Developed through a broad based national consensus building process, the National History Standards project has involved working toward agreement both on the larger purposes of history in the school curriculum and on the more specific history understandings and thinking processes that all students should have equal opportunity to acquire over 12 years of precollegiate education. Divided into four chapters, this document presents the national standards for world history, for grades 5-12. Chapter 1 discusses the significance of history for the educated citizen, and offers definitions of the standards and criteria for their development. The process of developing the standards in world history is described. Three policy issues are identified: (1) ensuring equity for all students; (2) providing adequate instructional time for history; and (3) accommodating variability in state and local curriculum plans. Chapter 2 outlines the development of the standards in historical thinking, and addresses chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretation, historical research capabilities, and historical issues analysis and decision making with examples for different grade levels. Chapter 3 gives an overview of standards in historical understandings and describes integration of the standards in historical thinking and historical understanding in 8 eras of world history: (1) beginnings of human society; (2) early civilizations and the emergence of pastoral peoples, 4000-1000 BCE; (3) classical traditions, major religions, and giant empires, 1000 BCE-300 CE; (4) expanding zones of exchange and encounter, 300-1000 CE; (5) intensified hemispheric interactions, 1000-1500 CE; (6) emergence of the first global age, 1450-1770; (7) age of revolutions, 1750-1914; and (8) the 20th century. Chapter 4 lists teaching resources for world history. An appendix gives organizational information. (DK)