Maine Common Core Mathematics Standards Raise the Bar
In 2010, Maine adopted a more rigorous set of academic standards to ensure that students are ready for
college or the workforce when they graduate from our public schools. These standards, the Common Core
State Standards in English Language Arts and Math, create higher expectations for our students. They
challenge students to read critically, write extensively and solve real-world math problems at greater
capacity, raising the bar for all students and resulting in a more valuable education. As Maine implements
these new standards, it is important to understand how they will better prepare children for future
academic and career challenges.
Higher Academic Standards in Math:
The Common Core State Standards for math are designed to ensure students fully understand the content
of math: numbers, measurement, algebra, geometry, and the processes of math: problem solving,
reasoning, and making connections. These are the fundamental math skills needed to succeed throughout
elementary, middle and high school, college and beyond – regardless of career path. While the old
standards focused on simply expecting students to work the problem, the new standards expect students to
understand why the answer is the answer, and why there may be different ways to arrive at the correct
answer. Students need to move beyond knowing how to plug numbers into a formula to arrive at the
correct answer. They need to understand why the formula works, and show that they understand it. In
order to do this, students must master early on the foundational skills of addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division.
The implementation of Common Core State Standards began during the school year 2010-2011. Below
are a few examples of how the Maine Common Core Math standards raise the bar for Maine students.
Comparison of past Maine Standards to Maine Common Core Mathematics Standards
Subject
Elementary
THEN – The past Maine
standards
2nd graders were expected
to demonstrate
understanding of the
relative magnitude of
numbers from 0 to 199 by
ordering whole numbers;
by comparing whole
numbers to each other or
to benchmark whole
numbers (10, 25, 50, 75,
100, 125, 150, or 175).
NOW – The Maine Common
Core Standards
2nd graders are expected to :
 Count within 1000; skipcount by 5s, 10s, and 100s.
 Read and write numbers to
1000 using base-ten
numerals, number names,
and expanded form.
 Compare two three-digit
numbers based on
meanings of the hundreds,
tens, and ones digits, using
>, =, and < symbols to
Communication for the General
Public
The past standard expected students
to work with numbers from 0 to 199.
The Common Core standards greatly
increase the expectation of number
sense and place value for 2nd grade
students.
The Common Core standards expect
2nd grade students to count to 1,000
by ones, fives, and tens, and compare
three-digit numbers using >, =, and <
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Middle
School
record the results of
comparisons.
th
th
4 graders were expected 4 graders are expected to:
to:
 Decompose a fraction into
 Demonstrate
a sum of fractions with the
understanding of the
same denominator in more
relative magnitude of
than one way, recording
numbers by ordering,
each decomposition by an
comparing, or
equation. Justify
identifying equivalent
decompositions, e.g., by
proper positive
using a visual fraction
fractional numbers;
model. Examples: 3/8 =
or decimals using
1/8 + 1/8 + 1/8 ; 3/8 = 1/8
models, number lines,
+ 2/8 ; 2 1/8 = 1 + 1 + 1/8
or explanations.
= 8/8 + 8/8 + 1/8.
 Add and subtract
 Add and subtract mixed
positive fractional
numbers with like
numbers with like
denominators, e.g., by
denominators using
replacing each mixed
models, number lines,
number with an equivalent
or explanations.
fraction, and/or by using
properties of operations
and the relationship
between addition and
subtraction.
 Solve word problems
involving multiplication of
a fraction by a whole
number, e.g., by using
visual fraction models and
equations to represent the
problem.
th
th
6 graders were expected 4 graders are expected to
to use properties or
classify two-dimensional
attributes of angles (right, figures based on the presence
acute, or obtuse) or sides or absence of parallel or
(number of congruent
perpendicular lines, or the
sides, parallelism, or
presence or absence of angles
perpendicularity) to
of a specified size. They are
identify, describe,
also expected to recognize
classify, or distinguish
right triangles as a category,
among different types of
and identify right triangles.
triangles or quadrilaterals.
7th graders were expected 6th graders are expected to
to demonstrate
write and evaluate numerical
understanding of the
expressions involving wholerelative magnitude of
number exponents.
numbers with whole
number bases and whole
number exponents.
symbols.
The past standards simply expected
students to compare and order
fractions as well as add and subtract
fractions with common denominators.
The Common Core standards expect
students to break fractions
(decompose) into smaller units to
explain their values. Fourth grade
students are also expected to add and
subtract mixed numbers and multiply
fractions by whole numbers to solve
word problems, while explaining and
justifying their answers in multiple
ways. The Common Core standards
expect students to work with and
manipulate fractions to a much higher
degree,
The past standards expected 6th
graders to identify, describe, classify
or distinguish among types of
triangles or quadrilaterals based on
angles and the relationship of their
sides, while the Common Core
standards expect this at the 4th grade
level.
The Common Core Standard requires
6th grade students to write and solve
expressions using whole-number
exponents which is a year ahead of
previous standards.
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Algebra I
Geometry
At the high school level,
students will explain why
the coordinates of the
point of intersection of
the lines represented by a
system of equations is its
solution and apply this
understanding to solving
problems.
In 8th grade, students will
understand that solutions to a
system of two linear equations
in two variables correspond to
points of intersection of their
graphs because points of
intersection satisfy both
equations simultaneously.
At the high school level,
students will use the
Pythagorean Theorem in
situations where right
triangles are created by
adding segments to
figures.
In 8th grade, students will
apply the Pythagorean
Theorem to determine
unknown side lengths in right
triangles in real-world and
mathematical problems in two
and three dimensions.
At the high school level,
students will find the
volume and surface area
of three-dimensional
figures including cones
and spheres.
In 8th grade, students will
know the formulas for the
volumes of cones, cylinders,
and spheres and use them to
solve real-world and
mathematical problems.
The past standard required students in
high school to explain that the point
where two lines intersect on a graph is
the solution to each equation.
The Common Core standard requires
students in 8th grade to be able to
understand that when two lines
intersect, the point of intersection (an
(x,y) coordinate) is the solution to
both equations at the same time. For
example, given two lines whose
equations are y = 2x – 1 and y = ½ x
+ 2, students will graph these and see
that they intersect at the point (2, 3).
Students will determine that by
substituting x = 2 and y = 3 into both
equations, they are solutions.
The past standard required students in
high school to use the Pythagorean
Theorem (a2 + b2 = c2) to determine
the side lengths of right triangles.
The Common Core standard requires
students in 8th grade to apply the
Pythagorean Theorem to solving right
triangles as they apply to real-world
situations both two and three
dimensionally.
The past standard required students in
high school to be able to find volume
and surface area specifically of cones
and spheres.
The Common Core standard requires
students in 8th grade to not only know
the formulas for finding volume of
three-dimensional figures (cones,
cylinders, spheres), but also to apply
the volume to solve real-world
problems.
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• P.O. Box 10691 • Tallahassee, Florida 32302 • (850) 391-4090 • (786) 664-1794 fax