The process of development should be consultative so that those who are affected by the standards have a voice in them. Pedagogically oriented standards such as the U.S. ESL standards and the Australian ESL bandscales have tended to involve more consultation with the language teaching profession, as their primary purpose is to improve teachers' understandings and to inform their practice in ways that reflect best practice. The European framework was developed by a group of experts working for the Council of Europe, although a network of people and institutions throughout Europe were involved in their revision. Because the Ontario curriculum was based on an overall framework encompassing all school subjects, it was developed by curriculum experts with some consultation of ESL specialists. Language standards vary in what they describe, reflecting their purpose and the conceptual views of those who develop them.
Most language standards describe what learners know and are able to do at various levels.
However, how this knowledge and these skills are conceptualized may vary. For example, the Australian ESL bandscales and the Ontario curriculum address the four skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening separately whereas the U.S. ESL standards address them in an embedded, integrative fashion. The European framework focuses on the interaction of the receptive and interactive modes, particularly for speaking. Language standards vary in what they describe, reflecting their purpose and the conceptual views of those who develop them. The continuum of pedagogical and administrative purposes generates a range of other features.