State Common Core Tests

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - May 8th, 2014

The ELA Common Core represents a new era of standardized testing in the United States. State common core tests can vary, based on each state’s option to reject or accept the common core. Here, we’ll review the common core itself and how you can help your child prepare for this new testing battery.

What is the Common Core?

Created through a collaboration between the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA), along with the expert advice of many academic and educational professionals across the country, the Common Core has one specific yet broad goal. The State Standards Initiative aims to create a nationwide set of agreed-upon standards by which all students will be tested. The subjects tested, which include history, math, science and a strong focus on English language arts, are subjects which have been determined to be central, or ‘core,’ to a quality education. These are the basic skills which both college professors and employers expect each recent graduate to have, making them skills which are critical to a graduate’s success after high school.

State common core tests are optional. Each state has the option to reject, accept or add to the Common Core. Additions are not nationwide; they are specific to each state. Handwriting is a good example; a few states feel that it is still a critical skill while others maintain that keyboard skills are much more important.

At http://www.corestandards.org/in-the-states, you’ll find an interactive map detailing the accepted state common core tests.

Helping Your Child Prepare

Test prep has become a part of every US student’s routine. While the sheer number of standardized tests given to students can make test prep seem overwhelming, there are many resources available to help your child succeed. State common core tests are relatively new, but there are already plenty of options tailored to this testing battery.

You can find many free practice questions online, as well as ready-made study packages in both hard-copy and software-based formats. You can also create your own study guides or practice questions by reviewing your child’s current textbooks. Simply choose pieces of text which include both ELA-based and fact-based knowledge to ensure well-rounded practice sessions which are tailored to the Common Core.