State leaders have been raising their state's academic standards and creating high-stakes tests that involve incentives and penalties for students and schools in their efforts to raise student achievement. The ability of local school boards to lead student-achievement policy in their communities depends upon how well they can use their state's system of standards and assessments, analyze local issues in student achievement, and make decisions that result in improvement. One aim of this publication is to help school board members strengthen their understanding and ability to deal with standards and assessments as they make decisions about raising student achievement in their school districts. Another board responsibility involves defining student achievement as it relates to the school community's vision of what it means to be an educated and competent person. Therefore, a second aim of this book is to explore key factors involved in defining student achievement. A third aim is to show policymakers how vision setting, standards, and assessment are related and flow from one to the other. This book provides readers with a broad range of factors to consider in reaching their own conclusions about what student achievement means in their community. (Contains 72 references.) (RT)