North Carolina's Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) defines the appropriate content standards for each grade level to provide a uniform set of learning standards for every public school in North Carolina. These standards define what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade.  The goal of these standards is to prepare all students to become career and college ready. In English Language Arts (ELA), standards are the foundation of instruction. Texts and other curricula are the means to teach the standards.  The strands addressed by the English Language Arts standards are Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language.

READING STRAND (Literature; Informational Text)

K-12 Standards for Reading define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of each grade. Students should demonstrate their proficiency of these standards both orally and through writing. For students to be college and career ready, they must read from a wide range of high-quality, increasingly challenging literary and informational texts. One of the key requirements of the Standards for Reading is that all students must be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. Students should also acquire the habits of reading closely and independently for sustained periods of time. They need to connect prior knowledge and experiences to text. They must also show a steadily growing ability to discern more from and make fuller use of text.

WRITING STRAND: To be college and career ready, students should learn how to offer and support opinions/arguments, demonstrate understanding of a topic under study, and convey real and/or imagined experiences. Students learn that a key purpose of writing is to communicate clearly and coherently. The NC ELA Writing Standards emphasize the importance of writing routinely in order to build knowledge and demonstrate understanding. The complete writing process (from prewriting to editing) is clear in the first three writing standards. These standards define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of each grade.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING STRAND: The K-12 Speaking and Listening Standards define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of each grade. To become college and career ready, teachers must provide students with ample opportunities to communicate their thinking orally through a variety of rich, structured conversations either in whole group or in small group settings, or with a partner. To be a productive part of these conversations, students need to contribute accurate information, respond and build on the ideas of others, use data and evidence effectively, and listen attentively to others. 

LANGUAGE STRAND: Language skills are inseparable from and vital to reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Even though these skills are in a separate strand, it is important for students to use effective and correct language skills in all contexts. The NC ELA Language Standards emphasize the use of accurate language skills, not just the identification of accurate language skills. The Grammar and Conventions Grade Band Continuums allow for differentiation and re-teaching as needed. It is important that students begin to demonstrate proficiency in the lower grade(s) of each band, while students in the highest grade of the band should demonstrate proficiency of the listed language skills by the end of the school year.

NC STANDARD COURSE OF STUDY: English Language Arts

• ELA Curriculum Standards - Grades 9-10
• ELA Curriculum Standards - Grades 11-12