This paper was prepared for the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment and Training Taskforce on Teacher Quality & Educational Leadership. The brief for the paper was to 'Develop an issues paper to provide a basis for discussion and, where possible, propose options. The paper covers the following broad areas: definitions and purposes for standards (the meaning of standards, rationale for teaching standards, purposes for teaching standards: mapping the territory); defining performance-based teaching standards (professional principles; content standards; evidential standards ; performance standards; how are standards structured?); teaching standards: whose responsibility?; a national standards framework: issues and areas for action (accreditation of teacher education; content and qualification standards; performance-based assessments for registration; performance-based professional certification; stance).