Standards (Content):

• Content standards describe what students should know, understand and be able to accomplish to become scientifically literate.
• Content standards are best developed communally, with local, district, state and national input.
• Content standards set broad expectations for students that do not necessarily prescribe a curriculum.
• Content standards should apply equally to all students regardless of ethnicity, gender, or cultural background.

Targets:

• Targets help assessors describe and communicate the specific acheivement expectations that are the foundation for the assessment task.
• Targets are based on intended student outcomes (or visions of success).
• Targets are best developed communally, with local, district, state input, and using national guidelines and standards.
• Targets specify what types of student attainments are to be measured, such as: knowledge, reasoning, skills, products, and dispositions.
• Performance assessment is best suited to assessing complex, multidimensional targets such as reasoning, skill, and product achievements.

background information about standards and targets