Reports of declining test scores and high school graduates who can't read or compute have triggered a public demand for higher standards in education. In light of this demand, National Assessment re-examined its role with respect to raising educational quality in this country. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) asked seven educators to answer questions about NAEP's appropirate role regarding standards. (1) To what extent is there a desire to establish and raise standards in the United States? (2) What is the nature of the desire? (3) How are standards of educational achievement raised beyond that of minimum proficiency? (4) What roles should NAEP play in developing or setting educational standards at the national, state, and local levels? (5) What process should NAEP use to assure that elements important to particular learning areas be included? (6) What ways of organizing/structuring objectives would help facilitate raising educational standards? Their responses, synthesized in this paper, shed light on the nature of the public's desire for standards and on steps various communities are taking and provide recommendations on the part that the National Assessment should play. Primary types of information provided by report: Program Description (Program Goals). (Author/PN)