So this was coming for awhile and there will be critics from states from both ends: too low compared to ours says Massachusetts, too intrusive says Texas. My only thought upon reading the Times article was who was involved (and explicitly thanked in the introduction to the document):

…the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers set the common-standards initiative in motion last year. They convened panels of English and math experts from the College Board and A.C.T., and from Achieve Inc., a group with years of experience working to upgrade graduation standards.

Hmmm…cue sarcastic, nicotine-soaked voice: I guess these were the only folks who know anything about standards. The document is here and is now open for a whole three weeks of review.