Standards-based education reform in the United States
Components
Standards outline what students need to know, understand, and be able to do. Standards should be developmentally appropriate and relevant to future employment and education needs. Standards should generally be written so that all students are capable of achieving them, and so that talented students will exceed them. All students are believed to be capable of learning and of meeting high expectations. Both advanced and struggling students can learn new things in their own ways and at their own rates. Instruction that helps an individual student learn the information and skills listed in the standards is emphasized. Both excellence and equity are valued. Subgroups are carefully measured to identify and reduce systemic racism, bias, and the tyranny of low expectations. Professional teachers are empowered to make the decisions essential for effective learning, rather than having a teaching style prescribed under traditional education models. Social promotion is discouraged. Students advance or are retained based on their actual learning achievements instead of based on their age, their friends' achievements, or tradition. Some of the common components of standards-based education reform are:
Standards-based education reform in the United States-9