Support resource for teaching the K-12 ELA Standards

Understanding the Evidence Documents

The Evidence Documents are companion resources designed to support teachers in developing a deeper understanding of Georgia’s K–12 English Language Arts Standards. While the standards identify what students are expected to know and be able to do, the Evidence Documents help clarify what successful demonstration of those expectations may look like in the classroom.

Teachers can use the Evidence Documents to unpack the standards, clarify instructional expectations, and identify observable evidence of student learning. They provide additional guidance for considering the knowledge, skills, and level of thinking students should demonstrate as they work toward grade-level proficiency.

When planning instruction, teachers should use the Evidence Documents alongside the grade-level standards, rather than as a replacement for them. Together, these resources can help teachers:

• Develop a shared understanding of grade-level expectations.

• Determine what students should know, understand, and be able to demonstrate.

• Plan learning experiences that address the full intent and rigor of the standards.

• Identify appropriate evidence of student learning.

• Design or select assessments that are aligned to the standards.

• Examine how learning develops within and across grade levels.

The Evidence Documents are especially valuable during collaborative planning and standards-unpacking conversations because they help move the focus from simply covering a standard to determining whether students can demonstrate the knowledge and skills expected by the standard.

Standards tell us the expectation. Evidence helps us recognize when students have met it.