Implementing the Common Core State Standards: Year Three Progress Report from the Great City Schools
As part of a Council of the Great City Schools initiative that began in 2011, this is a follow-up annual survey of progress of urban public school districts implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This report presents the results from the third year of the project. Using the same approach as the previous year’s report, this survey was administered to key curriculum, research, and communications leaders from the 67 Council member districts. Of the 67 Council districts, 56 are in states that have adopted the CCSS. The survey covered a wide range of implementation topics, including professional development activities in English language arts and mathematics, strategies for measuring and collecting data on implementation, and communication strategies to inform stakeholders about the CCSS. The report’s findings are consistent with previous years. The survey results indicate that over the intervening three years, districts continued to make progress implementing the new standards, but challenges remain.
This report is filled with numerous tables and charts that profile perceptual data from urban district leaders relating to CCSS implementation. Its content will be of interest to those looking for statistical information on this topic and related survey questions. The paper concludes, in its discussion section: “In sum, survey results over the last three years show that districts are making strides toward implementing the Common Core State Standards, but the dimensions of this challenge are great. To continue the momentum, districts will need to redouble their efforts in a number of key areas, including aligning their curriculum with the common core across all grade levels, addressing the learning requirements of students with special needs, helping schools integrate technology into classrooms and prepare for online assessments, measuring implementation success using classroom observations and student work, and more actively informing and engaging parents and the community.”