Dive Brief:

• Learningpod on Thursday announced the launch of new Common Core State Standards content in Grade 4-8 Math and Grade 2-8 English Language Arts.
• The startup provides practice test questions free of charge online, and the new content includes 3,800 questions curated into 240 sets, which it refers to as "pods."
• Many pods are available in workbook form to support both classwork and high-stakes exam preparation. Question contributors include Kaplan Test Prep, Manhattan Prep, OpenStax College, and the Saylor Foundation.

Dive Insight:

Prior to today's announcement, the Learningpod library already contained over 47,000 questions. With the prevalence today of high-stakes exams and their increasing attachment to teacher evaluations, it's not surprising that companies are capitalizing on assisting teachers in making sure students are prepared as well as they possibly can be. This rings especially true now that more states are rolling out tests based on the Common Core following less-than-stellar results on exams tied to the standards in states that began rolling them out last year.

Common Core updates by Learningpod and other education companies could, however, face setbacks if recent blows to the national learning standards in Indiana and Oklahoma gain momentum in even more states.