Common Core Standards are benchmarks developed by teachers, administrators and other education experts through a national consortium. These standards aim to bring more consistency and uniformity to what students learn at each grade level from one state to another so that all students in the United States are better prepared to compete and collaborate in the 21st Century global economy.
In 2010, the Illinois State Board of Education adopted these new, more rigorous and internationally-benchmarked Common Core Standards in English Language Arts and Math and schools across the state are at various stages of incorporating the standards into classroom curriculum.
The Common Core standards better define what students need to know and be able to do at every grade level from kindergarten through high school so that students are prepared to succeed in college and careers. The Common Core standards require more active and engaged teaching and learning in the classroom with less emphasis on scripted instruction and multiple choice tests. Students may be required to do more than they have in the past with an emphasis on applying and demonstrating their knowledge.
The Common Core Standards have been adopted by more than 45 states and the District of Columbia.
