Common Core Opens the Door for New Opportunities in the K-12 Market

STAMFORD, Conn. - Nov. 4, 2013 - PRLog -- The Common Core State Standards movement is reaching a critical juncture in the 2013-2014 school year in terms of implementation throughout most schools and districts in participating states. While the promise of the Common Core has yet to be fulfilled, the motor is running and the journey is well under way.

For the most part, states are phasing in the standards. A survey conducted in May-June 2013 by Simba Information and MCH Strategic Data found that 41.6% of responding educators across all grade levels said that core language arts or math programs in place since 2010 were implemented to align with Common Core. Simba and MCH surveyed elementary, middle- and high-school teachers about the readiness of school districts to implement the new standards and what types of instructional materials are most in demand among teachers. Results from this survey are published in the new Simba report, Getting Ready for the Common Core 2013-2014.

According to the report, a shared set of standards is expected to open up the education market to small companies and to benefit current providers as programs and tools can be developed that meet one set of standards.

"Schools, generally, also are showing more of an interest in exploring use of new technology based programs than they have for more than a decade," said Kathy Mickey, senior analyst and managing editor of the Education Group at Simba Information. "Also, districts and schools are working on developing materials and programs in-house, even though much of that may be attributed to the necessity of making do in times of reduced budgets."

The use of technology in the classroom instruction process and the 24/7 learning process of students is a hallmark of the Common Core. This puts enormous pressure on the success of online testing programs. Much of the adoption of technology use in class is being driven by the expected use of online tests. However, there have been some issues with the administration of high-stakes tests online. Certainly, there will be more problems as more states move online. But the progress of those online testing programs will go a long way to advancing the march of technology use in classrooms.

The overall success of the testing programs in demonstrating progress in raising student achievement will be a significant factor in determining whether U.S schools continue under Common Core or the market moves on to another reform program. However, Simba believes the Common Core will continue to be a primary driver of the instructional materials market in the U.S for the next several years.

Additional information on the report can be found at  http://www.simbainformation.com/Ready-Common-Core-7797257/ or by calling 888-29-SIMBA.

About Simba Information Simba Information is widely recognized as the leading authority for market intelligence in the media and publishing industry. Simba's extensive information network delivers top quality, independent perspective on the people, events and alliances shaping the media and information industry. Simba publishes newsletters and research reports that provide key decision-makers at more than 15,000 client companies around the globe with timely news, analysis, exclusive statistics and proprietary industry forecasts. For more information, please visit  www.simbainformation.com (http://www.simbainformation.com/about/www.simbainformatio...).