ABSTRACT
The standard movement was officially inaugurated with the publishing of Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Academic standards are designed to illustrate what students should know and be able to do in academic subjects at each grade level. Alignment of assessment instruments tied to standards was not the original intent of the professional organizations that developed them. Standards-referenced test instruments, typically in the form of what are called performance assessment tests, have cropped up across the country. Efficiency as an educational concept represents what is known as the technical interest. The technical interest, as described by the philosopher Jrgen Habermas, is a meansend approach. Frizzell and Dunderdale assembled a research summary that synthesizes peer-reviewed research related to Common Core Standards. This compendium was completed to inform the Center on Education Policy (CEP), which is housed at the George Washington University.
