For the Cumberland Times-News
Cumberland Times-News
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CUMBERLAND — From now until April 2 a draft of the K-12 Common Core State Standards will be available for public comment, according to a news release from the Allegany County Board of Education.
These draft standards, which have been developed in collaboration with teachers and school administrators, strive to provide a framework that prepares students for higher education as well as the work force. The standards cover the areas of math, reading, writing, listening, speaking and language.
These standards, which help define what students know and are able to do prior to high school graduation are aligned with college and work expectations; are lear, understandable and consistent; include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills; build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards; informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in a global economy and society; and evidence-based.
The effort to adopt these core standards is being led by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. This group has received feedback from teachers, post secondary educators, civil rights groups, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities; however, the public is encouraged to provide thoughtful feedback as well.
According to Dixie Stack, director of curriculum at the Maryland State Department of Education, “Feedback is essential to shaping the document that will serve as the foundation for Maryland’s State Curriculum.” Maryland is one of several states pushing for the adoption of these new academic standards.
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states are permitted to set their own standards and develop their own testing systems to evaluate the success of students, resulting in varying benchmark across states.
To access and comment on the standards, visit www.corestandards.org.
