According to a survey report released by the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC; U.S.), instructors of entry-level college courses consider the U.S. Common Core Standards in English/language arts and math good reflections of the skills students must master to be successful in courses in a range of disciplines. Although college instructors served on the panels that crafted the standards, the new survey is believed to be the only study to test that premise by putting the question directly to higher-education faculty members.
“[The report] suggests strong support for the validity of the common-core standards, in terms of their applicability to college courses and their importance, and the appropriate level of challenge for students to be successful,” said Michael W. Kirst, a professor emeritus of education at Stanford University who focuses on college-readiness issues and serves on the board of directors of the research group that produced the report.