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Reference: Frequently Asked Questions

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, known as Common Core, was developed by the states — with input from teachers, education experts and business leaders — and has been voluntarily adopted by 43 states and the District of Columbia.

Common Core is not a curriculum but a set of standards regarding what students should know and be able to do at each grade level in math and English language arts. How kids get there is left to the schools and teachers. The goal is more students graduate ready for college or a career.

In English language arts, the standards require certain critical content for all students, including:

• Classic myths and stories from around the world
• America’s founding documents
• Foundational American literature
• Shakespeare

The remaining crucial decisions about what content should be taught are made at the state and local levels. In addition to content coverage, the Common Core State Standards require that students systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

In mathematics, the standards lay a solid foundation in:

• Whole numbers
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• Fractions
• Decimals

Taken together, these elements support a student’s ability to learn and apply more demanding math concepts and procedures. The middle school and high school standards call on students to practice applying mathematical ways of thinking to real-world issues and challenges.

Across the English language arts and mathematics standards, skills critical to each content area are emphasized. In particular, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and critical-thinking skills are interwoven into the standards.

Education in a subject should be such that an educated person should be able to explain it simply to another.

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