Indiana Standards
Indiana Grades 9–10 ELA Standards
All 28 Indiana English language arts standards for grades 9–10, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Indiana Department of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.
28 standards
Reading Comprehension
13 standards9-10.RC.1
Explain what a text says directly and what it implies, using strong, thorough quotes and details to support your inferences and interpretations.
9-10.RC.2
Analyze in detail how two or more themes develop across a literary work, from where they first appear to how specific details shape and sharpen them.
9-10.RC.3
Analyze and judge how an author's choices about structure, order of events and handling of time, like pacing or flashbacks, shape a work's meaning and effect.
9-10.RC.4
Analyze in detail how two or more central ideas develop through a text and build on each other into a rich, layered explanation.
9-10.RC.5
Analyze how an author lays out a sequence of ideas or events, including the order points come in and the links drawn between them, like steps in a historical account.
9-10.RC.6
Identify an author's viewpoint or purpose and analyze how the author uses rhetoric, like appeals to emotion or logic, to advance it.
9-10.RC.7
Map out a text's argument and claims, judge whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence relevant and sufficient, and flag false statements and logical fallacies.
9-10.RC.8
Analyze important U.S. and world documents of historical and literary value, like the Declaration of Independence or the Magna Carta, and the themes they share.
9-10.RC.9
Figure out or confirm the meaning of words and phrases from context, like what mitigate means in a sentence about reducing flood damage.
9-10.RC.10
Analyze the subtle differences between words that share a dictionary meaning, like the gap between assertive, pushy and bold.
9-10.RC.11
Recognize and use the ways a word changes form to signal a new meaning or part of speech, like democracy, democratic and democratize.
9-10.RC.12
Analyze figurative, connotative and literal meanings of words in literature and how word choices, including words with several meanings, shape meaning and tone.
9-10.RC.13
Work out figurative, connotative, literal and technical meanings of words in nonfiction and judge how well specific word choices shape meaning and tone.
Writing
7 standards9-10.W.1
Write arguments that set a claim apart from counterclaims, treat both fairly with evidence, use rhetorical strategies and smooth transitions, and end strongly.
9-10.W.2
Write informative pieces that organize complex ideas, draw on credible sources, use precise words and clear transitions, and end by showing why the topic matters.
9-10.W.3
Write narratives that set out a problem or situation, use one or more points of view, reflection and multiple plotlines, vivid detail, and a reflective ending.
9-10.W.4
Plan, draft, revise and edit formal writing for a specific purpose and audience, publish it with digital tools, and credit sources using a standard style guide like MLA.
9-10.W.5
Complete longer research projects, narrowing an inquiry question, using advanced searches and authoritative sources, blending in information, and citing in MLA or APA.
9-10.W.6
Form verbs in each mood, from indicative and imperative to interrogative, conditional and subjunctive like if I were, and use parallel structure in lists and contrasts.
9-10.W.7
Join closely related independent clauses with a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb, like however or therefore followed by a comma.
Communication and Collaboration
8 standards9-10.CC.1
Start and join discussions on high school texts and issues, building on classmates' ideas and making your own points clearly and persuasively.
9-10.CC.2
Examine and reflect on ideas raised in a discussion, using evidence from texts to support or challenge them.
9-10.CC.3
Push conversations further by linking them to bigger themes, drawing quieter classmates in, and clarifying, checking or challenging ideas and conclusions.
9-10.CC.4
Respond thoughtfully to different viewpoints, summarize where people agree and disagree, adjust or defend your views based on evidence, and make new connections.
9-10.CC.5
Analyze information from several sources in different media and formats, like a podcast and a data chart, judging each source's credibility and accuracy.
9-10.CC.6
Evaluate a speaker's viewpoint, reasoning, evidence and rhetoric, pointing out faulty logic or distorted evidence.
9-10.CC.7
Present information and evidence in a logical order listeners can follow, with organization and development suited to the purpose, audience and task.
9-10.CC.8
Analyze how media show bias by including or leaving out information and through the reliability of their sources, words and images aimed at a desired result.
The official Indiana documents
- 2023 Indiana Academic Standards: Grades 9-10 English/Language Arts · adopted June 2023 · current for 2026-27, new set from 2028-29
The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Indiana's standards, not the official wording, which Indiana Department of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.