AUGUSTA — Maine has become the 42nd state to adopt a new set of academic standards known as Common Core.

Gov. Paul LePage on Friday signed the Common Core standards bill into law after it passed both the House and Senate unanimously. The administration says it sets forth a clear set of standards for teachers to work with, and allows them to tailor their teaching to the new, rigorous expectations of what students should know.

By adopting the Common Core standards, Maine schools will be able to take advantage of new curriculum resources that leading text book producers are developing to align with the new standards.