Several states had also indicated willingness to participate in voluntary national tests in reading at fourth grade and math at eighth grade to help parents and teachers compare students' performance against national and international standards. Therefore, standards and standard-setting are particularly relevant for middle school teachers in the area of mathematics, although reading and language arts are almost as important. The future of many of the students who do stay in school is determined by the content of the math courses they take in middle school, with algebra being a basic building block for later math and science success. Although standards-based education is a relatively new concept, it seems to be here to stay. And since standards drive every part of the education mechanism, it is vital that teachers understand and are comfortable with their district and state standards.
Standards are controversial and differ from place to place.
They are only as good as the people who create them, and educators must overcome many disagreements in the process of creating them. As a teacher, you can play a role in the local standard setting process. Find out how your district and state standards compare to standards in other jurisdictions. If you are not satisfied with your findings, work to effectuate positive change. If you are satisfied with your local standards, make sure that teachers are being trained to meet the standards and that levels of student achievement are rising.