Academic Standards

The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.

The CCSS were not developed by the federal government. Parents, teachers, school administrators and experts from across the country together with state leaders, through their membership in the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) led the effort to develop a common core of state standards. Teachers have been a critical voice in the development of the standards. The National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), among other organizations, have been instrumental in bringing together teachers to provide specific, constructive feedback on the standards.

The Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) are the expectations of what Colorado students need to know and understand, and be able to do at the end of each grade level. All of the Common Core State Standards are embedded in the Colorado Academic Standards as the foundation for the Colorado Academic Standards in the subject areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics. The Common Core State Standards represent at least 85 percent of the Colorado Academic Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics, while Colorado teachers built the remaining 15%.

Thus, all schools and districts in Colorado align with the Colorado Academic Standards, which has the Common Core embedded in them in specific subject areas. You can click here to read a flyer with more historical information about how the two were developed.

The Colorado Academic Standards were written for mastery. Requirements for deeper student understanding are the foundation of the standards. They emphasize what students need to be postsecondary and workforce ready.

What the standards do NOT define:

• How teachers should teach
• All that can or should be taught
• The nature of advanced work beyond grade-level standards
• The interventions needed for students well below grade level
• The full range of support for English language learners and students with special needs
• Everything needed to be college and career ready

Standards are different from curriculum. 

Standards are broad learning goals articulating what students should know, understand and be able to do over a given time. A curriculum is an organized plan of instruction comprised of a sequence of instructional units that engages students in mastering the standards. Resources such as instructional materials and textbooks are supports for the curriculum. 

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The standards create learning expectations for what students should understand, know and be able to do at each grade level and in each content area. The end-of-year assessments – Colorado Measures of Academic Success, or CMAS – measure students’ mastery of the standards and the complex thinking and other critical skills students need to be successful in school and in life. The data from assessments are critical in determining if educational goals are being met and if students are on track to graduate prepared for college and careers.

For more information.