Monroe's Students to Compete Around the Globe

Monroe students may perform better than many of their counterparts in other states across the country, but are they learning enough to allow them to compete with students in far away places like Beijing?

Connecticut is joining 40 other states in developing the common curriculum and standards needed to prepare young Americans to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing marketplace at home and abroad.

Supt. of Schools Dr. Colleen Palmer said the Common Core State Standards Initiative will develop a new standardized test to be introduced in the spring of 2015.

"In 2015 there will be a test that can compare performance with other states to have rigor throughout the entire country. This is what you need to know. This is when you need to know it," Palmer told Board of Education members at a recent meeting. "The economic future of this country depends on our students being competitive in a global marketplace."

"There is an achievement gap between the United States and other countries who have surged ahead of us the past 20 years," she said. "This is going to change education. This is going to change it very quickly."

However, the superintendent said there is a holding pattern as Connecticut waits for Gov. Dannel Malloy to appoint a new education commissioner and, for the first time in its history, states struggle to agree upon a common curriculum for grades K-12.

Both the fourth generation Connecticut Mastery Test and the third generation Connecticut Academic Performance Test will remain the same through March of 2014, according to Palmer.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is a joint initiative of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

The CCSS will align school curriculum with college and work expectations, and include rigorous content based on international standards. It was adopted by the Connecticut State Board of Education on July 7,2010.

"As a state we are probably 20 percent behind on these standards in terms of when we teach these concepts," Palmer said. "We need additional instructional time for our youngest learners."

Overall, 68 percent Connecticut's standards match that of the CCSS in both english/language arts and math. "We have to accelerate our math curriculum in this country," Palmer said.

Aligning Monroe Public Schools' curriculum with the new standards will be no easy task, according to Palmer.

She said, "We have to roll up our sleeves and look at our curriculum to see what we have to do to meet these new standards."