Maine ASCD

Maine ASCD is pleased to share that Maine has become the 42nd state to approve the Common Core State Standards! Gov. Paul LePage signed L.D. 12 into law on Friday, April 1, 2011. The measure passed both the House and Senate unanimously. Adopting the standards means Maine schools will have a clear set of standards with which to develop curriculum, and teachers will be able to tailor their teaching to the new, rigorous expectations of what students should know and be able to do. Students will be better prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century by achieving its college, career, and citizenship ready skills. “We need to give students and teachers clear expectations,” said Stephen Bowen, Commissioner of Education. “As I’ve been traveling around the state, I have heard it over and over from teachers – they want us to adopt the Common Core. They are rigorous, and there is a sense there will be staying power to these standards so they can work with them for some time to come.”

Maine ASCD endorses the Common Core State Standards, as does international ASCD. Information will be shared to support the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to meet the demainds of the new standards. The Maine Department of Education has been doing an outstanding work in educating schools, leaders, and teachers about the new standards. Be watching the Maine ASCD website and the Maine ASCD EDge Group for information regarding upcoming workshops in Maine as well as webinars and podcasts as we develop and implement the standards. Specific information on the Common Core in Maine can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/commoncore/index.html.