Maryland ELA RI.11-12.1
The Standard
Cite multiple pieces of evidence that most strongly support an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students separate what an article says outright from what its details suggest. They choose the strongest evidence for their reading and identify questions the text leaves unanswered.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student selects two or more details that directly support a claim, rather than the first lines they find. They explain each choice, make a reasonable inference, and say what the text cannot settle.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may present a plausible guess as a fact the text proves. They may choose a striking quote that does not support their point, or mistake their own disagreement for uncertainty in the text.
How to Assess It
- Put this on an exit ticket: “After the city added a bus route, ridership rose 12 percent. Riders reported shorter commutes. The report gives no data on car trips.” Ask: “What can you conclude about riders, which two details support it, and what remains uncertain about traffic?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs an editorial on later school start times and evidence slips; have them sort the slips by how well they support the writer’s claim.
After reading the editorial, ask: “Which claim is stated, which is implied, and which question does the writer leave open?”
Play evidence showdown: pairs choose the stronger of two quoted lines for a claim and explain why the other is weaker.
Bring a local transit proposal flyer; have students highlight two details backing its promised benefits and circle one question it never answers.
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Printable RI.11-12.1 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- RL.9-10.1
Cite multiple pieces of textual evidence that most strongly and thoroughly support an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from...
- RL.11-12.1
Cite multiple pieces of textual evidence that most strongly and thoroughly support an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from...
- RI.9-10.1
Cite multiple pieces of evidence that most strongly and thoroughly support an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the tex...
- RL.8.1
Cite multiple pieces of textual evidence that most strongly support an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
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