Common Core Standards

The Common Core is a new set of standards adopted by several states to monitor and track student progress.  These standards outline for teachers, students, and parents exactly what is to be learned and are meant to better prepare students for college and careers.  Michigan teachers should have begun training on the Common Core Standards in 2010; they should begin implementing the standards in 2012, and formal assessments of the standards will begin in 2014.

To be honest, I’ve just recently started hearing about the Common Core Standards.  Maybe it’s because I’ve worked for the past three years in a private school, but there was never any training or even discussion about these standards.   Unfortunately, the first time I heard about them was in a job interview.  Needless to say, I didn’t get that job. 

Even today, I don’t know a lot about these standards.  Even though I am a teacher in a private school, I still want to follow Michigan curriculum and ensure that my students are receiving a quality education.   On the Free Technology for Teachers website, Richard Byrne tells you about ePals’s Common Core Implementation Center.  It provides resources and teaching ideas to successfully implement these new standards into your class.  This website is a great resource to teach teachers who have less accessibility to training about the new standards.