Common Core State Standards

Grades 11–12 Literacy Standards

All 29 Common Core literacy standards for grades 11–12, grouped into strands and written in plain English. The official wording is one click away.

29 standards

Reading: History & Social Studies RH

10 standards

Key Ideas and Details

RH.11-12.1

Back a reading of a letter, speech or historian's account with its exact words, and show how one telling detail fits what the whole document is saying.

Official wording

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.

RH.11-12.2

Pin down what a treaty, diary or textbook chapter is really about, and summarize it so the links between its key facts and ideas are clear.

Official wording

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.

RH.11-12.3

Weigh rival explanations of why a historical event happened, pick the one the documents support best, and say plainly where the record leaves the question open.

Official wording

Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Craft and Structure

RH.11-12.4

Work out what words mean in a historical text, and trace how a writer sharpens a key term across the piece, like Madison's use of faction in the Federalist Papers.

Official wording

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

RH.11-12.5

Take apart how a demanding primary source, like a court opinion or a founding document, is built, and explain what each key sentence, paragraph and section adds.

Official wording

Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.

RH.11-12.6

Judge two historians or eyewitnesses who disagree about the same event by testing each one's claims, reasoning and evidence, not just noting that they differ.

Official wording

Evaluate authors' differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors' claims, reasoning, and evidence.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RH.11-12.7

Pull together maps, census tables, photographs and written accounts to answer a historical question, and judge how far each source can be trusted.

Official wording

Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

RH.11-12.8

Test a historical author's starting assumptions, claims and evidence against other records, and say where they hold up and where they fall apart.

Official wording

Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.

RH.11-12.9

Build one coherent account of an event from documents of the time and later histories, and flag where the sources contradict each other.

Official wording

Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RH.11-12.10

Read history and social studies texts at the grades 11 to college level on your own by the end of 12th grade.

Official wording

By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Reading: Science & Technical Subjects RST

10 standards

Key Ideas and Details

RST.11-12.1

Quote the exact lines of a lab report, journal article or manual that support your analysis, noting the distinctions the author draws and any gaps in the account.

Official wording

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.

RST.11-12.2

Find the conclusions a scientific or technical text reaches, and restate a complex process or concept in simpler words without losing accuracy.

Official wording

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.

RST.11-12.3

Carry out a long multistep lab or technical procedure exactly as written, then use the text's explanations to analyze the results you got.

Official wording

Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text.

Craft and Structure

RST.11-12.4

Work out what symbols, equations and specialist terms mean in the context of a grades 11-12 science or technical text, like a formula in a chemistry paper.

Official wording

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11-12 texts and topics.

RST.11-12.5

Explain how a science or technical text sorts its ideas into categories or ranks them in a hierarchy, like a classification key, and show you understand the content.

Official wording

Analyze how the text structures information or ideas into categories or hierarchies, demonstrating understanding of the information or ideas.

RST.11-12.6

Work out why a scientist explains a result, describes a procedure or reports an experiment, and name the important questions the text leaves unanswered.

Official wording

Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, identifying important issues that remain unresolved.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RST.11-12.7

Combine a data table, a video demonstration and a written explanation to answer a science question, and judge how reliable each source is.

Official wording

Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

RST.11-12.8

Judge a study's hypothesis, data, analysis and conclusions, check the data yourself when possible, and test the conclusions against other sources.

Official wording

Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.

RST.11-12.9

Bring together readings, your own experiments and simulations into one coherent explanation of a process or phenomenon, and settle conflicts between them when possible.

Official wording

Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RST.11-12.10

Read science and technical texts at the grades 11 to college level on your own by the end of 12th grade.

Official wording

By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Writing: History, Science & Technical Subjects WHST

9 standards

Text Types and Purposes

WHST.11-12.1

Argue a history or science question with a precise claim and why it matters, weighing the counterclaims' strengths and limits too, in the discipline's conventions.

Official wording

Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.aIntroduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.bDevelop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience's knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.cUse words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.dEstablish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.eProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.

WHST.11-12.2

Explain an event, experiment or technical process so each idea builds on the last, using figures or tables where they help and ending on why the topic matters.

Official wording

Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.aIntroduce a topic and organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.bDevelop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.cUse varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.dUse precise language, domain-specific vocabulary and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic; convey a knowledgeable stance in a style that responds to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.eProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation provided (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

WHST.11-12.3

(See note; not applicable as a separate requirement)Not applicable

Production and Distribution of Writing

WHST.11-12.4

Shape a lab write-up, a document analysis or a technical report so its depth, order and style fit the assignment and the reader it is for.

Official wording

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

WHST.11-12.5

Plan, revise, edit, rewrite or restart a piece of subject writing, spending the effort on what matters most for its purpose and readers.

Official wording

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

WHST.11-12.6

Write and publish subject work online, alone or with a group, and keep updating it as feedback, new arguments or new information come in.

Official wording

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

WHST.11-12.7

Run short and long research projects in history or science on a question of your own, widening or narrowing it as you learn, and pull several sources into one account.

Official wording

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

WHST.11-12.8

Find authoritative sources with advanced searches, weigh what each can and cannot tell you for the task, and cite them selectively without leaning on any one source.

Official wording

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

WHST.11-12.9

Back your own analysis, reflections and research papers with evidence drawn from the documents, studies and manuals you read in history, science and technical classes.

Official wording

Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

WHST.11-12.10

Write often in history, science and technical classes, from research papers revised over weeks to a lab summary or source analysis finished in a sitting.

Official wording

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.