Student Goals and Standards
Federal legislation requires each state to have challenging
content standards and student performance standards with at least three designated
levels of performance. In response, the Iowa Department of Education worked
with the United States Department of Education and developed the Iowa Model
for Continuous School Improvement.
The Code of Iowa 280.12/280.18 empowers each district to develop its own standards and student achievement. Furthermore, Code of Iowa, 280.12 states "The board of directors of each school district shall adopt goals to improve students achievement and performance."
The Iowa Department of Education provides definitions related to school improvement including the following:
- Student Learning Goals: The expected end results of education.
- Content Standards: What students are expected to know and be able to do in identified disciplines or subject areas.
- Benchmarks: A description of the specific developmental levels of information and skills identified by a standard, by grade level or transition level.
Technology Benchmarks K-12