California Adopts Modified Math
Standards to Restore Local Decision Making
Required by Legislation, Move Allows Progress Toward Common Core
SACRAMENTO—The State Board of Education today voted to modify the California Additions to the adopted Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM).
The Board's action will help the state continue its progress toward implementing the Common Core State Standards, and provides options for accelerating to higher mathematics in middle school while maintaining the requirement that all students pass Algebra I before graduating from high school.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, who was required under Senate Bill 1200 to propose modifications that include basing Algebra I on the Common Core State Standards, praised the Board's action.
"The Common Core—and common sense—calls for students' progress in mathematics to be based on their readiness to advance—not a timeline or a mandate from Sacramento," Torlakson said. "Making this change now will help our schools make the transition to Common Core, and marks another step in our push to provide students the practical, real-world skills they need."
California is part of a multistate consortium that developed the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English, which define what students should know at each grade level. Having a single, similar set of standards nationwide will help all students prepare for college or careers, even if they change schools or move to a different state. California adopted the CCSSM that included the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in June 2010.
The move rescinds action by the prior Board in 2010, which adopted standards that contained a unique Grade 8 Algebra I course inconsistent with the published Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
Torlakson recommended the unique Grade 8 Algebra I course be replaced with Algebra I and Mathematics I courses based upon the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. He also recommended redundant standards in grades six and seven be eliminated. These changes clarify the mathematics standards for middle grades and provide the foundation for middle school courses, including algebra and higher mathematics courses in high school. Students must still pass Algebra I in order to graduate from high school.
Torlakson's recommendations are presented in the Recommended Modifications to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics with California Additions and Model Courses for Higher Mathematics (DOC; 1MB). The modifications were developed with the help of Mathematics Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee and comments from two public hearings held in January 2013.
The CDE Press office will create a CCSSM publication and post it to the California Department of Education Web site. For more information about California's implementation of the CCSSM, please visit the Department's Common Core State StandardsImplementation Web page.
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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Board Approval of
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Board Approval of
Sweeping Updates to Career Technical Education Standards
SACRAMENTO—Sweeping updates to California's career technical education (CTE) standards—designed to reflect the changing face of technology and set higher academic goals—received approval from the State Board of Education Wednesday, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced.
The new standards are one of the cornerstone achievements of Torlakson's Career Readiness Initiative. Building on the previous CTE standards, the revised standards were created with input from more than 300 representatives from business and industry, labor, and postsecondary and secondary education, ranging from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to mental health experts and environmental innovators.
"This new framework sheds light on many new 21st century industry pathways, from game design and mental and behavioral health to green energy and international business," Torlakson said. "They also tie in well with the rigorous academics and modern relevance demanded under the Common Core State Standards."
Some two million students across California are already pursuing career technical education in their middle or high schools. Students in these programs tend to graduate at a higher rate than their counterparts.
The new standards, written for grades seven through twelve, lay out 59 pathways to graduating ready for careers and college within 15 industry sectors. Public hearings on the changes were held in Sacramento and Los Angeles in the fall, in addition to an open public comment period.
The new standards reflect current business and industry practices, as well as the new expectations for skills and knowledge. Examples include:
- Arts, Media, and Entertainment (added Game Design and Integration pathway);
- Business and Finance (added an International Business pathway);
- Energy, Environment, and Utilities (rewritten to reflect use of new energy sources);
- Fashion and Interior Design (added a Personal Services pathway);
- Health Science and Medical Technology (rewritten with new pathways for Patient Care, Public and Community Health, and Mental and Behavioral Health);
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) (updated to include new ICT formats in communication and added a Games and Simulation pathway);
- Public Services (rewritten to include new Emergency Response and Legal Practices pathways); and
- Transportation (rewritten to include all new pathways to represent all phases and modes of transportation: Operations, Structural Repair and Refinishing, Systems Diagnostics and Service).
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Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100