NC Education Board approves national standards

RALEIGH, N.C. — The State Board of Education has adopted national standards for math and English for public school students, making North Carolina the fifth state to do so.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Instruction says the board voted Thursday to approve the new standards, which are designed to help students improve analytical thinking.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the National Governors Association and state school superintendents led the effort to develop standards that they said would make U.S. students more competitive with students from other countries.

The standards would mean that students across the country are learning the same subjects. Just a handful of states have refused to consider adopting them.

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