ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS GRADE 9/10 - Summary - Proficiency Level Descriptors and Claims 1-3

Oct 10, 2026

Academic standards set expectations for what students learn each year, and state assessment results provide common data to reveal performance patterns for school and district improvement. Performance level descriptors translate state assessment targets into classroom instruction, describing proficiency as observable student behaviors across multiple pathways. Proficiency is shaped by text complexity, task demands, and context, with stronger performance enabling more challenging texts and more consistent demonstration. The document outlines Claims 1-3: Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Theory of Action

Role of Performance Level Descriptors in Defining Proficiency

Proficiency and Difficulty

Claim 1: Key Ideas and Details

Claim 2: Craft and Structure

Claim 3: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS GRADE 9/10 | Theory of Action: Academic standards represent a collective commitment around what students should learn each year. The state assessment asks students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and understanding related to these standards using a common measure. The resulting data allows us to see patterns in performance that should guide school and district improvement, helping identify areas of strength and opportunity.
Role of Performance Level Descriptors in Defining Proficiency: Performance level descriptors bridge the state assessment to classroom instruction and the systems of formative assessments that guide local instruction and choices about individual students. Academic proficiency represents a range of observable student performance characteristics. There are multiple pathways to proficiency, and students rely upon their strengths differently within that range of performance.
Proficiency and Difficulty: A student’s ability to demonstrate proficiency is influenced by the complexity of the texts or stimuli presented, tasks they’re asked to complete, and the contextsin which they are engaged. As student performance improves, students are typically able to handle more challenging texts/stimuli, tasks, and contexts, and are able to demonstrate their skills and knowledge more accurately and consistently. | | --- | --- | Claim 1: Key Ideas and Detailsi Student performance indicates the ability to: | Above Proficient | Analyze how themes and ideas are revealed through complex relationships and subtle choices. Interpret details like a repeated line like I told myself it didn’t matter or a shift in tone to uncover deeper meaning. Explain how those choices develop the theme across the text. | | --- | --- | | Proficient | Determine a central theme or idea and analyze how it is developed through events, characters, or dialogue. Support your analysis with key evidence, like how the moment he walked away without answering shows a turning point in the character’s growth. Describe how relationships or events build meaning across the text. | | Approaching Proficient | Identify the theme or central idea and summarize how it is shown in key parts of the story. Explain how details like I’m not like them anymore reflect a character’s change. Recognize basic relationships like cause and effect or contrast between characters. | | Below Proficient | Locate important details, characters, and events. Identify what the text is mostly about and begin to connect ideas, like how the phrase She didn’t speak the whole way home shows something about the character’s feelings or situation. | MOST COMPLEX 􀃇􀃇􀃇􀃇 RI. 10/RL.10 – Read and comprehend appropriate texts independently. 􀃇􀃇􀃇􀃇 LEAST COMPLEX Text Complexity Claim 2: Craft and Structureii Student performance indicates the ability to: | Above Proficient | Analyze how the author’s choices, like word choice, tone, structure, or point of view, shape meaning and guide the reader’s understanding. Evaluate the impact of techniques like a non-linear timeline or repeated phrases, such as I never looked back, to show regret or reflection. | | --- | --- | | Proficient | Explain how the author’s language, structure, and point of view support the purpose of the text. Analyze choices like describing a setting with words like cracked sidewalks and flickering lights to create a mood, or using a first-person narrator to build trust or show bias. | | Approaching Proficient | Describe how parts of the text, like paragraph order or key word choices, support the message. Recognize how tone is shaped by language, like using outraged instead of upset, or how a title helps focus the reader on the author’s main idea. | | Below Proficient | Identify features of the text, like headings or who is telling the story. Recognize when a word like important or never shows the author’s feelings, but may not explain how these choices affect the meaning. | MOST COMPLEX

FAQs

How do performance level descriptors connect the state assessment to classroom instruction?

They bridge state assessment results to classroom teaching by describing proficiency as observable student performance across different pathways. This helps guide formative assessments and instructional choices for individual students.

What factors influence a student’s ability to demonstrate proficiency?

Text or stimulus complexity, the tasks students are asked to complete, and the context in which they are engaged all influence demonstrated proficiency. As performance improves, students handle more challenging demands more accurately and consistently.

What do the three claims focus on in English Language Arts grade 9/10?

Claim 1 emphasizes key ideas and details, Claim 2 focuses on craft and structure, and Claim 3 addresses integration of knowledge and ideas. Each claim includes proficiency descriptions from above proficient to below proficient.

Oct 10, 2026

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