Common Core State Standards

  •  Common Core Highlights Related to Millburn

     

    Because the Common Core emphasizes critical thinking, mastery of key topics, the application of skills towards solving real-life challenges, and aligns with learning standards in other successful countries, it pushes students to learn and achieve more
      

     

       What are the major differences between Illinois’s former learning standards and those of the Common Core?

     

    In English language arts, the Common Core standards place a greater emphasis on reading nonfiction, writing analytical essays, and working with more complex texts.  These changes will develop students’ ability to gather information and use evidence to back their claims while also expanding their vocabularies.  Students will continue to read fiction and write creatively, but the Common Core recognizes the importance of nonfiction and analytical writing in teaching students how to be critical readers and persuasive writers.

     

    In mathematics, the Common Core encourages greater depth of instruction on fewer topics within a school year.  At the elementary school level, the standards emphasize basic concepts like numbers and operations so that students have mastery of the foundations of mathematics before moving onto more advanced topics in middle school and high school.  The hope is that students will be able to apply their math skills to real world problems and challenges.

     

     

    Will the state be updating SCIENCE standards as well?
    Yes, Illinois is one of 26 lead states that have collaborated on new science standards for students in kindergarten through the 12th grade called the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).  Like the Common Core, NGSS is rigorous, internationally benchmarked, and intended to better prepare students for college and career.  NGSS provides a new way of teaching science and engineering in Illinois’ schools.  


     Resources

    Illinois State Board of Education:

    http://www.isbe.net/common_core/default.htm

     

    Common Core IL, a project of the Core Coalition:

    http://commoncoreil.org/real-learning/

     

    Common Core State Standards Initiative:

    http://www.corestandards.org/