Core Progress™ for Math - Renaissance Learning

IntroductionOver the last decade, much of the focus of educational reform in the United States has been on the creationand improvement of standards of learning. A watershed moment of this movement was the 2010 publicationof the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for learning in Mathematics and English language arts. Asthe CCSS mission statement explains, “The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clearunderstanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need todo to help them.”At the same time, within the field of education, the idea of learning progressions has received increasingattention (for example, Alonzo and Gearhart, 2006; Corcoran, Mosher, and Rogat, 2009; Heritage, 2008, 2009,2011; Hess, 2010; Hess, Kurizaki, and Holt, 2009; Leahy and Wiliam, 2011). One of the reasons for thisinterest is the desire to provide descriptions ofincremental steps of learning. These steps, moreprecise than are currently represented in standards,can be used to guide design of curriculum, instruction,and assessment. Learning occurs when students seethese incremental steps as special cases of moregeneral and basic processes and principles.The next step, clarified bythe CCSS, is the developmentof learning progressions thatmirror the CCSS.While the Common Core State Standards represent a clear step toward providing a more coherent pathwayto meeting educational goals than many prior standards, the CCSS do not describe a fully formed pathwayalong which students are expected to progress. The next step, clarified by the CCSS, is the development oflearning progressions that mirror the CCSS.Originally built to provide a framework for Accelerated Math personalized practice software, Core Progressnow serves as an integral component for both Accelerated Math Live and the STAR Math Enterpriseassessment. Now, with all three pieces linked, there is a true bridge between assessment, instruction,and practice.1