State Board of Education Adopts Common Core State Standards‏

The State Board of Education yesterday adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and mathematics for grades K-12. These state-led academic standards were initiated by the National Governor's Association (NGA), co-chaired by Governor Sonny Perdue, and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The CCSS for grades K-12 were developed in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders including content experts, states, teachers, school administrators and parents.

“The State Board's vote to adopt the Common Core State Standards is a huge step toward giving us a meaningful comparison of our students’ achievement with that of students in other states," said State Board of Education Chair Wanda Barrs. "Our students will be competing for jobs with students from all over the world and 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."

The CCSS 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 CCSSO and NGA pulled together began writing the standards in mathematics and English language arts, they built off of the work of states that had already developed rigorous college- and career-ready standards. Georgia was one of these select states, and when reading the CCSS, it is clear that there are many elements of the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) throughout. Therefore, the adoption of the CCSS in Georgia will not be a drastic change for either teachers or students. Some of the standards are introduced at different grade levels, but teachers have, essentially, been implementing the CCSS while they’ve been teaching the GPS.

"Georgia has been ahead of the curve in the development of rigorous standards," said State School Superintendent Brad Bryant. "The Common Core standards enhance the Georgia Performance Standards and ensure that all of our students will be taught a world-class curriculum that will prepare them for college or a career."

The Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS) define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school fully prepared for college and careers. These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school fully prepared for college and careers. The standards are:

• Aligned with college and work expectations;
• Clear, understandable and consistent;
• Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
• Built upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
• Informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
• Evidence- and research-based.

"Today's students must be prepared to compete in a global economy," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "These state developed standards make sure that our students are prepared for college and the workforce."


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