They don't communicate clearly to the teachers or provide any suggestion to parents about what students ought to learn. The authors take care to define the terms used in Standards. Terms with generally agreed-upon meaning are not safe in this document. Teaching students how to interpret and create visual texts such as illustrations, charts, graphs, electronic displays, photographs, film, and video is another essential component of the English language arts curriculum. One gets the impression that knowing how to read is only a minor part of literacy.
Standards also makes a pitch for more bilingual- education programs.
The development of competency in English is most effective when students are in programs that build on their first language. . . . Whenever possible, then, students whose first language is not English should learn and study content in their first language while learning English as a second language. Read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world. Read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions of human experience. Apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.