IowaCore.gov, a new website created to increase public understanding of the
Iowa Core standards and to help educators put the standards into practice in
schools statewide, is now live.
The Iowa Core standards set consistent expectations for learning in schools
across the state. The standards are a set of academic goals, not a curriculum,
so decisions about how to help students reach the standards remain in the hands
of local schools and teachers.
“Our statewide standards are at the heart of work in schools to prepare
today’s students for tomorrow’s workforce, and we must do more to help
educators, parents and other Iowans navigate them,” Iowa Department of
Education Director Brad Buck said. “IowaCore.gov will help bring the standards
into focus for all Iowans and will put much-needed resources into the hands of
educators who are working to put the standards into practice successfully in
schools.”
IowaCore.gov has three components:
·
Explore the Iowa Core enables
users to search the Iowa Core standards by grade level (K-12) and subject
(math, science, social studies, English language arts and 21st century skills,
such as financial and technology literacy) to understand the knowledge and
skills that children are expected to master.
·
Parents and Community
includes materials that parents and other Iowans can use to understand what the
Iowa Core is, what students are expected to know and be able to do, and how
parents can help at home.
·
Educator Resources includes a
collection of optional classroom resources and materials that educators may use
to implement the Iowa Core. More than 8,000 resources are available at no
charge in a central, searchable online location called IowaLearns.org, which is
accessible through IowaCore.gov. The materials are adaptable to fit the
individual needs of local classrooms.
Iowa lawmakers passed the Iowa Core into law in 2008, with the expectation
that schools would fully implement the standards by the end of the 2014-15
school year.
“Having clear statewide standards for what students should know and be able
to do from kindergarten through 12th grade is critical not only to their
success, but also to our state’s effort to prepare tomorrow’s workforce in a
fast-changing economy,” Buck said. “We still have work to do to clarify what
the Iowa Core looks like in schools. This new website is a big step in the right
direction.”
IowaCore.gov was developed with state funding from the 2013 legislative
session. The website is managed by the Iowa Department of Education.
