Common Core Math Standards

The mission of the Common Core State Standards is to 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’ and ultimately prepare them for college and careers. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) aim for greater focus and coherence, outlining both content standards by grade level and standards of mathematical practice.

CCSSM - The Draft Progressions

The Common Core State Standards in Mathematics were built on progressions of topics across a number of grade levels, before they were separated into grade-level standards. The draft progressions offer explanations for the sequence of the standards, potential cognitive difficulties, and pedagogical solutions which may be useful in teacher preparation and professional development, organizing curriculum, and writing textbooks.

CCSSO Common Core Tools and Resources - Math

Collection of high-quality implementation tools and resources to support teachers, districts, and states with Common Core implementation.  This document is available for free on the CCSSO website. 

Videos – Understanding the Common Core - Hunt Institute

The video collection were developed to help diverse groups — educators, policymakers, parents — better understand the breadth and depth of the Standards and how they will improve teaching, make classrooms better, create shared expectations, and cultivate lifelong learning for all students. There are specific video collections Introducing the Common Core and detailed videos on the Math Standards. 

Illustrative Mathematics

The Illustrative Mathematics website (provides guidance by ‘illustrating the range and types of mathematical work that students will experience in a faithful implementation of the Common Core State Standards, and by publishing other tools that support implementation of the standards.’ In the future, it will also host a process for submitting, discussing, reviewing, and publishing tasks.

How Common Core State Standards for Mathematics help students become powerful math thinkers

In a statement of support for the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Jo Boaler, mathematics educator, suggests the new standards will support more equitable achievement and embrace broader mathematics. In this article in The Atlantic, she offers reflections on why these new curriculum standards help usher in a new era of mathematics teaching and student achievement.   

Joint Statement

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM), the Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics (ASSM), and the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) united to support implementation of the Common Core State Standards, releasing a joint public statement.

With support from the National Science Foundation, three conferences were held in 2011 to identify actions needed to ensure successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). These conferences dealt respectively with curriculum, professional development and assessment. Each conference resulted in a report specifying priorities and action items. In subsequent work, leaders of the conference projects collaborated to produce a common set of priority recommendations spanning the three conference themes. These actions are intended to inform the broad mathematics education community as well as agencies, foundations and other interested parties regarding important steps to achieve the goals of the CCSSM initiative, namely to improve mathematics learning opportunities for all students.

Research Agenda for Understanding the Influence of the CCSS-M

This report details the rationale for, and recommendations of, a priority research agenda for understanding the influence of the CCSSM. It concludes with methodological considerations for carrying out the proposed agenda. The priority research agenda was developed by Horizon Research, Inc., with broad-based input from mathematics education and policy researchers, with hopes that:

• researchers will consider conducting studies, and situating their work, in these priority areas;
• funders will encourage and support research in these priority areas; and
• the field will establish means to accumulate knowledge across studies in these priority areas.