Amidst the increasing agreement on the necessity of national standards in core subjects, there is substantial confusion regarding the fundamental question: What exactly are standards? According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, are they principles that define what should be taught, serving as a basis for educators to evaluate current practices? Or are they benchmarks that determine the levels of achievement students should reach, as proposed by the National Assessment Governing Board?
Governor Roy Romer of Colorado, co-chairman of the National Council on Education Standards and Testing, emphasized the need for a unified definition. He stated, “It is clear that we must establish a common understanding of these terms, as different individuals use them in varying ways.” Governor Romer announced that the council, in addition to recognizing the importance of national standards, had also reached a consensus on their definition. These standards, according to him, would address two fundamental questions: What are the desired outcomes, and how can we determine if those outcomes are being achieved? Governor Romer referred to the outline provided by the nctm in their 1989 publication, “Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics,” stating that it would be referred to as “content standards” and would define the skills and knowledge students should acquire. Proceeding from these standards, educators could develop tasks that assess students’ comprehension of the concepts taught in class, subsequently making informed judgments about the level of knowledge required for success.
Governor Romer advocated for calling such judgments “performance standards.” He clarified, “When we discuss ‘national standards,’ we are referring to guidelines that outline what young individuals should know and be capable of doing in order to be competent participants in the global economy.”