Defines four essential elements of a system of educational standards: (1) common, rigorous student achievement standards; (2) state-administered assessments; (3) explicit rewards for achievement; and (4) opportunity to reach the standards. Practices to ensure these conditions and enact a system based on these elements are discussed. (SLD)

A historic change is taking place in American education with the development of voluntary national standards that will identify what all students should know and be able to do in order to live and work in the twenty-first century. Content standards will define what students should know and be able to do, and performance standards will identify the…

In support of the National Education Goals of 1990, the Goals Panel convened a Technical Planning Group to offer background guidance for the National Council on Education and Standards in its task of establishing world-class academic standards for the United States. Recommendations of the Planning Group consider two types of content standards:…

Nearly every state has adopted or is in the process of adopting content and performance standards for education. This guide summarizes some of the lessons learned in developing standards. It also provides tips and strategies from early leaders in standards development to help educators and policymakers who are working on new forms of assessment.…

Career and technical education (CTE) in Pennsylvania faces a dual challenge. CTE programs must prepare students for careers in the 21st century and the new knowledge economy. Simultaneously, CTE must meet or exceed academic expectations and standards required of all students. This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of Jobs for…

Explores and contrasts early efforts to set standards in mathematics and social studies, juxtaposing California's revisions of its history and social science curricula and the standard-setting approach of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Both programs achieved success in part because of their development strategies. (SLD)

This report presents detailed state-by-state descriptions of the range of state policies affected by the current education reform movement. It begins by presenting a typology of standards imposed by education decision-makers at the state, district and local level. This typology was used to identify, collect, and describe state-prescribed…

The cornerstone of Alaska's effort to bring higher standards and accountability to the public school system was the development of content standards in 10 core areas. These standards represent what Alaskans want students to know and be able to do as a result of their public schooling. This booklet presents the following content standards and their…

At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the call for all students to be "proficient" in reading and mathematics by 2014. Yet the law expects each state to define proficiency as it sees fit and design its own tests. This study investigated three research questions related to this policy: (1) How consistent are various…

The preservice licensure and preparation of career and technical education (CTE) teachers was examined to determine whether changes in CTE teacher licensure requirements are necessary. Two overarching missions of CTE were identified. The first was traditional/tech prep (leading to employment). The second was a more general combination of education…