Standards, assessment and curriculum

Abstract

Among the present approaches that we find in the domain of curriculum design in different educational levels, standard-based curriculum is very widespread.Its adoption is particularly recommended by many educational policy and curriculum design specialists. We analize here the origins of the use of the concept of standardin the fields of curriculum and assessment. We do not intend to make an historical study of this issue but to show, from a didactic perspective, some of the meanings of this concept when employed in these fields and their posible desirable and undesirableconsecuences.