Key findings
States that have adopted the Common Core standards are helping stakeholders—including state leaders, higher-education personnel, parents, and state education agency staff—become familiar with the standards.
Adopting states are aligning their curriculum, assessment, and teacher policies with the standards. All surveyed states that are adopting the standards reported that they are developing or have developed statewide implementation plans, and most are requiring their districts to implement the standards. All adopting states also are including statewide professional development in their implementation plans.
Most of the adopting states that were surveyed are creating partnerships with higher education as they move forward with implementation, but fewer are aligning college admissions requirements or curriculum with the standards. In all, 16 of the responding states that have adopted the Common Core standards said they will align undergraduate admissions requirements or first-year undergraduate curriculum with the standards.
Most states surveyed said they would be able to fully implement the standards by the 2014-15 school year. Just six states said they expect full implementation sometime in 2013.
Technology challenges also abound as states try to implement online assessments aligned with the Common Core standards. Many states said they are concerned about their ability to install an adequate number of computers in schools, 15 states said they are worried about having adequate internet access and bandwidth, and 14 states said they are concerned about having access to technology experts who can address assessment-related technology problems.
Only three states in the survey said they might change their decision to adopt the standards, and all three pointed to insufficient funding as a factor that would influence a decision change.
State policies to support the Common Core standards
Almost all of the adopting states surveyed said they have plans for long-term implementation of the Common Core standards and will align their curriculum and assessments with the standards.
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