Common Core State Standards

A higher standard for students = more opportunities for life. By knowing your child's grade level expectations you can use daily conversations to support your child's learning.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) provide a roadmap for what children need to know and be able to do beginning in kindergarten through 12th grade. Common Core challenges students to think critically and solve complex problems, to get them ready for college, career and their community. When students are held to high expectations and teachers are supported, students will achieve.

Why should parents learn about Common Core English Language Arts?

Why should parents learn about Common Core English Language Arts?

Knowing about Common Core State Standards (CCSS) helps you support your child. Here's how:

The Common Core clarifies grade level expectations for your child. You can also look at the grade levels behind and ahead to see the progression of skills on the continuum. This can help you support your child in learning at home.

Look for the key items your child should be working on at each grade level. Ask at your school about these items. Talk to your child about these items at home and reinforce them with reading and discussion.

Mostly, be excited about reading with your child. It is fun! Talk about books, magazines, and articles. You are the best model for a lifelong love of literacy.

At your parent/teacher conference you received a summary of your child's grade level standards with suggestions for how to work with your child to reach the standards. In addition, you received a "Parent's Introduction to the Common Core State Standards" which answers frequently asked questions. These are handy references that will help you better understand your child's path to college, career and community readiness.

How CCSS for English Language Arts and Literacy are structured:

The Common Core is divided into three main sections, a K-5 section and two 6-12 sections, one for English Language Arts and one for Literacy in History, Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.

Each section is made up of strands. The K-5 and 6-12 sections have the same strands for English Language Arts: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language, with one addition to K-5, the Foundational Skills. In 6-12, the strands for Literacy in the subject areas are Reading and Writing.

Each strand is headed by an Anchor Standard. This standard defines what students should be able to do by grade 12. Each grade level details the skills the student must accomplish, increasing in difficulty each year, to reach success by grade 12.

The Common Core is elegant in its simplicity; it is focused and coherent, and it empowers students to be deep thinkers and analyze what they are reading in literature and non-fiction.

Supporting great teachers

The most important factor in a child’s education is a great teacher. The Common Core holds us all to higher standards and gives teacher support in improving their students' education.

Critical thinking and problem solving

Today's kindergarten student will need skills to be successful in a rapidly changing world. The Common Core State Standards help students to:

Analyze information
Present viable arguments
Use technology strategically
Become independent learners
Use evidence and logic, and think conceptually
Understand and appreciate different perspectives and cultures

Working together

Teacher teams are taking a close look at what the standards mean for their students and practices in the classroom. We hope families and the community will join their schools in learning more with the Common Core through the year.

When we set high expectations and support the work of our teachers, our students will rise to the challenge.

Thoughts on the Common Core

National PTA Resources

Other Resources

Parent Roadmaps by Grade Level

Parent Roadmaps for Mathematics CCSS by Grade Level

SAMPLE STANDARD

A 3rd grade language arts student will be able to...

Reading a wide range of stories and describing how a story teaches a lesson
Read a wide range of stories and describe how a story teaches a lesson
Describe characters in a story and how their actions contributed to events
Read texts about history, social studies, or science and answer questions about what they learned
Refer to information from illustrations such as maps or pictures as well as the words in a text to support their answers
Learn the rules of spoken and written English
Learn and use new words, including words related to specific subjects (such as science words)
Participate in class discussions by listening, asking questions, sharing ideas, and building on the ideas of others
Give a class presentation on a topic or tell a story using relevant facts and details and speaking clearly
Write stories with dialogue and descriptions of character’s actions, thoughts, and feelings
Gather information from books, articles, and online sources to build understanding of a topic
Write research or opinion papers over extended periods of time

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