Making Sure All Courses
Meet High Standards

It is vital that you not only enroll in the courses recommended for college-bound students, but also that the material taught in those courses reflect high academic standards and high expectations for what students should know and be able to do. Research indicates that high expectations and high standards improve achievement and positively influence student learning.

Efforts are under way in states and communities across the country to answer the question: "What is it that you ought to know and be able to do . . . to participate fully in today's and tomorrow's economy?" Many states and local communities have been developing or revising their standards (sometimes called "curriculum frameworks") in core subject areas such as math, science, English, history, geography, foreign languages, civics, and the arts. These standards help provide you with answers to questions such as:

"Are you really learning?"

"What is it that you should know by the end of each grade?"

Many school districts are taking the initiative in setting higher standards. In many communities, students, parents, teachers, administrators, business leaders, clergy, college representatives, curriculum experts, and interested citizens are working together to develop or revise standards. In creating their own standards, many states and communities are drawing on model standards developed by national professional associations.

In order to make sure that the curriculum in your school meets high academic standards, call your school to find out if state or local standards are being developed. Ask how you can get involved in the standard-setting process. Join with other students, parents, teachers, and your principal and compare your school's standards against the best schools and the best state standards.