Two-thirds of schoolchildren in America attend class in states with mediocre (or worse) expectations for what their students should learn. That's just one of the findings of Fordham's The State of State Standards 2006, which evaluates state academic standards. The average state grade is a "C-minus"--the same as six years earlier, even though most states revised their standards since 2000. Two-thirds of the nation's K-12 students attend schools in states with C-, D-, or F-rated standard. The report makes links between strong state standards and gains on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). An example is that nearly ten states that improved students' reading proficiency in the NAEP had received at least a grade of C from Fordham for their English/language arts standards, and three of the five states demonstrating improved science outcomes also had some of the best sets of science standards in the nation. This publication includes separate standards report cards for each state. Three states stand out with perfect scores: California, Indiana, and Massachusetts. They are the focus of a separate essay, "It Takes a Vision: How Three States Created Great Academic Standards," by journalist and author Joanne Jacobs. The State of State Standards 2006 is the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's first comprehensive look at the quality of state academic standards since 2000, before Congress enacted No Child Left Behind.