Common Core LiteracyGrades 9–10Science & Technical

RST.9-10.8: Assessing Evidence for a Technical Recommendation

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.8 · Cluster: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.

The Official Wording

Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.

Common Core State Standards, Grades 9-10, Reading: Science & Technical Subjects · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What RST.9-10.8 Means in Plain English

Ninth and tenth graders judge how far a science text’s data and reasoning back its claim or its proposed fix. A facilities report blames humid air for a warped gym floor, but its own moisture readings point to one wall, so the evidence supports only part of the fix.

In grades 6 to 8 (RST.6-8.8), students sorted facts, reasoned judgments based on research and speculation. Ninth and tenth grade weigh whether the evidence carries the claim or recommendation. In grades 11 and 12 (RST.11-12.8), students evaluate hypotheses, data, analysis and conclusions, checking them against other sources.

RST.9-10.8 I Can Statements

I can state exactly what a technical recommendation says it will do.
I can sort evidence that supports a claim from evidence that doesn’t.
I can name what a report would need to test next.

RST.9-10.8 Worked Example

The report recommends dehumidifiers for a warped gym floor, and the weak answer counts the data without asking where it points.

Read the Story

Facilities report: gym floor. Since September, the maple boards along the north wall of the gym have cupped, their edges rising higher than their centers. Cupping happens when the underside of a board takes on more moisture than the top.Humidity logs show the gym averaged 68 percent relative humidity in August, when the building was closed and the air conditioning was off. Flooring makers recommend keeping hardwood between 35 and 55 percent.Moisture-meter readings in October: 14 percent in the boards nearest the north wall, 11 percent at mid-court and 8 percent along the south wall. The north wall is also where a roof downspout empties onto the ground beside the foundation.Recommendation: install two commercial dehumidifiers to hold the gym at 45 percent, at a cost of about $9,000. With dry air, the boards will dry out and lie flat again.

A short passage written for this page.

Question: How well do the report’s evidence and reasoning support its recommendation? Point to what supports it and where it falls short.

Not Yet“The recommendation is well supported because the report uses a lot of data, like humidity logs and moisture readings. Dehumidifiers remove moisture, so they will fix the floor.”It counts the data instead of weighing it and never asks whether the numbers point to the cause the fix addresses. The moisture readings actually point to a problem the recommendation leaves out.

Meets the Standard“The evidence supports part of the recommendation. The August logs show humid air, 68 percent against a recommended 35 to 55, so controlling humidity is reasonable. But the readings fall from 14 percent at the north wall to 8 percent at the south, and damp air would reach every board, not mostly one wall. That pattern, plus a downspout emptying ‘beside the foundation’ at the same wall, suggests water from below, since cupping means the underside ‘takes on more moisture than the top.’ The report never tests that cause, so dehumidifiers alone may not flatten the boards. Redirecting the downspout and measuring again should come before spending $9,000.”It credits the evidence that fits, shows how the pattern in the readings points to a cause the fix ignores, and names what the report would need to test before the money is spent.

Question Stems to Use

What exactly does the report recommend, and what does it say the fix will do?Which evidence supports the recommendation? Which does not fit it?Do the numbers point to one cause or more than one?What would the report need to test before the money is spent?Is each step of the reasoning stated, or assumed?

Common Mistakes with RST.9-10.8

Counting evidence instead of weighing it

“It has lots of data, so it is well supported.”

Try this: Have students write what each piece of evidence actually shows, then mark whether it supports the recommendation, undercuts it or does neither.

Ignoring the pattern in the numbers

Reading 14, 11 and 8 percent as “the floor is wet”

Try this: Ask students what the differences between readings suggest about where the moisture comes from, not just whether the numbers are high.

All-or-nothing verdicts

“The report is wrong.”

Try this: Have students answer “to what extent” on a scale, naming one piece of evidence that holds up and one gap the report leaves open.

Where RST.9-10.8 Fits

Comes BeforeRST.6-8.8Tell apart facts, reasoned judgments based on research and speculation in a science text.

AlongsideRI.9-10.8Evaluate an argument, judging whether its reasoning is valid and its evidence relevant and sufficient.WHST.9-10.1Write an argument with a precise claim, fairly weighed counterclaims and data for each.

Comes NextRST.11-12.8Evaluate a text’s hypotheses, data, analysis and conclusions, checking them against other sources.

Practice RST.9-10.8

Quick Check

What does the report recommend, and what does it say the fix will do?
Two dehumidifiers to hold the gym at 45 percent humidity, which it says will dry the boards so they lie flat again.
Which evidence supports controlling humidity?
The August logs: 68 percent relative humidity, above the 35 to 55 percent flooring makers recommend.
Which evidence points to a cause the recommendation leaves out?
The moisture readings are highest at the north wall, where a downspout empties beside the foundation, which suggests water reaching the boards from below.

RST.9-10.8: Other Names

RST.9-10.8CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.8