North Carolina Common Core Standards Fact Sheet
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www.AmericasEdge.org
North Carolina Common Core Standards Fact Sheet
Summary The North Carolina Common Core Standards (NCCCS) and aligned assessments will ensure students graduate high school ready for college and/or career with the core academic knowledge and deeper learning skills – collaboration, communication, critical thinking – needed to help North Carolina businesses continue to innovate and compete in the global economy. The NCCCS in English language arts and mathematics are learning objectives for students as they matriculate through North Carolina’s K-12 education system. The NCCCS are not curricula. North Carolina is developing and implementing the following systems and tools that are aligned to the NCCCS: assessment system, curricula, instructional materials, accountability system, teacher and leader professional development, and other individual school supports. The English language arts component of NCCCS includes literacy in history/social studies, science, and other technical subjects. The NCCCS does not tell educators how to teach, rather, the aligned assessments will help teachers improve instruction by helping to identify students’ knowledge and skills and developing appropriate strategies to improve academic outcomes. Implementation Timeline North Carolina voluntarily adopted its more rigorous standards in June 2010 with the approval from the North Carolina State Board of Education. The state fully implemented the new standards and aligned assessments during school year 20122013. Improve Current Academic Outcomes The NCCCS are based on evidence-based research and are internationallybenchmarked so students, parents, and businesses know that students are competing against the world’s best students from the highest academically-achieving countries like Finland, China, and South Korea. The NCCCS will help improve North Carolina’s current academic outcomes: o 17.5 percent of North Carolina high school freshmen do not graduate on time (2012-2013 school year); o According to the Nation’s Report Card for North Carolina, 63 percent of 8th graders are below grade level in math; 66 percent of 4th graders are below grade level in reading; and 74 percent are not proficient in science; and o Only 30 percent of North Carolina’s Class of 2012 graduates taking the ACT college admissions test met college readiness benchmarks in all four core subject areas – math, reading, science, and English. Students were least prepared in science.
America’s Edge is a membership organization of business leaders under the umbrella non-profit Council for a Strong America.
Strengthen Businesses with Future High-Quality Workforce The NCCCS will provide students with the necessary skills to help businesses continue to compete in the global economy. These skills include critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills. A 2010 survey of 2,000 executives conducted by the American Management Association reported that 9 out of 10 executives indicated these soft skills are important to business expansion, but less than half rated their employees as above average in those skills. Specifically in North Carolina, 6 out of 10 employers surveyed reported communications skills gaps among job applicants. Close to half of those surveyed reported deficiencies in critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. The NCCCS will additionally help students be prepared for post-secondary education and/or training upon high school graduation. According to an America’s Edge report, if current economic and education trends continue, the state could face a shortage of 46,000 workers. Experts project approximately 77,000 middle-skill workers are at risk of being “under-employed”, but lack the education or training to move to higher level occupations. North Carolina jobs requiring post-secondary education are expected to grow 65 percent faster than jobs for high school dropouts. For STEM jobs – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics - 91 percent of these jobs will require post-secondary education by 2018 with 65 percent requiring a 4-year degree or higher. North Carolina STEM jobs are growing particularly fast with a projected 17 percent growth between 2008 and 2018. By 2022, about 30 percent of the fastest growing occupations that have above average wages will be jobs that require a postsecondary education of an associate’s degree or higher. Yet today, only 38 percent of working age adults in the state have an associate’s degree or higher. The NCCCS will help strengthen North Carolina businesses because they will be able to compete with a highly-skilled workforce in the future. NCCCS Support Governor Pat McCrory publicly announced his support for the North Carolina Common Core Standards in August 2013 at the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce Conference on Education. He proposes to award stipends to selected educators to assist in the implementation of the standards in their districts. The North Carolina Chamber of Commerce released a public letter of support in August 2013 for the NCCCS and the need for students to be able to compete for the jobs of tomorrow. The letter was signed by 40 North Carolina major companies and business-related organizations, including America’s Edge, as well as educationrelated organizations in the state.
America’s Edge is a membership organization of business leaders under the umbrella non-profit Council for a Strong America.
www.AmericasEdge.org
North Carolina Common Core Standards Fact Sheet
Summary The North Carolina Common Core Standards (NCCCS) and aligned assessments will ensure students graduate high school ready for college and/or career with the core academic knowledge and deeper learning skills – collaboration, communication, critical thinking – needed to help North Carolina businesses continue to innovate and compete in the global economy. The NCCCS in English language arts and mathematics are learning objectives for students as they matriculate through North Carolina’s K-12 education system. The NCCCS are not curricula. North Carolina is developing and implementing the following systems and tools that are aligned to the NCCCS: assessment system, curricula, instructional materials, accountability system, teacher and leader professional development, and other individual school supports. The English language arts component of NCCCS includes literacy in history/social studies, science, and other technical subjects. The NCCCS does not tell educators how to teach, rather, the aligned assessments will help teachers improve instruction by helping to identify students’ knowledge and skills and developing appropriate strategies to improve academic outcomes. Implementation Timeline North Carolina voluntarily adopted its more rigorous standards in June 2010 with the approval from the North Carolina State Board of Education. The state fully implemented the new standards and aligned assessments during school year 20122013. Improve Current Academic Outcomes The NCCCS are based on evidence-based research and are internationallybenchmarked so students, parents, and businesses know that students are competing against the world’s best students from the highest academically-achieving countries like Finland, China, and South Korea. The NCCCS will help improve North Carolina’s current academic outcomes: o 17.5 percent of North Carolina high school freshmen do not graduate on time (2012-2013 school year); o According to the Nation’s Report Card for North Carolina, 63 percent of 8th graders are below grade level in math; 66 percent of 4th graders are below grade level in reading; and 74 percent are not proficient in science; and o Only 30 percent of North Carolina’s Class of 2012 graduates taking the ACT college admissions test met college readiness benchmarks in all four core subject areas – math, reading, science, and English. Students were least prepared in science.
America’s Edge is a membership organization of business leaders under the umbrella non-profit Council for a Strong America.
Strengthen Businesses with Future High-Quality Workforce The NCCCS will provide students with the necessary skills to help businesses continue to compete in the global economy. These skills include critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills. A 2010 survey of 2,000 executives conducted by the American Management Association reported that 9 out of 10 executives indicated these soft skills are important to business expansion, but less than half rated their employees as above average in those skills. Specifically in North Carolina, 6 out of 10 employers surveyed reported communications skills gaps among job applicants. Close to half of those surveyed reported deficiencies in critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. The NCCCS will additionally help students be prepared for post-secondary education and/or training upon high school graduation. According to an America’s Edge report, if current economic and education trends continue, the state could face a shortage of 46,000 workers. Experts project approximately 77,000 middle-skill workers are at risk of being “under-employed”, but lack the education or training to move to higher level occupations. North Carolina jobs requiring post-secondary education are expected to grow 65 percent faster than jobs for high school dropouts. For STEM jobs – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics - 91 percent of these jobs will require post-secondary education by 2018 with 65 percent requiring a 4-year degree or higher. North Carolina STEM jobs are growing particularly fast with a projected 17 percent growth between 2008 and 2018. By 2022, about 30 percent of the fastest growing occupations that have above average wages will be jobs that require a postsecondary education of an associate’s degree or higher. Yet today, only 38 percent of working age adults in the state have an associate’s degree or higher. The NCCCS will help strengthen North Carolina businesses because they will be able to compete with a highly-skilled workforce in the future. NCCCS Support Governor Pat McCrory publicly announced his support for the North Carolina Common Core Standards in August 2013 at the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce Conference on Education. He proposes to award stipends to selected educators to assist in the implementation of the standards in their districts. The North Carolina Chamber of Commerce released a public letter of support in August 2013 for the NCCCS and the need for students to be able to compete for the jobs of tomorrow. The letter was signed by 40 North Carolina major companies and business-related organizations, including America’s Edge, as well as educationrelated organizations in the state.
America’s Edge is a membership organization of business leaders under the umbrella non-profit Council for a Strong America.
