Hand in hand, together we stand.

Madison County Schools and You:  Let us help you find your place in the Common Core State Standards Initiative!

Mississippi educators have joined a national movement to adopt common standards and assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. Currently, standards for what students should know and be able to do vary among states, as does the difficulty of the assessments used to determine whether students are meeting those standards. Common standards allow for collaboration among states on best practices and professional development.

Common Core will provide an opportunity to prepare Mississippi students for college and workforce expectations. It will ensure that all students, no matter where they live, have internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that are clear and understandable and consistent.

The Standards set requirements not only for English Language Arts (ELA) but also for literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and technical subjects. Students must learn to read, write, speak, listen and use language effectively in a variety of content areas. Reading skills are the foundation for any creative and purposeful expression in language. Text complexity and critical reading of informational text are the heart of ELA standards.

In mathematics, standards were created to demonstrate a stronger emphasis on number sense and algebraic thinking.

Implementation of Common Core began with grades K-2 in 2011-2012 and will be implemented in grades 3-8 in 2012- 2013, with implementation in all grades by academic year 2014-2015.