Break out the Shakespeare: Maryland’s New Teaching Standards

WSThe Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) recently released a description of the new Common Core State teaching Standards (CCSS) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments.  The State has begun to implement the new standards and assessments already and will complete implementation by the 2014-2015 school year.

The new standards introduce students to more rigorous material, while the new assessments make use of better testing technology.  As described by MSDE:

  • The English standards will expose students to more content-rich nonfiction and informational texts in addition to literature.
  • The Mathematics standards will help develop fluency in arithmetic, application of knowledge to real-world situations.
  • The computer-based assessments will produce timely snapshots of student knowledge, giving parents and students richer information, and teachers the opportunity to adjust instruction to better support student learning.

For more information, see MSDE’s description of the new programs.