Washington State Learning Standards

Washington, United States

A set of expectations for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level to be career and college ready.

Washington State Learning Standards

A set of expectations for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level to be career and college ready.

Governing Body: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)

Year Adopted: 2011 (ELA/Math), 2013 (Science), 2019 (Social Studies), 2026 (Math Revision)

Grade Levels Covered

Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, High School (9-12)

English Language Arts

Kindergarten

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 Reading: Literature

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Key skills: Questioning, Detail recall
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1 Reading: Foundational Skills

Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

Key skills: Print tracking, Letter recognition

Grade 3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.2 Reading: Informational Text

Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details.

Key skills: Main idea identification, Supporting details
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1 Writing

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

Key skills: Opinion writing, Reasoning

Grade 8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.1 Reading: Literature

Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly.

Key skills: Evidence citation, Textual analysis
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2 Writing

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas.

Key skills: Expository writing, Topic development

High School (9-12)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1 Reading: Informational Text

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly.

Key skills: Advanced citation, Inference
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1 Writing

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts.

Key skills: Argumentative writing, Counterclaim addressing

Mathematics

Kindergarten

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.A.1 Counting & Cardinality

Count to 100 by ones and by tens.

Key skills: Sequential counting, Skip counting
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 Geometry

Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes.

Key skills: Shape identification, Spatial positioning

Grade 5

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NBT.A.1 Number & Operations in Base Ten

Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right.

Key skills: Place value, Powers of 10
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.NF.A.1 Number & Operations—Fractions

Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators.

Key skills: Equivalent fractions, Fraction arithmetic

Grade 8

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.EE.A.1 Expressions & Equations

Know and apply the properties of integer exponents to generate equivalent numerical expressions.

Key skills: Exponent rules, Expression simplification
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.F.A.1 Functions

Understand that a function is a rule that assigns to each input exactly one output.

Key skills: Function definition, Input/output mapping

High School (9-12)

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSA-SSE.A.1 Algebra

Interpret expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context.

Key skills: Expression interpretation, Contextual modeling
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS-ID.A.1 Statistics & Probability

Represent data with plots on the real number line.

Key skills: Data visualization, Statistical distribution

Science

Kindergarten

K-PS2-1 Physical Science

Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls.

Key skills: Investigation, Force analysis

Grade 5

5-PS1-1 Physical Science

Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.

Key skills: Modeling, Particle theory
5-ESS2-1 Earth and Space Science

Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact.

Key skills: Systems thinking, Earth systems

Grade 8

MS-LS1-1 Life Science

Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells.

Key skills: Microscopy, Cell theory
MS-ESS1-1 Earth and Space Science

Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases and eclipses.

Key skills: Pattern recognition, Celestial modeling

High School (9-12)

HS-PS1-1 Physical Science

Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements.

Key skills: Periodic trends, Atomic structure
HS-LS1-1 Life Science

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins.

Key skills: Genetic coding, Protein synthesis

Social Studies

Kindergarten

SSS1.K.1 Social Studies Skills

State and clarify one's point of view.

Key skills: Perspective taking, Communication
C1.K.1 Civics

Identify the purpose of rules in the classroom and school.

Key skills: Rule identification, Civic responsibility

Grade 5

H1.5.1 History

Explain how the movement of people, ideas, and goods affected the development of the United States.

Key skills: Historical causation, Migration analysis
E1.5.1 Economics

Explain how the profit motive and competition influence the production of goods and services.

Key skills: Market dynamics, Economic incentives

Grade 8

H2.8.1 History

Explain how the American Revolution and the drafting of the Constitution reflected ideas of liberty and power.

Key skills: Constitutional analysis, Political philosophy
C2.8.1 Civics

Explain the structure and powers of the three branches of the federal government.

Key skills: Separation of powers, Federalism

High School (9-12)

H1.9-10.1 History

Analyze how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place.

Key skills: Historical context, Comparative history
C1.11-12.1 Civics

Analyze the role of the United States in international organizations and foreign policy.

Key skills: Global citizenship, Foreign policy analysis

Implementation Notes

Washington districts have local control over curriculum selection but must align instruction to state standards. OSPI provides 'Best Practices' menus and Open Educational Resources (OER) to support equitable implementation across diverse student populations.

Assessment

Student progress is measured via the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) for ELA and Math in grades 3-8 and 10. Science is assessed through the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) in grades 5, 8, and 11.

About This Standard
Added:
July 29, 2026

This standard was generated using AI with grounded search to find official, accurate information. While we strive for accuracy, please verify important details with official sources.

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