This monograph discusses the question of flexibility as permitted by the standards of the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), a question of concern to educators eager to meet the standards and to satisfy the needs of school personnel. Flexibility is defined, and the purpose and design of NCATE standards discussed. Thurman indicates that deliberate effort has been made in the standards to encourage individuality, imagination, and innovation. In spite of this, he continues, questions about flexibility persist for the following reasons: a) lack of distinction between flexibility and alternative approaches, b) lack of distinction between standards as a basis for program development and evaluation and as a framework for preparing the institutional report, c) lack of statements in the standards about experimentation, and d) uncertainty about what the visiting team and evaluation board deem important. Each of these reasons is examined in relation to the standards. Thurman advocates working within the standards to improve and develop programs and further explication of the standards by NCATE. (JA)