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College- and Career-Ready Standards
State chiefs recognize that setting clear expectations for academic excellence is critical for student success.
While establishing high expectations may seem intuitive, every year, far too many students graduate high school not prepared for college, career, and life. Across the country, states have chosen to implement higher standards that will prepare all students for success after high school. As a result, students are gaining a deeper understanding of subject matter, are learning to think critically, and are applying their learning to real-world problems. We assist states in implementing new standards through proactive engagement and outreach, and by connecting chiefs with the tools they need to help schools and teachers bring the standards to life for their students.
CCReady Tools and Resources
We work with states as they support district staff, principals, teachers, and parents to implement standards.
We curated high-quality accessible tools and resources to support state education agencies, districts, and educators during the process of implementing college- and career-ready standards. One such resource includes the Math Standards Implementation Tool.
The resources are developed by CCSSO and other leading organizations and are not intended to be a comprehensive list of all available resources. We do not endorse any for-profit products.
Common Core Standards Initiative
In 2009, we coordinated with the NGA Center on a state-led effort to develop the Common Core State Standards.
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and english language arts (ELA) that define clear and consistent K-12 learning goals for students in order to graduate high school prepared to succeed in college, entry-level careers, and life. Forty-two states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have voluntarily adopted and are moving forward with the Common Core.
The standards are:
1. Research- and evidence-based
2. Clear, understandable, and consistent
3. Aligned with college and career expectations
4. Based on rigorous content, knowledge application, and higher-order thinking skills
5. Built upon the strengths and lessons of current state standards
6. Informed by other top performing countries
Innovation
States have selected strategies to meet the needs of their educators and students while maintaining high expectations.
Since the implementation of new, more rigorous standards nearly a decade ago, state chiefs have worked to implement clear and consistent learning goals statewide. Seeing standards as a floor rather than a ceiling, we have highlighted innovative state spotlights and state stories to show how standards can be adapted to meet the needs of educators and students in various states and promote an ambitious and holistic view of what it means to be college- and career-ready.
Equity
Equity requires holding all students to the same expectation regardless of their zip code or background.
Research shows that students of color are placed in special education or suspended at disproportionately high rates, but are underrepresented in gifted and advanced placement courses. High standards for all eliminate inconsistent expectations for students and move us closer to an educational system where all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life.
States are working to align standards and best practices to ensure equity of educational outcomes.