The problem with minimum standards in education is that they rapidly become the goal. With a lack of funding across the board, schools focus their money on meeting the minimums and cut everything that doesn't have to do with that. That's how NCLB became No Child Gets Ahead.
Here's how it went down in my district: The curriculum folk and the math leaders heard the pomp and circumstance of "rigor" and "depth" and *freaked out*. They saw it as being way too hard for the kids in this district (44% rate IDd as cognitively or academically gifted by state standards). They therefore put the kids on the absolute slowest track such that you can't get much past Algebra II without either (1) placing into gifted in 3rd grade (~5% of students), or (2) passing a tough test in 6th grade to take a 2-year class that they tell the kids over and over again will Be Really Hard and A Lot Of Work. About 10% of kids elected that route.
I'm sitting here with undergrads wanting to major in STEM fields, and they can't get the prerequisites done to even start the major. And now, at least for the implementation here, only a small fraction of our very smart kids will enter college with the math they need to even consider these majors.
Just to add. I don't really have a problem with CC standards themselves, I don't find them at all too demanding. But I have serious issues with how they are implemented, especially when it comes to teaching little kids.
Implementation is done very locally. While I will rant and rave endlessly at the decisions our district made for 6-12 implementation, they did a great job in K-5. Kids are thriving, with access to interesting and challenging work when they're ready, supported with stepping stones to understanding until then.
Standards are not curriculum.
