For too long, U.S. education has lacked meaningful standards and avoided real accountability. Thankfully, this is starting to change. Academic standards describe what students should know and be able to do in core subjects at critical points in their education career. Standards can be set locally, at the state level, nationally, even internationally. After the debacle of the national standards movement in the early 1990's, and the recent sidelining of President Clinton's proposal for national testing, most significant standards-setting is now taking place in state capitals.
Standards define the desired results of schooling.
They specify, for example, what students should know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school. With a standards-based accountability system, schools can be judged by their results and their students' achievements, rather than by how closely they follow rules and regulations. Tests, directly linked to the standards, are critical. Finally, standards and tests must be coupled with consequences. Students should be promoted to the next grade only when they have met the academic standards required.