Standards

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According to ASCD's A Lexicon of Learning, the term standards usually refers to specific criteria for what students are expected to learn and be able to do. These standards usually take two forms in the curriculum:

• Content standards (similar to what were formerly called goals and objectives), which tell what students are expected to know and be able to do in various subject areas, such as mathematics and science.
• Performance standards, which specify what levels of learning are expected. Performance standards assess the degree to which students have met content standards. The term world-class standards refers to the content and performances that are expected of students in other industrialized countries. In recent years, standards have also been developed specifying what teachers should know and be able to do.

Related Topics

Common Core State Standards

Articles 

Members can access the full text of all articles by logging in.

Educational Leadership

• The Myth of Equal Content (November 2009)
• The Outside-Inside Connection (October 2009) (free full text)
• Seven Reasons for Standards-Based Grading (October 2008) (free full text)
• An Unintentional Deception (October 2008) (free full text)
• Challenging Inequity, Insisting on Excellence (October 2008) (free full text)

ASCD Express

• Turning to National Standards (January 2010) (theme issue; several articles in free full text)

ASCD Infobrief

• Has the Time Come for National Standards? (2009) (free full text)

Books 

See free sample chapters, study guides, and author interviews.

• Making Standards Useful in the Classroom (2008)
• Tests That Teach: Using Standardized Tests to Improve Instruction (2007)
• From Standards to Success: A Guide for School Leaders (2005)
• Meeting Standards Through Integrated Curriculum (2004)
• Accountability for Learning: How Teachers and School Leaders Can Take Charge (2004)

Webinars 

• Eleanor Dougherty: Assignments Matter: Making the Connections That Help Students Meet Standards (October 11, 2012)

Online Learning 

PD Online^® Courses

Our award-winning PD Online courses are interactive, in-depth, and self-paced online professional development courses for educators. Explore more courses in the online course catalog.

• The Next Generation Science Standards: An Introduction
• Understanding the Common Core Writing Standards: Grades K-5
• Understanding the Common Core Writing Standards: Grades 6-12

Videos 

See sample clips.

• Balanced Assessment: Improving Student Achievement and Standardized Test Results (2004)
• How to Prepare Students for Standardized Tests (2001)

Experts & Events

ASCD Faculty members are available for on-site capacity-building professional development on school standards. ASCD can design a precise professional development plan, organized around our field-tested solutions, with a focus on the education foundations that make sense for you.

Learn more about ASCD Professional Learning Services

ASCD Conferences, One-, Two-, and Three-Day Institutes, and other special events frequently feature sessions about school standards.

Learn more about ASCD Conferences and Events