Standards set goals and a plan of action for meeting those goals. Therefore schools use the standards to guide decisions on what and how to teach students. Standards make it more likely that all school activities spending decisions, the lesson plans, the teaching methods, and the measurement of performance are designed with the same goals in mind. By having standards, schools send the message that all students are expected to gain certain knowledge and skills. Standards mean that schools will not expect less of some students and more of others.
Standards help teachers focus on teaching a specific body of knowledge and skills.
This helps them make decisions on how to use classroom time. Standards help coordinate what is taught in the different classrooms. Standards help schools and parents determine what they each can do to help students achieve. They are used to develop the school compact, which is the written statement of what schools and parents are each supposed to do to help students achieve. Standards provide a way to measure student progress.