Maine Common Core Standards Fact Sheet
4 Jersey Circle Topsham, ME 04086 Phone 207.725.5946 Fax 207.725.7238
Maine Common Core Standards Fact Sheet Summary The Maine Common Core Standards (MCCS) 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 Maine businesses continue to innovate and compete in the global economy. The MCCS in English language arts and mathematics are learning objectives for students as they matriculate through Maine’s K-12 education system. The MCCS are not curricula. Maine is developing and implementing the following systems and tools that are aligned to the MCCS: assessment system, curricula, instructional materials, accountability system, teacher and leader professional development, and other individual school supports. The English language arts component of MCCS includes literacy in history/social studies, science, and other technical subjects. The MCCS 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 Maine voluntarily adopted its more rigorous standards with the approval from the State Board of Education and the Department of Education. The state legislature approved MCCS in 2011. The MCCS replaces the state’s prior standards under Chapter 131 Federal State and Local Accountability Standards and Chapter 132 Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction and Graduation Requirements. Educators incorporated MCCS into their classroom activities during school year 2012-2013. Maine students will be assessed with the new assessment system aligned to MCCS during school year 2014-2015. Improve Current Academic Outcomes The MCCS are based on evidence-based research and internationally-benchmarked 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 MCCS will help improve Maine’s current academic outcomes: o 16 percent of Maine high school freshmen do not graduate on time; o According to the Nation’s Report Card, only 39 percent of 8th graders are proficient in math and reading and 37 percent are proficient in science; and o Only 42 percent of Maine’s students taking the SAT during school year 20112012 were proficient in math; only 40 percent in writing; 38 percent in reading; and 40 percent in science.
4 Jersey Circle Topsham, ME 04086 Phone 207.725.5946 Fax 207.725.7238
Strengthen Businesses with Future High-Quality Workforce The MCCS 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. The MCCS will additional help students be prepared for post-secondary education and/or training upon high school graduation. According to an America’s Edge report, Maine will need at least an additional 15,000 highly-skilled workers if it is going to fill the jobs of the future. Between 2008 and 2018, Maine jobs requiring post-secondary education are expected to grow 7 times faster than jobs for high school dropouts. For STEM fields - science, technology, engineering, and math – 87 percent of jobs will require post-secondary education. By 2022, about 75 percent of the fastest growing occupations that have above average wages will be jobs that require a post-secondary education of an associate’s degree or higher. The MCCS will help strengthen Maine businesses because they will be able to compete with a highly-skilled workforce in the future.
Maine Common Core Standards Fact Sheet Summary The Maine Common Core Standards (MCCS) 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 Maine businesses continue to innovate and compete in the global economy. The MCCS in English language arts and mathematics are learning objectives for students as they matriculate through Maine’s K-12 education system. The MCCS are not curricula. Maine is developing and implementing the following systems and tools that are aligned to the MCCS: assessment system, curricula, instructional materials, accountability system, teacher and leader professional development, and other individual school supports. The English language arts component of MCCS includes literacy in history/social studies, science, and other technical subjects. The MCCS 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 Maine voluntarily adopted its more rigorous standards with the approval from the State Board of Education and the Department of Education. The state legislature approved MCCS in 2011. The MCCS replaces the state’s prior standards under Chapter 131 Federal State and Local Accountability Standards and Chapter 132 Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction and Graduation Requirements. Educators incorporated MCCS into their classroom activities during school year 2012-2013. Maine students will be assessed with the new assessment system aligned to MCCS during school year 2014-2015. Improve Current Academic Outcomes The MCCS are based on evidence-based research and internationally-benchmarked 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 MCCS will help improve Maine’s current academic outcomes: o 16 percent of Maine high school freshmen do not graduate on time; o According to the Nation’s Report Card, only 39 percent of 8th graders are proficient in math and reading and 37 percent are proficient in science; and o Only 42 percent of Maine’s students taking the SAT during school year 20112012 were proficient in math; only 40 percent in writing; 38 percent in reading; and 40 percent in science.
4 Jersey Circle Topsham, ME 04086 Phone 207.725.5946 Fax 207.725.7238
Strengthen Businesses with Future High-Quality Workforce The MCCS 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. The MCCS will additional help students be prepared for post-secondary education and/or training upon high school graduation. According to an America’s Edge report, Maine will need at least an additional 15,000 highly-skilled workers if it is going to fill the jobs of the future. Between 2008 and 2018, Maine jobs requiring post-secondary education are expected to grow 7 times faster than jobs for high school dropouts. For STEM fields - science, technology, engineering, and math – 87 percent of jobs will require post-secondary education. By 2022, about 75 percent of the fastest growing occupations that have above average wages will be jobs that require a post-secondary education of an associate’s degree or higher. The MCCS will help strengthen Maine businesses because they will be able to compete with a highly-skilled workforce in the future.
