Oregon Common Core Standards Fact Sheet
4 Jersey Circle Topsham, ME 04086 Phone 207.725.5946 Fax 207.725.7238
Oregon Common Core Standards Fact Sheet Summary The Oregon Common Core Standards (OCCS) 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 Oregon businesses continue to innovate and compete in the global economy. The OCCS in English language arts and mathematics are learning objectives for students as they matriculate through Oregon’s K-12 education system. The OCCS are not curricula. Oregon is developing and implementing the following systems and tools that are aligned to the OCCS: assessment system, curricula, instructional materials, accountability system, teacher and leader professional development, and other individual school supports. The English language arts component of OCCS includes literacy in history/social studies, science, and other technical subjects. The OCCS 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 Oregon voluntarily adopted its more rigorous standards in October 2010. The standards and the aligned assessments will be fully implemented by school year 2014-2015 with the phase-out of the old standards, Oregon Content Standards in English language arts and mathematics at the end of school year school year 2013-2014. Improve Current Academic Outcomes The OCCS 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 OCCS will help improve Oregon’s current academic outcomes: o 32 percent of Oregon’s high school freshmen do not graduate on time; o According to the Nation’s Report Card for Oregon, only 33 percent of 8th graders are proficient in math and reading and 35 percent are proficient in science; o Only 29 percent of Oregon’s 2012 high school graduates taking the ACT college admissions test met college readiness benchmarks in the four core areas tested – English, math, reading, and science. Students were least prepared in science; and o Over half of recent high school graduates at Oregon community colleges and 1 in 10 students at 4-year colleges need remediation costing the state and students an estimated $52 million annually.
4 Jersey Circle Topsham, ME 04086 Phone 207.725.5946 Fax 207.725.7238
Strengthen Businesses with Future High-Quality Workforce The OCCS 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 OCCS will additional help students be prepared for post-secondary education and/or training upon high school graduation. According to an America’s Edge report, Oregon jobs requiring post-secondary education are expected to grow 40 percent faster than those for high school dropouts or for high school graduates. Over three-quarters of the fastest growing jobs with above average wages will require post-secondary education. For STEM occupations - science, technology, engineering, and math - 94 percent of the 12,000 STEM jobs created by 2018 will require post-secondary education. Oregon health care jobs are expected to grow 30 percent between 2010 and 2020, but 85 percent will require post-secondary education. Yet today, only 29 percent of Oregon’s residents currently have a bachelor’s degree. The Oregon Education Investment Board, a governor-led body charged with developing a quality statewide education system, established a goal to ensure Oregon’s workforce is prepared for the jobs of the future. The Board’s goal – 40-40-20 goal – seeks to ensure that by 2025, every Oregonian has achieved at least a high school diploma, 40 percent of residents earned a postsecondary credential, and 40 percent of residents obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher. The OCCS will help accomplish this goal that will inevitably strengthen Oregon businesses with a highly-skilled workforce.
Oregon Common Core Standards Fact Sheet Summary The Oregon Common Core Standards (OCCS) 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 Oregon businesses continue to innovate and compete in the global economy. The OCCS in English language arts and mathematics are learning objectives for students as they matriculate through Oregon’s K-12 education system. The OCCS are not curricula. Oregon is developing and implementing the following systems and tools that are aligned to the OCCS: assessment system, curricula, instructional materials, accountability system, teacher and leader professional development, and other individual school supports. The English language arts component of OCCS includes literacy in history/social studies, science, and other technical subjects. The OCCS 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 Oregon voluntarily adopted its more rigorous standards in October 2010. The standards and the aligned assessments will be fully implemented by school year 2014-2015 with the phase-out of the old standards, Oregon Content Standards in English language arts and mathematics at the end of school year school year 2013-2014. Improve Current Academic Outcomes The OCCS 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 OCCS will help improve Oregon’s current academic outcomes: o 32 percent of Oregon’s high school freshmen do not graduate on time; o According to the Nation’s Report Card for Oregon, only 33 percent of 8th graders are proficient in math and reading and 35 percent are proficient in science; o Only 29 percent of Oregon’s 2012 high school graduates taking the ACT college admissions test met college readiness benchmarks in the four core areas tested – English, math, reading, and science. Students were least prepared in science; and o Over half of recent high school graduates at Oregon community colleges and 1 in 10 students at 4-year colleges need remediation costing the state and students an estimated $52 million annually.
4 Jersey Circle Topsham, ME 04086 Phone 207.725.5946 Fax 207.725.7238
Strengthen Businesses with Future High-Quality Workforce The OCCS 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 OCCS will additional help students be prepared for post-secondary education and/or training upon high school graduation. According to an America’s Edge report, Oregon jobs requiring post-secondary education are expected to grow 40 percent faster than those for high school dropouts or for high school graduates. Over three-quarters of the fastest growing jobs with above average wages will require post-secondary education. For STEM occupations - science, technology, engineering, and math - 94 percent of the 12,000 STEM jobs created by 2018 will require post-secondary education. Oregon health care jobs are expected to grow 30 percent between 2010 and 2020, but 85 percent will require post-secondary education. Yet today, only 29 percent of Oregon’s residents currently have a bachelor’s degree. The Oregon Education Investment Board, a governor-led body charged with developing a quality statewide education system, established a goal to ensure Oregon’s workforce is prepared for the jobs of the future. The Board’s goal – 40-40-20 goal – seeks to ensure that by 2025, every Oregonian has achieved at least a high school diploma, 40 percent of residents earned a postsecondary credential, and 40 percent of residents obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher. The OCCS will help accomplish this goal that will inevitably strengthen Oregon businesses with a highly-skilled workforce.
