NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Education leaders from a dozen state organizations have sent a letter to the governor supporting a new set of benchmarks for math and reading.

The letter sent this week says the common core standards provide students with critical thinking, problem solving and strong writing skills they need to help prepare them for global competition.

One group supporting the new standards is the State Collaborative on Reforming Education.

Jamie Woodson heads the organization and says she believes students will achieve more if they are challenged.

The ACT's yearly report showed Tennessee's high school graduates fell short of national results for ACT college readiness benchmarks this year.

The biggest gap was in math, with 29 percent of Tennessee students being deemed college ready, compared with the U.S. rate of 44 percent.