The Common Core & Junior achievement.

PositionSPECIAL SECTION: Junior Achievement - Common Core State Standards Initiative

This is what you need to know about the new standards in the Anchorage School District, and how JA can help. After all ... kids are our future.

Background

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The Standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators and experts to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare young people for college and the workforce. To date, 45 of 50 states have adopted the Common Core Standards for English/Language Arts and Mathematics. States that have adopted the standards will receive additional funding. States that have not adopted the standards are required to provide the Department of Education with a plan to accomplish the same goals presumably achieved through Common Core.

The Common Core Standards are rigorous and evidence-based and provide clear and consistent expectations that are aligned with college and career requirements.

Common Core in ASD

Alaska is one of five states that has not adopted the Common Core standards statewide--but in spring 2012, the Anchorage School Board voted to implement the standards so that Anchorage students are able to be more competitive at the national level. The Common Core standards are the most rigorous in the nation. Administrators say the standards will help them meet their goals of boosting graduation rates and getting students prepared for both college and the workforce.

The Common Core Standards aim to do the following:

* Ensure that all students, no matter where they live, are prepared for success in post-secondary education and the workforce.

* Ensure that students are receiving a consistently high quality education from school to school and state to state--an issue that is critically important for Anchorage, which has a steady population of people regularly moving in and out of state.

* Greatly improve the scope and quality of assessment and curriculum by utilizing consistent assessment items and curriculum materials.

* Provide the ability to compare the performance of ASD students to students in other states and the nation.

How Junior Achievement Supports the New Common Core Standards

JA's educational programs are aligned with and support the Common Core standards. The strongest direct alignment between JA and Common Core can be found with Social Studies standards where economics is...

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