Initiatives to Create Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Standards

Congress established the National Council on Education Standards and Testing to examine carefully all of the issues involved in a national program of standards and testing. Their recommendation was to establish national standards in five subjects: mathematics, science, history, geography, and English. The standards in each subject were to include a "guiding vision" for the standard; a description of the knowledge, skills, and understandings necessary to master the content; and definitions of the performance levels needed to demonstrate competency. The Council also said that a system of multiple assessments tied to the standards should be created.

Participation in any national standards program by local and state systems would be voluntary, although the Council emphasized its belief that such a program probably would be used widely. The Council argued that national standards could become a powerful force for raising expectations, increasing participation in science classes, and improving science learning for students.

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