1. 1 Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards

2. WHAT ARE ACADEMIC STANDARDS? Standards are what students need to learn in each grade and subject area in school. We measure student success through the mastery of standards. Previously, states set their own, unique standards and some were far more rigorous than others. 2 Ex. 3 rd grade students are expected to be able to solve word problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

3. OUR NATIONAL EDUCATION CHALLENGE How we rank globally According to the PIRC (Program for International Student Assessment): 30 th in Math 23 rd in Science 17 th in Reading Can we compete with the global market? 3

4. OUR STATE EDUCATION CHALLENGE 4 Only 35% of graduating seniors took the ACT. Of them, only 20% were considered college-ready. Arizona’s average ACT score was lower than every single state except Mississippi. Our own test – AIMS – says 76% of 4 th graders can read on grade level. The NAEP, the most reliable test in the country, says that only 26% can.

5. New Standards: A possible Solution 5 K-12 Math and English/Language Arts internationally benchmarked standards that are competitive globally and developed after high achieving countries and states- 46 states have adopted them including Arizona Provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they must do to help them. Aligned to skills and content that students are proven to need in college and career The goal= College and Career Readiness regardless of a child’s zip code

6. WHY THESE NEW STANDARDS? Rigor The new state standards will be on the same level as other top countries so our students will be prepared to compete globally. Consistency Children who move state to state will not be drastically behind and a child, regardless of his or her neighborhood, will be taught a challenging curriculum. Comparability We will no longer be comparing “apples-to- oranges” when assessing performance. 6 Clearer. Fewer. Higher.

7. WHO CREATED THE NEW STANDARDS? 7 Teachers Education experts Business leaders Governors State Superintendents

8. OLD STANDARDS VS. NEW STANDARDS HUNDREDS of standards to cover Tested questions focused on identify and define (Who, What) and impressions of the student. Multiple choice. Majority of readings were from fiction texts Little emphasis on academic language Covered too many standards in math without a sound base Standards did not coherently build from grade to grade Lower expectations Fewer standards, more depth. Tested questions focus on analyzing and synthesizing (Why, How) and evidence from the text. More written answers. More readings from informational texts Focus on creating fluency in academic language Emphasis on mathematic fundamentals Linkages across grades High level of rigor 8 Old New

9. 2010 AZ State Board of Education adopted the standards 2011-2012 Kindergarten is fully implemented; other grades are transitional 2012-2013 Grades K-3 and 8 th and 9 th are fully implemented; other grades are transitional 2013-2014 All grades are following Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards 2014-2015 New assessments that will measure learning under the College and Career Ready Standards replace the current AIMS tests in math and English/language arts New Standards: A Timeline

10. EXAMPLE OF COLLEGE AND CAREER READY WORK: 5 TH GRADE MATH 10 Learning Volume: Old way – Teachers give students steps to take and the students practice on a worksheet or in the book. New way – Students have to calculate how to build a pool in order to hold a certain amount of water and then construct a model of the pool in groups that can hold that volume of water without leaking. Length x Width x Height=

11. 11 The right kind of challenge Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards will be more challenging, but… Our current academic standards are not preparing students for college or the workforce. Most new, living-wage jobs will require some form of post- secondary training. Our students deserve the opportunity to thrive academically and economically. We must prepare them better. This is our opportunity.

12. FOR MORE INFORMATION: 12 Please visit www.Stand.org/az/ccwww.Stand.org/az/cc or send an email to azinfo@stand.org.