Standards

For BIE students, college- and career-ready standards provide a clear foundation for academic growth by outlining consistent, grade-by-grade learning expectations across K–12. These standards are not a curriculum; rather, they define what students should know and be able to do, while curriculum and instructional resources support how those goals are taught. The BIE College and Career Ready Standards emphasize high, rigorous expectations aligned to real-world demands, helping students build critical thinking, problem-solving, and foundational skills essential for success in both college and future careers.

• Standards, Assessments and Accountability System (SAAS) Final Rule

College and Career Ready Standards

• BIE College and Career Ready Standards in Math, K-12
• BIE College and Career Ready Standards in English Language Arts, K-12
• Next Generation Science Standards/BIE College and Career Ready Standards, K-12

Essential standards are the prioritized learning expectations that all students must master to ensure equitable access to the most critical knowledge and skills in each content area. In the Bureau of Indian Education, these standards align directly with Interim and summative assessment blueprints, creating coherence between instruction, assessment, and intended outcomes. By identifying essential standards, teachers can focus instructional time on high-leverage concepts that support readiness for future learning, cross-disciplinary application, and long-term academic growth. Teachers collaboratively develop pacing guides around these standards, ensuring instruction is both viable and consistently delivered across classrooms. This process reduces variability, strengthens the use of common assessments, and promotes a guaranteed and viable curriculum — ultimately improving clarity of learning priorities and supporting stronger student achievement across the BIE system.