These content and performance standards represent the best thinking of language educators and interested members of the public. They were drawn from two years of work in Wisconsin's Standards Development projects, from the Modern Red Schoolhouse standards, from the standards of other states, such as Virginia and Colorado, from the work of the New Standards Project, and from the National Standards for the English Language Arts. A Developmental Subject Much of what we expect students to be able to do at the end of their formal education is introduced as early as kindergarten.
Students listen, read, speak, write, use language, and enjoy literature at all levels and grades.
The difficulty of the materials, the complexity of what students do with them, and the sophistication of their skills change as they grow older. For economy of space, knowledge and skills introduced as standards at the lower levels are not repeated as standards at the upper levels. In practice, teachers build on what students have already achieved at one level to help them meet higher standards at the next level. Great Authors and Literary Works Human beings have produced a rich treasury of great writing. The language arts standards, like those of most states, do not specify a list of authors or works that must be read by all students.