Comparison of Virginia's 2009 Mathematics Standards of Learning with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Author: Virginia Department of Education
Date: 2011-01-13
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: State Standards,Core Curriculum,Alignment (Education),Academic Standards,Mathematics Achievement,Elementary Secondary Education,Kindergarten,Comparative Analysis,Advanced Courses,Statistics,Calculus,College Readiness,College Preparation

This first draft of the &quot;Comparison of Virginia's 2009 Mathematics Standards of Learning (SOL) with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Mathematics&quot; provides a side-by-side overview demonstrating how the 2009 Mathematics SOL are aligned to the CCSS. The comparison was made using Virginia's complete standards program for supporting teaching and learning in the Commonwealth's public schools and school divisions, including both the 2009 &quot;Mathematics Standards of Learning&quot; and the &quot;Curriculum Framework for 2009 Mathematics Standards of Learning.&quot; The Curriculum Framework is essential to any comparison conducted between the CCSS and the Mathematics SOL since it &quot;unpacks&quot; the SOL, providing detail that complements the standards. The CCSS are presented in the left column of the table and are organized using the CCSS format. Headings and subheadings are those used in the CCSS. Using the format provided in the CCSS, the comparison is completed by individual grade levels in kindergarten through grade 8 and by conceptual categories in grades 9-12. As the SOL and Curriculum Framework components were reviewed and aligned to the CCSS, they were placed in the right column of the table adjacent to the similar standard in the CCSS. SOL bullets correlated to the CCSS are indicated with bold print. SOL listed as correlated to CCSS content may include correlations from the &quot;Curriculum Framework for 2009 Mathematics Standards of Learning&quot; and are denoted with &quot;CF&quot; following the SOL number (e.g., 7.4 CF). The CCSS conceptual categories for high school specify content that all students should learn in order to be college and career ready. In addition, the CCSS include content, indicated with &quot;(+)&quot;, that students should learn in order to take advanced courses such as calculus, advanced statistics, or discrete mathematics. A subset of the CCSS considered modeling standards are marked with a star symbol. Both the CCSS for Mathematics and Virginia's Mathematics SOL are rigorous and provide a detailed account of mathematics expectations for student learning and understanding. The content topics covered in both documents are clearly defined and sequential. By the time students have progressed into high school mathematics content through the CCSS or SOL, they have received at least the same mathematical content delivered through different learning progressions. Virginia's SOL are equal to or in some instances more rigorous in content and scope than the CCSS. While learning progressions may not completely mirror one another, the content from both is aligned. Virginia's teachers value content standards that do not dictate methodology, as reflected in the public comment provided during the 2009 Mathematics SOL revision process. The CCSS include &quot;content&quot; standards that dictate methodology and/or applications and extensions of content that teacher professionals should determine based on the learning needs of their students.