High School English Language Arts
Grade Level Considerations
High School Common Core Standards
Grade Bands
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Grades 9–10
Grades 11–12
Considerations for High School
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Reading Level
Vocabulary
Contexts
Item Difficulty
Assessment Targets
Style Guide
Reading Level
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Increasingly complex text, independence
and proficiency
Claim 1 (Reading) and 3 (Speaking and
Listening) passages range from being above,
at, or below grade level
For claim 2 (Writing) and 4 (Research) the
passages one grade below the assessed grade
Vocabulary
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Use language that is clear and vocabulary
that is at or below the assessed grade level
Appropriate to high school students
Vocabulary measured in context must be at
least two levels above grade
High School Context
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Appropriate
– teenagers
– historical figures and
events
– inventions
– school
– health
– community
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Inappropriate
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drugs and alcohol
prison
marriage or divorce
children’s games
toys and dolls
Item Difficulty
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Items should include a range of difficulty
Anticipated difficulty for sample items
Smarter Balanced English Language Arts Claims
and Assessment Targets
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Claim 1: Reading
Claim 2: Writing
Claim 3: Speaking & Listening
Claim 4: Research
Claim 1: Reading
Students can read closely and analytically
to comprehend a range of increasingly
complex literary and informational texts.
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30% Literary texts: stories, poems, plays,
myths, or legends
70% Informational texts: science, social
studies, and technical texts/topics
Selected Response, Constructed Response,
and Technology-Enhanced Items.
Claim 2: Writing
Students can produce effective and well-grounded
writing for a range of purposes and audiences.
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Selected Response, Constructed Response,
Technology-Enhanced Items, and Performance
Tasks
Write, revise or edit text
Argumentative and Informational
Performance Tasks incorporate research
and reading skills to produce narrative,
informational and argumentative essays
Claim 3: Speaking and Listening
Students can employ effective speaking
and listening skills for a range of
purposes and audiences.
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Selected Response, Constructed Response, or
Technology-Enhanced Items
Performance Tasks
– Plan and deliver presentations
Claim 4: Research
Students can engage in research / inquiry
to investigate topics, and to analyze,
integrate, and present information.
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Selected Response, Constructed Response,
and Technology-Enhanced Items
Performance Tasks
Real world sources and complex topics
and issues
Multiple sources and evidence
High School English Language Arts
Grade Level Considerations
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Vocabulary, style, context, and item difficulty
Claims and assessment targets from
the Smarter Balanced English Language Arts
Content Specifications