Common Core State Standards

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort to establish a shared set of clear educational standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics. These have been informed by the best available evidence and the highest state standards across the country and globe.

  • Why A Common Core?
  • Common standards will help ensure  students are receiving a high quality education consistently from school to school and state to state.
  • We need college and career ready standards.  Data shows that even in high-performing states students are graduating and passing all the required tests and still require remediation in their post-secondary work.
  • We need students moving from our colleges  and universities into the workplace, ready to compete in the emerging global marketplace.
  • How Was the Common Core Developed?
  • The Standards made careful use of a large and growing body of evidence. This evidence included scholarly research; surveys on what skills are required of students entering college and workforce training programs; assessment data identifying college and career ready performance; and comparisons to standards from high-performing states and nations.
  • Strengths of the New Core
  • Aligned with expectations for college & career success.
  • Consistent across all states.
  • Includes both content and application of  knowledge through high-order skills.
  • Informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society.