As a reaction to the unsatisfactory results achieved in PISA, the German National Education Authority (Kultusministerkonferenz) introduced national standards of education in mathematics as well as in other subjects. In this essay some general characteristics of these national standards are outlined, along with a more detailed description of the mathematics standards. Various mathematical tasks exemplify the standards, and the role of these exemplifying tasks is discussed. This discussion also covers the presumed dichotomy of "tasks for testing purposes" and "tasks for teaching purposes". The concept of high-quality teaching is outlined initially, and the extent to which educational standards can contribute to quality development is discussed. Finally, potential risks caused by the implementation of national standards are considered, e. g. focussing teaching on tasks for testing purposes. The article concludes with measures which are essential and which must be taken to make the implementation of national standards a success.