Paul Carney, an English instructor at Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls, has been invited to join a review team that will provide recommendations for the Common Core Standards, a set of national standards designed to help prepare high school students for college or careers. Carney, Minnesota's designated English instructor for the review process, is serving on the English and Language Arts Review Committee for the standards, which are now being written by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The Common Core Standards are designed to address concerns about disparities between state student achievement standards. Because of those disparities, a student who is considered "proficient" in math or reading in one state might score poorly by another state's standards. Although achievement standards are set by the states rather than the federal government, 48 states have committed to working toward adopting the Common Core Standards. When completed, those standards will spell out what students should know and be able to do if they are going to be prepared for college or careers after high school. "I'm honored to have the opportunity to participate in this national conversation on rigor and readiness," Carney said. "Clearly, it's time to raise the bar. The completion of rigorous high school courses - not grades, GPA or class rank - paves the pathway for post-secondary success. I think the Common Core Standards will infuse rigor and curricular continuity into state standards across the national map." The goal is for the standards to be completed by mid-January 2010. As a member of the review team, Carney will be involved in reviewing draft documents, advising on decisions, discussing specific aspects of the English and language arts standards and recommending language and content revisions. Carney has taught at M State - Fergus Falls since 1988 and is the developer and coordinator of Ready or Not Writing, an online program which allows high school students to submit essays and have them reviewed by college instructors nationwide. Student writing is ranked as "college-ready" or "not college-ready," and students are provided with suggestions for improving their writing. Ready or Nor Writing is one of several college-readiness programs supported by M State's Center for College Readiness. Carney has served two terms as president of The Minnesota Council of Teachers of English. He has presented research on college readiness to the National Council of Teachers of English, The Higher Learning Commission and Education Trust.