For the first time in the history of American education, educators and policymakers are setting their sights on reaching the goal of preparing all students graduating from high school to meet the requirements of postsecondary education, professional careers and effective citizenship. The 2004 report, "Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma That Counts", found that all students, whether they are heading to college or embarking on a meaningful career, need the same level of knowledge in the foundational subjects of English and mathematics. The American Diploma Project (ADP) English and mathematics benchmarks reflect the knowledge and skills all students should gain in high school to ensure that they are prepared to enter and succeed in credit-bearing college courses or to gain entry-level positions in rewarding careers that offer opportunities to advance. In 2005, Achieve launched the ADP Network to help states align standards with real-world demands and adopt policies to increase student success. Participating in the ADP Network helps states chart their own path to college and career readiness. Since 2005, states have made progress in raising standards to align with the real-world expectations of employers and postsecondary faculty in the increasingly competitive global marketplace by aligning high school standards with real-world goals. This report presents an analysis of the college- and career-ready standards for English in 12 states and for mathematics in 16 states. Findings include: (1) Whether students are headed directly to work or to postsecondary education, employers and faculty agree that high school graduates need increasingly similar levels of rigor; (2) When states take the lead, and use college and career readiness as their goal, they will develop rigorous standards that prepare all students for success; and (3) A critical mass of states has arrived at a common core of standards in English and mathematics as a byproduct of deliberate, voluntary efforts to align their high school standards with the demands of college and careers. "Common core" does not mean that every state has identical standards: each state is responsible for setting their own academic standards, consistent with their constitutional responsibilities. The report demonstrates that state education policymakers, focusing on their own goals, working with their own constituents and on their own timetables, will implement rigorous and competitive standards. The common core reflects the reality that there is fundamental knowledge in English and mathematics that all graduates must know to succeed and that is not bound by state lines, while respecting the traditional role of state decision making in education. Information on Baseline and Final Standards Documents Reviewed is appended. (Contains 2 figures, 6 tables, and 6 endnotes.)