The Office of Academic and Professional Standards provides local school districts with technical assistance and professional development to ensure that all students receive appropriate standards-based education. In the Curriculum and Instruction Unit, content coordinators provide telephone, electronic, and on-site technical assistance and professional development in areas related to curriculum development and alignment, policy development, student assessment, and research-based practices. For more information on those services, go to the content area pages. The Professional Standards and Development Unit focuses on the Professional Teaching Standards Board, teacher mentoring, and administrator standards. Also, the office is the home to NJPEP, an online professional education port that provides resources and information for teachers, administrators, parents, and students. The Higher Education Quality Initiatives Unit focuses on a number of specialized programs that involve institutions of higher education.