California will soon have a new set of academic standards that it will share with other states. In a move that’s being called historic, the State Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to approve the change.
For years comparing student development between states was an apples to oranges process. But California just became the 34th state to adopt a set of common educational standards.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell says these new standards are even higher than California’s previous ones, which were already thought to be among the most rigorous in the country.
”They’re internationally benchmarked," said O'Connell. "We’ll be able to gauge our progress not only compared to not just other states but also compared to other industrialized, advanced – educationally, speaking countries."
O’Connell says it’ll take another two to four years to implement the new standards.
One reason the state adopted them was to be eligible for the Race to the Top program, a competition for federal education funding. California is one of 19 finalists in the program, and could get up to $700 million.
