from high school and that they attain the following capacities of literate individuals as outlined
by the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State
School Officers (CCSSO) (detailed in figure I.1):
- They demonstrate independence.
- They build strong content knowledge.
- They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.
- They comprehend as well as critique.
- They value evidence.
- They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
- They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
In addition, this framework recognizes that becoming broadly literate—reading and viewing
for pleasure, information, and inspiration and communicating knowledgably, powerfully, and
responsively—is necessary for life in today’s global
society. A person who is broadly literate engages with
a wide range of books and texts across a variety of
genres, time periods, cultures, perspectives, and topics.
Texts are formal and informal; they include picture
books, chapter books, text books, song lyrics, plays,
short stories, poems, essays, speeches, Web sites,
blogs, social media, advertisements, graphic novels,
newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, and more.
In addition, they include performances, such as dramas,
musicals, concerts, poetry and spoken word, dance,
opera, news programs, and more. A person who is
broadly literate enjoys texts for the pleasure they bring,
the ideas they convey, the information they impart, the
wisdom they offer, and the possibilities they uncover.
Notably, the SBE acknowledges that California’s
children and youth should be prepared for living and
learning in the 21st century. Thus, they are offered
an education that promotes critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration in all content
areas along with technology skills and global competencies.
... this framework recognizes that
becoming broadly literate—
reading and viewing for pleasure,
information, and inspiration and
communicating knowledgably,
powerfully, and responsively—is
necessary for life in today’s global
society. A person who is broadly
literate engages with a wide range
of books and texts across a variety
of genres, time periods, cultures,
perspectives, and topics.
Introduction | 5