The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent an historic shift in K-12 curricular policy. Yet,few have explicitly traced the lineage of the CCSS and linked them to the decades-old standards-based reform movement. This essay situates the CCSS within the larger historical context of standards-based reform. It concludes with a discussion of recent literature comparing them to past standards, implementation traps,and their potential for increasing equitable outcomes amongst minoritized students. One goal of this work is to serve as a reference for policy and curriculum students. Another is to provide context for and the linkages between the numerous curricular reforms many veteran educators have witnessed throughout their careers. By doing so it provides a counter narrative to common notions of disjointed reform