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Elementary Content Standards

The Colorado State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in August 2010. In December 2010, CDE released the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for Mathematics and Reading, Writing, and Communicating, incorporating the entire CCSS while maintaining the unique aspects of the Colorado Academic Standards, including personal financial literacy, 21st-century skills, prepared graduate competencies, and preschool expectations.

The Thompson School District and the Colorado Department of Education have adopted the National Content Standards.

These standards are the premise of all lessons and units taught at Centennial.

High Standards for All Students

The design principles and instructional shifts within the CCSS reflect the priorities and intent of CAP4K in terms of focus, coherence, and rigor.

  • Focus: The CCSS's focus on fewer, clearer, and higher expectations aligns with CAP4K's intent to identify the key knowledge and skills students need for college and career success.
  • Coherence: As the drafters of CAP4K intended, the CCSS provides a coherent set of expectations that align learning goals from preschool through postsecondary education.
  • Rigor: The rigor reflected in the CCSS ensures that Colorado students will be postsecondary- and workforce-ready, a major goal of CAP4K.

Consistent Student Learning in a Mobile Society

Shared standards provide more stability for mobile students.

  • The CCSS provides consistent, shared learning targets for each grade level for students across schools, districts, and states.
  • Clear expectations across counties, states, and nations help create stability for students who move often for economic and personal reasons. Colorado’s military presence alone warrants as much consistency as possible for mobile families serving our country.

Benefits to Colorado’s Schools and Districts

Higher Quality Instructional Materials

Colorado benefits from the shared standards that drive the development of high-quality educational materials. Through cross-state collaboration, Colorado educators and children benefit from commercially and privately developed instructional resources aligned with the shared standards, rather than having to use resources developed for larger markets (i.e., California or New York).

Better, More Focused Professional Development

Professional development through professional organizations can now focus on shared goals for students, enabling focused, coherent learning for educators.

Cross-State Collaboration

Collaboration across the nation is enhanced when educators use the same standards and a common language. Colorado educators can now collaborate across state lines because Colorado shares the same standards as 43 other states. Common resources can be co-developed by educators from multiple states, enhancing educators' effectiveness and the quality of learning tools.

If you would like to see the most current state standards for your child, refer to the Colorado Common Core Standards. We will provide more information as it becomes available to us!