What is Common Core Math?
These “new” math standards are designed to help your learner excel!
Author
Jill Padfield
Published:
Dec 2024
Key takeaways
- Common Core was launched in 2010 – So while it’s not technically “new,” a lot of parents feel caught off-guard by the (very) different methods that are being taught in core subjects—such as multiplication, division, and algebra.
- It’s getting even better – 24+ states have chosen to refine the baseline curriculum, meaning a more targeted learning experience for your student.
- Common Core is designed with your student in mind – Thousands of educators have now agreed that previous teaching methods were inconsistent or ineffective. Common Core is universally considered as the best possible option for your learner at this time.
Common Core math: what is it and what should parents know? While the “new and improved” way of teaching math began to take root in public schools in 2010, many parents are still working to learn the new methods which differ significantly from the older strategies.
This method of math came about as a joint effort from teachers and education specialists around the country who were, and still are, actively working to address learning discrepancies that were compounded by previous teaching methods.
Today, Common Core is fully integrated in 41 states, 4 territories, and the DoDEA, the Department of Defense Education Activity. Read on to learn more about Common Core math.
Table of contents
What is Common Core math?
While traditional math teaching strategies focus extensively on formula memorization and topic-specific learning patterns, Common Core works to give your student a deeper level of knowledge by introducing broader, more foundational methods of thinking as well as strategies that align with a more in-depth learning method. No worries if these are new terms, we’ll explore them more below.
For example, Common Core puts a heavy emphasis on application to real-world problems, rather than working in the abstract. Previous methods of learning focused almost exclusively on topics at the surface level, without emphasizing reason or offering insight about how the skill, problem, or answer could be used in the student’s daily life.
Similar methods of teaching have been incorporated in English language arts (ELA) and other classes in order to promote student success and problem-solving skills. In doing so, students are possibly offered greater opportunities after 12th grade and in post-secondary education.
These concepts come down to two primary areas of difference when comparing Common Core State Standards to prior teaching methods:
- Basic problem-solving: Competency in this area often differs by grade. Many parents may see opportunities to practice and master this skill in their child’s homework, taking the form of basic word problems and logic games. This form of critical thinking teaches students problem-solving skills that they can then apply to every area of their life, which in turn help them take on challenges with skill and confidence.
- There’s a heavy emphasis on “pathway creation” here. “Pathway creation” means that every problem has a path to a solution, and defines how students approach a problem before immediately attempting to find the answer. Common Core maintains that there are a number of ways to find a solution based on previously-mastered concepts. That’s why parents see more a lot of “different” methods used nowadays than how they learned.
- Symbolic abstract reasoning: This sounds complex,but really, this term simply defines a student’s ability to decontextualize concepts and use various symbols to represent variables or stages of the problem-solving process. Elementary-level learners often see this concept in action via assignments and math problems.
Common core math, an outline
Common Core math looks different depending on your child’s grade. Here’s a glimpse at what you can expect when approaching math with your student this year.
Elementary school
- Cardinality and Operations: Cardinality is the number of values in a set. Operations teach children how to actually use these values (and cardinality) in real-world circumstances.
- Basic mathematical functions: These are often boiled down to the four main functions essential to the primary school curriculum: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. “Basic mathematical functions” can also refer to fractions and decimal work.
- Geometry: Basic skills will begin as early as kindergarten or first grade, and can include topics like shape identification, dimensional recognition and shape building.
- Measurement and data: Topics in this area of study include estimation, dimension measurement, and the problems related to these specific skill sets (such as addition or subtraction of a given data set).
Middle school
We understand that middle school can encompass grades 6-9 depending on what state you reside in. For our intents and purposes, we have listed information covered in grades 6-8.
- Proportional relationships: This is often shown in ratios and in operations involving ratios.
- Expressions and equations: Areas of competency here include the creation and resolution of algebraic expressions, variable inclusion, and the proper use of mathematical terms and equivalencies.
- Probability: Topics in this category include interpretation of probabilities, sampling, and finding the mean, median and mode.
- Geometry: Here, students focus on finding unknown angles, understanding 3-D shapes, shape creation, and geometric problem-solving.
High school
High school is where students practice these skills together, thus taking on appropriate concepts for their advanced grade level. They will continue to do this throughout the school year in preparation for college, where their mathematics education will certainly be put to the test.
Here are some areas of study that students in the United States will master in order to comply with Common Core math standards:
- Quantities, numerical values and algebra: Areas of study in this topic cluster include exponential math, radicals, rational and irrational numbers, vectors, matrices, and complex numbers in basic operational functions/expressions. Algebraic theorems are also covered at this level.
- Functions and modeling: This area of study includes topics such as linear, quadratic and exponential models, basic trigonometric functions, and the interpretation and building of functions. Models and advanced estimation skills will also be covered.
- Geometry: Common Core standards of mastery in this area include congruence, measurement, advanced trigonometry concepts, mastery of geometric properties, and geometric modeling.
- Statistics and probability: While lightly covered in previous grades, older students will place a greater focus on data sets with large numbers, conditional probability, probability rules, data interpretation, inference, and justification.
Precalculus and calculus are considered advanced placement (AP) classes under the Common Core curriculum, and, at the school’s discretion, can be offered separately for students who have reached that level of learning.
The benefits of Common Core math
There are many benefits to using Common Core math for your learner. We’ve listed a few of them below:
Students enjoy a greater berth of problem-solving skills – Common Core instills an in-depth, comprehensive foundation of knowledge into each student at their pace—thus allowing them to quickly grasp complex concepts and apply them to their daily lives.
Students and parents see a greater degree of strategy and organization in curriculum presentation – Rather than hop from topic to topic, students, teachers, and parents are able to proceed in a logical progressive “flow,” in which they move from each topic to new, related ones which require mastery and application of the previous areas of curriculum. This flow reinforces concepts and gives students a higher degree of confidence in their learning path.
Students focus less on memorization and more on application – While memorization can be a valuable skill, stressing application offers students the best of both worlds. Application —betters students’ memorization skills as well as giving them the understanding needed to properly apply what they memorize.
Common issues with Common Core math
Some parents and educators feel that Common Core requires further iteration before it’s ready for a national roll-out. Here are some of the reasons why:
- Some people think Common Core should be more content-focused. Skills are a major emphasis in Common Core, and while this can be helpful to many, some feel that overall quality and comprehension of the content is lacking. In Common Core, parents and teachers may find far less context-based knowledge, with a greater focus placed on application alone.
- Teachers feel that their teaching style may be limited. While Common Core does allow for a certain degree of flexibility in presentation, teachers do not have the same level of autonomy that they once did. Some feel that this can rob students of a well-rounded experience, claiming that Common Core encourages them to “teach to the test.”.
- Educators and specialists are concerned about those in younger grades. With such a high emphasis placed on academic rigor, many stakeholders in the learning process are worried that teachers won’t have creative license to teach younger students in an age-appropriate and engaging manner.
FAQs about Common Core math
At the time of this publication, 41 out of the 50 states in the United States of America use Common Core. This is in addition to four related territories and Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) participants.
Educators and parents were concerned at the possibility of educational disparity across regions, especially as the country began to place a heavier emphasis on STEM-related education. Experts wished to create a curriculum that covered required topics in a more uniform and efficient way.
Common Core focuses extensively on problem-solving, application, and problem-pathway creation. Rather than focusing on an immediate answer and problem-solving process, students are encouraged to find alternative methods of problem-solving using a range of variables and symbolic representatives.
Common Core math is designed to teach mathematics to students grades K-12 in the most standardized, effective, and age-appropriate way possible.
