New Jersey Standards
New Jersey Kindergarten ELA Standards
All 38 New Jersey English language arts standards for kindergarten, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.
38 standards
Foundational Skills: Reading Language
4 standardsL.RF.K.1
Follow print left to right and top to bottom, know that letters in order make a word with spaces between words, and name every upper and lowercase letter.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.AFollow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.BRecognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.CUnderstand that words are separated by spaces in print.DRecognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
L.RF.K.2
Hear and make rhymes, clap syllables, say the first, middle and last sounds in a short word like cat, and swap a sound to make a new word, like cat to hat.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).ARecognize and produce rhyming words.BCount, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.CBlend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.DOrally repeat multi-syllable words and pronounce the separate syllables.EIsolate and pronounce the initial, final, and medial sounds (phonemes) in spoken, single-syllable words, (simple syllables that do not include final /l/, /m/, /r/, or /x/ sounds and consonant blends).FAdd or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
L.RF.K.3
Use letter sounds to read and spell words, like knowing consonant and vowel sounds, reading sight words fast, and hearing the sound that turns cat into cot.
Official wording
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding words.ADemonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing many of the most frequently used sounds of each consonant.BAssociate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.CRead high-frequency words and grade level irregular words with automaticity.DRecognize the parts of high-frequency words that are regular and the parts that are irregular.EDistinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ (e.g., nap and tap; cat and cot).
L.RF.K.4
Read simple decodable books out loud, sounding out the words accurately enough to understand what the book says.
Official wording
Read emergent-reader texts (decodable texts, including words with one-to-one letter-sound correspondences) orally with sufficient decoding accuracy to support comprehension.
Foundational Skills: Writing Language
3 standardsL.WF.K.1
Match and print capital and small letters, write left to right with spaces between words, and choose letters for the sounds in a spoken word.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of writing.AMatch upper and lowercase letters.BWrite upper and lowercase letters, with reference to a model.CWrite left to right and include a space between words.DIdentify the letters used to represent vowel phonemes and those used to represent consonants, knowing that every syllable has a vowel.EWrite a common grapheme (letter or letter group) for each phoneme.FOrally segment the phonemes in any single syllable, spoken word.
L.WF.K.2
Spell short words by their sounds, like sun or hop, filling in a first or last letter, trying out new words, and writing blends like the st in fast.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of encoding and spelling common, regular, single-syllable words by:ARepresenting phonemes, first to last, in simple words, using letters with a transparent relationship to sound (e.g., the “o” in “rope” may be spelled with a single letter, o).BWriting or selecting a missing initial or final consonant when spelling a CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) word.CSpelling VC (vowel-consonant) [at, in] and CVC [pet, mud] words with short vowel sounds.DWriting frequently used words accurately.EAttempting phonetic spellings of unknown words.FWriting initial and final consonant blends (must, slab, plump).
L.WF.K.3
Write simple sentences that begin with a capital and end with the right mark, telling whole sentences from pieces and joining ideas with words like and or but.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of sentence composition.ARepeat a sentence, identifying how many words are in the sentence.BWrite simple sentences.CCapitalize the first word in a sentence, capitalize proper names, and include spaces between words.DUse end punctuation.EUse manipulatives or digital tools to construct complete sentences.FWrite sentences with increasing complexity.GSupply the “who,” “is doing,” “what,” in a subject-verb-object sentence frame.HMatch periods, question marks, and exclamation points to statements, questions, commands, and exclamations.IWith support, distinguish between a complete sentence and a sentence fragment.JWith support, write statements in response to questions, and questions transformed from statements, using conventional word order.KElaborate a simple subject or simple predicate, in response to questions who, what, where, when, how, or why.LUse conjunctions appropriately in sentences (e.g., and, but, so, and because).
Language Domain
3 standardsL.KL.K.1
With help, speak in full sentences using common nouns and verbs, plurals like cup and cups, question words, and position words like in and on.
Official wording
With prompting and support, develop knowledge of language and its conventions when speaking and listening.AUse frequently occurring nouns and verbs.BForm regular plural nouns orally by adding -s or -es (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).CUnderstand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).DUse the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with).EProduce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
L.VL.K.2
With help, ask and answer questions to work out new words, like learning that a bat is an animal and a stick, and use endings like -ing as clues.
Official wording
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.AIdentify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).BUse the most frequently occurring affixes (e.g., -ed, -s, -ing) as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word.
L.VI.K.3
With an adult's help, sort objects into groups, pair words with their opposites, link words to real life, and act out the difference between walk, march and strut.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.ASort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.BDemonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms).CIdentify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful).DDistinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings.
Reading Domain
15 standardsRL.CR.K.1
With help, ask and answer who, what, where and why questions about the important details in a story.
Official wording
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a literary text (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
RI.CR.K.1
With help, ask and answer who, what, when and how questions about the important facts in a nonfiction book.
Official wording
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in an informational text (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
RL.CI.K.2
With help, retell a familiar story with its important details and tell the lesson or big idea the story shares.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify the central message and retell familiar literary texts, including key details (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
RI.CI.K.2
With help, tell what a nonfiction text is mostly about and name the important facts that go with it.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify the main topic and key details of an informational text (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
RL.IT.K.3
With help, say who is in a story, where it takes place and the big things that happen in it.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
RI.IT.K.3
With help, tell how two people, events or facts in an informational book go together, like a seed and the plant it becomes.
Official wording
With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
RL.TS.K.4
Tell storybooks and poems apart, and find the parts of a book, like its front and back covers and the page that shows its title.
Official wording
Recognize common types of literary texts (e.g., storybooks, poems) and identify features of print (front cover, back cover, and title page of a book).
RI.TS.K.4
Name kinds of nonfiction like recipes, life stories and how-to guides, and point out where a book's covers and title page are.
Official wording
Recognize common types of informational texts (e.g., biographies, recipes, how-to manuals) and identify features of print (e.g., front cover, back cover, and title page of a book).
RL.PP.K.5
With help, name who wrote a story and who drew its pictures, and tell what each one does to help tell the story.
Official wording
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
RI.PP.K.5
With help, name who wrote and who illustrated a book and tell how the words and the pictures each share its ideas.
Official wording
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.
RL.MF.K.6
With help, look at a picture in a storybook and say which moment of the story it shows.
Official wording
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
RI.MF.K.6
With help, say which person, place, thing or idea from an informational book a picture or photo shows.
Official wording
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
RI.AA.K.7
With help, find the reasons an author gives for a point, like why a book says dogs make good pets.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
RL.CT.K.8
With help, tell some ways two stories on the same topic are alike and different, like their characters or pictures.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two literary texts on the same topic (e.g., characters, experiences, illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
RI.CT.K.8
With help, tell some ways two nonfiction books about the same topic are alike and different, like their facts or pictures.
Official wording
With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two informational texts on the same topic (e.g., characters, experiences, illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
Writing Domain
7 standardsW.AW.K.1
Draw, dictate and write to share an opinion about a topic or book, like naming a favorite book.
Official wording
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces on topics or texts (e.g., My favorite book is...).
W.IW.K.2
Draw, dictate and write to teach about a topic, naming it and giving at least two facts or examples, with pictures to help.
Official wording
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts to convey ideas.AIntroduce a topic.BDevelop the topic with at least two facts or other information and examples related to the topic, including pictures.
W.NW.K.3
Draw, dictate and write about a real or made-up event, telling it in order from beginning to end with a few details and a reaction.
Official wording
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate real or imagined experience or events.AEstablish a situation and/or introduce characters; organize an event sequence (beginning, middle, end).BProvide limited details of experiences, events, or characters.CProvide a reaction to the experiences or events.
W.WP.K.4
With adult help, learn that writing sends a message and should make sense to the person reading it.
Official wording
With prompts and support from adults, recognize that writing carries a message and should make sense to others.
W.WR.K.5
With help, come up with questions as a class about a topic, book, photo or video to start a shared research project.
Official wording
With prompting and support, generate questions through shared research in response to a topic, text, or stimulus (e.g., event, photograph, video, book).
W.SE.K.6
With an adult's help, answer a question by remembering something that happened or by looking in books the teacher provides.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
W.RW.K.7
With help, write and draw often in short, regular tasks, like labeling a picture or drawing a daily journal page.
Official wording
With prompting and support, engage in brief but regular writing and drawing tasks.
Speaking and Listening Domain
6 standardsSL.PE.K.1
Talk with classmates and adults about kindergarten topics and books, following the rules, taking turns and keeping the conversation going.
Official wording
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.AFollow agreed-upon norms for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).BContinue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
SL.II.K.2
Show understanding of a read-aloud, a talk or a video by asking and answering questions about it and asking when something is confusing.
Official wording
Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
SL.ES.K.3
Ask a question to get help, find something out or clear up something confusing, and answer questions from others.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.
SL.PI.K.4
Describe a familiar person, place, thing or event, like a pet or a birthday, and add more detail when prompted.
Official wording
Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
SL.UM.K.5
Add a drawing or other picture to a description when it helps show more detail.
Official wording
Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
SL.AS.K.6
Speak loudly enough to be heard and say thoughts, feelings and ideas so that others understand.
Official wording
Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
The official New Jersey documents
- New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts, 2023 · adopted October 2023 · since 2024-25
New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts, New Jersey Department of Education.
Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
The plain-English lines are EMStudio's own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.