The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are designed to dramatically improve K-12 education so that students are better prepared for college and the workforce. While the CCSS have much to offer, one of the most appealing aspects of the Standards is the fact that students in each of the 45 states that adopted the Common Core will be learning at the same pace.
However, based on a new report from The Education Trust, states have a ways to go before they can be considered to be on equal footing.
Different track records
To gain a sense of how prepared states are for the implementation of the CCSS, The Education Trust took a look at how good of a job they have done at improving student achievement in the areas of reading and math among fourth- and eighth-graders. Overall, Maryland was found to have the strongest track record with these subjects, as it does a better job than all states in terms of reading and math education.
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire also had strong track records. However, on the other end of the spectrum, West Virginia was found to have the worst reputation in these subjects. Oregon, Oklahoma and Alaska were close behind it with track records that were weaker than those of the country as a whole.
"Instead of just pretending that the same amount of effort will be required everywhere to get children to the new Standards, we need to make sure that the lessons from states that have improved the most for all groups of children inform implementation work more broadly and ensure that struggling states have the extra help they will need to build the forward momentum that is already present elsewhere," said Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, in a statement.
What states can do
The report's conclusion reads that no state is performing as well as it needs to be if the CCSS are to have a positive impact on learning. For this reason, The Education Trust urges states to support their schools so that all students are receiving the education they deserve.
"All states will need to work hard and smart to support their schools in making sure that all students get the learning opportunities they need to reach these college- and career-ready Standards," said Natasha Ushomirsky, senior data and policy analyst at The Education Trust and the report's author. "And no state – not the advocates or foundations that are supporting them – can afford to embark on this effort without an honest appraisal of where its students and schools are."
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