While classrooms throughout Illinois have followed their own set of state learning standards for many years, the Prairie State is currently in the process of incorporating the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), according to the Illinois State Board of Education. The goal is for the CCSS-infused Illinois State Learning Standards to be in place by the 2014-2015 academic year.
In a recent article for Romeoville, Illinois' Patch website, John Harper, superintendent of schools for the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, provided some insight into how the Standards' implementation process is going. Harper wrote that the transition to the CCSS is the largest education reform to occur in decades.
"The CCSS emphasize developing critical-thinking skills to help our students better compete and succeed in a global economy," Harper wrote. "They will improve teaching and learning."
Plainfield and other school districts will improve students' level of career preparation by transitioning to fewer learning standards, which, in turn, will provide students with additional time to focus on more meaningful learning objectives. In the Plainfield District specifically, the math Standards will be implemented in fall 2013, while the transition to the English language arts Standards will follow in fall 2014.
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