The pursuit of common educational expectations, or standards, among the states has long been a conversation met with strong opinions--for and against. However, it seems clear that high standards and consistency are both critical characteristics to have in educational programs. The task to achieve such is certainly not expected to be easy. Using the influence and input of business and industry, the resources of the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium's (NASDCTEc) Career Cluster Knowledge and Skill Statements, and a critical engagement of participating states, the creation of Common Career Technical Core (CCTC) standards is on the way to reality. CCTC intends to support a consistent alignment of high expectations among career technical education (CTE) programs. Proof that such a large task can be achieved is the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The creation of a common set of standards is no simple task, but through work from 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia, the creation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in mathematics and English-language arts (ELA) has demonstrated that a process can be implemented and outcomes achieved. (Contains 2 figures.)