English Language Arts (ELA)

The CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy are organized around a number of key design considerations. The College and Career Readiness anchor standards constitute the backbone of the standards and define the general, cross-disciplinary literacy expectations for students in preparation for college and the workforce. The standards are divided into strands: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. Connected to these design considerations is the interdisciplinary expectation that the development of each student’s literacy skills is a shared responsibility—English language arts teachers collaborating with teachers of other academic content subjects for an integrated model of literacy across the curriculum. 

The standards establish what it means to be a literate person in the twenty-first century. Students learn to closely read and analyze critical works of literature and an array of nonfiction text in an exploding print and digital world. They use research and technology to sift through the staggering amount of information available and engage in collaborative conversations, sharing and reforming viewpoints through a variety of written and speaking applications. Teachers, schools, districts, and county offices of education are encouraged to use these standards to design specific curricular and instructional strategies that best deliver the content to their students.

The CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy help build creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, and communication. They set another bold precedent to improve the academic achievement of California’s students.  The standards develop the foundation for creative and purposeful expression in language-fulfilling California’s vision that all students graduate from our public school system as lifelong learners and have the skills and knowledge necessary to be ready to assume their position in our global economy (CDE, 2013).

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