- 66 percent of the districts in the adopting states have begun to develop a comprehensive plan and timeline for implementing the standards or intend to do so this school year.
- 61 percent are developing and/or purchasing curriculum materials aligned to the standards or plan to do so this school year.
- 48 percent are providing or plan to provide standards-related professional development to math and English language arts teachers.
Less than one-third of the districts are undertaking other activities related to implementing the standards, such as aligning teacher evaluation or induction programs or assigning resource teachers to help teachers integrate the standards into their instruction.
“While many districts are taking steps to implement the standards, some may be waiting for additional state guidance and support before tackling the more complex steps, such as developing local assessments or revising teacher evaluation systems,” said Nancy Kober, a CEP consultant and co-author of the study.
District officials are concerned about the adequacy of funding to implement the Common Core standards and what they see as a lack of clarity in state guidance, the study noted. About three-quarters of districts saw adequate funding to implement all aspects of the standards as a major challenge, and another 21 percent viewed this as a minor challenge.
About two-thirds of the districts cited inadequate or unclear state guidance on such issues as modifying teacher evaluation systems to conform to the standards and aligning local assessments with the standards as major challenges.
“The Common Core State Standards are one of the most hopeful developments in education,” said Jack Jennings, CEP president and CEO. “This survey confirms that the standards will lead to more rigor in education, and that there’s momentum at the district level for implementing them.”
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