school content (two traditional and two integrated), but states are free to organize the content any way they want. Key shifts The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics shifted the way the United States teaches math in three core ways. They built on the pre-existing standards to emphasize the skills and knowledge students will not only need in college, but in their career and in life as well. The key shifts are: Greater focus on fewer topics Coherence: Linking topics and thinking across grades Rigor: Pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency, and application with equal intensity As an example, here is the description of one of the key shifts, a greater focus on fewer topics:The Common Core calls for greater focus in mathematics. Rather than racing to cover many topics in a mile-wide, inch deep curriculum, the standards ask math teachers to significantly narrow and deepen the way time and energy are spent in the classroom. This means focusing deeply on the major work of each grade as follows: In grades K-2: Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to addition and subtraction In grades 3-5: Concepts, skills, and problem solving related to multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions In grade 6: Ratios and proportional relationships, and early algebraic expressions and equations In grade 7: Ratios and proportional relationships, and arithmetic of rational numbers In grade 8: Linear algebra and linear functions This focus will help students gain strong foundations, including a solid understanding of concepts, a high degree of procedural skill and fluency, and the ability to apply the math they know to solve problems inside and outside the classroom. Assessment According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website, formal assessment was expected to take place in the 2014–2015 school year, which coincided with the projected implementation year for most states. The assessment is being created by two consortia with different approaches. The final decision of which assessment to use was determined by individual state education agencies. Both of these leading consortiums proposed computer-based exams that include fewer selected and constructed response test items, unlike the Standardized Test. The PARCC RttT Assessment Consortium comprises the 19 jurisdictions of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Tennessee. Their approach focuses on computer-based "through-course assessments" in each grade together with