Ohio schools are experiencing many changes. At the heart of these many changes are the state's academic content standards for English language arts (reading and writing), math, science and social studies. Why are standards so important? Because they focus the attention of schools, teachers, parents and students squarely on what we expect children to know and be able to do at every grade level.

Clarifying expectations through Ohio's academic content standards is the necessary first step to improving student achievement. The framework for academic content standards includes three components: standards, benchmarks and grade-level indicators.

Standards describe the broad themes or the topics across all grade levels that students need to know or be able to do.

Benchmarks identify what all students should know and be able to do at the end of a grade-level band.

Grade-level indicators clearly define what all students should know and be able to do at each grade level.

For a complete list of Ohio's academic content standards, visit the Ohio Department of Education's Web site at www.ode.state.oh.us.