Contacts: Jodi Omear (NGA), (202) 624-5346
Kara Schlosser (CCSSO), (202) 336-7034
The National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) are pleased to announce that Laura McGiffert Slover, a member of the District of Columbia State Board of Education, has been chosen to serve on the Common Core State Standards Development Work Group and Feedback Group. Ms. McGiffert Slover has been selected to participate in the Mathematics and English Language Arts Work Groups. Please see the full press release below.
WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) today announced the names of the experts serving on the Common Core State Standards Development Work Group and Feedback Group and provided more detailed information on the college and career ready standards development process. The college and career ready standards are expected to be ready for comment July 2009. The K-12 standards work is expected to be completed in December 2009. The two groups also unveiled a new website designed to provide information as the process continues.
Forty-nine states and territories have joined the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The initiative is being jointly led by the NGA Center and CCSSO in partnership with Achieve, Inc, ACT and the College Board. It builds directly on recent efforts of leading organizations and states that have focused on developing college-and career-ready standards and ensures that these standards can be internationally benchmarked to top-performing countries around the world.
“This initiative is a significant and historic opportunity for states to collectively accelerate and drive education reform so that all children graduate from high school ready for college, work and success in the global economy,” said Dane Linn, director of the NGA Center’s Education Division. “These standards will be research and evidence-based, internationally benchmarked, aligned with college and work expectations and include rigorous content and skills.”
“It is time for us as states to challenge the education system and finally answer the question, “What will it take for every child to be successful?” stated Gene Wilhoit, executive director of CCSSO. “Fewer, clearer, and higher standards will help us get there.”
The Standards Development Work Group is currently engaged in determining and writing the college and career readiness standards in English-language arts and mathematics. This group is composed of content experts from Achieve, Inc., ACT, and the College Board. This group will be expanded later in the year to include additional experts to develop the standards for grades K-12 in English language arts and mathematics. Additionally, CCSSO and the NGA Center have selected an independent facilitator and an independent writer as well as resource advisors to support each content area work group throughout the standards development process. The Work Group’s deliberations will be confidential throughout the process. States and national education organizations will have an opportunity to review and provide evidence-based feedback on the draft documents throughout the process.