ELA Standards Alignment

ELA Vertical Standard Document

Curriculum/Standards alignment involves several key steps to ensure that educational content being taught is coherent, relevant, and effectively representative of what students at each grade level should know and be able to do. It involves three-way alignment among standards (the expectation we hold), curriculum (the intentional plan and resources we have for guiding students to learn what is necessary to meet the standard), and assessment (an examination of to what extent the student meets the standard). Use the ELA Vertical Alignment document when working with your ELA teams.

ELA Guidance Document

Carefully aligning curriculum to standards is a process that takes time. It also requires intentionality, communication, and a desire to closely reflect on the effectiveness of our practices and our resources. Carefully planned professional learning will be needed.

The ELA Guidance Document is a shareable Google spreadsheet you can use with your district and schools. Please contact mary.lonker@ksde.gov to receive a copy of this document.

Break down the standard

Vertical Alignment Steps

Using the ELA Vertical Alginment document, find the ELA standard your team wants to foucs on. Look at the standard as it progresses from grade K-11-12. Follow the directions to break the standard down and analyze its skill level progression.

Standard Example

Breaking Down a Standard Example

Reflect on the grade level you teach, the grade level above you, and what the students need to know and be able to do in order to demonstrate understanding of this standard. Reflect on units, lessons, and activities that teach all components of this standard.

Webb’s Depth of Knowledge and PLDs: Oct 2025

Webb's Depth of Knowledge

Use the document to determine the depth of knowlege level for instructional strategies. Verify rigor and engagement to ensure students are progressing through learning at an appropriate level to apply and transfer their learning.

PLD's

Perfomance Level Descriptors

Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) define the knowledge, skills, and processes that students likely demonstrate at different levels of proficiency within the reporting categories (1, 2, 3, 4). Find your grade level PLD's from the Kansas Assessment Program website and use the PLD's to determine student's depth of knowledge of the standard.

Value of formatives

Monitor and Revise

Use formative assessment information. Look at various data pieces such as a diagnostic screener, KAP interim and mini tests, and common grade level assessments. Verify students are progressing forward to mastery of the standard(s) through strong data.

Plan, teach, assess, reflect. Do you need to reteach? Plan, teach, assess, reflect... again.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse