Meeting of the Board of Regents | November 2009

SUMMARY

Issue for Discussion

Status report on the draft common core standards for ELA and mathematics.

Background Information

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governor’s Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices released the first official draft of the common core college- and career- readiness standards for “mathematics” and for “reading, writing, and speaking and listening” for public comment on September 21, 2009. 

In the Department’s October 15, 2009 response, Commissioner Steiner:

• Commended the Panel on its work and its commitment to assuring that these standards are being written for all students. Offered ongoing support from NYSED in the review and development of these standards.
• Noted that we look forward to commenting on the rigor and developmental appropriateness of these standards once the Panel releases the grade level student expectations. 
• Encouraged the Panel to include prekindergarten in the anticipated K- 12 grade level student expectations.

• Requested clarification on:
• • whether the standards represent what all students should know and be able to do upon graduation from high school or whether they set a foundation upon which each state must build its own graduation expectations, and
  • whether the draft literacy expectations apply to all content areas and, if so, how the panel will ensure that the draft literacy expectations support the literacy expectations of students in the sciences, social studies, mathematics, and other content areas.

The common core standards initiative is on course with a rigorous time schedule.  NGA/CCSSO announced a Winter 2009/2010 release of the grade specific student expectations for public comment.  The Panel expects to complete its work and produce a final product by March 2010.  The final product will become the foundation upon which national assessments will be developed.  Secretary Arne Duncan has pledged to reserve up to $350 million to support consortia of states that are working to create new assessments tied to the common core standards.  These grants would be distributed through a competitive process.  The grants would come from the $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund and be awarded through a separate program from the larger State competition.

The following actions are planned in conjunction with the Winter 2009/2010 release of the NGA/CCSSO grade specific student expectations.

•  A presentation of the Board of Regents Standards Review Initiative is scheduled for the December Regents meeting.  This presentation will provide the Regents with a report on the activities of the Standards Review Initiative with respect to NYS ELA/ESL learning standards and allow for discussion of their relationship to the Common Core initiative.
• NYSED has established a Website which provides updates on the NGA/CCSSO Panel’s work and its relationship to the Board of Regents Standards Review Initiative.  This site can be accessed at: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/common_core_standards.html
• A series of meetings around the State is being planned for the Commissioner and Senior Deputy to receive public comment on the Common Core standards from New York stakeholders.  These comments will be incorporated into the Department’s next formal response.
•  As part of our process for gathering feedback, after the grade-by-grade standards are released to the public we will add a comment submission function to our Common Core standards Website.
• A recommended process for review and adoption of the NYS learning standards in relation to the national Common Core standards and assessments will be presented to the Board of Regents at its December meeting.

Staff will keep the Board of Regents updated on this work as it unfolds in the months ahead.