CCSS English Language Arts Resources

Resources for
Mathematics | English Language Arts | Literacy

• California’s Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects (PDF)

• Common Core State Standards Initiative
  The multi-state initiative released the CCSS on June 2, 2010. The initiative site includes information about the development and research behind the standards, appendices, the states that have adopted the CCSS, and frequently asked questions.
  • English Language Arts Standards - Appendix A (PDF)
    Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards and Glossary of Terms.
  • English Language Arts Standards - Appendix B (PDF; 2MB)
    Text Exemplars and Sample Performance Tasks.
  • English Language Arts Standards - Appendix C (PDF; 22MB)
    Samples of Student Writing.

• 2014 Revision of the English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework
  Information about the revision of the English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework to align with the CCSS.

• English Language Development Standards
  Information about the update, revision, and alignment of the state's current English language development (ELD) standards to the CCSS for ELA.

• Grade Level Curriculum
  The grade-level curriculum documents are organized by individual grade levels and include information about the CCSS. There are also archived webinars for the kindergarten through grade six documents, which highlight the curriculum across the featured grade level with special focus on the CCSS.

• Common Core Implementation Video Series
  Produced by the Hunt Institute and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), this series of video vignettes explain the standards in greater depth.

• Achieve the Core
  A Web site created by the CCSS authors and other contributors to provide free, high-quality resources to educators implementing the CCSS. Resources include implementation tools, webinars, articles, sites, and research.
  • Professional Development Modules
    These flexible, ready-to-use modules intend to support educators in the understanding and effective implementation of the CCSS.
    • ELA/Literacy Shifts Module
      This 1–2 hour module is designed to provide participants with a deep understanding of the key shifts required by the CCSS for ELA and literacy.
    • Text-Dependent Questions Module
      This 1–4 hour module is designed to promote educators’ understanding of how text-dependent questions support the key shifts in ELA and literacy.
  • Text Complexity Resources
    The collection includes tools to measure quantitative and qualitative dimensions of text complexity as well as new research on text complexity.

• ASCD "Get to the Core" Webinar Series
  A series of webinars on the CCSS to assist educators on the implementation of the CCSS, produced by ASCD, a nonprofit educational leadership organization dedicated to advancing best practices and policies for the success of each learner.

• California Teachers Association (CTA) 2011 Summer Institute
  Presentations on the CCSS delivered as part of the CTA 2011 Summer Institute held at the University of California, Los Angeles, on August 2, 2011.
  • Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, Grades K-2 (PDF; 2MB)
  • Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, Grades 3-5 (PDF)
  • Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, Grades 6-12 (PDF; 2MB)

• Resources from the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE)
  • CCSS Database
    A database to search the CCSS by subject, grade, and subject category (domain/cluster).
  • K-12 English Language Arts California/Common Core "Crosswalk" Analyses (PDF)
    Analyses by the SCOE comparing the 1997 State Board of Education-adopted academic content standards to the June 2, 2010 version of the CCSS.

• Common Core Connect (New 14-Nov-2012)
  Tulare County Office of Education’s Common Core Connect has over 1,000 great multimedia resources at your fingertips including videos, presentations, documentation, and helpful Web sites.

• NCTE Supporting Students in a Time of Core Standards (New 1-Nov-2012)
  The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) provides resources for teachers and administrators working with the CCSS.

• Understanding Language
  An initiative aimed to heighten educator awareness of the critical role that language plays in the CCSS and the Next Generation Science Standards. The initiative seeks to improve academic outcomes for English language learners (ELLs) by drawing attention to critical aspects of instructional practice and by advocating for necessary policy supports at the state and local levels. The initiative team, housed at Stanford University, has developed and presented papers and webinars addressing language and literacy issues, and is developing sets of teaching resources that exemplify high-quality instruction for ELLs.

• Revised Publishers’ Criteria for the CCSS in English Language Arts and Literacy
  These documents provide criteria for publishers and curriculum developers as they work to ensure alignment of materials in grades K–2 and 3–12 with the CCSS in English language arts and literacy for history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. By underscoring what matters most in the standards, the criteria illustrate what shifts should take place in the next generation of curricula, including paring away elements that distract or are at odds with the standards.
  • Grades K–2 (PDF; Revised 16-May-2012)
  • Grades 3–12 (PDF; Revised 12-Apr-2012)

• IRA – ELA Common Core State Standards (New 1-Nov-2012)
  International Reading Association (IRA) offers a variety of tools to help you in the process of implementing the CCSS for ELA and literacy.
  • Literacy Implementation Guidance for the ELA Common Core State Standards (PDF; New 1-Nov-2012 )
    Guidance on seven issues that have proven challenging in implementing the CCSS for ELA: use of challenging text, the foundational skills in the standards, comprehension, vocabulary, writing, disciplinary literacy, and diverse learners.

• The Common Core State Standards: Supporting Districts and Teachers with Text Complexity
  A webinar hosted by the CCSSO on sharing tools and resources to support teachers and districts with text complexity, the linchpin of the CCSS.

• Center on Instruction
  A document, BUILDING THE FOUNDATION – A Suggested Progression of Sub-skills to Achieve the Reading Standards: Foundational Skills in the Common Core State Standards, has been added to the Center on Instruction Web site. The publication is based on an analysis that determined the sub-skills students need to achieve in each of the Foundational Skills in the CCSS. Each of the grade-level sections target: Print Concepts, Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition, and Fluency. It also includes instructional examples aligned to the sub-skills, giving teachers samples of activity types that facilitate acquisition.

Resources for
Mathematics | English Language Arts | Literacy