About the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
- Statewide Testing Notification: California students take several mandated statewide tests. These tests provide parents/guardians, teachers, and educators with information about how well students are learning and becoming college and career ready. The test results may be used for local, state, and federal accountabillty purposes.
- Download the Common Core Parent Handbook: English | Spanish
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted by the state of California in 2010. To date there are 45 state who have adopted the CCSS. According to the website www.corestandards.org, “The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live.”
For those of you who have children who have already graduated from high school and gone on to college, you are most likely aware of how competitive it is to get into a 4 year college or the business world. That is why the CCSS are so important. The CCSS set grade-specific goals; they do not define how the standards should be taught or which materials should be used to support students. Therefore, our teachers are able to use the current State and District adopted curriculum, as well as supplemental materials to teach the CCSS to mastery.
For those of you who have children who have already graduated from high school and gone on to college, you are most likely aware of how competitive it is to get into a 4 year college or the business world. That is why the CCSS are so important. The CCSS set grade-specific goals; they do not define how the standards should be taught or which materials should be used to support students. Therefore, our teachers are able to use the current State and District adopted curriculum, as well as supplemental materials to teach the CCSS to mastery.
The key shifts in English Language Arts include the following:
- Practice with complex texts and attention to academic vocabulary
- Reading, writing, and speaking using evidence from the text for both fictional and
informational text - Building knowledge through nonfiction text
The key shifts in mathematics include the following:
- Greater focus on fewer topics
- Coherence: Linking topics and thinking across grades
- Rigor: Understanding the concepts, speed and accuracy, and application to real life
To better understand the CCSS at your child’s grade level, please read through the standards provided. Here at Spring Grove School, our staff has been able to take what we have been teaching and make adjustments to match the CCSS.
As I have always said, “It is better to teach the concepts an inch wide and a mile deep, rather than a mile wide and an inch deep.” —Mrs. Jenny Bernosky, Superintendent/Principal
As I have always said, “It is better to teach the concepts an inch wide and a mile deep, rather than a mile wide and an inch deep.” —Mrs. Jenny Bernosky, Superintendent/Principal
For more information on the CCSS, please look at the following websites:
