Bergeson Supports Common Core

Today in Rotary, WCSD Superintendent Larry Bergeson shared his position on the controversy surrounding Common Core / Utah Common Core!  The superintendent understands the position of worried parents and numerous other “concerned citizens” about Utah education’s current “hot topic” but as the superintendent feels Common Core is a well-rounded, well-thought out and delivered program for educating America’s children. 

According to Superintendent Bergeson, the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) has a core mission of ensuring students are well prepared for their future by providing high quality instruction in every classroom, college and career ready student performance standards, and accompanying assessments to enable parents, students and teachers to provide adequate support.

Since 1984 Utah has had a set of core standards for all the academic areas taught in our K-12 public schools. The new Utah Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics, based on the Common Core State Standards, establish a framework for high quality instruction. They help Utah teachers ensure academic achievement for Utah students by defining the essential knowledge, concepts, and skills to be mastered at each grade level or within critical content areas. They define what students should know and be able to do to as they move on to post-secondary training, college, or a career.

Establishing higher standards for students, teachers, and leaders, and providing the necessary resources to achieve these standards, is fundamental to ensuring all students are prepared for today’s world.