The Case to Adopt Common College- and Career-Ready Standards (State Cards) - In 2009 Common Core State Standards Initiative was launched under the auspices of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors’ Conference. This Alliance for Excellent Education web site provides state-specific data relevant to the need for improved standards and assessments in the U.S. and the potential benefits of educating all students to meet the common core standards. (Alliance for Excellent Education, May 2010)...

U.S. Department of Education: Accountability Web Site - This Web site provides links to information on accountability, assessment, standards and related publications....

National Dialogue on Standards-Based Education - This newly created site is aimed at raising the quality and productivity of public discourse on standards-based education reform. The site features discussion forums, an electronic library of research and media reports. The National Dialogue is a joint project of the North Central Regional Education Lab, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, and the Berkana Institute....

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) - This nationwide, nonprofit organization is composed of public officials who lead departments responsible for elementary and secondary education in the states. In representing the chief education officers, CCSSO works on behalf of the state agencies that serve pre-K-12 students throughout the nation. This site provides information about accountability systems....

National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) - NASBE is a nonprofit private association which represents state and territorial boards of education. The association’s objectives include strengthening state leadership in education policymaking, promoting excellence in the education of all students, and advocating equality of access to educational opportunity. This link takes you to NASBE's page on accountability, assessment and standards, with access to numerous reports, articles and policy briefs....

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) - NCSL is a bipartisan organization dedicated to serving the lawmakers and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. This link takes you to the latest information on accountability, standards and assessments....

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) - NCEO provides national leadership in the participation of students with disabilities and limited-English-proficient students in national and state assessments, standards-setting efforts and graduation requirements. Its Web site includes information on NCEO projects, its research findings and publications, and other related resources....

Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing (CRESST) - The Web site of CRESST, a federally sponsored, university-based research center, includes more than 300 technical reports on a variety of issues involving standards and standards-based assessment....

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) - McREL, one of 10 federally supported research labs, is a leading source of information about standards-based reform. Its Web site offers a wide variety of research reports, policy briefs and links to other sources of information about standards....

Achieve Inc. - Achieve, an independent, bipartisan organization created at the 1996 National Education Summit, serves as a national clearinghouse on standards, assessment and accountability. Its Web site includes a database that allows sophisticated searches and side-by-side comparisons of the standards of more than 40 states and several foreign countries. The Achieve site also includes news items, policy briefs and detailed analyses of the standards and assessments of several states that Achieve has conducted over the past two years. ...