Required reading for the national standards module:

American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (1999). Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press, Inc.

This manual can be ordered from ACTFL online: http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4283

The Executive Summary, listed in the menu to the left, is a very brief overview of the standards.  Please order the full version for much more in-depth descriptions, explanations and examples.