About the PA Common Core

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.

These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The standards, planned to be fully implemented by the 2013-14 school year , include rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills.

Pennsylvania has adopted Common Core Standards for English/Language Arts and Mathematics, as well as Reading and Writing in History and Social Studies and Technical subjects. These standards can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website at http://www.pdesas.org.

Pennsylvania's assessment system has begun the transition to Common Core assessments. Beginning this year Grade 11 PSSAs were replaced with Keystone Exams in Algebra I, Literature. And Biology. Grades 3-8 will transition in 2014-15.