Introduction to the Common Core State Standards for
English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Grade-level version

Preparing Oregon’s Students
When Oregon adopted the Common Core in October 2010, our state joined other states in the pursuit of a common, standards-based education for our students, kindergarten through high school. Common standards can increase the likelihood that all students, no matter where they live, are prepared for success in college and the work place.

Because skillful reading, writing, language use, and speaking and listening are similar across the states, common standards make sense. They make possible common assessments, common achievement goals for grade level groups, and efficiencies of scale for instructional and professional development materials.

Instruction in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects—“the Standards”—will prepare Oregon students and students in other CCSS states to be proficient in the four strands of the English language arts (ELA) skills—Reading, Writing, Language, and Speaking and Listening.

Utilizing Content Area Expertise
Because students need grade-level literacy skills to access full content in school, the emphasis in the Common Core is to learn to read and write in ELA and to develop those skills, specific to the content, in all other classes. The name of the standards reflects this expectation. The Standards for grade 6 and above are predicated on all teachers using their content area expertise to help students meet the particular challenges of reading and writing in their respective fields. For grades K-5, the ELA and subject-area literacy standards are integrated; for grades 6-11/12, they are separate but parallel.

Incorporating a Unique Design
The College and Career Readiness (CCR) Anchor Standards, the “backbone” of the Standards, describe the literacy skills which all students need when they graduate. The grade-specific standards describe the literacy skills, corresponding to the CCR Anchor Standards by number, which all students need when they finish each grade. Keeping the college and career focus at the forefront of Kindergarten through grade 11/12 implementation is critical; that is why the CCRs are placed before the grade-specific standards in the CCSS. It is this unique design that supports the preparation of all students to be successful in school, from the beginning of school, and proficient in the Essential Skills of Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening required for an Oregon Diploma.

Using an Integrated Model of Literacy
• The Standards are cross-referenced across all four strands—Reading, Writing, Language, and Speaking and Listening—so they can be clustered for instruction.

• Language Standards apply to the other three strands—Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening.
Focusing on Key Features
• Reading: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension*
• Writing: Text types, responding to reading, and research*
• Speaking and Listening: Flexible communication and collaboration*
• Language: Conventions, effective use, and vocabulary*
• Appendices** o Appendix A: Supplementary material on the four strands; glossary of key terms included o Appendix B: Text exemplars and sample performance tasks illustrating the complexity, quality, and range of reading appropriate for various grade levels o Appendix C: Annotated examples of student writing demonstrating at least adequate performance at various levels

Reading this Document
Only in the grade-level versions for K-5 do the Reading Foundational Skills Standards, which have no CCR Anchor Standards, precede the CCR Anchor Standards for Reading.

Because the CCR Anchor Standards are the backbone of the Standards, with the exception of the Foundational Reading Skills Standards as noted above, the CCRs for each strand are featured on a separate page before the grade-specific standards for that strand; this placement underscores the importance of the CCR connection to every standard. Reading down the columns, the order is as follows:
• Foundational Reading Skills Standards
Reading CCRs
• Literature Standards
• Informational Text Standards
Language CCRs
• Language Standards
Writing CCRs
• Writing Standards Speaking and Listening CCRs
• Speaking and Listening Standards

Notation for grade-specific standards:
Individual grade-specific standards are identified by grade, strand, and