This publication is designed to help local administrators and teachers achieve the fundamental goal of the No Child Left Behind Act, that is, improved learning for all students. For administrators, it furnishes information useful for understanding the key issues that must be dealt with at the district, school, and classroom levels; provides a view of what students are to learn; presents ways to ensure that curriculum, instruction, and assessment are aligned with standards; and offers guidance on how to support teachers' efforts. For teachers, the guide provides information on how to create standards-based learning experiences. The guide is divided into four chapters, including an introduction. Chapter 2 highlights the importance of defining the knowledge and skills students will be expected to acquire and provides guidance for districts and teachers by specifying what students will be learning. Chapters 3 and 4 provide specific guidelines for teachers in designing standards-based units, choosing the best instructional approaches, creating learning experiences, and selecting assessments while considering the diverse needs of students. Each of the three main chapters contains helpful resources, key ideas, and paradigms presented as sidebar material; various figures and exhibits; a conclusion; and references. (Contains 59 references.) (WFA)