Content standards can be drawn from many sources. Content standards have also been developed by the Rhode Island Skills commission, various school districts in and out of state professional organizations such as the Rhode Island Council for the Arts. If all students are going to achieve high standards, the district needs to have commonly agreed upon set of content and performance standards. District and school decision-making is based on whether a particular decision will help all kids to achieve high standards. Kindergarten through grade 12 curriculums are aligned with the standards as are classroom instruction and assessments.
Standards form the basis for congruence among curriculum, instruction, and assessment.