(1) The content and performance standards shall be used by school districts to develop local curriculum and assessment in all the content areas including: communication arts (reading, literature, writing, speaking and listening, and media literacy) ; arts; health enhancement; library media; mathematics; science; social studies; technology; world languages; workplace competencies; and career and vocational/technical education. The K-12 content standards describe what students shall know, understand and be able to do in these content areas. Benchmarks define the expectations for students' knowledge, skills, and abilities along a developmental continuum in each content area. Progress toward meeting these standards is measured at three points along that continuum: the end of grade 4, the end of grade 8, and upon graduation. Performance standards define the quality of student performance and describe the performance to be demonstrated. Performance level descriptions provide a picture or profile of student achievement at the four performance levels: advanced, proficient, nearing proficiency, and novice.