NEW YORK — The College Board congratulates the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers on completing an ambitious and important project that will increase the academic preparation for college and careers of all our nation’s students: the development of the Common Core State Standards. This monumental achievement is a testament to the strong leadership of the nation’s chief state school officers and governors, and we commend all those who were involved in every phase of this important project. We are proud to have been a key partner in the process of developing the standards, and we stand ready to support both state adoption of the standards and the development of assessments, curricula and professional development programs that reflect these rigorous standards. As such, we are pleased to endorse these standards, and we encourage their adoption and implementation.
As an association with a membership that includes more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations, the College Board has long been an advocate for higher standards and more rigorous academic experiences in all of our nation’s schools. We believe that all young people deserve a high-quality education that will prepare them to succeed in college and beyond. For too long, the quality of education has been inconsistent across this country, and that is simply unacceptable. These common standards can ensure that every student receives a high-quality education, regardless of his or her place of residence. The Common Core State Standards will provide an accessible roadmap that has clear and realistic goals and expectations for schools, teachers, parents and students.
We stand ready to help states and districts as they move toward the next phase of work. We know, for example, that some states will need guidance and assistance as they transition from their current state standards to these new common standards — and we can provide technical assistance and support to states, districts and schools as they undertake this process. We also recognize that students who want to complete college work while still in high school (such as Advanced Placement® courses), and students who want to major in a STEM field in college, may need to achieve proficiency in the common standards much earlier than the 11th or 12th grade, so we would be eager to work with states, districts and schools on the development and implementation of plans for more accelerated learning experiences. The Common Core State Standards are consistent with much of the content and ideas reflected in our own College Board Standards for College Success™, and we believe that states, districts and schools can draw on the College Board Standards to help implement, unpack or augment the Common Core State Standards. We know that every state and district will have a unique process for fully implementing the standards and the assessments, curricula and professional development systems that surround the standards — and we are ready to be supportive of those efforts in any way we can.
Again, we commend the education and policy leaders across the country for this bold achievement that will support the academic development of every student and greatly enhance the cultural, economic and social development of our nation.
Contact
Communications, The College Board, 212-713-8052, communications@collegeboard.org