The introduction of the Common Core State Standards has generated much interest and controversy in recent years. These standards, created at the initiative of governors’ and state school chiefs’ organizations, were released in 2010 and are written for each grade level K-12 in the areas of mathematics and English. Most states, including California, have adopted these standards. The phrase “Common Core” has been used in a variety of ways, at times referring to the content of standards themselves, the way the standards are implemented in classrooms, and the standardized testing that measures student learning related to the standards. Here is how [...]