States, school districts, and individual schools have created standards that indicate what content teachers should teach and students should learn. This document suggests that in order to have substantive effect in mathematics and science classrooms, other components must be addressed and linked to the content standards which include establishing criteria for selecting programs or materials, building a common vision for instruction, prioritizing funds, setting up appropriate teacher professional development exercises, constructing student assessments aligned with the standards, and articulating policies about resources. This briefing paper describes program and system standards and shares implications for their use. Contains 11 references. (ASK)