States are quickly lining up behind a set of ambitious national academic standards that set a high bar for students with disabilities.

Already 27 have adopted the plan known as the Common Core State Standards and several more states are expected to sign on in the coming weeks.

The standards, developed by members of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, are designed to establish uniform guidelines for English and math instruction in kindergarten through twelfth grade.

A final version of the plan was released in early June. And states have good incentive to adopt the standards quickly: doing so by Aug. 2 offers them a leg up in the Obama administration’s Race to the Top competition for education funding.

Under the standards, students with disabilities are expected to be “challenged to excel within the general curriculum.” According to a supplemental document released alongside the standards, education of students with even the most severe cognitive disabilities should “retain the rigor and high expectations of the Common Core State Standards.”

Supporters of the plan, however, are concerned that quick adoption of the standards may yield false promise. Should states fail to win federal dollars, it is feared they may not have incentive to allocate resources toward making the standards reality, reports The New York Times. To read more click here.

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