Board Of Regents Approve New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards

The Board of Regents today approved the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy; the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics; and the New York State Prekindergarten Learning Standards.  The Board had previously adopted the national Common Core Standards in July 2010 with the understanding that additional New York State specific K-12 expectations and prekindergarten standards would be added.

The Regents actions today followed six months of statewide discussion, feedback, revision and a survey of over 800 teachers and other stakeholders culminating in the three documents approved today.  The recommended additions for English Language Arts and Literacy include expectations for student inquiry, culture and diversity, and literature.  These concepts are embedded to strengthen and deepen the existing Common Core for English Language Arts. In Mathematics, one addition was made to Kindergarten and one to first grade to strengthen the standards.  No additions were made for Grades 2-12 in Mathematics.

Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch said, "New York’s Common Core is the foundation upon which we are building the statewide curriculum and assessments essential to the Regents goal of college and career readiness for every one of our students.   The approval of these standards is an enormous accomplishment, a signal to everyone with a stake in our schools that the Regents Reform Agenda is underway in New York State."

Education Commissioner David M. Steiner said, "With the New York Common Core Standards in place we can now begin to build the sequenced, content-rich statewide curriculum and embedded assessments our children rightly deserve.  This work has been shared by a great many of our stakeholders and will involve countless more of them as we continue to create the future of public education in New York State using the standards approved today along with the curriculum and assessment we will put in place over the next three years."

Chairman of the Standards Work Group, Regent James C. Dawson said, "The Regents see the recently approved Common Core State Standards in ELA, Literacy and Math as well as the new NYS PreK Learning Standards as a high altitude view of what will happen in the classroom.  This will be followed by more detailed curriculum models that will not be mandatory but will give guidance to classrooms that will be consistent with a revised assessment system."

Senior Deputy for P-12 Education John King said, "As we build the curriculum and assessments associated with the common core standards our state’s Race to the Top work is underway.  We are fully engaged in developing and supporting great teachers and leaders, in building a powerful and agile student data system, and in implementing aggressive and bold strategies to turn around our lowest achieving schools.  This is a remarkable time to be associated with education in New York State."

Also supporting the Regents Reform Agenda and the Race to the Top initiative is the development of the New York State Prekindergarten (PreK) Learning Standards.  These Learning Standards will strengthen instruction in PreK classrooms in all settings, as well as help administrators and educators align PreK Learning Standards with the K-12 system. This set of standards will support high-quality early childhood education for children before entry to kindergarten.

Implementation of the New York State Common Core Learning Standards will begin in all schools in 2011-12.  The reporting of state assessment results for 2011-12 will include performance mapped to both the existing NYS standards and the new NYS standards (inclusive of the Common Core).  In school year 2012-13, classroom instruction is expected to be fully aligned to the new standards.   Assessments that year will test achievement of the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy and Mathematics.

The P-12 ELA & Literacy and Mathematics curriculum models will be created to facilitate student achievement of the new P-12 standards and are scheduled to be available to schools during the school year 2012-13.

Full details of the New York State Common Core State Standards approved today can be found on the Board of Regents website:
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2011Meetings/January2011/111p12swa1.html.

The New York State Education Department’s Common Core State Standards Initiative website contains full text of the approved Common Core Learning Standards, a history of their development, extensive background materials and a timeline looking forward to the development of statewide curricula and assessments based upon the common core standards:
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/common_core_standards/.

For more information about the Common Core Standards:
www.corestandards.org.