The Common Core State Standards were developed to provide consistent K-12 education standards across states to ensure students graduate prepared for college or careers. The standards focus on English language arts and mathematics and have been adopted by 45 states. While the standards do not replace state curriculum, they were designed to align with college and career readiness expectations and provide clear benchmarks for what students should know at each grade level. Implementation of the new standards presents challenges for teachers as they align existing lessons and address concerns over standardization, but many online resources are available to support the transition.