Common Core Fact Sheet

What are the Common Core Standards?

The Common Core State Standards Initiative details what K-12 students should know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade. Common Core Standards are not curriculum. The initiative seeks to establish consistent educational standards across the states to ensure high school graduates are prepared for college and careers. The Common Core connects learning within and across grade levels. Teachers will use the goals and expectations defined by the Common Core to help students build on their learning from previous years.

Do the Common Core Standards take away local control of public education?

No, the Common Core is a set of standards for what students should know at each grade level. How those standards are taught is still under the local control of Walla Walla Public Schools and Washington’s other 294 school districts. Walla Walla Public Schools will have the flexibility and control to set the curriculum to best meet the needs of its students. With fewer, clearer standards in each subject, teachers will be able spend more class time making sure every student fully understands the material.

Will Common Core Standards help my child receive a better education?

Yes, building the critical skills students need for college and in the job market is critical to our district’s mission. Right now, Washington has 25,000 unfilled jobs for highly-skilled workers –- and that number is projected to double by 2017. Common Core focuses on building and applying real-world skills students need to be ready for college and work –- so they can be more competitive in the new global economy.

What are the English Language Arts standards?

There are five key components to the standards for English and Language Arts: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language, and Media and Technology. Specific standards have been developed for each grade level which reflect these five components.

What are the Math standards?

The Math standards call for the following eight principles of mathematical practice to be taught. Specific standards have been developed for each grade level which reflect these eight principles.

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
4. Model with mathematics
5. Use appropriate tools strategically
6. Attend to precision
7. Look for and make use of structure
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Who do I contact in Walla Walla for more information on Common Core Standards?

Dr. Linda Boggs, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

• Email: lboggs@wwps.org / 509.526.6733

How do Washington’s former math standards compare with Common Core standards?

According to a Thomas B. Fordham study, our old state math standards are clear and challenging, just like the Common Core standards. However, the Common Core standards are more comprehensive because they help students connect their learning within and across grades, so each topic includes and builds on the ones before it.

Major Shifts in Math:

• Greater Focus: Common Core dives deeper into key concepts, such as fractions and proportions, to ensure students establish a strong foundation before moving to the next level of difficulty. More focus allows students to practice real-world math problems in high school and beyond.
• Coherence: Common Core asks students to connect back to learning they have previously mastered in order to reinforce concepts.
• Rigor: Common Core requires a balance of concept mastery, procedural skill and fluency, and real-world application. Although memorization is required, students will also be asked to work beyond memorization and communicate the thinking behind answers.

How do Washington’s former English language arts standards compare with Common Core standards?

The Fordham study found that our old English language arts state standards are weaker than the Common Core standards. The Common Core English language arts standards (which include reading, writing, and communication) will improve student learning with higher expectations that are aligned to college entrance requirements. They also complement what students are learning in other subjects like social studies and science. 

These standards provide students with more opportunities to build knowledge through content-rich fiction, nonfiction, and informational texts (such as scientific articles or historical documents). Students will use the facts and evidence from the text as the basis for their reading and writing practice, and learn how to understand both complex texts and academic vocabulary.

Major Shifts in English Language Arts:

• Include more informational text: Students will still read fiction and literary classics, and will also be asked to read and understand non-fiction informational texts like the Gettysburg Address in English or History class or a scientific article in Biology or Chemistry class. The majority of required reading in college and the workplace is non-fiction informational text, so this change will help prepare students for the next step.
• Focus on literacy in all content areas: All teachers of specific content areas, such as history or science, are expected to instruct students on how to be master readers in their subject. This is also called “disciplinary literacy.”
• Expose students to more complex texts: A student’s ability to read complex text determines his/her college readiness more than any other factor.
• Develop evidence-based, persuasive writing: Students will be able to write in a clear, concise, and compelling manner, just as they will in college and the workplace.

How will students test their knowledge of the Common Core Standards?

The 2014-15 school year will see marked changes to the Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program, as the Smarter Balanced assessments will be in their first year of full implementation. The new Smarter Balanced assessments will replace the MSP this year, and will also gradually replace the HSPE and End of Course exams, with full implementation in place for the Class of 2019.

Can my child opt out of the Common Core Standards?

No, the Common Core Standards are not curriculum, they are learning standards. The standards are consistent across states and match the standards used by top-performing nations.

Online Common Core Standards resources:

• Walla Walla Public Schools website: www.wwps.org
• Ready Washington: www.readywa.org