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Common Core Standards: Challenges and Opportunities


Tuesday June 29, 2010
8:00 - 10:00 AM

Omni Parker House Hotel
Boston, MA

Presented by:
Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy

To watch the webcast of the forum, click here.
For more information about common core standards, click here.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) was launched to provide clear, consistent and rigorous academic standards for all students across the nation. But, in Massachusetts, already acclaimed for its high academic standards and exemplary student achievement, the question of whether or not to adopt Common Core State Standards has ignited fierce debate.

Opponents question whether adoption of the Common Core State Standards will lead to lower student achievement and criticize what they see as an emphasis on acquisition of vague skills rather than academic content. Proponents consider the Common Core State Standards equivalent to Massachusetts’ own, and see potential benefits from the shared set of learning expectations for college and workforce readiness that the new standards create.

Massachusetts has a lot at stake in whether or not to adopt the Common Core State Standards. The U.S. Department of Education’s $4 billion Race to the Top competition awards extra points to states that adopt the standards by August 2nd. With the state’s Board o f Elementary and Secondary Education scheduled to vote before then, there are many questions to be addressed. Do the Common Core State Standards meet or exceed what we already have in place in Massachusetts? Is the potential $250 million Race to the Top award worth forcing this decision? What is in the best interests of students in Massachusetts?

Coffee and Registration

Opening Remarks
Jill Norton, Executive Director, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director, Council of Chief State School Officers

Respondent Panel

  • Robert Antonucci, President, Fitchburg State College; former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education
  • Jim Patterson, Senior Program Development Associate—Language Arts, Elementary and Secondary School Programs, Development, Educati o n Division, ACT, Inc.
  • Jason Zimba, Faculty Member, Physics, Mathematics, and the Center for the Advancement of Public Action, Bennington College and Cofounder, Student Achievement Partner

Closing Remarks
Linda Noonan, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education