Ready to Commit?

Yesterday 46 states and the District of Columbia formally agreed to work together to create common academic standards in math and English language arts through an effort led by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Alaska, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas haven't signed on.

The idea is to standardize what children learn at each grade level across the states, as well as ensure that they will be ready for college and work once they receive their high school diplomas. The standards will also be internationally benchmarked so that U.S. students can hold their own compared to their global peers.

Here at ASCD, we're unsure about the strength of the states' commitment to pursuing common standards. The effort is reminiscent of the common graduation rate that NGA pursued a couple of years ago: Initially all 50 governors agreed to standardize their states' graduation-rate formulas. But three years later, only 16 states had done so and a few states had completely backpedaled, indicating no intention to move forward with the common standard. Ultimately, the Bush administration wrote a common graduation rate into federal legislation.

We're not the only ones questioning whether states are truly ready to move forward. Eduwonk compares signing on to the common standards effort to joining a health club: "One person can join a health club, work out daily, change their lifestyle habits and so forth. Another can join, eat Big Macs for lunch and come once a month to soak in the jacuzzi."  Eduflack cites a letter from California—a sign-on state—that indicates it intends to fully participate in the common core development process but cannot commit to adopting the standards until it determines that they meet or exceed their own.

Arne Duncan has voiced support for the effort, calling it a "giant step" that was unimaginable just a year or two ago. But he's also said that states have lied to children and their parents by setting low state standards that fail to prepare students for success later in life. Does he trust this same group of states to develop high common standards?

Here's a short roundup of news articles about the effort:

• Washington Post: Maria Glod overviews the common standards effort. She also highlights current discrepancies between performance on state tests and NAEP and includes questions about what the common standards mean for assessment.

• Education Week: Another good overview, with an emphasis on the multistep process this effort will take.

• USA Today: An article that underscores the internationally benchmarked component and cost-saving opportunities.

What do you think? Are common standards a good idea? Are states really ready to commit?