Voter Perceptions: Common Core State Standards & Tests

Friday, March 14, 2014Printer-friendly version

Achieve’s third national poll – Voter Perceptions: Common Core State Standards & Tests – shows solid majorities of voters support common standards, common assessments, and allowing teacher and students time to adjust to these new expectations. This year's poll shows that awareness of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is inching up, even though nearly two-thirds of those surveyed still have heard "nothing" or "not too much" about the CCSS. Of those that said they had read, seen or heard recently about the standards, opinions were almost equally split between favorable and unfavorable, yet a plurality still favor implementation. Once voters were read a brief description of the CCSS, a solid majority, 69%, favored implementing the standards. Voters were also read claims made by both CCSS supporters and opponents and asked to choose which was closest to their point of view. Supporters' arguments of better prepared students, emphasis on critical thinking and less teaching to the test were favored by a two-to-one margin.