed.

    MAP Tests: The new legislation calls for statewide participation in 2013-14 field-testing of the new computer-based MAP assessments (created by SBAC) in grades 3-8 & 11 in ELA and Math. Some ninth and tenth grade students may also be selected to take the field test as a sample group. For 2013- 14 these tests would be given as part of the SBAC field tests and the field tests will not yield scores for individual students, schools, or districts and therefore the MAPP tests will not be used for any accountability or reporting purposes.

     
     
     
    A whiteboard video explaining the new Common Core State Standards in education in the USA
     
     
    Catch the Vision of how the Common Core State Standards initiative will increase educators effectiveness and college and career readiness for all students.
     
     
    Introductory videos on the Common Core State Standards
     
     
    This three-minute video explains how the Common Core State Standards will help students achieve at high levels and help them learn what they need to know to get to graduation and beyond.
     
     
    A chart outlining the shifts in reading with the implementation of CCSS
     
     
    A chart outlining the shifts in math with the implementation of CCSS
     
     
    A document from www.achievethecore.org explaining the biggest changes in mathematics and ELA / Literacy and a quick reference card on the shifts.
     


     
Last Modified on August 8, 2015