Draft of National Standards Introduced

A single set of national education standards is one step closer to reality.

A group representing 48 states and two territories announced on March 10 a final draft of new common standards in language arts and math for kindergarten through 12th grade students.

The draft standards, from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, detail the skills that students should learn each year. However, they do not specify curriculum, which remains the responsibility of local school districts.

The standards have changed since previous versions, according to Willa Spicer, New Jersey deputy commissioner of education. “The standards now proposed are fewer and clearer, and will require that concepts be taught to a deeper level of understanding,” she said.

According to Spicer, the draft standards support New Jersey’s current high school graduation requirements, which were updated last year by the State Board of Education.

Bret Schundler, state commissioner of education, issued a statement urging the education community to review the draft standards and provide input on them. “All of us share the responsibility for educating our young people, and we value public input in this process,” he said.

The complete text of the draft standards is available online. Comments can be submitted through that Web site or via e-mail to the state Department of Education at commoncore.org@doe.state.nj.us. The deadline for comments is April 2.

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