Iowa Core

I have been a fan of the Iowa Core standards since they were introduced to me a few years ago.   I like the  straight forward yet vagueness to them.  I can see myself using them in my lessons two different ways, first being to get me started on what to plan my lesson around and the second being making sure I cover the major topics that need to be covered. (meaning help me plan the curriculum)  Of course they have their faults. From my understanding there is much debate on how useful they are.