Common Core State Standards will improve student success

Classroom teachers and college professors alike are embracing the Common Core State Standards because they know higher academic standards are critical for student success. Below are the voices of teachers at the secondary and postsecondary levels describing how the Common Core gives them the flexibility to bring their students to new educational heights.  

Common Core State Standards will improve student success

By Dr. Raymond Yannuzzi and Dr. Thomas Isekenegbe, The South Jersey Times

November 23, 2014

“As the presidents of Camden County College and Cumberland County College, we have seen the difficulty students face when they aren't academically prepared to begin college-level work that requires reading, writing or math. While New Jersey has the highest high school graduation rate in the country, 60 percent of recent high school graduates who attend community colleges throughout the state are placed into remedial courses in their first year, according to the New Jersey Council of County Colleges. This puts a financial burden on students and their families, ultimately making it difficult for them to graduate on time, if at all.

“That is why members of the New Jersey Presidents Council, leaders from the state's leading higher education institutions – public and private, two-year and four-year – unanimously voted to support the Common Core State Standards. We believe New Jersey's efforts to institute the Common Core will improve college readiness and help close the preparation gap for students in the state. We believe this long-term effort will increase students' knowledge and skills so they will graduate from high school ready for college and careers.”

And,

“So while we take a moment this week to appreciate teachers and all they have done to put us on the path to success, let's not forget what we can be doing to empower them. We, and all education, business and political leaders in the state, owe it to our teachers and to our kids to stay the course and support the Common Core State Standards and related assessments. Let's make sure we give New Jersey students the chance to acquire the knowledge and skills they need for success in college and careers.”

Common Ground for Christians and Common Core

By Liz Riggs, Christianity Today

December 5, 2014

“We owe our students a better, more effective education; and the Common Core Standards were designed to align with skills needed for ACT and SAT testing, college classes, and careers—a stark difference from the easy requirements set by most current state standards.”

And,

“Take Kentucky, for example, one of the few states who has implemented Common Core without exorbitant amounts of outrage. Almost two-thirds of students in Kentucky are now considered college ready—up from 37% in 2011. The average ACT score is the highest it’s been since they began measuring all students’ scores in 2008. That is true change. That is progress. That is opportunity for millions of students. When we raise the stakes, students will rise to them. I have seen it with my own eyes.

“Progress for some does not have to come at the cost of others; in fact, more rigor means the potential for higher levels of learning for all kids—not just some. It means kids of means and kids from poverty are more equipped for college and beyond; a rising tide lifts all boats.”

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Achieve has developed materials to help states, districts, and others understand the organization and content of the standards and the content and evidence base used to support the standards. Visit www.achieve.org/achieving-common-core.

If you find a news clip supportive of the Common Core, please send it to Chad Colby at ccolby@achieve.org.