Intro to Common Core Standards for ELA

Introduction to Common Core Standards for ELA

The Common Core State Standards have revolutionized K-12 education across the United States. This set of national standards aligns learning and teaching with the skills and knowledge necessary for college and career readiness. Standards for both Mathematics and English/Language Arts (ELA) are at work every day in classrooms from coast to coast. 

The Common Core Standards for ELA carefully detail what a literate person in the twenty-first century should be able to know, understand, and do. Students performing at mastery on the Standards read critically, express themselves in writing, enjoy complex vocabulary, and are able to interpret and understand a variety of literary genres. They also are able to determine importance in a world filled with media, both print and digital, and engage thoughtfully with quality informational and literary texts. Students who have mastered the Common Core State Standards possess a strong foundation for writing, reading, listening and speaking, and have the skills necessary to succeed both in college and future careers.

The Common Core Standards for ELA are divided into standards addressing reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. Each content strand is divided into grade specific learning targets that translate the broad goals of the Common Core State Standards into age and ability appropriate terms and targets. 

• Reading From grades K-12 the Common Core Standards for ELA have established a careful progression of increasingly demanding skills and knowledge necessary to meet the rigor of college and career level reading. This progression also includes reading comprehension skills that challenge students, over time, to understand and apply more of what they've read. Students are engaged in a wide variety of literary and informational texts that will require them to gain insights, explore possibilities, broaden their perspectives, and build knowledge. 
• Writing The writing standards include a variety of skills and applications required to write across multiple genres. Students are expected to demonstrate an increasing proficiency in their language use, the organization and development of ideas, a unique voice, and the ability to access relevant sources and content. Students will develop the ability to write logical arguments centered on substantive claims, relevant evidence, and sound reasoning. 
• Speaking and Listening The speaking and listening standards require students to participate in regular, structured opportunities to talk in pairs and small groups. These discussions are designed to include the expectation that students contribute accurate and relevant information to the conversations and respond appropriately to what others have said. 
• Language The language portion of the Common Core State Standards ELA requires students to increase their vocabularies through reading, direct instruction, and conversations. Students will learn ways to determine word meanings, understand the derivations and nuances of words, and increase their overall vocabularies of words and phrases. This expanding vocabulary will boost a student's reading ability and provide depth and meaning to written work. 

The professionals at Huntington Learning Centers have worked hard to align our tutoring philosophy and expectations with the rigor of the Common Core State Standards. Students enrolled in academic skills tutoring at Huntington Learning Centers benefit from personalized tutoring plans designed to meet their individual needs that are also aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Ongoing assessment allows our tutors to monitor your child's progress and adapt the original tutoring plan to meet current needs. Not only will your child be making the individual gains necessary for success in school, but the learning will be carefully aligned with these national academic standards.

Have you noticed a difference in the reading and writing expectations for your child since the adoption of the Common Core Standards ELA? What else would you like to know about the implementation of these standards? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter using the buttons at the top of the page.