Reading and Writing - Introduction

Draft Standards From The State of California Academic Standards Commission

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State of California Academic Standards Commission

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(AB 265 stated that content and performance standards be developed in four core curriculum areas, including "reading" & "writing." The Commission has also developed standards for other "language arts" as well. In its final form, the title "Reading & Writing" may change.)

The ability to communicate well -- to read, write, speak, and listen -- runs to the core of the human experience. Language skills are essential tools not simply because they serve as the basis for further learning and career development, but also because they enrich the human spirit, foster responsible citizenship, and secure our collective wisdom as a nation.

Language arts form a "make or break" discipline. Students who read well learn early the tempo and structures of language. They master vocabulary, variance in expression, a sense of purposeful organization, and how to marshal evidence in support of an idea. Whether they are reading instructions to install and use a computer application, processing and interpreting information from other content areas, writing a letter to the editor regarding student curfews, or interviewing for employment, students use language skills to obtain and communicate information and to solve problems every day.

Reading and writing also have the power to bridge time and place. Interpreting and creating literary texts help students understand the people who have lived before them, to participate in other cultures and to reflect on who they are. Reading and writing offer perspectives on enduring questions, and glimpses into human motives and conflicts. They offer an incomparable experience of shared wisdom and beauty and a chance for students to explore the big ideas and important issues of social and political concern. By moving beyond a literal interpretation of text to an analysis of an author's purpose and point of view, students learn to evaluate different perspectives and to follow a line of reasoning they can apply to their own thinking and writing.

As for speaking and listening, these skills have never been more important -- indeed, most Americans now "talk" for a living, at least part of the time. Not long ago, speaking and listening occupied a central place in the curriculum (as rhetoric and declamation); only in a few schools does this tradition survive. It is, no doubt, time to restore it.

The good news is that reading, writing, listening and speaking are skills that invariably improve with study and practice. Quantity makes a difference; so does quality. Students need to read broadly and deeply -- texts that challenge and stretch the mind at all levels -- to develop proficiency in and pleasure from the act of reading. Students also need to write often and early in their careers. Students at all levels of schooling in this nation are afforded relatively few opportunities to write. Estimates are that in many high school classrooms across the nation, less than three percent of time spent on classwork or homework requires students to write a paragraph or more. Reading and writing something of substance in all disciplines, every day, is a principal goal of these standards.

In brief, these standards express what every student in California should know and be able to do to:

• become fluent readers, skilled writers, confident speakers and thoughtful listeners
  
  
• discern the wealth and subtleties of the English language and its linguistic structures
  
  
• express ideas cogently and present clear, precise arguments, both orally and in writing
  
  
• develop a respect for the literature of our own nation and that of others
  
  
• advance reading and writing habits for learning and enjoyment
  
  
• be at ease communicating in an increasingly technological world
  
  

Neither reading, writing, listening, nor speaking is a disembodied skill. Each exists in context, and in relation to one another. They are not intended here to be taught independently, but to be developed in the context of a rich, substantive curriculum geared towards high standards and rigorous assessments in all content areas. These standards delineate a comprehensive set of knowledge and skills, increasing in complexity towards mastery, and designed to help students perform well not only in English and other classes, but also throughout their lives.

Credits

The Draft Standards were prepared by:

The State of California Academic Standards Commission
The Commission for the Establishment of Academic Content and Performance Standards Comments may be addressed to The Commission