Education Law

K-12 core standards

The first public draft of core standards for K-12 education was released this week by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards, both welcomed and panned by critics, are intended to provide a consistent framework to prepare students for college and the workforce.

NSBA supports the process that CCSSO and NGA Center have undertaken to develop common core academic standards. We share a common goal; we all seek to improve student achievement in public education. However, NSBA and its Delegate Assembly also believe that core standards should be voluntary by the states and not mandated as a condition for receiving federal education program funds.

The NGA Center and CCSSO have received feedback from national organizations representing teachers, postsecondary education, civil rights groups, English language learners, and students with disabilities. The draft standards are now open for public comment until Friday, April 2.

They want your feedback, and BoardBuzz hopes local school boards are among those to chime in with their opinions.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which are helping fund the effort, believes states will value new national standards, which are:

• Aligned with college and work expectations;
• Clear, 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 our global economy and society; and
• Evidence-based.

So what do you think? Let us know. For more information, go to http://www.corestandards.org/.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on March 12, 2010 (boomark / email).