Our readers know one of our main concerns about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is the amount of upper level high school material that was left out and the growing complaints from teachers that some material is not being introduced at the proper grade level.

What CCSS are missing completely

The contention that CCSS left out important material has been criticized by some, including Kentucky’s education commissioner Terry Holliday and the Kentucky Board of Education’s chair Roger Markum. But, that does not make the commissioner or the chairman right.

In fact, important material is missing from CCSS. And, a surprising source provides evidence.

That source – which overall is very pro-CCSS, by the way – is the College Board, the same group that creates the SAT college entrance test and AP Courses, too.

The College Board now produces a curriculum product, supposedly aligned with the CCSS, called SpringBoard. A marketing document for SpringBoard, “Common Core Standards Alignment with SpringBoard Grades 6-12,” reveals some surprising material is NOT in the CCSS.

For example, on Page 2, the SpringBoard marketing brochure says this curriculum program often exceeds the performance expectations in CCSS. Page 3 provides one example of where SpringBoard exceeds CCSS – the area of writing.

The interesting omissions in math also are highlighted on Page 3 of the College Board’s document. The College Board says CCSS for high school math include:

• Number and Quantity

• Algebra Functions

• Geometry

• Modeling and

• Statistics and Probability

What is glaringly missing from the CCSS math standards? Two key omissions are:

• Trigonometry and

• Pre-calculusIf your child wants a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) or to compete for entry into more exclusive colleges, they absolutely need those last two, higher level high school courses that the College Board clearly knows are not in CCSS.

Bottom line: Why would CCSS need to be exceeded “often” unless the standards had deficiencies?

Do CCSS introduce material at the wrong grade level?

Page 2 of the College Board’s SpringBoard pamphlet also says:

“SpringBoard addresses the standards and expectations listed in the Common Core; however, in some instances the alignments might occur the grade level before or after where it is specified in the Common Core Standards.”

Hmmm. That could verify some complaints we have been hearing from the teachers’ unions that some of the CCSS material isn’t age appropriate. Apparently, the College Board does not go along with the sequencing in the CCSS, either.

So, there you have it. Individual curriculum experts like Dr. Sandra Stotsky and Professor Jim Milgram are not the only ones telling us the CCSS have problems.

Even the College Board knows; the CCSS need work.