Learning Standards Review FAQs

Learning standards define what all students need to know and be able to do at each grade level. OSPI develops these standards and periodically updates them to align with the student learning goals outlined in RCW 28A.150.210. Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the initial adoption of the learning standards. Most recently updated March 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Initial Adoption 

What is the purpose of the initial adoption release?

Initial adoption allows school districts to begin implementation efforts while providing additional opportunities for users to give feedback, and revision suggestions to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) directly from district and classroom use. Feedback will also be used to inform state and local technical support and professional learning.

What are the documents that will be released for initial adoption? 

Four files will be released for the K-12 mathematics initial adoption:

• Learning Standards Word Document: Provides a full introduction on the standards in a printer-friendly version for users who like a paper copy. It also includes the high school arrangements of standards to align with locally determined high school math sequences.
• Learning Standards Excel File: Provides short overviews of information to understand the new standards. Tabs provide a crosswalk between the previous math standards and the 2025 standards, the 2025 standards, with priority standards identified with multiple filter and sorting capabilities, and a glossary tab to define words used in the standards. This file is also a holding place for adding connections to WIDA and other content areas in the future.
• What’s New Document: Provides a very high-level update on what is new in the standards and gives a quick summary of the changes.
• Key Shifts Document: Supports educator understanding of how the initial standards are different from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This document can be used to support professional learning for educators to dig in and see examples of the changes that will guide them into using the standards differently.

How is OSPI taking feedback on the initially adopted standards?

OSPI is seeking feedback on the Initially Adopted K–12 Learning Standards through a survey. Feedback is requested on the technical assistance needs of districts from OSPI, prioritization of the standards, and structure and useability of the standards.

How will OSPI use the feedback from the initial adoption survey?

Feedback from the survey will be gathered to develop support plans/technical assistance from OSPI, help design professional learning with our educational partners, and used in consideration for further revisions to the learning standards.

How are districts supposed to use the initial standards with their currently adopted instructional materials?

Districts can use the initial adoption release of standards to examine the changes, compare the revisions to the CCSS and notice the differences and similarities of the standards. Districts can also begin using the crosswalk documents to review the alignment of the initial standards to their currently adopted instructional materials, and how the focus of the standard has/hasn’t changed and how that works with instructional planning.

Will districts be expected to update their instructional materials with the updated standards?

No, there will be no expectation for districts to update their instructional materials. The adoption of instructional materials is a district process, depending on district policy, procedures, funding, and adoption cycles that are set by the district.

What other resources are being developed by OSPI to support the standards updates?

Technical support is still being planned based on feedback received through the initial adoption survey.

What does final adoption mean?

Once updates have been made to the standards from the initial adoption input, the standards will be released as the Washington State K–12 Learning Standards. An expected date for full classroom use will also be set. For math standards, the final adoption will take place before the 26–27 school year with full implementation in districts no later than the 27–28 school year.

English Language Arts (ELA)

Why were the English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core State Standards (CCSS) revised? 

Expectations for literacy have evolved since Washington state adopted the ELA CCSS in 2011. With the emergence of new genres, media, technologies, and platforms, students face new opportunities for engaging in literacy.  However, just as newer generations experience these changes, they still read, write, speak, listen, and use language in many of the same ways as previous generations. 

In addition, research has continued to reveal insights about literacy development and instruction that were not incorporated into the ELA CCSS. 

The Washington State K–12 Learning Standards for ELA aim to: 

• Integrate media literacy and promote responsible digital citizenship. 
• Emphasize critical thinking skills, encouraging students to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information effectively. 
• Reflect the latest literacy research and support relevant, evidence-based instruction. 
• Reduce repetition to make the standards more user-friendly. 
• Focus on the process of literacy development to scaffold students’ learning experiences. 
• Prioritize standards to provide context and purpose for ELA skills. 
• Emphasize relevance as a pathway to academic rigor. 

By updating, amending, and revising the ELA CCSS, the WA K–12 Learning Standards for ELA equip students to navigate communication now and in the future. 

Will standards related to media literacy and digital citizenship be focused on particular age ranges? 

Standards related to media literacy and digital citizenship will be included at each grade level of the ELA standards in age-appropriate ways.  

Do standards related to media literacy tell students what to think about media messages and information sources? 

Standards related to media literacy help students understand what’s going on in the background, so they can make their own informed decisions about how to engage with media messages. This includes using their own lenses to analyze: 

• The effects of media messages on themselves and others. 
• The purposes of media messages and the techniques used to accomplish them. 
• The accuracy/logic of media messages. 
• The relevance and credibility of information sources. 
• The potential consequences of helping to spread media messages. 

Digital citizenship isn’t its own domain. Is it represented in the revised standards? 

Yes. Digital citizenship skills specific to ELA are embedded throughout the domains. For example, a writing standard requires students to consider the impacts of permanence and intended and unintended audiences before deciding where to publish. Similarly, a standard in Speaking, Listening, and Digital Forums requires students to identify degrees of anonymity when participating in digital forums. 

Are the revised ELA standards as rigorous as the ELA CCSS (2011)? 

Yes. The revised ELA standards are simultaneously more rigorous and student-centered. 

For example, the new writing standards ask students to make decisions while creating a variety of real-world texts rather than formulas or oversimplified text. Students might write news articles, literary texts, advertisements, instructions, emails, or even social media posts. These texts are complex and directly relevant to life. When students create texts which are relevant to their lives and their purposes, they are more likely to engage deeply and attend with precision. In this way, relevance increases rigor. 

In addition, standards related to media literacy emphasize critical thinking skills. These new standards ask students to investigate the accuracy of media messages and the credibility of information sources, along with the purposes and techniques that led to their creation. This rigorous process allows students to decide how they will position themselves relative to the media messages they encounter every day, based on their personal and community values and goals. 

Do the revised standards support education in dual language classrooms? 

Yes. By streamlining, avoiding duplications, and crafting the standards in a way that works across languages, the revisions may reduce the workload for dual language teachers. Dual language teachers often translate their own materials, including standards. By making the standards easier to translate, these revisions have the potential to reduce the workload for dual language teachers and improve access to grade-level instruction and results in student success for multilingual learners. 

In addition, WIDA English Language Development (ELD) standards informed the revisions, particularly in writing. In WIDA, Key Language Uses (narrate, inform, explain, argue) are informed by genre families, not text types. To better align with WIDA and simultaneously reflect scholarship in composition studies, the revised writing standards shift from text types to genre. 

The excel document of the learning standards will have a column added before final adoption, that annotates the standards with the most pertinent Key Language Uses. 

There are strong, sometimes conflicting feelings about how reading should be taught. Do the revised ELA standards take a position in this conversation? 

Reading involves multiple skills, and the revised ELA standards unify these through research-based approaches. Research shows that students benefit from explicit, systematic instruction in foundational skills, now elevated to a primary domain in the standards. Additionally, all students gain simultaneous instruction in comprehension, interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and use of texts in a language and text-rich environment. The revised standards reflect these research-based components, addressing integrated and comprehensive approaches to literacy instruction. 

Have priority standards been identified, and how do they help educators focus on what’s most important? 

Priority standards have been identified in each domain: Reading; Writing; Speaking, Listening, and Digital Forums; Language; and Research and Media Literacy. Priority standards were chosen because they represent one or more of the following: 

• Endurance: Will this skill or knowledge still be valuable beyond a single test, school year, or post-high school? 
• Leverage: Is this skill or knowledge useful across multiple subjects? 
• Readiness: Does this skill or knowledge prepare students for success in the next grade level, course, or post-high school option? 

Will there be a document that displays standards in each domain through all the grade levels? 

Yes, the Excel file contains a tab with filters that can be used to see each standard progress through the different grade levels. 

Many districts have invested in professional learning informed by science of reading research and structured literacy approaches. How will the revised ELA standards complement these efforts and support educators in implementing evidence-based practices? 

Academic standards define what students should know and be able to do; they do not prescribe specific instructional methods. The revised ELA standards are grounded in research and reflect essential components of literacy instruction supported by empirical evidence, including principles highlighted in science of reading and structured literacy. At the same time, the standards go beyond foundational skills to ensure students are active thinkers, decision-makers, and meaning-makers across all aspects of literacy. 

After adoption, we will provide technical support to help educators implement the standards effectively and integrate them into existing initiatives, ensuring coherence and comprehensive literacy development. 

How do the standards that address media literacy and digital citizenship align with the OSPI learning standards for Educational Technology? 

Before final adoption of the ELA standards, there will be a crosswalk resource document that shows the alignment of the standards that address media literacy and digital citizenship with the Educational Technology standards. 

How long will the initial adoption ELA survey be open? 

The survey for the ELA standards will be open from March 12, 2026, through May 3, 2026. 

Mathematics

What is new or different in the mathematics standards? 

What is new or different in the mathematics standards? Priority standards have been identified, standards have a common coding system that will be consistent for each set of content standards, and standards have been broken out by high school courses, these are some of the changes for mathematics. Breaking out the high school mathematics standards by courses (Integrated 1, 2, 3, Geometry, Algebra 1, 2, and Credit 3) was in response to specific requests by high school teachers. Please see the “What’s New” and “Key Shifts” documents for more details.

How long will the initial adoption mathematics survey be open? 

The survey for the mathematics standards will be open from December 4, 2025 through February 13, 2026.

What math standards are no longer included in the 2025 update?

The CCSS 7.NS.A.3 standard was removed because it was seen as redundant following M.7.Q.NS.1 and .NS.2

Do we need new math instructional materials to align with the new math standards?

The mathematics standards are still the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) in content and maintain their root coding even in the new structure. High quality instructional materials aligned to the CCSSM are still valuable resources aligned to the 2025 revised WA Math standards. Standard A.REI.1 in the CCSSM is still AREI.1 in the revised standards even though it sits in a different spot within the WA standards structure. 

Where a high school (HS) standard may have said, “Write an equation….” in the original CCSSM, it now says “Efficiently, flexibly, and accurately write an equation…” The learning goal in the revised standard remains the same, which does not necessarily impact instructional materials content or selection, rather the ways by which students engage with the writing of an equation is opened up to embrace the different ways by which students can write equations that represent a relationship. 

In the revision process we were sure to keep the root coding of CCSSM so districts could continue to rely on national resources like EdReports to ensure they are selecting the best HQIM for their district and students. 

Funding Support

What funding support will be available for districts to supplement or update local instructional materials?

Districts may use basic education dollars and other allowable funding sources to update or supplement instructional materials. Support for implementing the updated standards is available through Educational Service District Content Coordinators, OSPI technical assistance, and trainings offered by educational partners. OSPI continues to seek additional resources to support implementation of the updated standards.

What support is available to districts to realign their report cards, district adopted instructional materials, and provide professional learning to staff?

Currently, there is no dedicated state funding provided to support districts with this work. Technical support plans, tools, and resources, are being created to include support for districts that can be used with low funding impact. Coordination with educational partners to support the implementation and efforts are also being planned.

Technical Support

What will support look like for district, building, and classroom teachers to implement the new standards?

The initial adoption survey results will provide feedback to the needs of educators for technical support. Support will consider multiple options for learning for all educational stakeholders. Consideration for accessibility, time, and funding are being evaluated. Additional support may include resources such as tools, documents, web-based modules, videos, planned agendas with activities and more. Coordination with educational partners to help support district implementation is also a focus. 

Prioritizing Standards

What process/resources were used to identify priority standards?

OSPI used a variety of resources in the review and revision process including, current research, other states’ versions of standards, national partners in the content area and field, Achieve the Core, and local districts priority standards documents. Content teams reviewed the collection of information to identify prioritized standards based on the criteria of endurance, leverage, and readiness for the next level of learning. Many feedback events were held with educators in partnership with Educational Service Districts and through a contract with the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession. Events focused on providing input on the standards and the identified priority standards. 

Many districts have prioritized the standards. Will they be directed to refine their work to follow the state suggestions?

OSPI is required to adopt the state learning standards which identify what all students must know and be able to do (RCW 28A.655.070.) Districts will be expected to utilize the state level priority standards. Districts may decide to also elevate additional standards as needed to align with student learning needs and district priorities.

What is the expectation for the use of prioritized standards?

Priority standards are the most important standards that every student in Washington should have a chance to learn, no matter which school they go to. These standards can should help districts decide what to focus on in professional learning, progress monitoring, and instructional materials usage. Teachers should use these key standards to decide what to teach and measure so they know when students need extra help to learn the standard or more challenging work to extend their learning. (If you work in a school district, be sure to check whether priority standards have already been established.)

What about the rest of the standards that are not prioritized?

All the additional standards for each grade level or course are used to support, connect, or reinforce the priority standards. Each of the additional standards helps students develop the understanding, knowledge, and skills needed to demonstrate learning of the priority standards and support tailored instruction for students.

Connections to State Assessments

How will [insert name of specific assessment resource] align with this work?

Our state English language arts (ELA), math, and science assessments are required by federal law to measure our state learning standards in those content areas. Once standards are initially adopted, OSPI will begin the process of evaluating the revised standards to determine if, or what, adjustments need to be made to our state assessments including the Smarter Balanced ELA and math assessments, the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS), and the Washington Access to Instruction & Measurement (WA-AIM) alternate assessment for ELA, math, and science.

We recognize that the additions of Media Literacy, Digital Citizenship, and Data Science standards lead to questions about whether and when those new standards might be tested in the state assessments. We are coordinating with the Smarter Balanced Testing Consortium on the implementation timeline for these content areas. Implementation will begin no earlier than the 2028–29 school year. New items will be piloted first, and individual or school/district scores will not be used for reporting until after the pilot period.

The Data Science standards are rolling out but won’t be on the test until later. When should we begin teaching them?

Much like the standards for mathematical practice, the Data Science standards reflect student habits of mind that develop across multiple years of learning, beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through high school. They build on the currently tested Measurement & Data and Statistics & Probability standards by providing additional context for work that exists elsewhere in the grade-level standards. In order for students to be best prepared to show their grasp of the Data Science standards when they do appear on state summative assessments, students will need repeated exposure to those concepts over multiple years of instruction. The Data Science standards should begin to be used no later than the 27-28 school year.

Are we leaving Smarter Balanced?

No, we are not leaving the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). We are working with them to determine if, or what, adjustments might be needed in the assessments they provide.

Will we have example interim assessments that will cover data science so we can practice?

We cannot commit or promise at this time that the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) will develop data science interim assessments. It depends on how many consortium members are interested in data science items. While our assessment team works with SBAC over the next three years to develop data science items for the summative assessments, there will be opportunities for Washington educators to be involved in item development activities. Our assessment team will also work with our math content team to get information about how data science will be assessed into the learning standards resources as soon as possible. 

Instructional Materials

Will the standards review process lead to statewide instructional material recommendations? 

 Instructional material adoption will continue to follow local processes. OSPI does not direct instructional material adoption decisions. Identification of aligned instructional materials and supports may be a component of future recommendations for districts after the final standards adoption; these may serve to support district instructional material adoption decisions. RCW 28A.320.230

Will new instructional materials be needed by a district to fully address the revisions? 

Crosswalks which compare the previous standards to the revised standards are included in the initial adoption excel documents. The crosswalks will help districts and educators make connections to their currently adopted instructional materials. The addition of Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship standards in ELA, and Data Science standards in Mathematics, will need to be evaluated by districts to see if additional materials are necessary. 

Supporting All Learners with Learning Standards 

How do educators support all students to have access to and make progress in grade-level standards?

The Washington State K–12 Learning Standards define clear learning goals for every student and guide instructional planning, assessment, intervention, and enrichment. These standards ensure that all students have opportunities to access, engage with, and demonstrate proficiency in grade-level content. 

Educators begin by identifying each student’s current understanding of the skills and knowledge within a standard and use that information to design equitable, high-quality instruction. Through district-adopted materials, evidence-based practices, and the principles of Universal Design for Learning, teachers adjust the depth, breadth, and complexity of instruction when needed to support access and extend learning of grade level standards for every student. Adjusting the depth, breadth and complexity does not mean going to a lower grade level standard but instead begins with examining the grade level standard and extending a student's learning towards it. 

Grade-level standards also provide a shared foundation for collaboration and consistency among educators. Teachers use formative and summative assessments to monitor progress, provide feedback, and refine instruction so all students can demonstrate learning and progress toward mastery in multiple ways.

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and how does it help educators remove barriers and engage all students in rigorous learning of grade level standards?

The Washington State K–12 Learning Standards outline the learning goals for every student. This vision centers Universal Design for Learning or UDL as a foundational practice to designing the learning environment and instruction to support progress for all students. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to guide the proactive design of learning environments that are accessible and challenging for all students. The goal of UDL is to support learner agency, defined as the capacity to actively participate in making choices in service of learning goals. 

UDL aims to change the design of the environment and instruction rather than to change the learner. When environments are intentionally designed to reduce barriers, all learners can engage in rigorous, meaningful learning across content areas. 

An environment or learning task built with the UDL framework provides: 

• multiple ways for students to engage in the learning (the “why”), 
• multiple ways for educators to represent the information (the “what”) and, 
• provides multiple means for students to demonstrate the learning (the “how”) 

How do Individual Education Programs (IEP) supports, services, and educator collaboration function together to ensure students can access and benefit from grade-level learning standards?

When a student has an IEP, it bridges the gap between a student’s present levels of performance and grade-level expectations, addressing each student’s unique needs resulting from their disability. 

A student’s IEP team will document in the IEP the Specially Designed Instruction (SDI), related services, supplementary aids and services and, program modifications or supports for school personnel that support students to access and benefit from the grade level learning standards they are also working on. IEP supports and services function through shared responsibility and intentional collaboration between general educators, special educators, related service providers, families, and students to ensure students can access, participate in, and make progress in grade-level learning standards across learning environments. 

The IEP is not the student’s sole educational program. For each student eligible for special education services, their educational program has three connected components: 

1. The general education curriculum, 

2. The school’s routines and activities, and 

3. The IEP, which specifies individualized goals, supports, and services. 

Transition to Kindergarten

Why do we need TK Learning Standards when we already have GOLD objectives, Early Literacy Pathways, Learning Pathways in Numeracy, Social Emotional Learning Pathways, and the Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines? 

Existing resources like GOLD, the Social-Emotional, Literacy, and Numeracy Pathways, and the Early Learning and Development Guidelines remain essential tools for assessment, daily instruction, and understanding child development. The new TK Learning Standards do not replace these resources--they build on them by clearly outlining what students should learn in TK as a distinct grade level. These standards set specific age-appropriate learning expectations that bridge early learning and kindergarten.

Because TK is funded and structured like kindergarten (full-day, prototypical funding model), these standards ensure TK programs deliver modified, play-based instruction aligned with kindergarten content standards. The result is stronger social-emotional, academic, and foundational skills for children who need that extra year, while preserving the best of developmentally appropriate practice.

When will Transition to Kindergarten (TK) Learning Standards be developed?

Transition to Kindergarten (TK) learning standards are currently being developed and will be released after the K-12 learning standards are finally adopted in each content area. 

How are the TK learning standards being developed?

The OSPI Content Team leads, OSPI Early Learning staff, and educational partners are collaborating to develop the TK standards to prepare the system and educators to support students with Kindergarten readiness. TK standards are being developed with the K-12 learning standards, along with existing research-based early learning documents that may include the following: 

• WaKIDS GOLD® Objectives for Development and Learning 
• Early Literacy Pathways 
• Learning Pathways in Numeracy: Addressing Early Numeracy Skills 
• Social Emotional Learning Pathways 
• Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines Birth Through Third Grade 

AI Integration

How does OSPI address AI (Artificial Intelligence) in these revised learning standards?

OSPI uses flexible, broad-based language rather than the term "AI" to ensure standards remain relevant as technology evolves. The focus is on preparing students to be AI literate through essential skills including:

• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving
• Ethical reasoning
• Computational thinking
• Media literacy
• Digital citizenship
• Data science

How should I adjust my instruction to integrate AI in the classroom?

You do not need to redesign your curriculum/adopted instructional materials around AI. Instead, the focus is on strengthening the essential academic and literacy skills that help students use AI—and any emerging technology—thoughtfully, responsibly, and effectively. Instruction should naturally integrate technology, teach students to evaluate digital and AI‑generated content, provide practice in ethical technology use, strengthen data literacy and computational thinking, and encourage responsible, informed, and creative engagement with digital tools. Ultimately, the goal is to help students become thoughtful, capable users of technology—AI included—through durable skills that prepare them for high school and beyond.  

OSPI encourages: 

• Process‑based assessments 
• Multiple drafts or reflections 
• Oral explanations or in‑class components 

These approaches emphasize learning over product and reduce inappropriate AI dependence. For more information, see our Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence in Schools webpage.