Oregon’s New College- and Career-Ready Standards
The Academic Baseline for Success in College, Careers, and Life
- Our children need to be prepared for college, career, and future success. As the economy continues to grow, we need to ensure that all students, no matter their zip code, are prepared for the opportunities and challenges they will face after high school.
- Our state chose to adopt the K–12 Common Core State Standards to help ensure that all students graduate from high school with the core academic knowledge and skills necessary for success in college, careers, and life, for the benefit of their futures and the future of our state.
- Working to close the achievement gap is a top priority for Oregon. The new standards promote equity by ensuring all students, especially historically underserved students, are offered access to high-level content. They allow teachers and parents to understand exactly what all students should know and/or be able to do at each grade. They allow us to more accurately measure student learning outcomes so that feedback and support can be provided when it is clear students are not on track for success.
- Today’s — and tomorrow’s — jobs value postsecondary education and training more than ever. Americans without the requisite knowledge and skills will struggle to access good jobs in the increasingly competitive global economy.
- Oregon has had state-adopted standards for years. The Common Core are simply the latest version of these standards for English and math. Our state has been involved in every step of their development and adoption. Oregon teachers and administrators reviewed various versions of the standards and provided multiple rounds of feedback to the developers before they were adopted by the State Board of Education in 2010.
- Teachers are implementing these standards. 80% of teachers in Oregon say what is being taught in their school aligns with the Common Core. Districts around the state have offered support and professional development for teachers to implement the standards since 2010. Locally, teams of teachers have created curriculum aligned to the Common Core, giving teachers access to high-quality instructional materials.
- These common standards help ensure that students are receiving a high quality, rigorous education consistently from school to school and state to state. The Common Core State Standards are shared learning expectations adopted by 46 states around the country. They provide a clear, consistent understanding of what our students are expected to learn in K-12 math and English.
- The Common Core is not a curriculum. Curriculum remains a local school district decision. The Common Core are simply the standards outlining what students should know and be able to do at various grades. Locally adopted curriculum allows for teacher flexibility and creativity in the classroom.
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