Standards for the English Language Arts INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION 800 Barksdale Road, P.O. Box 8139, Newark, Delaware 19714-8139 NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096 IRA Board of Directors Dolores B. Malcolm (President), St. Louis Public Schools, Missouri; Richard T. Vacca (President-Elect), Kent State University, Ohio; John J. Pikulski (Vice President), University of Delaware, Newark; Richard L. Allington, State University of New York at Albany; James F. Baumann, National Reading Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens; John Elkins, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia; Yetta M. Goodman, University of Arizona, Tucson; Kathleen Stumpf Jongsma, Northside Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas; Sandra McCormick, The Ohio State University, Columbus; MaryEllen Vogt, California State University, Long Beach; Barbara J. Walker, Montana State University, Billings; Carmelita Kimber Williams, Norfolk State University, Virginia; Alan E. Farstrup (Executive Director). NCTE Executive Committee Beverly Ann Chin (President), University of Montana, Missoula; Carol Avery (President-Elect), Millersville, Pennsylvania; Sheridan Blau (Vice President), University of California at Santa Barbara; Miriam T. Chaplin (Past President), Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey; Judith M. Kelly (Representative at Large), Hine Junior High School, Washington, D.C.; Diane T. Orchard (Representative at Large), Lapeer Community Schools, Michigan; Greta D. Price (Representative at Large), Willowbrook Middle School, Compton, California; Kathy G. Short (Elementary Section Chair), University of Arizona, Tucson; Joan Naomi Steiner (Secondary Section Chair), School District of Marinette, Wisconsin; Kay Parks Bushman (Secondary Section Associate Chair), Ottawa High School, Kansas; Betty C. Houser (Secondary Section Associate Chair), Belmond/Klemme High School, Iowa; Frank Madden (College Section Chair), Westchester Community College, Valhalla, New York; Gail E. Hawisher (College Section Assistant Chair), University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign; Lester Faigley (CCCC Chair), University of Texas at Austin; Carol A. Pope (CEE Chair), North Carolina State University, Raleigh; Donald L. Stephan (CEL Chair), Sidney High School, Ohio; Miles Myers (Executive Director). Cover design: Boni Nash, IRA Graphic Design Coordinator Interior design: Larry Husfelt, IRA Design Consultant Manuscript editors: Michael Greer, Rona S. Smith, Lee Erwin, NCTE IRA Stock Number: 889 NCTE Stock Number: 46767-3050 ©1996 by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Published by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Photo Credits: Bill Leece (p. 4); Thompson-McClellan Photography (pp. 6, 9, 11, 18, 22, 29, 32, 35, 39, 43, 44); Ray Martens (pp. 15, 54); Susan Lina Ruggles (pp. 50, 57, 58, 59, 62); George Rattin and Mike Jankowski (p. 64). [Photography has been omitted from the online version of this work.] High School Vignette 4 is adapted from The Writer’s Craft, Orange Level; copyright ©1992 by McDougal, Littell & Company, Box 1667, Evanston, IL 60204. All rights reserved. [This vignette has been omitted from the online version of this work.] The Korean text appearing in Middle School Vignette 3 is excerpted with permission from Classroom Publishing: A Practical Guide to Enhancing Student Literacy, published by Blue Heron Publishing, Hillsboro, Oregon. [This text has been omitted from the online version of this work.] Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data National Council of Teachers of English. Standards for the English language arts. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-8141-4676-7 (pbk.) 1. Language arts—United States—Standards. I. International Reading Association. II. Title. LB1576.N274 1996 808'.042'071—dc20 96-3238 CIP CONTENTS Introduction v Chapter 1: Setting Standards in the English Language Arts 1 Defining the Standards 1 The Need for Standards 2 To Prepare Students for the Literacy Demands of Today and Tomorrow 2 To Present a Shared Vision of Literacy Education 5 To Promote Equity and Excellence for All 6 Learning How to Learn 7 Equal Access to Resources 7 Adequate Staffing 8 Safe, Well-Equipped Schools 8 Chapter 2: Perspectives Informing the English Language Arts Standards 9 Literacy and Language Learning: An Interactive Model 9 Content 11 A Broad Range of Texts 11 Processes and Strategies 11 Systems and Structures of Language 12 Purpose 12 For Obtaining and Communicating Information 12 For Literary Response and Expression 12 For Learning and Reflection 13 For Problem Solving and Application 13 Development 13 How Students Acquire Knowledge and Develop Competency over Time 14 iii How Students Should Be Able to Use Language 15 Clearly 15 Strategically 15 Critically 15 Creatively 15 Context 16 Chapter 3: The English Language Arts Standards 18 IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts 19 The Standards in Detail 19 Standard 1 19 Standard 2 21 Standard 3 22 Standard 4 24 Standard 5 25 Standard 6 26 Standard 7 27 Standard 8 28 Standard 9 29 Standard 10 30 Standard 11 31 Standard 12 32 Realizing the Standards 32 Chapter 4: Standards in the Classroom 33 Elementary Vignettes 34 Middle School Vignettes 38 High School Vignettes 42 In Conclusion 46 Glossary 47 Appendix A: List of Participants 54 Appendix B: History of the Standards Project 84 Appendix C: Overview of Standards Projects 86 Appendix D: State and International English Language Arts Standards 88 Appendix E: Resources for Teachers 93 Appendix F: Response to Standards for the English Language Arts 106 iv Standards for the English Language Arts INTRODUCTION he International Reading Association and how students learn—in particular, how they learn Tthe National Council of Teachers of language. English are pleased to present these stan- In the fall of 1992, the U.S. Department of dards for the English language arts. This document Education awarded a grant for the Standards Project is the result of an intensive four-year project involv- for the English Language Arts to educators at the ing thousands of educators, researchers, parents, Center for the Study of Reading at the University of policymakers, and others across the country. Our Illinois with the agreement that the Center would shared purpose is to ensure that all students are work closely with IRA and NCTE to develop the stan- knowledgeable and proficient users of language so dards. Federal involvement ended in 1994, and from that time until the present the project has been fund- that they may succeed in school, participate in our ed solely by IRA and NCTE. democracy as informed citizens, find challenging and Two principles endorsed by the National rewarding work, appreciate and contribute to our Academy of Education (McLaughlin and Shepard culture, and pursue their own goals and interests as 1995, p. xviii) have been central to our work: independent learners throughout their lives. The English Language Arts Standards Project is ■ Because there is not one best way to organize one of many efforts undertaken in recent years to de- subject matter in a given field of study, rigor- fine outcomes or goals for various school subjects. ous national standards should not be restrict- The project was first proposed in an August 1991 let- ed to one set of standards per subject area. ter to U.S. Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander ■ Content standards should embody a coher- from Judith Thelen, then president of the ent, professionally defensible conception of International Reading Association (IRA), and Shirley how a field can be framed for purposes of in- Haley-James, then president of the National Council struction. They should not be an exhaustive, of Teachers of English (NCTE). If the federal gov- incoherent compendium of every group’s de- sired content. ernment were to fund a voluntary standards project in English, then IRA and NCTE wanted to be in- From its inception, the English Language Arts volved. Our officers and committees believed—and Standards Project has been field-based. A guiding be- still believe—that English language arts standards lief has been that the process of defining standards must be grounded in what we know about language must be an open, inclusive one. As a result, thou- and language learning. If the standards do not have sands of K–12 classroom teachers have been in- this very important foundation, then they could un- volved in writing, reviewing, and revising the many dermine our nation’s commitment to educating all successive drafts of this document and have guided students, to emerging conceptions of literacy, and to its development every step of the way over the last publicly funded schools. The standards presented three-and-a-half years. Hundreds of parents, legisla- here grew out of current research and theory about tive leaders, administrators, researchers, and policy Introduction v analysts in English language arts have played critical language arts standards must and will continue. To roles at each stage of the project. (Appendix A lists that end, we are enclosing a response form at the participants in the process.) end of this document. We invite you—in fact, we In generating this document, we have sought to urge you—to tell us what you think about our vision reflect the many different voices, interests, and con- of the English language arts curriculum. cerns of these diverse contributors. While we recog- We extend our deepest thanks to the thousands of nize that no single publication, no single set of individuals who have participated in the standards standards, can satisfy all interests and concerns, we project to date. Thank you for contributing your fervently hope that this work captures the essential voices to this important national conversation. We goals of English language arts instruction at the turn also wish to thank the College Board and the John of the century in the United States of America. Most D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for their important, we hope that it offers a coherent vision funding of the project at the beginning of the journey.