The Common Core State Standards - what kind of effect will they have on education in Georgia?

Below is a letter written to the public by Wanda Barrs, chair of the Georgia Board of Education, describing the new "Common Core State Standards", published in the Get Schooled blog at the AJC.

The Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association, co-chaired by Gov. Sonny Perdue, recently issued a common set of English language arts and mathematics standards that states can adopt.

Through these Common Core State Standards, students, teachers, parents, colleges and employers throughout Georgia, and indeed much of the United States, will have a first-class guide to what our children must know and be able to do to succeed in college, the 21st-century workplace and as contributing citizens in our democracy.

Will implementing the Common Core State Standards in Georgia reverse or shut down the implementation of our Georgia Performance Standards? Is this is a federal mandate to “take over” education? The answer to these questions is a resounding “no.”

The Common Core State Standards is a state-led initiative — not a federal mandate. Georgia teachers and other experts in standards setting have been at the table since the process began.

When the expert development groups — that the Council of Chief State School Officers and National Governors Association pulled together — began to write the standards in mathematics and English language arts, they built off of the rigorous college- and career-ready standards that some states had already developed.
Georgia was one of these select states.

When reading the new core standards, one can see elements of the Georgia Performance Standards throughout. Therefore, while adopting the Common Core State Standards in Georgia will be a step forward – and give our teachers more refined tools to better prepare our young people for work and college – it will not be a drastic change for either our teachers or our students.

Some of the standards are introduced at different grade levels, but teachers have, essentially, been implementing the Common Core State Standards while they’ve been teaching the Georgia Performance Standards.

Without question, there has been much conversation about the integrated approach of our Georgia Performance Standards for mathematics. While all of us want our students to succeed, unfortunately, for too long, Georgia has lagged behind the nation and other countries in mathematics achievement.

An integrated approach to math is one way that states can help students master the skills and knowledge outlined within the Common Core State Standards.We look forward to continuing a conversation with parents, teachers and the community on how to help our students excel.

Once our mathematics curriculum is fully implemented, I have every confidence that our students will be the winners.Our state’s mathematics standards, supported by the Common Core State Standards, will help Georgia’s students rise above the rest. In the simplest terms, standards set the goal for what students should know and be able to do by the time they complete a grade level and then ultimately graduate high school. Curriculum, on the other hand, guides how a teacher teaches the standards.

Since 2004, we have been overhauling our state’s curriculum.

The new curriculum is the product of a lot of hard work by classroom teachers, parents, businesses and curriculum experts. Our award-winning curriculum is nearing full implementation with great results.So, if our curriculum is already good, why join this initiative?

While our standards give our teachers an excellent tool to prepare our young people, we are always looking for opportunities to improve. The Common Core State Standards integrate much of the Georgia Performance Standards, but benefit from the best and latest research allowing them to advance the groundwork we have laid.

The Common Core State Standards will allow for a meaningful comparison of our students’ achievement with students in other states. Currently, states operate with different standards, making it impossible to accurately compare data nationally or internationally.

Our students will be competing for jobs with students from all over the world. We must be able to compare ourselves to the rest of the U.S. and other countries to ensure that we are providing students with the tools they need to be globally competitive.And the initiative will allow for better purchasing power.

Since 48 participating states will have a consistent educational framework, textbook and instructional resource companies will be able to develop and target resources to one set of standards. This will help to reduce prices and ensure that funds are spent wisely. In these difficult economic times and beyond, it is essential that we maximize resources and invest wisely.

I am proud of the work done by teachers, parents, administrators and others to improve education in Georgia over the last few years, and we are excited to share and leverage our efforts with other states. By collaborating on the Common Core State Standards, working together we can take the next step to move Georgia’s schools from great to world-class.

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For an opposing opinion on the subject, read a letter posted at "Get Schooled", by Cindy Lutenbacher, a teacher and DeKalb public school parent.

DeKalb Schools Recognized for Achievement, Improvement

We're happy to give credit where credit has been earned and announce the Georgia Achievement Winners - including 24 DCSS schools - Congratulations!

Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Award Winners Named

State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox today announced the winners of the second annual Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Awards. Among the winners were 24 schools within DeKalb County School System.

These awards honor schools for high achievement and the greatest improvement on state curriculum tests. A certificate is being sent to the winning schools acknowledging their achievement.

"We are honoring schools that showed the greatest improvement and highest achievement on our state tests," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "These awards are just a small way of saying "thank you" for the hard work put in by our teachers, students and school communities. Congratulations to all the winners!"

The Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Awards are based on the performance of students on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT), the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT), the End-of-Course Tests (EOCT) and the state Writing Tests. These awards acknowledge schools in two categories:
• IMPROVEMENT: The 10 schools in each honored subject area and grade that had the greatest improvement in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards.
• ACHIEVEMENT: The 10 schools in each honored subject area and grade that had the highest percentage of students score in the ‘exceeds’ category.

Of the Improvement winners, Superintendent Cox said: "Moving the needle as quickly as these schools have takes collaboration, dedication and focus."

Of the Achievement winners, Superintendent Cox said: "These are the schools that have large numbers of students performing at the highest levels of achievement. This type of performance is the result of high expectations and hard work.”

The Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Awards are being handed out in the following subjects and grades:
• READING and ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS: Grades 1-8 Reading CRCT; Grades 2 & 6 English Language Arts CRCT; 9th Grade Literature EOCT (high school only); American Literature EOCT; English Language Arts & Reading GHSGT
• MATHEMATICS: Grades 1-8 Mathematics CRCT; Mathematics GHSGT
• SOCIAL STUDIES: Grades 4 & 8 CRCT; U.S. History EOCT; Economics EOCT; Social Studies GHSGT
• SCIENCE: Grades 5-8 CRCT; Physical Science EOCT; Biology EOCT; Science GHSGT
• WRITING: Grade 5 Writing Test, Grade 8 Writing Test, Georgia High School Writing Test

NOTE:
- Due to the roll out of the state's new curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards, the following categories are not being awarded: Algebra 1 EOCT, Geometry EOCT, Grade 4 Social Studies CRCT (improvement only; achievement is being awarded).
- Awards are given based on spring 2009 CRCT results. Summer retest results are not included.
- Only schools with 10 or more students taking the test in 2009 are considered for the award.

Award winning schools

Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT)
Achievement
Austin ES
Evansdale ES
Livsey Elementary
Kittredge Magnet
Oak Grove ES
Vanderlyn ES
Wadsworth Magnet
Improvement
Academy of Lithonia
DeKalb PATH Academy
Hambrick ES
International Community School
Peachcrest ES
Rock Chapel ES
Stoneview ES
Stone Mountain MS
Tucker MS
Woodward ES

End-of-Course Tests (EOCT)
Achievement
Chamblee Charter HS DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA)
Improvement
Clarkston HS DeKalb Alternative
Destiny Academy of Excellence Stone Mountain HS

Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT)
Achievement
DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA)
Improvement
DeKalb HS of Technology North DeKalb Alternative
Destiny Academy of Excellence

Georgia Writing Tests
Achievement
**
Improvement
Clarkston HS DeKalb HS of Technology North
Gateway to College

Related Links
Dekalb County Schools
GA Dept of Education