National Standards

The new national standards are now available online via the Ministry of Education.

I'm a little amused as to why they're capitalised, as in "National Standards" - the proper noun-ing of what is already happening. Is that double-speak?

We received them at school on Monday in the paper form. I've not had a chance to read them yet - but anecdotal evidence seems to be it's more of what we're already doing. Which makes it really a political mandate - not an educational one.

Greg Caroll has a principals take on them:  Pigs and measuring...