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Utah Standards

Utah Grades 11–12 ELA Standards

All 18 Utah English language arts standards for grades 11–12, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Utah State Board of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.

18 standards

Speaking and Listening

3 standards
11–12.SL.1
In democratic discussions, respond to diverse views, question the reasoning and evidence behind ideas, resolve contradictions, and decide when more research is needed.
11–12.SL.2
Combine and evaluate sources in many formats, checking each for credibility and accuracy and noting where their data conflict, to make informed decisions.
11–12.SL.3
Match language, organization, and delivery to the purpose and audience, using data visuals and digital media strategically to make a presentation clearer.

Reading

11 standards
11–12.R.4
Read eleventh- and twelfth-grade texts accurately and fluently, at the steady pace that full understanding of complex writing needs.
11–12.R.5
Cite the most relevant evidence for a text's direct statements and inferences, and analyze passages where the meaning stays uncertain or ambiguous.
11–12.R.6
Trace how several themes interact in texts from many cultures, and synthesize the main ideas of two or more informational texts objectively with evidence.
11–12.R.7
Analyze how an author builds a text through complex characters and plot or theme, or through the order and development of ideas in an analysis or argument.
11–12.R.8
Analyze how word choices, figurative language, and connotations set tone and mood, and how vocabulary and language differ across eras, cultures, regions, and genres.
11–12.R.9
Clarify unknown words by analyzing how word forms change meaning or part of speech, and by using references for pronunciation, meaning, origin, and usage.
11–12.R.10
Compare and judge the structures of several texts on similar topics or themes, deciding which make their points or events clearest and most convincing.
11–12.R.11
Analyze how where and when an author lived, along with identity and culture, shapes the viewpoint, purpose, and messages across a full body of work.
11–12.R.12
Analyze how a subject is shown in two or more media by noting which details each stresses, changes, or leaves out and how that shapes the audience's view.
11–12.R.13
Evaluate arguments across several texts on one subject, testing key claims for validity or fallacy by their evidence and spotting irrelevant support.
11–12.R.14
Analyze notable literature on shared themes across eras by purpose, style, and rhetoric, and evaluate how culturally significant works treat issues and stay relevant.

Writing

4 standards
11–12.W.1
Write arguments on complex topics that show why claims matter, weigh counterclaims with the best credible evidence, link sections with varied syntax, and conclude.
11–12.W.2
Explain complex ideas in writing so each part builds on the last, using thorough evidence, figurative language, graphics, and varied transitions, then concluding.
11–12.W.3
Write a real or imagined story around a complex problem, using points of view, flashback, reflection, multiple plot lines, and varied syntax, with a satisfying close.
11–12.W.4
Conduct research projects to argue, answer a question, or analyze, evaluating and combining credible sources, citing them in a standard format, and collaborating.

The official Utah documents

The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Utah's standards, not the official wording, which Utah State Board of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.