In NSW the term standards has two aspects, performance standards and content standards.

The ‘standards’ refer to the levels of performance expected of students at particular stages of schooling. They describe levels of achievement in terms of the content, skills and understanding expected of students following a course of study. Performance standards are clarified by performance descriptions, examinations, marking guidelines and work samples. Content standards are defined by the outcomes statements and content contained in the various syllabuses developed by the NSW Board of Studies. These statements describe what a student should know and be able to do in a given subject. The defined standards are expected to remain constant through time.

A ‘benchmark’ is taken to refer to one particular level of performance on a scale. That level of performance may define a ‘benchmark’ that represents an exemplary standard, or it may define, as in the National Benchmarking, a minimal competency level a student may be expected to achieve that is necessary for later stages of learning.