An active clearance is one in which the candidate is presently eligible for access to classified information. A current clearance is one in which a candidate has been determined eligible for access to classified information but is not currently eligible without a reinstatement.
The NCTM Standards evolved over several years, beginning with the 1980 report An Agenda for Action (NCTM, 1980), an important precursor to the NCTM Standards documents. A set of events and circumstances took place in the 1980s that spurred the need for standards and for national direction in mathematics education.
According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASTM ASTM International (ASTM), originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services.