Reading and Writing Standards

This paper presents model reading and writing standards that express what each student in Colorado should know and be able to do in order to become fluent readers, writers and speakers; be able to communicate effectively; recognize the power of language; and be at ease communicating in an increasingly technological world. The six standards in the paper are: (1) students read and understand a variety of materials; (2) students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences; (3) students write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling; (4) students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing; (5) students read to locate, select, and make use of relevant information from a variety of media, references, and technological sources; and (6) students read and recognize literature as a record of human experience. For each of the six standards, the paper presents a brief description, a rationale, and specifics for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12.