Adopted in 2010 by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSSO), forty six states, two territories and the District of Columbia are now participating in the use of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The original purpose of the CCSS was to provide consistency across the states of what knowledge, skills and abilities students are expected to learn in subjects such as English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics (and eventually Science and Social Studies) in order for them to be competitive in a global economy. Much of the focus has been on the implementation of the standards in K-12 schools with the emphasis that the new standards are designed to assure students are ‘college and career ready’. However, the vision of the CCSS, in which higher education was an active partner, was much broader at not only ensuring the success of students in elementary and secondary education, but subsequently, in post-secondary education as a result of higher standards and aligned expectations between secondary and post-secondary education. To achieve this outcome requires that higher education not only be informed of the CCSS but also engaged as a full partner in its implementation. With this in mind, the American Council on Education (ACE) recommended four key areas where actions by higher education are needed, including:
- Aligning key school-to-college policies, including more targeted college readiness supports to help students make the transition:
- Brad Hutchison (Illinois State University)
- Janet Moore (Illinois State University)
- Jeremy McClure (Heartland Community College)
- Developing assessments and aligning with placement policies:
- Brad Hutchison (Illinois State University)
- Jeff Hill (University High School)
- Diane Wolf (Regional Office of Education)
- Tom McCulley (Heartland Community College)
- Aligning K-12 and higher education curricula (e.g., developmental courses, bridge courses, dual credit courses, and first-year postsecondary courses):
- Brad Hutchison (Illinois State University)
- Jodi Latham (Bradley Bourbonnais High School)
- Nicole Rummel (El Paso/Gridley)
- Jeremy McClure (Heartland Community College)
- Jonathon Rosenthal (Illinois State University)
- Preparing new and existing teachers (including the inclusion of Arts and Sciences faculty) Brad Hutchison (Illinois State University):
- Deborah Garrahy (Illinois State University)
- Nicole Rummel (El Paso/Gridley)
- Jeremy McClure (Heartland Community College)
- Jonathon Rosenthal (Illinois State University)
- Diane Wolf (Regional Office of Education)
