Educators and citizens in Vermont have begun circulating a draft outline for what students in that state should “know and be able to do’’ upon leaving high school.
The document, known as the “Common Core of Learning Curriculum,’' is based on recommendations from more than 1,200 residents attending regional forums on the subject held over the last 12 months.
Like a similar effort in neighboring Maine, Vermont’s “Common Core’’ does not separate learning by traditional academic subjects. Rather, it sets down learning goals in broader areas, such as reasoning and problem-solving, communication, and “global stewardship.’'
The document notes, for example, that students should be able to “make number sense’’ and to know how to use “libraries and other sources of knowledge and information.’' And it specifies values and attitudes schools should also seek to impart to their students.
Unlike with Maine’s “Common Core,’' however, educators in Vermont said they do not plan to have a final draft of their voluntary learning outcomes.
“This is an evolving draft,’' said Steven Gross, the director of the project and the chief of the state department of education’s curriculum and instruction unit.
