Mrs Tolley will travel the country, holding meetings with school boards of trustees, teachers and communities to explain the policy.
The NZEI begins a bus campaign next week at Bluff and Kaitaia against the policy.
Mrs Tolley hinted yesterday that the Government would put in place extra monitoring than is planned at present, with a promise to change it if necessary.
But she rejected any notion of a trial, as academics and teachers want, before implementation begins this term in 2000 schools,Prime Minister John Key called standards expert Prof John Hattie, of Auckland University, to the Beehive on Wednesday to discuss concerns over implementation.
Mrs Tolley attended the meeting, at which Prof Hattie suggested improvements.
Mrs Tolley said yesterday she expected to make a further announcement in the next two weeks.
"What hasn't been clear to people was the ongoing evaluation and monitoring that we are putting into place.
"The results of that are going to be posted publicly and we are asking the [education] sector to keep an eye on those and if we need to make changes we will make them based on the outcome of that evaluation."
The technical experts group would also continue to keep an eye on the policy.
Mrs Tolley said she was keen to convince teachers but it was "very difficult to get over the heads of the union to teachers".
National standards is a flagship National policy and was part of its 2005 and 2008 election manifestos.
It sets specific standards in reading, writing and maths for children at various primary and intermediate levels and promises to let parents know whether their children meet the standard, exceed it, fall below it or fall well below it.
The specifics were released last October.
Mr Key would not comment on what Prof Hattie said but said he had huge respect for him.
"While he has some concerns about implementation risk, for the most part he is extremely supportive of national standards."
NZEI president Frances Nelson said yesterday the bus tour would last for the whole first term.
She said the invitations she had from boards of trustees was to present a professional view of the national standards, not political spin.
The NZEI opposes the standards and is calling for a trial.
The reality was teachers had always worked to standards.
Some schools thought it would be no change, though that was not yet clear, Ms Nelson said.
She had no meeting planned with Mrs Tolley but was willing to meet to get it sorted.
The New Zealand Principals' Association yesterday released the results of a survey that attracted 600 replies from principals before school break-up last year.
Federation president Ernie Buutveld said 49% of all board had serious misgivings or some disquiet about standards.
He said only 3% of the respondents had been prepared to back the standards unanimously.
