Educational Resources

Common Core State Standards as a part of the Colorado Academic Standards

The Colorado State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in August 2010. In December 2010, CDE released the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Mathematics and Reading, Writing and Communicating incorporating the entire CCSS while maintaining the unique aspects of the Colorado Academic Standards, which include personal financial literacy, 21st century skills, prepared graduate competencies, and preschool expectations.

“The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.” (CCSSO – About the Standards)

Benefits to Colorado’s Children

Internationally Benchmarked Standards.

The CCSS, like Colorado’s standards in all content areas, are informed by standards in top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society.

High Standards for All Students.

The design principles and instructional shifts within the CCSS reflect the priorities and intent of CAP4K in terms of focus, coherence, and rigor.

• Focus: The focus of the CCSS on fewer, clearer, and higher expectations meets the intent of CAP4K to identify key knowledge and skills students need for college and career success.
• Coherence: As the drafters of CAP4K intended, the CCSS provide a coherent set of expectations, aligning learning goals from preschool through postsecondary education.
• Rigor: The rigor reflected within the CCSS assures that Colorado students will be postsecondary and workforce ready, a major goal of CAP4K.

Consistent Student Learning in a Mobile Society.

Shared standards provide more stability for mobile students.

• The CCSS provide consistent, shared learning targets for each grade level for students across schools, districts, and states.
• Clear expectations across each county, state and nation helps create stability for students who move often due to economic and personal reasons. Colorado’s military presence alone, warrants as much consistency as possible for mobile families serving our country.

Benefits to Colorado’s Schools and Districts

Higher Quality Instructional Materials.

Colorado benefits from the shared standards that drive the development of high-quality educational materials. Through cross-state collaborative efforts, Colorado educators and children benefit from commercially and privately developed instructional resources designed to align to the shared standards rather than having to use resources developed for larger markets (i.e., California or New York).

Better, More Focused Professional Development.

Professional development through professional organizations can now be focused on shared goals for students, allowing focused, coherent learning for educators.

Cross State Collaboration.

Collaboration across the nation is enhanced when educators are using the same standards and a common language. Colorado educators can now collaborate across state lines because Colorado now shares the same standards as 43 other states. Common resources can be co-developed by educators from multiple states, enhancing the effectiveness of educators and the quality of learning tools.

English Language Arts (ELA)

• Common Core State Standards for ELA & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
• ELA Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards and Glossary of Key Terms
• ELA Appendix B: Text Exemplars and Sample Performance Tasks
• ELA Appendix C: Samples of Student Writing

Mathematics

• Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
• Mathematics Appendix A: Designing High School Mathematics Courses Based on the Common Core State Standards

Learn more about the Common Core State Standards as a part of the Colorado Academic Standards.