U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS PRIORITIES FOR ADVANCING ON COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS IMPLEMENTATION WITHOUT DELAY

WHEREAS, by the time U.S. students reach college and compete for jobs in the workforce, they have very different competency levels within and among states: meeting a state standard no longer means students are proficient upon high school graduation and ready to enter college; and

WHEREAS,  the development of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers demonstrates national movement of governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia; and

WHEREAS, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of academic standards, covering career and college readiness expectations for all high schools graduates and grade-level expectations for kindergarten through 12^th grade in math and English Language Arts; and

WHEREAS,  the Common Core State Standards represent a policy innovation that allows for an unprecedented level of continuity among states, grades, and subjects, and incorporates feedback from teachers and content experts, as well as the general public; and

WHEREAS, many state standards suffer from the inclusion of too many standards—Common Core streamlines and focuses standards in a way that enables instructors and their students to achieve a greater mastery of fundamental concepts; and

WHEREAS, 33 states have less rigorous standards in both math and English Language Arts (ELA) standards than Common Core Standards; and

WHEREAS, Common Core represents a substantial upgrade in terms of rigor and expectations for student learning, and the standards have been widely accepted among states: 45 states and the District of Columbia have voluntarily adopted the full standards and have committed to implementing them by 2014; and

WHEREAS, Chicago, D.C. and 18 other large urban districts have committed to buying or creating only materials that follow the standards;  and

WHEREAS, teachers and content experts drove the creation of Common Core and widely support it.  A survey of teachers interviewed regarding the Common Core math standards found that more than 90 percent value the idea of Common Core overall; and

WHEREAS, researchers find that internationally, the U.S. overall annual growth in student achievement in math, reading and science is mediocre.  Out of the 49 countries surveyed, the U.S.  performs in the middle of the pack; and

WHEREAS, research shows that Common Core State Standards are internationally benchmarked with top-performing countries;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports the full implementation of Common Core State Standards, including professional development for teachers and continued funding for state and district implementation activities and assessment; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports the following policy priorities for Common Core State Standards implementation in each state:

·         Ensure district implementation plans provide for meaningful professional development that prepares educators to transition to the new standards effectively.

·         Maintain sufficient funding for meaningful implementation of Common Core State Standards in states that have adopted them.

·         Ensure states and districts have full authority to set curriculum guidelines and make instructional choices based on the needs and programs of their schools and their individual students.

·         Ensure Common Core-aligned assessments accurately assess both college and career readiness of all students in order to ensure states and districts are adequately preparing students for successful futures.

·         Ensure that postsecondary institutions in each state that has adopted Common Core use Common Core-aligned assessments for admission, placement, and remediation.

·         Use secure data systems that incorporate student assessment data from Common Core-aligned assessments, in an effort to ensure the privacy of student data.