Frequently Asked Questions1) What happens in the 2015-16 school year?
The General Assembly passed a law (Act 200) in 2014 requiring new ELA and mathematics standards in our schools for the 2015-16 school year, to replace the Common Core State Standards. The SCDE developed and adopted new, South Carolina ELA and mathematics standards to comply with Act 200. These are high-quality, college- and career-ready standards that are better than the Common Core.
2) Have we kept the Common Core State Standards and just given them a new name?
No. South Carolina developed and adopted new ELA and mathematics standards to replace the Common Core. Nearly 10,000 hours were spent by teams of experienced South Carolina ELA and mathematics teachers to develop these new standards. Two different taskforces consisting of nearly 100 people, each convened by the SCDE and EOC, reviewed the draft standards. These taskforces included parents, business men and women, community leaders, and special education teachers; they provided valuable input, resulting in revisions to the standards. The draft standards were submitted to the public for their review, resulting in more than 18,000 comments offered to the SCDE and EOC.
After that, a joint team of SCDE and EOC reviewers spent weeks developing revised drafts of the new standards, taking all of this feedback into account. The standards were then reviewed in five separate meetings by the SBE and EOC and were adopted with nearly unanimous votes. Provosts of South Carolina colleges and universities have certified the new standards as college- and career-ready. In the end, we have adopted new, high-quality standards, appropriate for the people of South Carolina. To claim after all this work, that we simply put a new name on the Common Core standards, would be inaccurate.
3) Why do we need standards that are college- and career-ready?
Many people in higher education and the business community across South Carolina are concerned about the college- and career-readiness levels of graduating high school students. By working together to develop college- and career-ready standards, we can ensure that our students have a bright future, whether they decide to join the military, enter the workforce, go to a four-year college, or earn a technical degree or certification.
Additionally, South Carolina has a waiver from the onerous provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, as do most states. By adopting our own homegrown, college- and career-ready standards, we can maintain our waiver and help our students meet their academic goals.
4) Was the public involved in developing these new standards?
Yes! The draft standards were provided online during a public review period. More than 18,000 comments were submitted to the SCDE and EOC, which provided invaluable input to the standards writing teams.
5) Was the business community involved in this process? What about parents?
Yes! The law requires a task force of “parents, business and industry persons” along with community leaders to examine the new standards. The law says:
SECTION 59-18-350. Cyclical review of state standards and assessments; analysis of assessment results.
As a part of the review, a task force of parents, business and industry persons, community leaders, and educators, to include special education teachers, shall examine the standards and assessment system to determine rigor and relevancy.
Parents, business, and community leaders played an important role in examining our new standards to ensure they are college- and career-ready. It is vital that parents of all backgrounds had an opportunity to participate, either through the task force or during the public review/comment period.
The General Assembly passed a law (Act 200) in 2014 requiring new ELA and mathematics standards in our schools for the 2015-16 school year, to replace the Common Core State Standards. The SCDE developed and adopted new, South Carolina ELA and mathematics standards to comply with Act 200. These are high-quality, college- and career-ready standards that are better than the Common Core.
2) Have we kept the Common Core State Standards and just given them a new name?
No. South Carolina developed and adopted new ELA and mathematics standards to replace the Common Core. Nearly 10,000 hours were spent by teams of experienced South Carolina ELA and mathematics teachers to develop these new standards. Two different taskforces consisting of nearly 100 people, each convened by the SCDE and EOC, reviewed the draft standards. These taskforces included parents, business men and women, community leaders, and special education teachers; they provided valuable input, resulting in revisions to the standards. The draft standards were submitted to the public for their review, resulting in more than 18,000 comments offered to the SCDE and EOC.
After that, a joint team of SCDE and EOC reviewers spent weeks developing revised drafts of the new standards, taking all of this feedback into account. The standards were then reviewed in five separate meetings by the SBE and EOC and were adopted with nearly unanimous votes. Provosts of South Carolina colleges and universities have certified the new standards as college- and career-ready. In the end, we have adopted new, high-quality standards, appropriate for the people of South Carolina. To claim after all this work, that we simply put a new name on the Common Core standards, would be inaccurate.
3) Why do we need standards that are college- and career-ready?
Many people in higher education and the business community across South Carolina are concerned about the college- and career-readiness levels of graduating high school students. By working together to develop college- and career-ready standards, we can ensure that our students have a bright future, whether they decide to join the military, enter the workforce, go to a four-year college, or earn a technical degree or certification.
Additionally, South Carolina has a waiver from the onerous provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, as do most states. By adopting our own homegrown, college- and career-ready standards, we can maintain our waiver and help our students meet their academic goals.
4) Was the public involved in developing these new standards?
Yes! The draft standards were provided online during a public review period. More than 18,000 comments were submitted to the SCDE and EOC, which provided invaluable input to the standards writing teams.
5) Was the business community involved in this process? What about parents?
Yes! The law requires a task force of “parents, business and industry persons” along with community leaders to examine the new standards. The law says:
SECTION 59-18-350. Cyclical review of state standards and assessments; analysis of assessment results.
As a part of the review, a task force of parents, business and industry persons, community leaders, and educators, to include special education teachers, shall examine the standards and assessment system to determine rigor and relevancy.
Parents, business, and community leaders played an important role in examining our new standards to ensure they are college- and career-ready. It is vital that parents of all backgrounds had an opportunity to participate, either through the task force or during the public review/comment period.