Big Picture of ELA & Literacy
Copyright ©2011 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
3
PA Common Core Standards
English Language Arts & Literacy
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards
Foundational Skills
A necessary
component of an
effective,
comprehensive
reading program
designed to develop
proficient readers.
Reading
Informational
Text
Reading
Literature
Enables students to
read, understand, and
respond to
informational texts.
Enables students to
read, understand,
and respond to
literature.
Speaking &
Listening
Writing
Develops the skills of
informational,
argumentative, and
narrative writing as
well as the ability to
engage in evidence
based analysis of text
and research.
Focuses students
on communication
skills that enable
critical listening and
effective
presentation of
ideas.
Appendix A: Research behind the standards and a glossary of terms
Appendix B: Text exemplars illustrating complexity, quality, and range of reading appropriateness
Appendix C: Annotated samples of student writing at various grades
PA Common Core – Reading and Writing for Science and Technical Subjects 6-12 (Draft)
PA Common Core – Reading and Writing for History and Social Studies 6-12 (Draft)
• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Reader and Task
Overview of Text Complexity
1. Quantitative Measures – Readability
and other scores of text complexity
often best measured by computer
software.
2. Qualitative Measures – Levels of
meaning, structure, language
conventionality and clarity, and
knowledge demands often best
measured by an attentive human
reader.
3. Reader and Task Considerations –
Background knowledge of reader,
motivation, interests, and complexity
generated by tasks assigned often
best made by educators employing
their professional judgment.
Quantitative Measure
Step 1: Quantitative Measures
Measures such as:
• Word length
• Word frequency
• Word difficulty
• Sentence length
• Text length
• Text cohesion
Quantitative Measure
Step 2: Qualitative Measures
Measures such as:
• Layers of meaning
• Levels of purpose
• Structure
• Organization
• Language conventionality
• Language clarity
• Prior knowledge demands
• Cultural demands
• Vocabulary
Quantitative Measure
Step 3: Reader and Task
Considerations such as:
• Motivation
• Knowledge and experience
• Purpose for reading
• Complexity of task assigned
regarding text
• Complexity of questions
asked regarding text
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