Washington, DC, July 31, 2008 – Today, CCSSO’s Executive Director, Gene Wilhoit, participated in the release of Achieve’s new report titled “Out of Many, One: Toward Rigorous Common Core Standards from the Ground Up.” The report shows that state efforts to set rigorous college- and career-ready standards for high school graduates have led to a remarkable degree of consistency in English and mathematics requirements across the states.
“I want to thank Mike and his team at Achieve for this ground breaking work—it is an important first step that has moved us closer to a common core of standards for America’s students,” stated Wilhoit. “We are coming together as states in an open, collaborative process and that process has shown that when we work together we can produce great results.”
The work reported today by Achieve is an important first step in moving closer to a common core of standards that best support and prepare America’s students for success at home and with their peers around the globe. CCSSO’s member chiefs believe that a state led effort—as reflected in this report—is the fastest, most effective way to ensure that more students graduate from high school ready for college and the work place with the knowledge and skills necessary to function in a 21st Century global knowledge economy. Achieve has been an integral partner in the process of aligning states around a common core of standards. CCSSO applauds this valuable first step and looks forward to continuing to work with Achieve.
The results of the report were presented to chief state school officers earlier this week at the CCSSO’s Summer Institute by Mike Cohen, President of Achieve. The report tracks the voluntary standard-setting efforts in 16 early-adopter states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas. Together, these states educate 38 percent of U.S. public school students. All of the states discussed in the report are members of Achieve’s American Diploma Project (ADP) Network.
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks members’ consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
