Navigating the Indiana Department of Education's English/Language Arts Standards

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) sets the standards for English/Language Arts (ELA) in the state's schools. These standards define what students should know and be able to do at each grade level, ensuring they develop the essential skills for success after high school graduation. This article explores the structure, revisions, and resources associated with these standards, providing a comprehensive overview for educators, parents, and anyone interested in Indiana's ELA curriculum.

The Foundation: Regular Review and Revision

To ensure the standards remain relevant and effective, the IDOE revises them at least once every six years, as mandated by IC 20-31-3. This review process involves gathering feedback from educator committees and the public. Following formal adoption by the Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE), the updated standards are implemented in Indiana schools and assessed through state assessments. Detailed information about this process can be found in the updated Standards Revision and Implementation Guidance. Each set of standards is accompanied by its revision year, implementation years for instruction and assessment, and the years of the corresponding high-quality curricular materials evaluation and approval process.

Prioritizing Essential Skills

In compliance with IC 20-31-3-1(c-d), the IDOE's Office of Student Pathways and Opportunities collaborated with Inspire Success to identify essential postsecondary skills crucial for success in employment, enrollment, or enlistment. This research informed a standards prioritization process led by the Office of Teaching and Learning, which involved stakeholder committees and a public comment period. The prioritized standards highlight the knowledge and skills deemed essential for mastery at each grade level or course.

Domains of English/Language Arts

The Indiana Academic Standards for English/Language Arts are organized into four domains, reflecting the key areas of literacy development:

Reading Foundations: This domain focuses on the foundational skills necessary for reading proficiency.
Reading Comprehension: This area addresses the ability to understand and interpret various types of texts.
Writing: This domain covers the writing process, different writing applications, and the conventions of Standard English.
Communication and Collaboration: This domain encompasses listening, speaking, and collaborative skills.

These domains outline what students should know and be able to do in English/Language Arts at each grade level. A key emphasis is placed on students' ability to comprehend texts of increasing complexity as they advance through their education.

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Resources and Support for Implementation

The IDOE provides various resources to support the implementation of the Indiana Academic Standards for English/Language Arts. These resources are available on the Indiana Learning Lab and include documents and materials designed to aid educators in their instruction. Additional resources are continuously added to the Learning Lab as they become available.

Streamlining and Focusing Standards

The IDOE has been actively working to streamline the state's academic standards. A significant step in this direction was the approval of a plan to reduce statewide standards by 25% compared to the existing framework. This streamlining effort aims to help students build essential skills necessary for success after high school. The deadline for implementing these new standards was moved up to July 1 during the legislative session.

Checkpoints for Progress Monitoring

To monitor student progress and provide timely feedback, the IDOE plans to pilot a checkpoint model in the 2024-25 school year. These checkpoints will consist of 20 to 25 questions and focus on four to six state standards. The goal is to provide teachers and parents with insights into students' understanding throughout the year, rather than relying solely on end-of-year assessments. Participation in the checkpoint model will be optional for schools during the pilot year.

Addressing Diverse Needs

The IDOE is also mindful of the need to ensure that assessments are relevant and accessible to all students. Concerns have been raised about the relatability of some assessments for children of color, highlighting the importance of culturally responsive teaching and assessment practices.

High-Quality Curricular Materials

The Indiana Department of Education conducted a curriculum evaluation process to recommend curricular materials to comprise IDOE’s High-Quality Curricular Materials (HQCM) advisory lists and support schools in the implementation of literacy instruction aligned with the science of reading. Featuring award-winning researcher Dr. Get expert insights on the Science of Reading! Tune in to the Fresh Ideas for Teaching podcast for episodes with top researchers like Dr. Sharon Vaughn and Dr. Freddy Hiebert. See how Muscogee County’s strategic approach to literacy instruction is driving real results.

Standards for Grade 12 English/Language Arts

The academic standards for 12th grade English/Language Arts are outlined in a booklet published by the Indiana State Department of Education. These standards specify what students should know and be able to do in their final year of high school ELA. The booklet also provides examples to help students understand the requirements and offers parents a list of suggestions for supporting their child's education.

The seven standards for Grade 12 English/Language Arts are:

Reading: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development--Students apply their knowledge of word origins to determine the meaning of new words encountered in reading and use those words accurately.
Reading: Reading Comprehension--Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material; they analyze organizational patterns and evaluate authors' arguments and positions.
Reading: Literary Response and Analysis--Students read and respond to grade-level-appropriate historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their study of history and social science.
Writing: Writing Process--Students write coherent and focused texts that show a well-defined point of view and reasoned argument.
Writing: Writing Applications--At Grade 12, students continue to combine the rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description to produce reflective compositions, historical investigation reports, and job applications and resume; and to deliver multimedia presentations.
Writing: Written English Language Conventions--Students write using Standard English conventions.
Listening and Speaking: Skills, Strategies, and Applications--Students formulate thoughtful judgments about oral communication; they deliver focused and coherent presentations that convey clear perspectives and demonstrate solid reasoning.

Common Core and College and Career Readiness

The Common Core standards play a role in shaping Indiana's ELA curriculum. They encourage students to read both stories and literature, as well as informational texts from subjects like science and social studies. The standards provide guidelines for developing literacy skills not only in ELA but also in other subjects like history, science, and technical fields.

The College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards serve as the foundation of the ELA/literacy standards by outlining the core skills students need to succeed. Grade-specific standards add further details to guide learning at each level. It's important to note that the literacy standards for grades 6-12 in subjects like history and science are meant to support, not replace, the content standards already in place for those subjects.

The skills and knowledge outlined in the ELA/literacy standards are designed to prepare students for life outside the classroom. They emphasize critical thinking and close reading, helping students understand and appreciate complex texts. Students also learn to use reasoning and evidence to make strong arguments, essential skills for success in both college and the workplace.

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Vertical Alignment and Essential Standards

To aid educators in understanding the updated standards, resources have been developed to highlight the essential standards, those that remain unchanged, and those that have been reduced. These resources, such as Google Sheets, allow educators to easily see which standards are Essential, which remain, and which were reduced. This information can be used in vertical conversations to ensure alignment across grade levels.

The IDOE documents list the standards in numerical order, and for English/Language Arts, there is a shift in the organization. The four domains are described with different terms than prior standards. The four new domains are: Reading Foundations, Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Communication and Collaboration. The new standards are organized and numbered in a way that simplifies the identification of specific skills and concepts. Rather than labeling a standards RL 2.3, there are simply 10 reading comprehension standards (give or take), numbered 1-10. Fiction, nonfiction, and vocabulary are combined under the reading comprehension umbrella.

The IDOE documents indicate which standards are Essential, shaded in gray and contain an (E) at the end of the sentence. On this Reduced Indiana Academic Standards, ELA, K-5, the Essential standards are pulled up to the top for ease (but that does mean the standards aren't all in perfect numerical order).

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