Next Week's Standards Commission Meeting

Education Week is reporting today that 20 states have now approved the Common Core standards. Those numbers are a little loosey-goosey as some states have done "preliminary" approvals; some are still adjusting their 15 percent of added items, etc. But it's still a substantial number.

California may move one step closer to joining that list next week. The Academic Standards Commission is scheduled to meet on July 6-7. Commissioners will tackle an amazing array of complex issues, leading up to potential action on both English Language Arts and Math.

To contextualize their work, commissioners will receive a number of briefings, including one on college and career readiness, one on benchmarking both sets of standards against international student expectations, and another on assessments. All are critical areas for commissioners to understand as they drive both the objectives behind the (new) system and also serve to constrain the system by what is possible to be assessed.

I don't think the commission will be able to act on the Math standards. Too many complex issues remain. But there's a decent chance for action on ELA.

As I understand the proceedings, commissioners will review at least one proposal for adopting the Common Core ELA standards with additional California-centric standards. Recall that at the first commission meeting, a side-by-side chart was shared by staff that identified areas of commonality amongst the standards and, as well, gaps. I'm guessing that staff and commissioners will want to deliberate more specifically on the gaps and determine if there is a need to shore up the Common Core ELA standards to reflect priorities for California.

During the math conversation, the 8th grade Algebra I issue will dominate. It is certain that proposals will emerge to reinforce 8th grade and perhaps one or two of the lower grades.

Standards Watch will cover the Academic Standards Commission meeting next week. Look for the next entry on July 7.