CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Board of Education on Thursday approved a timeline to incorporate Common Core State Standards beginning in kindergarten this fall. Last May, the state board adopted Common Core Standards for English and math, and directed the West Virginia Department of Education to spend the next year aligning the common core with West Virginia’s 21st Century Curriculum Standards and Objectives and other resources.
“The standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents have a roadmap for what they need to do to help them succeed,” said state Superintendent of Schools Ted Mattern.
The kindergarten standards will be followed with first grade in 2012-2013, second grade in 2013-2014, and third through 12th grade in 2014-2015. Professional development on the standards will begin this summer as one part of the state’s annual Teacher Leadership Institute.
The common core standards focus on fewer concepts while stressing deeper learning and understanding, and are part of an overall drive to better prepare today's students for college or careers. The goal is to provide states with fewer, clearer and higher standards that are to be benchmarked against international standards. Common core standards in social studies and science are under development.
West Virginia is one of 51 U.S. states and territories to participate in the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a national joint project of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association. The Common Core State Standards build upon the success of West Virginia’s 21st century learning vision called Global21: Students deserve it. The world demands it.”
The common core initiative respects the unique nature of every state, while acknowledging a shared national commitment to high classroom standards for all students in kindergarten through high school. The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators and education experts. The standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate from high school able to succeed in college courses and in work force training programs.
Learn more about the Common Core State Standards visit at http://wvde.state.wv.us/commoncore/, or contact the Office of Communications at (304) 558-2699.
--The West Virginia Board of Education and the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) are committed to ensuring all students in the state are college and career ready when they graduate from a public school. What West Virginia students are learning in school exceeds national and international standards. Through the WVDE’s 21st century learning plan called “Global21: Students deserve it. The world demands it.,” West Virginia is seeing better student performance on the West Virginia Educational Standards Test 2 (WESTEST2); the SAT and the ACT college entrance exams; the job skills assessment called Work Keys given to career and technical education students; and in a high school graduation rate that exceeds the national average.
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