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Adult Ed/ English Language Arts Curriculum English Language Arts Adult Basic Education 4
Course Preface Course Preface
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Core Standards of the Course

Reading Standards
To become college and career ready, students need to grapple with works of exceptional craft and thought whose range extends across genres, cultures, and centuries. By engaging with increasingly complex readings, students gain the ability to evaluate intricate arguments and the capacity to surmount the challenges posed by complex texts. Standards 1 and 10 play a special role since they operate whenever students are reading: Standard 1 outlines the command of evidence required to support any analysis of text (e.g., analyzing structure, ideas, or the meaning of word as defined by Standards 2-9); Standard 10 defines the range and complexity of what students need to read.
Reading Strand
Key: The citation at the end of each standard in the following chart identifies the CCSS strand, grade, and number (or standard number and letter, where applicable).
For example, RI.4.3 stands for Reading, Informational Text, Grade 4, Standard 3.

RI: Reading Informational Text RH: Reading Historical/Social Studies Text
RL: Reading Literature RST: Reading Scientific and Technical Text

CCR Anchor 1:
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)4

RI/RL.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RH.6- 8.1
Application: cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

RST.6-8.1
Application: cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.


CCR Anchor 2:
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)

RI/RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

RST.6-8.2
Application: determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.


CCR Anchor 3:
Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)

RI.8.3
Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

RH.6-8.3
Application: identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

RST.6-8.3
Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.


CCR Anchor 4:
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)

RI/RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.


CCR Anchor 5:
Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)

RI.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.

RI.7.5
Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.


CCR Anchor 6:
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)

RI.8.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

RH.6-8.6
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).


CCR Anchor 7:
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outline by Standard 10.)

RI.6.7
Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

RST.6-8.7
Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).


CCR Anchor 8:
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)

RI.8.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.


CCR Anchor 9:
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)

RI.8.9
Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.


CCR Anchor 10:
Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.5

Associated Quantitative Measures of Text Complexity to B-E Levels of Learning

Common Core Band ATOS Degrees of Reading Power® Flesch-Kincaid The Lexile Framework® Reading Maturity SourceRater
2nd - 3rd (B) 2.75 - 5.14 42 - 54 1.98 - 5.34 420 - 820 3.53 - 6.13 0.05 - 2.48
4th - 5th (C) 4.97 - 7.03 52 - 60 4.51 - 7.73 740 - 1010 5.42 - 7.92 0.84 - 5.75
6th - 8th (D) 7.00 - 9.98 57 - 67 6.51 - 10.34 925 - 1185 7.04 - 9.57 4.11 - 10.66
9th - 10th (E) 9.67 - 12.01 62 - 72 8.32 - 12.12 1050 - 1335 8.41 - 10.81 9.02 - 13.93
11th - CCR (E) 11.20 - 14.10 67 - 74 10.34 - 14.2 1185 - 1385 9.57 - 12.00 12.30 - 14.50


Writing Standards
 To be college and career ready writers, students must take task, purpose, and audience into careful consideration, choosing words, information, structures, and formats deliberately. The Writing Standards cultivate the development of three mutually reinforcing writing capacities: crafting arguments, writing to inform and explain, and fashioning narratives about real or imagined experiences. The overwhelming focus of writing throughout the levels is on arguments and informative/explanatory texts. Writing Standard 9 is a standout because it stresses the importance of the writing-reading connection by requiring students to draw upon and use evidence from literary and informational texts as they write arguments or inform/explain. Because of the centrality of writing to most forms of inquiry, research standards are prominently included in this strand as well.

Writing Strand
Key: The citation at the end of each standard in the following chart identifies the CCSS strand, grade, and number (or standard number and letter, where applicable).
For example, W.5.1a stands for Writing, Grade 5, Standard 1a.

W: Writing WHST: Writing for History/Social Studies, Scientific and Technical Subjects

CCR Anchor 1:
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

W.7.1
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.6

  1. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
  2. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
  3. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.
  4. Establish and maintain a formal style.
  5. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

CCR Anchor 2:
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

W/WHST.6-8.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. [This includes the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.]

  1. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
  2. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
  3. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
  4. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
  5. Establish and maintain a formal style.
  6. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

CCR Anchor 4:
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W/WHST.6-8.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.


CCR Anchor 5:
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

W/WHST.6- 8.5
With some guidance and support from peers and others, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 at this level.)


CCR Anchor 6:
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

W.7.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.


CCR Anchor 7:
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

W.7.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.


CCR Anchor 8:
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

W/WHST.6-8.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.


CCR Anchor 9:
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)

W/WHST.6-8.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

  1. Apply Reading standards from this level to literature (e.g., "Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments").
  2. Apply Reading standards from this level to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals' ideas or events").

Speaking and Listening
 Including, but not limited to, skills necessary for formal presentations, the Speaking and Listening Standards require students to develop a range of broadly useful oral communication and interpersonal skills. The standards ask students to learn to work together, express and listen carefully to ideas, integrate information from oral, visual, quantitative, and media sources, evaluate what they hear, use media and visual displays strategically to help achieve communicative purposes, and adapt speech to context and task.7

Speaking and Listening Strand
Key: The citation at the end of each standard in the following chart identifies the CCSS strand, grade, and number (or standard number and letter, where applicable).
For example, SL.K.2 stands for Speaking and Listening, Grade K, Standard 2.

SL: Speaking and Listening  

CCR Anchor 1:
Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

SL.8.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

  1. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
  2. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
  3. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
  4. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.

CCR Anchor 2:
Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

SL.8.2
Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.


CCR Anchor 3:
Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

SL.8.3
Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.


CCR Anchor 4:
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

SL.8.4
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.


CCR Anchor 5:
Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

SL.8.5
Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.


CCR Anchor 6:
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

SL.8.6
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)


Language Standards
 The Language Standards include the essential "rules" of standard written and spoken English, but they also approach language as a matter of craft and informed choice among alternatives. The vocabulary standards focus on understanding words and phrases and their nuances and relationships, and on acquiring new vocabulary, particularly general academic and domain-specific words and phrases. Students advancing through the levels are expected to meet each level's specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understanding mastered in preceding levels.9

Language Strand
Key: The citation at the end of each standard in the following chart identifies the CCSS strand, grade, and number (or standard number and letter, where applicable).
For example, L.9-10.1 stands for Language, Grade 9-10, Standard 1.

L: Language  

CCR Anchor 1:
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

L.6.1 through 8.1 merge10
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  1. Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive).
  2. Use intensive pronouns.
  3. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
  4. Recognize and correct vague or unclear pronouns.
  5. Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others' writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.
  6. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences.
  7. Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
  8. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood.
  9. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
  10. Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences.
  11. Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.
  12. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.

CCR Anchor 2:
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

L.6.2 through 8.2 merge
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

  1. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, ellipsis, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
  2. Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a fascinating, enjoyable movie but not He wore an old[,] green shirt).
  3. Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.
  4. Spell correctly.

CCR Anchor 3:
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

L.6.3 and 7.3 merge
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

  1. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
  2. Maintain consistency in style and tone.
  3. Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.

CCR Anchor 4:
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

L.6.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

  1. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  2. Use common, grade appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
  3. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
  4. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

CCR Anchor 6:
Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

L.8.6
Acquire and use accurately level-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.


4 Standard 10 defines a staircase of increasing text complexity that rises from beginning reading to the college and career readiness level. Panel members added this statement to Anchor Standards 1-9 to make sure it is understood that the skills of reading are to be applied to level-appropriate complex text.
5 See Appendix D of this report for the research explaining the importance of text complexity in reading achievement.
6 To show how the standards for Writing and Speaking and Listening progress, differences in wording from level to level are underlined.
7 NGA (2010a), p. 8.
9 NGA (2010a), p. 8.
10 "Merge" signifies panelists selected all of the standards from the two grades indicated. In the merge, any repetition in content grade-to-grade was deleted; occasionally where similar content was covered grade-to-grade a single standard was edited, combining the text of both standards, to include the demands of both grades.

UEN logo http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Stephanie  Patton and see the Adult Ed/ English Language Arts website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Stephanie  Patton.

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