Includes bibliographical references and index

This book provides classroom teachers at every grade level and subject the tools and background to effectively work with standards as a guide in their planning. It explains the process by which educators can rearticulate state standards and align the locally rearticulated standards to their curriculum and student performance. Six chapters include: (1) "Student Achievement Using a Holistic Approach to Standards" (e.g., best practices and consensus for standards); (2) "The Need for Dialogue" (e.g., communicating consensus and stakeholders as team members); (3) "The Language of Expectation" (e.g., the need for a common language and constructing a verb matrix); (4) "Designing and Using the Standards-Based Curriculum" (e.g., writing criterion standards and standards-based instructional plan); (5) "Instructional Plans Based on Criterion Standards" (foreign language, language arts, mathematics, science, and social science); and (6) "Lesson Planning Takes Root" (e.g., integrating the curriculum and the planned course document). Two appendixes offer relevant Web sites and verb matrix survey material. (Contains 70 bibliographic references.) (SM)