Common Core Essential Elements Mathematics

Design Features of the Common Core State Standards for 
Mathematics
The design of the CCSSM has several specific features. Additional 
resources to support the CCSSM are available online at: http://dpi.
wi.gov/standards/stds.html
• The Standards for Mathematical Practice must be addressed at all  
levels and intertwined with the Standards for Mathematical Content.
• K-8 grade level content standards illustrate a 
coherent and 
rigorous curriculum to be completed in each of these grades.
• The high school Standards for Mathematical Content are not 
by grade or course, rather they are grouped in 
conceptual 
categories and can be clustered in multiple ways to design 
courses and programs of study. 
• The CCSSM are designed to provide
 focus, by identifying two 
to four critical areas at each K-8 grade level. These are found in 
the short narrative section of grades K-8, immediately before 
each grade level’s content standards. They present the areas that 
should be the primary focus for instruction in that grade. Critical 
areas for each of the high school conceptual categories are 
described in the narratives.
• The CCSSM were designed to provide 
coherence, through 
connections and progressions both within and across grade 
levels. The authors of the CCSSM have developed Progressions 
documents that provide in-depth discussion of the domain 
progressions across grades, highlight connections across domains, 
elaborate on the learning expectations for students, and provide 
instructional suggestions. 
• The CCSSM were designed to be 
rigorous, which is provided 
by a focus on College and Career Readiness and by emphasizing 
the Standards for Mathematical Practice across K-12. The high 
school CCSSM also specify additional mathematics (+ standards) 
that students pursuing mathematics-intensive STEM careers 
should accomplish.