What's the best estimate of student performance on the Common Core State Standards? ACT, an organization involved in developing the standards, wanted to know how well today's students are meeting them. To find out, it analyzed the test results of 256,765 11th graders who took selected forms of the ACT test in spring 2010. In its report, "A First Look at the Common Core and College and Career Readiness," ACT found that across all Common Core domains, strands, and clusters, only one-third to one-half of 11th graders are reaching a college- and career-ready level of achievement. The report recommends specific instructional strategies and interventions as well as steps policymakers can take to improve student achievement.