The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education cited the increased academic rigor and stronger expectations for student performance when it voted 8-0 to adopt the Common Core Standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics on Wednesday, making Massachusetts the 27th state to adopt the internationally benchmarked academic standards that promise to keep the Commonwealth's students national leaders in education.
Launched in June 2009, the Common Core State Standards Initiative is designed to develop and implement a single set of national standards in ELA and math to define what every student should know and be able to do in order to be fully ready for post-secondary education or a successful career. Massachusetts played a leading role in the development and review of the standards over the past 13 months. Curriculum experts and educators from across the Commonwealth reviewed and submitted comments on drafts that were incorporated throughout the development process to ensure that the expectations set in the final versions met or exceeded the state's strong standards for students. The Common Core standards were developed using the most effective academic standards from across the country and around the world. These standards are designed to provide teachers and parents with a common understanding of what all elementary and secondary school students are expected to learn. The standards are aligned with expectations that define the knowledge and skills needed for success in college and and/or workforce training programs. They are designed to drive high quality instruction in the nation's classrooms. The standards include rigorous content and build on strengths and lessons of the state's current standards. The Board has discussed the standards at four previous meetings over the course of the past year. BESE sought public comment while engaging department staff, outside experts, district curriculum leaders and teachers in a process involving analysis and feedback.
The standards were also fully vetted, reviewed and approved by national organizations including Achieve, Inc., which called them "a significant advance over current state standards," and the Fordham Foundation. The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE), in a side-by-side analysis comparing the state's current standards to the Common Core, deemed that Common Core "meets the business community's objective of enhancing the college and career readiness of our students."
Later this summer the ELA and mathematics curriculum framework review panels will be reconvened and charged with identifying unique Massachusetts standards to augment and strengthen the Common Core. This will be brought to the Board this Fall for final approval.
Once fully adopted, the new frameworks will be posted on the ESE website, and widely publicized. Regional statewide professional development sessions on the new standards will be offered over the next year, through the District and School Assistance Centers, the Readiness Centers and other venues. All districts will be expected to align their curricula to the new standards by the start of the 2012-2013 school year.
