The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) today released the first official public draft of the K-12 standards as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a process being led by governors and state school superintendents in 48 states, 2 territories, and the District of Columbia. These draft standards, developed together with teachers, school administrators, curriculum content experts and others, seek to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.
The public draft of the English language arts and mathematics standards can be accessed through the Oklahoma State Department of Education Web site, or at www.corestandards.org. The NGA Center and CCSSO encourage those interested in the standards to provide feedback by Friday, April 2, 2010, via an online survey at www.corestandards.org. The survey will allow for general responses as well as detailed responses regarding specific standards at any grade level.In addition, the Oklahoma State Department of Education would like to receive your comments, questions, and feedback. You may send an email to CommonCoreStandards@sde.state.ok.us and/or complete an online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CommonCoreOK. The Oklahoma State Department of Education will also be hosting a videoconference on Wednesday, March 31, at 2:30 p.m. for anyone who would like to learn more about the Common Core State Standards Initiative and/or provide feedback directly to the Office of Standards and Curriculum. You may register online for the videoconference at http://sde.state.ok.us/Services/Videoconference/register.html.
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, which began officially in July 2009, will provide states choosing to adopt the standards with common language and common expectations for all students. Governor Brad Henry and State Superintendent Sandy Garrett were among the first to sign on to the state-led initiative, and educators across the state are looking forward to the opportunities that having common standards in English language arts and mathematics could provide to Oklahoma.
If you have any questions about this initiative or how to share your feedback, please email the Oklahoma Common Core Standards Team at CommonCoreStandards@sde.state.ok.us.
————– Additional note from Jana————————
Science common core standards have not yet been developed; however, committees are beginning the process organizing to begin work on science standards projected to be complete in 2011. Science teachers may want to examine the ELA standards (see link above) and make comments/recommendations as there is a section on Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science. You can download the ELA standards at www.corestandards.org, click the link for K-12 standards now available for comment, and click the link just below the introduction. The literacy for History, SS, and Science section is found on pages 53-60. This document is NOT common core science standards; it is a part of the common core ELA standards. You are welcome to provide comments in the manner listed in the message below.
Best wishes,
Jana Rowland, State Science Director, OSDE