Introduction to the Common Core State Standards from BSD2 Community Relations on Vimeo.

 Applying Common Core Standards
Bensenville School District 2 teachers are implementing in the 2012-13 school year updated curriculum aligned to the Common Core.

Illinois is among 45 states that have adopted the Common Core Standards. The goal of the Common Core Standards is to ensure that teachers teach and students learn the knowledge and skills needed to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, in college and careers upon completing high school.

Illinois adopted the Illinois Learning Standards Incorporating the Common Core to provide clear, consistent academic benchmarks that are "fewer, clearer and higher."

The standards were developed over a yearlong process with the input of hundreds of experts throughout the country as described on the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The standards seek deeper understanding and more critical thinking skills than the current Illinois Learning Standards measured by the Illinois Standards Achievement Test. A new assessment system will be implemented statewide in 2014-15 school year to measure students' progress with the new common core standards, which is being developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.

Why new standards?
According to the a 2009 international assessment, 15-year-old students from more than 30 countries were out-performing U.S. 15-year-olds in mathematics. More than 25 countries had a higher percentage of students scoring at the highest level than the U.S., meaning the most advanced students in the U.S. were outperformed by their international counterparts.

What are the Common Core State Standards?*

• The common Core State Standards are K-12 academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy.
• They were developed by states and states voluntarily chose to adopt them.
• They are aligned to the expectations of two- and four-year colleges and have been internationally bench-marked.
• The Common Core help ensure comparability across states, districts and schools, mitigating challengers with student mobility.
• Standards are a critical first step in improving America's education system. They provide the necessary foundation for local decisions around curriculum, assessments and instruction.

Provided by Achieve

English Language Arts Changes
District 2 has been changing classroom teaching to align with the new Common Core State Standards in English/Language arts for the past two years. There are six major changes in how and what is taught. The video below describes two of the key changes in English/Language Arts that are being implemented this year.