Description:

In this issue, we examine the new and surprising nuances of the Common Core State Standards revealed through our work with schools and districts on standards implementation and curriculum alignment.

Key Ideas:

• Roger Fiedler’s article, “The English Language Arts Standards Call for Students to Read and Comprehend Much More Complex Text,” brings clarity to the increased amount of non-fiction informational and expository reading in the standards.
• In “North Dakota Builds Support for the Common Core from the Ground Up,” Jennifer Tuzzeo profiles North Dakota’s standards’ adoption process, which built support for the new standards by engaging teachers and supporting their needs.
• Kirsten Miller’s “Common Core Math Standards a Big Change by Any Measure,” covers the increased rigor of the mathematics standards and their focus on students applying math concepts to real-world situations.
• In “The Next Generation Science Standards: What Educators Need to Know,” Heather Hein takes a look at the development of the Next Generation Science Standards.
• Principal Consultant Bj Stone gives some advice in our Q&A on how to ensure high-quality curriculum alignment to and instruction for the Common Core.

APA Citation:

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. (2012, Winter.) Changing Schools, 67. Denver, CO: Author.

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