* Academic Content Standards describe the knowledge and skills that students should attain, often called the what of what students should know and be able to do. They indicate the ways of thinking, working, communicating, reasoning and investigating, and important and enduring ideas, concepts, issues, dilemmas and knowledge essential to the discipline.

How Can I Use the Standards?

• Teachers - can use the standards, and resources designed to support the standards, to develop instruction and assessment. There is not a single method or procedure for this development, but the standards should be at the heart of this work.
• School District- Administrators can use the standards, and the resources designed to support the standards, to develop their local curriculum and provide related professional development for teachers.
• Parents -can use the standards to keep track of what their children are learning and to talk to teachers about their childrens' academic progress.
• Policy Makers -can use the standards and the standards-based assessments to help establish clear priorities for resource allocation.
• Teacher Educators -can use the standards for planning instruction for pre-service teachers.
• Students can use the standards to monitor their progress towards meeting established learning expectations.