States have adopted more
demanding state content standards, such as the Common Core State Standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, and have raised graduation requirements, particularly in mathematics and science, in an effort to better prepare students to meet college and career expectations (Zinth, 2012).
The Common Core
State Standards are among the first
standards to stress the crucial link between knowledge and reading comprehension — something that will, if faithfully implemented, force many teachers to rethink whether their preferred reading programs meet the
content and rigor
demands of the CCSS.