What are statements describing what students should know or be able to do at the end of a study period called?

The term that describes what students should know or be able to do at the end of a study period is standards. Standards are established educational benchmarks that outline the expected knowledge and skills that students should acquire during their educational experience. They provide a framework for educators to assess student performance and ensure consistency in what is taught across different educational settings.

Standards are typically aligned with state or national educational goals and are designed to help prepare students for future academic and career opportunities. They serve as a guide for curriculum development, instructional planning, and assessments, ensuring that students are meeting established expectations.

Other terms like specifications, benchmarks, and criteria do not have the same specific and overarching role in education as standards. Specifications may refer to detailed descriptions of tasks or criteria for assessment, benchmarks typically represent specific points of progress within a broader curriculum, and criteria are often used to evaluate student work based on set standards. However, standards are the foundational expectations for what all students should achieve by the end of a designated learning period.