This book is intended to be used as a guide to develop a performance-based curriculum based on language arts standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. The book helps teachers take their students beyond knowledge and basic skills by teaching them to be accountable for showing what they are learning. It requires students to apply their knowledge in a learning performance that the teacher can both observe and measure--educators, parents, business and industry leaders, and community members throughout the nation want students to be able to demonstrate what they learn. According to the book, shifting the focus from "knowing" to "showing" means that instruction, assessment, evaluation, and reporting will be oriented around these learning performances. The book offers a framework for a logical, incremental transition to a performance-based orientation. It provides performance benchmarks to assess progress at Grades 3, 5, 8, and 12. The performance benchmarks discussed in the book will help the teacher: organize what is taught around a clear set of content/concept standards; organize how to teach by emphasizing what students need to do with what they know; focus instruction around the six major strands of language arts; center students on what they will need to demonstrate in a formal evaluation of their learning; and communicate to parents a clear and rigorous academic focus on performance-based education. Includes templates which can be customized for each student. (NKA)