DERRY — It has been a long journey for the school district as it has rolled out curriculum mapping to meet the standards of common core standards used across 48 states, according to assistant superintendent MaryAnn Connors-Krikorian.

“Common core is a call for change,” said Krikorian.

In addition to the curriculum mapping, Krikorian said the district is working to make sure parents are invested in and educated about the state common core initiative and standards.

“They lay out what students are expected to learn and what teachers and parents can do to help students,” she said. “They are robust standards that are relevant in the real world.”

The common core standards are intended to make students college and career ready, according to Krikorian.

“The criticism has been that American students have not been fully prepared for the future,” she said.

“This is not intended to be new names for old ways of doing business.”

Although the common core standards define the knowledge and skills students should have for success, they do not dictate a specific curriculum or teaching methods.

“The curriculum is developed in alliance with the common core state standards,” said Krikorian. “We can create our own curriculum and our own sequencing.”

Over the past year, the common core committee has worked on that new curriculum mapping for English language arts in kindergarten through eighth grade and for mathematics in grades six through eight.

Krikorian noted the common core standards focus on learning progressions from kindergarten through graduation and said the district has been working with Pinkerton Academy to ensure that progression through grade 12.

Over the next year, the district will work on curriculum mapping for math through grade five, writing through grade eight and on the assessment portion of the common core standards.

“We have a lot of work on our plate for common core,” said Krikorian. “It’s not a small task, but it’s important for the students.”

The assessment portion of meeting common core standards will be an important part of the the coming year, according to Krikorian.

As the district implements the curriculum mapping changes, she said the district will continue to encourage input from teachers and refine the mapping.

“Data are important for supporting common core standards,” she said.

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Adam Swift may be reached at aswift@newstote.com.