Charter schools are subject to the Common Core State Standards. At Alakaʻi we work to meet and surpass Hawai’i Common Core standards by balancing direct instruction of mathematics and English language arts with their integration into our project-based learning curriculum. It’s important to note that the Common Core is not curriculum or teaching methods but standards. Standards define what students should understand and be able to do at each grade level. Schools and teachers choose curriculum and choose how standards are taught in the classroom. In other words, the standards are the platform from which teachers and schools can innovate. For more information, click here and here.