Politico (7/2, Simon, Emma) reported that the cost of testing contracts is the latest battleground in the fight over Common Core education standards. While about 40 states initially backed the idea of using shared tests, “at least 17 already have backed away from using them this spring, including several of the most populous states,” and “even some Obama allies,” including the National Education Association, “are angry at the administration’s decision to pour money into developing new exams years before most teachers began introducing the academic standards into their classrooms.”