News Brief

11/06/12

New Controversial Math Standards Gain Ambitious Support

RedOrbit (11/06/12) Smith, BrettA new Michigan State University study published in Educational Researcher supports the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM), which will be implemented in 46 states in 2014. Researchers William Schmidt and Richard Houang report that states with previous standards most similar to CCSSM scored better on national math tests in 2009. Schmidt says, "We can't yet prove anything about the Common Core standards because they're just now being implemented, but if we look back we find that those states that were closest to the Common Core on average did better on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test." He notes that the Common Core standards are enforced by higher proficiency standards. "We finally have standards that are comparable to what the top-achieving countries have," says Schmidt. "It would be foolish for Michigan or any other state to pull back now."

This news brief was summarized for Chiefline, CCSSO's weekly newsletter. Click here to receive Chiefline in your inbox weekly. Newsbrief Copyright 2012 INFORMATION, INC.