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The new benchmarks -- called Common Core Standards -- are a move initiated at the state level to come up with a set of standards that will be used by all states to create cross-border consistency in what students will be expected to know. In June, the Common Core recommendations were released to the public by the National Governors Association and state education heads.
So far 26 states have signed on to the national Common Core Standards while several have opted not to use the standards. Each state currently evaluates its elementary and secondary students according to its own state benchmarks, which vary greatly across state lines.
"You look at these standards and most Americans would say, 'Sure, this is what we want our students to know,'" says Fordham Institute Vice President Mike Petrilli.
Since the Common Core Standards are part of a state-led effort, Petrilli says they have avoided the debate about the federal government pushing standards on the rest of the country. Also, the writers of the recommendations have done "a pretty good job of putting together good standards," according to Petrilli.
The Washington-based Fordham Institute on Wednesday released results of its study comparing the standards-of-learning of all 50 states and the District of Columbia with the Common Core Standards that have been proposed for the whole country. Additionally, the study graded the Common Core Standards themselves.
The Common Core Standards overall get a B+ in English language arts and an A- in mathematics, according to the institute.
On the more local level, California, the District of Columbia and Indiana received the highest marks in English language arts with more stringent standards than the national recommendations, according to the institute's study, while 37 states fell below the recommended Common Core standards.
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SOURCE: CNN
Sally Holland
Sally Holland
