Opponents of Common Core testing often argue that the "high-stakes" nature of the exams put too much pressure on students, but those concerns may be overblown.
Scroll over the map below to see how states use Common Core tests for graduation requirements.
As you can see, most states that have adopted the Common Core don't link scores on the tests to any determination for graduation. Three states - Florida, Nevada, and Ohio - use a Common Core-aligned test as a high school exit exam. Four others - Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington - have a nuanced approach to how they will use Common Core tests for graduation requirements.
The rest won't use Common Core tests for any graduation-based requirement.
The story for student promotion using Common Core tests is similar, with a vast majority of states not factoring Common Core testing into decisions to advance students to the next grade level. That means these supposedly high-stakes class have no consequences for most kids, so there's no reason for them to stress out.