The Common Core State Standards were developed through a collaborative state-led process to provide consistent, real-world learning goals and launched in 2010 to better prepare students for today's workforce and college education. The standards focus instruction in English language arts on literacy skills and a balance of fiction and nonfiction works. In math, the standards focus on conceptual understanding, problem solving and real-life applications in addition to computational fluency. Full implementation will require alignment of curriculum, assessments, teacher training and materials.