Performance standards address which question?

• A. Which topics to cover in a unit
• B. How to grade on attendance
• C. What color pencil to use
• D. What does good performance look like? How good is good enough?

Answer: (D)

Performance standards specify what good performance looks like and how much is required. They set the concrete criteria for success so teachers and students share a clear target. These standards describe observable outcomes and levels of mastery, often conveyed through rubrics or descriptors, and they guide how work is assessed and what counts as evidence of learning. They focus on the quality of the performance itself, not on what topics are studied or what materials are used. That’s why this item centers on the question of what good performance looks like and how good is good enough. The other options miss this focus: deciding topics to cover is about curriculum scope, grading attendance concerns participation, and pencil color has no bearing on performance quality.