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US K-12 Standards

Common Core

Common Core Math is the backbone of US school mathematics, organized into grade-level domains from Kindergarten through High School rather than a single test.

Difficulty

Foundational

Format

A set of K-12 learning standards, not a single exam; individual states administer their own aligned summative assessments

Duration

Varies by state assessment

Syllabus

What Common Core covers

Kindergarten – Grade 5

  • Counting and Cardinality (Kindergarten)
  • Operations and Algebraic Thinking
  • Number and Operations in Base Ten
  • Number and Operations: Fractions (Grades 3–5)
  • Measurement and Data
  • Geometry

Grades 6–8

  • Ratios and Proportional Relationships (Grades 6–7)
  • The Number System
  • Expressions and Equations
  • Functions (Grade 8)
  • Geometry
  • Statistics and Probability

High School

  • Number and Quantity: the real and complex number systems, vector and matrix quantities
  • Algebra: seeing structure in expressions, creating and solving equations and inequalities
  • Functions: interpreting, building and modelling with linear, quadratic and exponential functions
  • Geometry: congruence, similarity, circles and geometric measurement
  • Statistics and Probability: interpreting data, making inferences and conditional probability

Study Notes

Common Core notes from our tutors

Common Core Math

7 sections · 0 notes

View course outline
Grades 3-5 - Section 1A Locked
  • Multiplication and Division · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Fractions and Equivalent Fractions · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Decimal Place Value · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Fraction and Decimal Operations · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Area Volume and Measurement · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Elementary Mathematics Review · Locked, notes not yet available
Grades 6-8 - Section 1A Locked
  • Ratios Rates and Proportional Relationships · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Rational Numbers and Exponents · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Expressions Equations and Inequalities · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Functions and Linear Relationships · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Middle Grades Algebra Review · Locked, notes not yet available
Grades 6-8 - Section 1B Locked
  • Scale Drawings and Geometric Measurement · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Transformations Congruence and Similarity · Locked, notes not yet available
  • The Pythagorean Theorem · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Statistical Distributions · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Probability Models · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Middle Grades Geometry and Data Review · Locked, notes not yet available
Grades K-2 - Section 1A Locked
  • Counting and Place Value · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Addition and Subtraction · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Comparing and Measuring · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Shapes and Spatial Reasoning · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Early Number Review · Locked, notes not yet available
High School - Section 1A Locked
  • Linear Equations and Systems · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Polynomial Expressions and Quadratic Equations · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Functions and Modelling · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Exponential and Logarithmic Relationships · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Algebra and Functions Review · Locked, notes not yet available
High School - Section 1B Locked
  • Congruence and Geometric Proof · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Similarity and Right Triangle Trigonometry · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Circles and Coordinate Geometry · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Geometric Measurement and Modelling · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Geometry Review · Locked, notes not yet available
High School - Section 1C Locked
  • Interpreting Data and Regression · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Probability and Conditional Probability · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Sampling and Statistical Inference · Locked, notes not yet available
  • Statistics and Probability Review · Locked, notes not yet available

Exam Pattern

How Common Core is assessed

State summative assessments

States and consortia (e.g. Smarter Balanced) administer their own Common-Core-aligned tests rather than one shared national exam; format and timing vary by state.

Standards for Mathematical Practice

Eight cross-cutting habits of mind (problem-solving, reasoning, modelling, precision and structure), applied and assessed at every grade level, not tied to one topic.

Required Materials

What you'll need

State-adopted curriculum

Districts choose their own Common-Core-aligned program, e.g. Illustrative Mathematics, Eureka Math/EngageNY, enVision or Big Ideas Math.

Grade-level domain progressions

The official corestandards.org documents mapping how each domain builds year over year, useful for spotting exactly where a gap started.

Try It Yourself

Sample questions, solved step by step

Scroll into view to watch each solution build itself, one step at a time, exactly how our tutors walk students through it.

1

Sample question

A table gives the points (0, 3), (2, 7) and (4, 11) for a linear relationship. Find the slope and y-intercept, and write the equation.

Animated solution

1

Compute the slope between two points

Using (0,3) and (2,7): slope = (7 − 3) / (2 − 0) = 4/2 = 2

2

Verify the slope is constant

Using (2,7) and (4,11): (11 − 7) / (4 − 2) = 4/2 = 2 ✓

3

Read the y-intercept

At x = 0, y = 3

4

Write the equation

y = 2x + 3

Answer: y = 2x + 3

2

Sample question

Solve the system y = x² − 4 and y = x − 2.

Animated solution

1

Set the expressions equal

x² − 4 = x − 2

2

Rearrange to standard form

x² − x − 2 = 0

3

Factor

(x − 2)(x + 1) = 0, so x = 2 or x = −1

4

Find the y-values

At x = 2, y = 0; at x = −1, y = −3

Answer: (2, 0) and (−1, −3)

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