Two years ago the state officially chose to adopt the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as Idaho's new Core Standards in mathematics and English language arts. For Idaho's students these standards are not only higher but also comparable with those in any other country in the world. These new standards will bring significant changes for Idaho students--and teachers--yet these changes are necessary to better prepare every child to be successful in life after high school. In this article, the author provides background on why Idaho chose the CCSS and how they adopted it. Three foreseen benefits of the adoption of the CCSS to the English language arts standards in reading and writing as well as three benefits to mathematics are described.