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Committee replaces 'integrate' language with 'evaluate and synthesize,' debates quantitative/data wording
Summary
The committee revised the ELA cornerstone to read that students should 'evaluate and synthesize content presented in diverse formats and media' and debated whether to reference 'quantitative' information explicitly; members favored adding explicit guidance about data in the standards guide and high‑school examples.
The ELA standards recommendation committee revised its draft cornerstone for media and multimodal literacy, recommending language that asks students to "evaluate and synthesize content presented in diverse formats and media." The group also debated where and whether to call out quantitative/data reasoning in the standards language.
Why it matters: The cornerstone language signals what kind of reading comprehension students must develop. Explicitly naming data or quantitative information can affect what materials districts adopt and how teachers scaffold instruction in middle and high school.
Committee conversation centered on how to express the substantive skill. The earlier draft used the verb “integrate,” which several members said implied an act of producing a product; committee members preferred “synthesize,” which is commonly used in standards and assessments to describe combining information across sources.
"I prefer the word synthesis," one committee member said, arguing the term better described the cognitive task students will perform with multiple media sources.
Members also debated the word "quantitatively." Some said "quantitatively" is clunky and unclear for teachers; others argued that interpreting graphs, tables and numeric data is an essential literacy skill that should be explicit in high‑school standards because it is tested on college‑entrance assessments. A compromise adopted in drafting language was to include "data" or "quantitative information" as examples in guidance (EG lists) for RI (reading informational) standards rather than forcing the awkward adverb into every standard string.
Vice Chair Maestro Hilliard proposed rewording the cornerstone to: "evaluate and synthesize content presented in diverse formats and media." Committee members accepted the change and agreed to add explicit examples such as "text, visuals, and data" in the standards guide and in examples for the high‑school RI standards.
Committee members flagged that materials adoption reviewers often look for explicit mention of data and numerical interpretation; adding example items (e.g., charts, graphs, data tables) in the standards guide would make expectations clearer for textbook adopters.
Ending: The committee approved the revised cornerstone language and directed staff to add clarifying examples — including data and visuals — in the standards guide and the EG/example lists for RI at appropriate grade bands.
