Test scores from last year’s standardized tests revealed that less than one-third of New York’s students in grades 3 to 8 are proficient in math and English language arts. According to the Times Union, there were tests that every student failed in 10 Capital Region schools. In some of the most academically challenge suburban school districts, about one-third of students failed tests. The Times Union explains that the state is beginning to hold students to the higher Common Core standards.
According to the Times Union, many business leaders and professional educators support Common Core standards:
They both understand that one of the reasons America's economy is flagging is because we no longer have the world's best schools. If other nations outpace us intellectually, our national security is at risk.
We need a different workforce than we did a decade ago, with greater skills. State Education Commissioner John King notes that if we could add a single percentage point to New York's college completion rate, we could boost the state's economy by $17.5 billion a year.
"The standards reflect the reality of what we need to compete in the 21st century," King says.
