Building on the excellent foundation of standards states have laid, the Common Core State Standards are the first step in providing our young people with a high-quality education. It should be clear to every student, parent, and teacher what the standards of success are in every school.

Teachers, parents and community leaders have all weighed in to help create the Common Core State Standards. The standards clearly communicate what is expected of students at each grade level. This will allow our teachers to be better equipped to know exactly what they need to help students learn and establish individualized benchmarks for them. The Common Core State Standards focus on core conceptual understandings and procedures starting in the early grades, thus enabling teachers to take the time needed to teach core concepts and procedures well—and to give students the opportunity to master them.

With students, parents and teachers all on the same page and working together for shared goals, we can ensure that students make progress each year and graduate from school prepared to succeed in college and in a modern workforce.

PARCC is a 23-state consortium working together to develop next-generation K-12 assessments in English and math. PARCC benefits:

Students who will know if they are on track to graduate ready for college and careers

Teachers with regular results available to guide learning and instruction

Parents with clear and timely information about the progress of their children

States with valid results that are comparable across the member states

The nation as it is based on college- and career-ready, internationally-benchmarked CCSS