Getting Ready for New Georgia K-12 Math Standards
The state of Georgia recently adopted new K-12 math standards, and our academics team here at Progress Learning is working hard to prepare for all the changes. Let’s get into what the new math standards are and what we’re doing to get you and your students ready.
What Are the New GA Math Standards and When Can We Expect Them?
The new standards were first proposed in 2019 by Georgia citizens, Governor Brian Kemp, and Superintendent Richard Woods. The goal was to review and revise the old standards to eliminate Common Core and put freedom in the hands of teachers. In 2021, the new standards were drafted and the Georgia State Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt them.
According to the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), the new standards “are Georgia-developed.” This means that all of the standards were written by Georgia math instructors with feedback from educational leaders, parents, students, business and industry leaders, and community members.
The new standards are designed to provide a strong foundation at the earliest grades. They are age- and developmentally appropriate so that students can develop the fundamental strategic mathematical thinking and reasoning skills needed to successfully progress through school and enter the workforce.
Additionally, the new standards are meant to be clear, understandable, less reliant on academic language, and better paced so students aren’t overwhelmed or rushed in their learning at any point throughout the year. This ensures students truly grasp concepts, rather than learning and immediately forgetting.
One of the significant changes is new instructional supports, including clarification of language, expectations, and in-depth examples. This will help teachers better understand what is expected of them and provide students with the support they need.
Currently, for the 2022-2023 school year, Georgia math teachers are receiving training on these standards and new resources are being developed. Full implementation is expected to occur next year, for the 2023-2024 school year.
How We’re Getting Ready
At Progress Learning, we’re dedicated to always staying at the forefront of new and emerging state standards so that we can provide our teachers and students with the most relevant and effective resources.
In the words of Joshua Fendley, our VP of Academics, “Providing high-quality instructional materials is what we do best, but creating new, fresh, and modern academic content is our passion. So when states adopt new learning standards, we welcome the opportunity with great enthusiasm.”
To help students and teachers prepare for the new standards, our academics team has been hard at work these past several months developing classroom content and resources that are 100% aligned with the new math standards. All of this content is designed to ensure students achieve mastery of these new standards and feel prepared for the new standardized assessments they will encounter in the 2023-2024 school year.
Since Georgia is home to Progress Learning, we are particularly passionate about this new change. “Georgia is the birthplace of Progress Learning and home to many of our employees who are former Georgia educators,” said Joshua Fendley. “We have been following the progress of Georgia’s new math standards since they were announced with great excitement. Using guidance from the resources provided by the GaDOE, the development of our new math products is underway and will be available to the customers in our home state this Summer.”
Customers can look forward to Progress Learning’s new GA standards-aligned content this summer. This will allow time for instructors and administrators to prepare for the upcoming school year and ensure students master the new standards. Request a demo to learn how we can help you transition to the new Georgia math standards next school year.
