Opportunity-to-learn (OTL) standards respond to concerns that the use of new assessments based on more rigorous academic standards is unfair if some students lack the opportunity to learn what is measured on the assessments in the schools they attend. During 1992-93, the National Governors' Association (NGA) launched an effort to consider how states might define and use OTL standards at state and local levels. The NGA Task Force on Education solicited broad-based input through a national working group of policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and business leaders; a national hearing; a series of commissioned papers; and four state working groups. In August 1993, the task force proposed seven principles that emerged from their deliberations. This report presents their statement and discusses issues related to the development and implementation of OTL standards. Some concerns revolve around the definition of OTL standards, their purpose and use, stage at which they should be developed, and the appropriate federal role. The report highlights the different perspectives in the debate, reviews the state role, provides examples of state approaches (used by California, New York, South Carolina, and Vermont), and suggests next steps for state policymakers. Appendices contain references and lists of individuals providing oral and written testimony, and participants in NGA's national seminars and state working groups. (LMI)