Virginia is joining 45 other states and the District of Columbia in an effort to create unified standards of learning for the nation's schoolchildren.
The state-level effort likely grows out of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires states to make progress in student performance across the board. But states with more rigorous standards -- such as Virginia -- end up suffering in national comparisons. They get penalized for not clearing a high bar with the same speed at which other states clear lower ones. Uniform standards would help clarify which states are truly teaching the children -- and, therefore, how best to do so.
The effort follows on the heels of another aimed at creating a common yardstick for graduation rates. Virginia has been a leader in this realm also, establishing clear and transparent criteria that give an accurate picture of how many students are completing their secondary education.
The common-standards endeavor might complicate the effort of charter-school advocates who have been encouraged by President Obama's openness to their cause. But it need not be a stumbling block. For one thing, wide disagreement about what kids should learn and when means any nationwide standards the states agree upon likely will set bare minimums. More to the point, the common standards will define a common finish line for each grade level. How schools get the students to cross it can still be up to them.
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