Common Core State Standards - Better Preparing Tennessee's Students for College and Career

Taking Note MAY 2012 EXAMINING KEY EDUCATION REFORM IDEAS IN TENNESSEE Common Core State Standards: Better Preparing Tennessee’s Students for College and Career Over recent years, Tennessee has committed to implementing more rigorous academic standards to better prepare graduates for success as they pursue credentials and careers beyond high school. In 2007, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report highlighted the need for more rigor in Tennessee’s curriculum when it assigned the state’s standards an “F” for their ability to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge they need to compete in the modern workforce. Recognizing the need to set higher expectations for education in Tennessee, then-Governor Phil Bredesen subsequently announced the Tennessee Diploma Project (TDP), an affiliate of the American Diploma Project aimed at raising the state’s standards to better prepare students for success after high school. Tennessee also expanded the number of credits required for graduation from 20 to 22, including Algebra I as an entry level course and three math courses beyond Algebra I. This requirement places Tennessee’s math course requirements among the highest in the country. In addition, the state now requires three lab science credits that include either chemistry or physics. Test results from the 2009-10 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) indicated just how far the state’s students were behind their peers nationally. Although 91 percent of elementary and middle school students had been deemed proficient on the reading TCAP in 2009, only 51 percent met that standard in 2010 under the new, more rigorous standards. Less than 35 percent achieved proficiency in math, after 90 percent scored proficient or above in 2009. The increased rigor of standards in Tennessee demonstrated the need to continue expecting more from Tennessee’s students, teachers, and schools. Prior to adoption of TDP, Tennessee’s standards did not prepare students for life and work after high school to the level of their peers in other states. Now, as an adopter of the Common Core, Tennessee has moved to integrate more rigorous standards, and by sharing assessments with other Common Core states, Tennesseans will be able to have a more accurate understanding both of how well students in the state are learning and how to enhance achievement in the areas where students need the most support. Shared assessments will provide indicators of how well students in Tennessee are mastering course content in comparison with their peers from other states. These comparison points will be critical in making instructional and resource allocation decisions, but they will also enable educators across state lines to share strategies for improving student learning. As the second phase of the state’s commitment to ensuring that high school graduates are prepared for college and career, Tennessee is now one of 46 statesi adopting more rigorous, internationallybenchmarked common standards in both English/Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. What are Common Core Standards? The Common Core State Standards are the result of a state-led initiative to provide a set of rigorous learning standards in English/Language Arts and mathematics. Previously, each state has developed its own learning standards, leading to 50 different indicators of student learning. Expectations of colleges and employers, however, do not depend on the state, or even the country, from which a student graduated high school. In order to improve teaching and learning, Common Core standards are: ii • Focused, coherent, clear, and rigorous • Internationally benchmarked • Anchored in college and career readiness • Evidence- and research-based Regular assessments will be designed to provide teachers with indicators of student learning growth over the course of each academic year, enabling them to address areas of greatest need without waiting for end of year exam results. In addition, the standards and associated common assessments will enable educators in adopting states across the country to share effective practices and instructional approaches— collaboration that has never been possible when each state designed standards and assessments independently. The Council of Chief State School Officers and National Governors Association Center for Best Practices led a collaborative effort among the states to develop common standards. The federal government played no role in developing Common Core standards, but federal grant funding now supports the development of assessments by two consortia of states that have adopted the standards. States with common assessments can identify areas for collaboration that include: iii • Making expectations for students clear to parents, teachers, and the general public • Encouraging the development of textbooks, digital media, and other teaching materials aligned to the standards • Developing and implementing comprehensive assessment systems to measure student performance against the Common Core State Standards that will replace the existing testing systems • Evaluating policy changes needed to help students and educators meet the standards 1207 18th Avenue South, Suite 326, Nashville, TN 37212 — tel 615.727.1545 — fax 615.727.1569 — www.tnscore.org