Common Core standards best most states' standards, including Ohio's

July 30, 2010

Last month, Ohio became one of the first states to adopt the Common Core State Standards in math and English language arts (ELA).  According to a new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, that was a smart move.

The State of State Standards – and the Common Core – in 2010, our latest review of each state’s academic standards (and how they rate next to the Common Core standards), finds that the ELA and math standards produced by the Common Core State Standards Initiative are clearer and more rigorous than those in place in three-quarters of states. Nationwide, Common Core standards are stronger than ELA standards in 37 states and stronger than existing math standards in 39 states.

Ohio’s previous ELA standards received a “C” from content-expert reviewers; its math standards also received a “C.” Common Core standards earned a “B+” and an “A-” in ELA and math, respectively. While three states – California, Indiana, and the District of Columbia – have ELA standards that are clearly superior to those of the Common Core and nearly a dozen have ELA or math standards  in the same league as  Common Core, Ohio’s standards in both subjects were rated unambiguously “inferior to the Common Core” by expert reviewers.  

In short, educators and policymakers in Ohio here can be certain that adopting Common Core standards was an unequivocally positive move for Buckeye State students.

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Common Core standards best most states' standards, including Ohio's