On The Move
South Carolina becomes 25th state to adopt Common Core standards in math, reading
Jul 18, 2010
COLUMBIA, SC - July 18, 2010 - South Carolina is now the 25th state to adopt a national set of academic benchmarks that detail the math and reading skills students will learn as they move up through public school grades.
The State Board of Education voted today to adopt “Common Core
Standards” developed by the National Governors Association and the
Council of Chief State School Officers - the first time states have
collaborated to determine what students should know. The initiative’s
goal is to replace a hodgepodge of academic goals that vary considerably
from one state to the next. More than 40 states are currently working
toward Common Core approvals.
The Common Core standards were developed over the last 12 months by
teachers, parents, school administrators, civil rights leaders,
education policymakers, business leaders and others from across the
country. The group produced multiple drafts and collected comments from
more than 10,000 people online.
States that voluntarily adopt the Common Core may add additional
standards as long as the core represents at least 85 percent of the
state’s standards in English language arts and math. Local school
districts would retain the responsibility for delivering classroom
curriculum.
“This isn’t a top-down federal mandate,” Rex said. “It’s a collective
effort of the states, which can adapt the Common Core standards to their
individual situations and timelines.”
Gov. Mark Sanford co-signed South Carolina’s project application with
Rex.
The state superintendent said that while the overall content of South
Carolina’s math and reading standards is already closely aligned with
the Common Core, the new standards would require students to master that
content in greater depth. Rex said the Education Department would help
teachers master any instructional transitions that might be needed.
Rex said the Common Core will make learning easier for students whose
families move from one state to another. “Third-graders, for example,
would start learning to understand and use fractions no matter which
state they live in,” he said.
