Content
- Common Core State Standards for Math (CCSSM)
Background
The formulation of the conception of national education standards began as early as the 90s and was an arduous task. It included creating language and math common standards which had to determine the scope of necessary knowledge which teachers have to give students every year, starting from kindergarten. Besides, experts had to design an assessment system which would allow to fairy grade how student's progress meets the standards. Experts research and investigate education systems and standards of other advanced countries in Europe and Asia for many years. Result of their work showed all of the shortages of clarity and specificity in the first edition of developed standards. Having analyzed vast amounts of data, NGA team of scientists, responsible for designing and enhancing standards, presented a new system known as "Common Core State Standards Initiative." As of March 2019, more than 45 states accepted and implemented these standards at local educational institutions. In several states, their implementation is currently under consideration.Common Core State Standards
You should distinguish language and math common core standards from learning plans and programs.- The first ones included a list of knowledge and expertise which students should have after successful completion after the school year.
- An educational program is a planned sequence of methods and practices used for teaching students the defined knowledge and skills.
Primary CCSS Objectives
Designing common core mathematics standards, their creators have defined three primary goals in which standards should help educators and students: Focus Defining a necessary set and volume of knowledge that have to be learned at each grade, so that students step by step comprehend more complex material, emerge deeply in the subject, and build a strong base for future education. Logic and Consistency Teachers should consistently give a content of the course. The whole learning process must be unified, where new knowledge is based on already known material. Also, students should see the interconnection between different math branch, and the educational process should be constant and smooth at all grades. Сlarity and Accuracy It includes two aspects: understanding material at a conceptual level, and training use of skills and knowledge on practice.CCSSM and the Standards of Mathematical Practice
The principal objective is to create clear and deep comprehension of mathematical foundations and base principles in students' heads using the synergy of the theoretical base with practical skills. You may have a question: "What do notions of math content and practice mean, and what is the difference between them?" Math content is a certain amount and set of knowledge which students learn (rules, theorems, techniques, etc.). Mathematical practices are skills that evolve and mature within the whole educational process. They are constant, first-grade math teachers and teacher at high school aim at the same: training and enhancing the abilities of learners:- Identify a sense of the problem, and seek solutions for it's solving.
- Develop abstract and quantitative thinking.
- Enhance the ability to reason and objectively critique the reasons of other persons.
- Create mathematical models of various situations.
- Search and use suitable tools for getting objectives.
- Be precise and conscientious.
- See the general structure and patterns.
- Find and show the system and consistency in repeated reasoning.
A Common Core math standard example
System of the mathematics standards has a clear structure, where smaller elements group and form a bigger unit of the system. Browsing CCSS, you will face such notions like directly Standards, groups united related standards — Clusters, and the largest groups — Domains. Let's look at a few examples, and all will become clear: "Know how to add three numbers which sum is less than twenty" is math standard, included in the 1-grade. Its cluster is a group of standards associated with adding and subtracting numbers as well. The domain of this standard is "Number and Operations in Base Ten."Development Path of the Common Core Standards Math
We live in an era of informational technologies. The Internet already has impacted all aspects of our lives and continues to do this. The educational system is responsible for the growth and development of a new generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers who move progress forward. It touches not only the United States, but it's crucial for the whole civilized world. Taking into account the high speed of technology development, educational standards should keep the pace so that students can get valid and actual skills and knowledge. It's an internal process which will only accelerate. So, experts responsible for it have a complicated and constant challenge. At the same time, the use of modern software and hardware allow improving learning conditions for teachers and students. Developed educational web platforms and applications allow significantly enhancing the performance of the educational process:- Students have access to additional material 24/7 that contributes to self-education.
- Flexible system of getting knowledge, based on the current skills of students
- Individual approach for every student, based on personal skills, knowledge base, and aptitude to subjects and science.
- Teachers get a more detailed report about comprehension material and student's progress
- Teachers may assess students more objective, find weak points in their knowledge, and work on them.