1. Note: This PPT template serves as a foundation for business leaders to build on. Users should feel free to add or subtract information and any of the images to customize for their preferences. Supplemental resources include a CED mobile smartphone App and Communications Toolkit. To download the smartphone App, search for "Business4Readiness” in the Apple or Android stores or enter the corresponding link: Apple:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/business-4- readiness/id916466355?ls=1&mt=8 Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.c ed.app.android.ui To access the Communications Toolkit enter this link: https://www.ced.org/pdf/112072_CED_WEB.pdf 1

2. August 2015 2

3. In just four decades, the percentage of jobs requiring some form of postsecondary education has skyrocketed from to percent. Most of these only required a high school degree before. 3

4. In fact, U.S. businesses will need 123 million skilled workers by 2020. Currently, only 50 million people possess the skills to meet these qualifications. 4

5. Evidence-based and benchmarked against other top-performing countries, the CCSS for college- and career-readiness focus on vital English language arts and mathematics skills. 5

6. They provide students the foundation they need for postsecondary education and attaining success in school and the workplace. 6

7. The CCSS for college- and career- readiness are the product of intensive collaboration between educators, parents, and the public. The federal government had no role in their development. 7

8. They were developed by: The National Governors Association The Council of Chief State School Officers and with the participation of: Teachers Parents The National Parent Teacher Association School administrators Education experts and the guidance of more than 10,000 public comments. 8

9. 9 State standards for college- and career-readiness establish what students must know, not what and how teachers must teach.

10. Each state decides independently whether to adopt the standards; today, over 40 states have done so. 10

11. The standards are a state-led initiative by governors and education leaders with a large amount of input from teachers, parents, school administrators, and other community stakeholders. 11

12. No federal official was on the work teams and feedback groups that developed the standards. However, teachers from across the nation did serve on the development, feedback and validation committees. 12

13. The Common Core State Standards define what students need to know; not how teachers should teach, or how the students should learn. The standards explicitly preserve local control (teachers, principals, superintendents and school boards) over curriculum choice. 13

14. The Common Core State Standards will not reduce the amount of classic literature read. 14

15. Not one of the 40 states that has adopted the Common Core State Standards have reported having to lower its education standards. 15

16. Teachers do support the Common Core, including American Federation of Teachers President, Randi Weingarten, and National Education Association President, Dennis Van Roekel. 16

17. The Common Core State Standards were written and reviewed by educators from every state involved in development. Additionally, there were two public review and comment periods where over 10,000 comments (20% from parents) were received. 17

18. Test scores from the Smarter Balanced Assessments Consortium (SBAC) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) will be announced in Fall 2015. 18

19. No data requirements are tied to the Common Core State Standards. The federal government is also prohibited in four different statues from collecting personally identifiable information. 19

20. In most states, on average, one- third of all students must repeat high-school course content in remedial courses—costing students, families, and taxpayers over $3 billion annually. 20

21. Thirty-four percent of employers deem the preparation of newly hired employees with only a high- school diploma as “deficient,” and only 16% find their preparation excellent. 21

22. With the Common Core State Standards, states benefit from a consistent measure of readiness for college or postsecondary workforce training, helping every student compete for jobs and gain equal opportunity and choice for accessing the middle class. 22

23. The United States is falling behind in education (compared to other industrialized countries)—with severe economic repercussions for individuals, businesses, and the nation. 23

24. The standards are already the framework—not curriculum—of choice for voluntary, high- quality education standards at the state level. While the total number may fluctuate over the next several months, over 40 states have currently adopted the standards and are implementing them. 24

25. www.ced.org/ccss High-quality state standards for college- and career-readiness are an important component in an education system, and give us the guidelines we need for individual and national success. 25