Kindergarten ELA: Common Core Standards
Your Teacher Information Pack for Kindergarten ELA: every Common Core standard with its official code, notes on which states use them, and trusted links. Tick what you're teaching and send it straight into the lesson plan maker.
- Country
- United States
- Grade
- Kindergarten
- Ages
- about 5–6 (varies by state)
- Status
- Not federal law: adopted state by state
- Source
- Common Core State Standards – 2010
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Does my state use these standards?
Your state may use its own standards. Common Core is not federal law: each state decides. For English language arts (compiled 2026-10-20, check your state's site before relying on it):
- Use their own standards, not Common Core (13): Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. Codes on this page won't match your state's paperwork.
- Adapted and renamed (23): Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Mostly similar, but check wording and codes.
- Common Core as written (15): California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington.
The standards
Standards are grouped by strand (Reading: Literature, Reading: Informational Text, Writing, and so on) and by heading. Each code links to the official page. ★ marks a modeling standard and (+) additional mathematics for advanced courses.
Reading: Literature (RL) 10 standards
- Key Ideas and Details
- Craft and Structure
- Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
- RL.K.8 (RL.K.8 not applicable to literature)
- RL.K.9 With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
- Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- RL.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Reading: Informational Text (RI) 10 standards
- Key Ideas and Details
- RI.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
- RI.K.3 With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
- Craft and Structure
- Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- RI.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
- RI.K.8 With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
- RI.K.9 With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
- Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Reading: Foundational Skills (RF) 4 standards
- Print Concepts
- RF.K.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
- RF.K.1.a Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.
- RF.K.1.b Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters.
- RF.K.1.c Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.
- RF.K.1.d Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
- RF.K.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
- Phonological Awareness
- RF.K.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
- RF.K.2.a Recognize and produce rhyming words.
- RF.K.2.b Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.
- RF.K.2.c Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.
- RF.K.2.d Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.1 (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)Note: Words, syllables, or phonemes written in /slashes/refer to their pronunciations or phonology. Thus,/CVC/ is a word with three phonemes regardless of the number of letters in the spelling of the word.
- RF.K.2.e Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
- RF.K.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
- Phonics and Word Recognition
- RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
- RF.K.3.a Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.
- RF.K.3.b Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
- RF.K.3.c Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).
- RF.K.3.d Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
- RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
- Fluency
- RF.K.4 Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.
Writing (W) 10 standards
- Text Types and Purposes
- W.K.1 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is…).
- W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
- W.K.3 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
- Production and Distribution of Writing
- W.K.4 (W.K.4 begins in grade 3)
- W.K.5 With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
- W.K.6 With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
- Research to Build and Present Knowledge
- W.K.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).
- W.K.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
- W.K.9 (W.K.9 begins in grade 4)
- Range of Writing
- W.K.10 (W.K.10 begins in grade 3)
Speaking & Listening (SL) 6 standards
- Comprehension and Collaboration
- SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
- SL.K.2 Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
- SL.K.3 Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.
- Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Language (L) 6 standards
- Conventions of Standard English
- L.K.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- L.K.1.a Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
- L.K.1.b Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.
- L.K.1.c Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).
- L.K.1.d Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
- L.K.1.e Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with).
- L.K.1.f Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
- L.K.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
- L.K.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- Knowledge of Language
- L.K.3 (L.K.3 begins in grade 2)
- Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
- L.K.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.
- L.K.5 With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
- L.K.5.a Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.
- L.K.5.b Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms).
- L.K.5.c Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful).
- L.K.5.d Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs describing the same general action (e.g., walk, march, strut, prance) by acting out the meanings.
- L.K.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.
These grade standards build on the 32 College and Career Readiness anchor standards, which apply to every grade.
Tests and key dates
Each state sets its own tests and testing windows. Check your state education department (links on our state list) and your district calendar.
Official documents
Trusted free resources
- Khan Academy – Free practice, videos and teacher tools (US grades and courses).
Links only: we don't copy their content and we aren't connected to these organisations.
More packs
Related: Kindergarten Math.
© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
The Common Core State Standards are owned and developed by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and are shown here under the Common Core State Standards Public License. Examples from the official site are not included. Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by NGA Center or CCSSO. Each standard links to its official page.
Frequently asked questions
Do all states use the Common Core ELA standards?
No. In our 2026-10-20 review of the 50 states and DC, 15 use the Common Core ELA/literacy standards as written, 23 use an adapted version under their own name, and 13 use their own standards. Check your state's education website.
What does a code like RL.3.1 mean?
It is the official Common Core identifier: strand (RL = Reading: Literature), grade (3) and standard number (1). The full form is CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1.