States · KY
Kentucky Grade 3 standards crosswalk
How each national third grade standard lines up with Kentucky's own standards.
How to read this
Each row takes one national third grade standard and shows the Kentucky standard that covers it. Same: the state standard says the same thing. Close: the same skill with small wording differences. Partly: the state covers only part of it in Grade 3. Not in Grade 3: the state has no Grade 3 standard for it (the note says where it sits, when the state says). Third Grade teaches every national standard listed here; the notes tell you what, if anything, to adjust for Kentucky.
Checked 2026-10-08 against official Kentucky documents. This is an unofficial guide; your state's own documents are the authority.
Math
Kentucky Academic Standards for Mathematics
How Kentucky writes its codes: "KY.", grade, domain and number with no cluster letter, for example KY.3.MD.8 (perimeter); lettered parts are printed as a., b., c. under the standard and are written here as KY.3.MD.8a.
National standards under the state's own codes · adopted 2019
31 same · 6 close · 0 partly · 0 not in Grade 3
| National standard | Kentucky code(s) | Match | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.OA.A.1 Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 × 7. | KY.3.OA.1 | Same | |
| 3.OA.A.2 Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 56 ÷ 8 as the number of objects in each share when 56 objects are partitioned equally into 8 shares, or as a number of shares when 56 objects are partitioned into equal shares of 8 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a number of shares or a number of groups can be expressed as 56 ÷ 8. | KY.3.OA.2 | Same | |
| 3.OA.A.3 Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. | KY.3.OA.3 | Same | |
| 3.OA.A.4 Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation relating three whole numbers. For example, determine the unknown number that makes the equation true in each of the equations 8 × ? = 48, 5 = □ ÷ 3, 6 × 6 = ?. | KY.3.OA.4 | Same | |
| 3.OA.B.5 Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide. | KY.3.OA.5 | Same | |
| 3.OA.B.6 Understand division as an unknown-factor problem. For example, find 32 ÷ 8 by finding the number that makes 32 when multiplied by 8. | KY.3.OA.6 | Same | |
| 3.OA.C.7 Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers. | KY.3.OA.7 | Kentucky asks for fluent multiplying and dividing within 100 but leaves out the sentence about knowing all one-digit products from memory by the end of Grade 3. | |
| 3.OA.D.8 Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding. | KY.3.OA.8 | Same | |
| 3.OA.D.9 Identify arithmetic patterns (including patterns in the addition table or multiplication table), and explain them using properties of operations. For example, observe that 4 times a number is always even, and explain why 4 times a number can be decomposed into two equal addends. | KY.3.OA.9 | Same | |
| 3.NBT.A.1 Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100. | KY.3.NBT.1 | Same | |
| 3.NBT.A.2 Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction. | KY.3.NBT.2 | Same | |
| 3.NBT.A.3 Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range 10—90 (e.g., 9 × 80, 5 × 60) using strategies based on place value and properties of operations. | KY.3.NBT.3 | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.1 Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b. | KY.3.NF.1 | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.2 Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent fractions on a number line diagram. | KY.3.NF.2 | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.2.a Represent a fraction 1/b on a number line diagram by defining the interval from 0 to 1 as the whole and partitioning it into b equal parts. Recognize that each part has size 1/b and that the endpoint of the part based at 0 locates the number 1/b on the number line. | KY.3.NF.2a | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.2.b Represent a fraction a/b on a number line diagram by marking off a lengths 1/b from 0. Recognize that the resulting interval has size a/b and that its endpoint locates the number a/b on the number line. | KY.3.NF.2b | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.3 Explain equivalence of fractions in special cases, and compare fractions by reasoning about their size. | KY.3.NF.3 | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.3.a Understand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the same size, or the same point on a number line. | KY.3.NF.3a | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.3.b Recognize and generate simple equivalent fractions, e.g., 1/2 = 2/4, 4/6 = 2/3). Explain why the fractions are equivalent, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. | KY.3.NF.3b | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.3.c Express whole numbers as fractions, and recognize fractions that are equivalent to whole numbers. | KY.3.NF.3c | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.3.d Compare two fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator by reasoning about their size. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. | KY.3.NF.3d | Same | |
| 3.MD.A.1 Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the problem on a number line diagram. | KY.3.MD.1 | Same | |
| 3.MD.A.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (l). Add, subtract, multiply, or divide to solve one-step word problems involving masses or volumes that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as a beaker with a measurement scale) to represent the problem. | KY.3.MD.2, KY.3.MD.2a, KY.3.MD.2b | Same | |
| 3.MD.B.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets. | KY.3.MD.3, KY.3.MD.3b, KY.3.MD.3c | Kentucky sets graphs inside a data investigation; it names "how many more" and "how many less" questions but not one- and two-step problems. Technology or by hand. | |
| 3.MD.B.4 Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters. | KY.3.MD.4, KY.3.MD.4b, KY.3.MD.4c | Same measuring to halves and fourths of an inch; Kentucky calls the line plot a dot plot and sets it inside a data investigation. | |
| 3.MD.C.5 Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement. | KY.3.MD.5 | Same | |
| 3.MD.C.5.a A square with side length 1 unit, called "a unit square," is said to have "one square unit" of area, and can be used to measure area. | KY.3.MD.5 | Covered within the parent standard; Kentucky prints the unit-square definition as a clarification beside KY.3.MD.5, not as a lettered part. | |
| 3.MD.C.5.b A plane figure which can be covered without gaps or overlaps by n unit squares is said to have an area of n square units. | KY.3.MD.5 | Covered within the parent standard; Kentucky prints the covering-with-n-unit-squares idea as a clarification beside KY.3.MD.5, not as a lettered part. | |
| 3.MD.C.6 Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in, square ft, and improvised units). | KY.3.MD.6 | Same | |
| 3.MD.C.7 Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition. | KY.3.MD.7 | Same | |
| 3.MD.C.7.a Find the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths by tiling it, and show that the area is the same as would be found by multiplying the side lengths. | KY.3.MD.7a | Same | |
| 3.MD.C.7.b Multiply side lengths to find areas of rectangles with whole-number side lengths in the context of solving real world and mathematical problems, and represent whole-number products as rectangular areas in mathematical reasoning. | KY.3.MD.7b | Same | |
| 3.MD.C.7.c Use tiling to show in a concrete case that the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths a and b + c is the sum of a × b and a × c. Use area models to represent the distributive property in mathematical reasoning. | KY.3.MD.7c | Same | |
| 3.MD.C.7.d Recognize area as additive. Find areas of rectilinear figures by decomposing them into non-overlapping rectangles and adding the areas of the non-overlapping parts, applying this technique to solve real world problems. | KY.3.MD.7d | Same | |
| 3.MD.D.8 Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons, including finding the perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the same perimeter and different areas or with the same area and different perimeters. | KY.3.MD.8, KY.3.MD.8a, KY.3.MD.8b, KY.3.MD.8c | Same | |
| 3.G.A.1 Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories. | KY.3.G.1, KY.3.G.1a, KY.3.G.1b, KY.3.G.1c | Kentucky also classifies polygons by sides and vertices (through pentagons and hexagons) and names parallelograms and trapezoids; children identify, rather than draw, shapes that do not belong. | |
| 3.G.A.2 Partition shapes into parts with equal areas. Express the area of each part as a unit fraction of the whole. For example, partition a shape into 4 parts with equal area, and describe the area of each part as 1/4 of the area of the shape. | KY.3.G.2 | Same |
In Kentucky's Grade 3 standards, not in the national list
| Code | What it asks | In Third Grade |
|---|---|---|
| KY.3.MD.3a | Come up with a question that can be answered by sorting things into categories, then collect the data. | not taught |
| KY.3.MD.4a | Come up with a question that can be answered with number data, such as measurements. | not taught |
| KY.3.MD.4d | Look at a dot plot and say what it shows about the question asked, including the shape of the data, and compare answers. | not taught |
English Language Arts
Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing
How Kentucky writes its codes: Strand, grade and number, for example C.3.5 (research); strands are RF, RL, RI, HW (handwriting), C (composition) and L. Lettered parts are printed as a., b. under the standard and written here as C.3.1d, as in the state's 2025 at-a-glance document.
National standards under the state's own codes · adopted 2025
45 same · 33 close · 0 partly · 12 not in Grade 3
| National standard | Kentucky code(s) | Match | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. | RL.3.1 | Kentucky asks children to ask and answer questions and make and support logical inferences; it does not say "referring explicitly to the text". | |
| RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. | RL.3.2 | Kentucky asks for the theme, lesson or moral from implicit and explicit information; it does not ask children to recount the story. | |
| RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. | RL.3.3 | Same | |
| RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. | RL.3.4 | Same skill; Kentucky names idioms and hyperboles and adds describing how the words shape meaning. | |
| RL.3.5 Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections. | RL.3.5 | Kentucky asks children to describe the structure and give evidence of how parts contribute to the whole; the terms chapter, stanza and scene appear only as an example. | |
| RL.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters. | RL.3.6 | Kentucky says "perspective" and adds describing how different perspectives shape the content of the text. | |
| RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting). | RL.3.7 | Same | |
| RL.3.9 Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series). | RL.3.9 | Same | |
| RL.3.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2—3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. | RL.3.10 | Kentucky asks for routine use of background knowledge and comprehension strategies on grade-appropriate complex literary text; no Grades 2-3 complexity band is named. | |
| RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. | RI.3.1 | Kentucky asks children to ask and answer questions and make and support logical inferences; it does not say "referring explicitly to the text". | |
| RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. | RI.3.2 | Kentucky asks for the central idea from implicit and explicit information; it does not ask children to recount key details. | |
| RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect. | RI.3.3 | Kentucky adds relationships between individuals and says "over the course of a text"; it drops the language of time, sequence and cause and effect. | |
| RI.3.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. | RI.3.4 | Kentucky's RI.3.4 names general academic words only; subject-specific words are in L.3.4e. It adds how the words shape meaning. | |
| RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's RI.3.5 is about text structures instead. Its text-features standard is in Grade 1 (RI.1.5); no Grade 3 standard asks for it, though RI.3.7 touches sidebars. |
| RI.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text. | RI.3.6 | Kentucky says "perspective" and adds describing how different perspectives shape the content and style of a text. | |
| RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). | RI.3.7 | Kentucky asks children to explain how visuals such as diagrams, graphs, photographs and sidebars add to meaning and clarity. | |
| RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence). | RI.3.5 | Kentucky puts the logical connection between sentences and paragraphs in RI.3.5 with text structures; its own RI.3.8 is about reasons and evidence. | |
| RI.3.9 Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. | RI.3.9 | Kentucky asks children to explain the relationship between information in two or more texts, rather than compare and contrast key points and details. | |
| RI.3.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2—3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. | RI.3.10 | Kentucky asks for routine use of background knowledge and comprehension strategies on grade-appropriate complex informational text; no Grades 2-3 complexity band is named. | |
| RF.3.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. | RF.3.3 | Kentucky's 2025 wording adds encoding (spelling) to decoding. | |
| RF.3.3.a Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes. | RF.3.3a | Kentucky adds decoding and encoding these words and puts Latin suffixes in the same part. | |
| RF.3.3.b Decode words with common Latin suffixes. | RF.3.3a | Kentucky has no separate part for Latin suffixes; they are named inside RF.3.3a. | |
| RF.3.3.c Decode multisyllable words. | RF.3.3b | Kentucky adds encoding (spelling) multisyllabic words. | |
| RF.3.3.d Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. | RF.3.4d | Same wording, but Kentucky's 2025 standards list it under fluency as RF.3.4d. | |
| RF.3.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. | RF.3.4 | Same | |
| RF.3.4.a Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. | RF.3.4a | Same | |
| RF.3.4.b Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings | RF.3.4b | Same | |
| RF.3.4.c Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. | RF.3.4c | Same | |
| W.3.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. | C.3.1 | Kentucky calls the strand Composition and adds using a combination of writing and digital resources. | |
| W.3.1.a Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons. | C.3.1b | Same | |
| W.3.1.b Provide reasons that support the opinion. | C.3.1c | Kentucky asks for reasons with elaborate details to support the opinion. | |
| W.3.1.c Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. | C.3.1d | Kentucky asks for grade-appropriate transitions that connect sentences and paragraphs, rather than linking words that connect opinion and reasons. | |
| W.3.1.d Provide a concluding statement or section. | C.3.1e | Same | |
| W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. | C.3.2 | Kentucky calls the strand Composition and adds using writing and digital resources. | |
| W.3.2.a Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension. | C.3.2b | Same | |
| W.3.2.b Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details. | C.3.2c | Same | |
| W.3.2.c Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information. | C.3.2d, C.3.2e | Kentucky splits linking words into conjunctions within sentences (d) and transitions in sentences and paragraphs (e). | |
| W.3.2.d Provide a concluding statement or section. | C.3.2f | Same | |
| W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. | C.3.3 | Kentucky calls the strand Composition and adds using writing and digital resources. | |
| W.3.3.a Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. | C.3.3b | Kentucky allows linear, nonlinear or circular event sequences rather than one that "unfolds naturally". | |
| W.3.3.b Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations. | C.3.3c | Same | |
| W.3.3.c Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order. | C.3.3d | Same | |
| W.3.3.d Provide a sense of closure. | C.3.3e | Same | |
| W.3.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. | C.3.1a, C.3.2a, C.3.3a | Same | |
| W.3.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. | C.3.1f, C.3.2g, C.3.3f | Same | |
| W.3.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others. | C.3.4 | Kentucky says digital resources to create and publish products; keyboarding skills are not named. | |
| W.3.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. | C.3.5 | Same | |
| W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. | C.3.6 | Kentucky adds summarizing information and says to analyze notes by sorting them into categories. | |
| W.3.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. | C.3.7 | Same | |
| SL.3.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| SL.3.1.a Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| SL.3.1.b Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| SL.3.1.c Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| SL.3.1.d Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| SL.3.2 Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| SL.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| SL.3.5 Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| SL.3.6 Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's Reading and Writing standards have no speaking and listening strand; no Grade 3 standard covers this. |
| L.3.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. | L.3.1 | Same | |
| L.3.1.a Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences. | L.3.1a | Same | |
| L.3.1.b Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns. | L.3.1b | Same | |
| L.3.1.c Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood). | L.3.1c | Same | |
| L.3.1.d Form and use regular and irregular verbs. | L.3.1d | Same | |
| L.3.1.e Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses. | L.3.1e | Same | |
| L.3.1.f Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement. | L.3.1f | Same | |
| L.3.1.g Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. | L.3.1g | Same | |
| L.3.1.h Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. | L.3.1h | Same | |
| L.3.1.i Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences. | L.3.1i | Same | |
| L.3.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. | L.3.2 | Kentucky's stem is only "When writing:" followed by the same seven parts. | |
| L.3.2.a Capitalize appropriate words in titles. | L.3.2a | Same | |
| L.3.2.b Use commas in addresses. | L.3.2b | Same | |
| L.3.2.c Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue. | L.3.2c | Same | |
| L.3.2.d Form and use possessives. | L.3.2d | Same | |
| L.3.2.e Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness). | L.3.2e | Kentucky names high-frequency words where suffixes are added to base words; "other studied words" is not mentioned. | |
| L.3.2.f Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words. | L.3.2f | Kentucky's 2025 wording: spelling patterns (graphemes) and generalizations in writing multisyllabic words; no list of example patterns. | |
| L.3.2.g Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings. | L.3.2g | Same | |
| L.3.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. | L.3.3 | Same | |
| L.3.3.a Choose words and phrases for effect. | L.3.3a | Same | |
| L.3.3.b Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English. | L.3.3b | Same | |
| L.3.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. | L.3.4 | Same | |
| L.3.4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. | L.3.4a | Same | |
| L.3.4.b Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat). | L.3.4b | Same | |
| L.3.4.c Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion). | L.3.4c | Same | |
| L.3.4.d Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases. | L.3.4d | Same | |
| L.3.5 Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. | L.3.5 | Same | |
| L.3.5.a Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps). | L.3.5a | Same | |
| L.3.5.b Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful). | — | Not in Grade 3 | Kentucky's L.3.5b is about synonyms and antonyms instead; no Grade 3 standard asks for real-life connections between words and their use. |
| L.3.5.c Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected, heard, wondered). | L.3.5c | Same | |
| L.3.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them). | L.3.4e | Same wording, but Kentucky lists it as part e of L.3.4; there is no L.3.6. |
In Kentucky's Grade 3 standards, not in the national list
| Code | What it asks | In Third Grade |
|---|---|---|
| RI.3.8 | Describe how reasons and evidence support specific claims an author makes in an informational text. | not taught |
| HW.3.1 | Write cursive letters, words and sentences legibly. | not taught |
| L.3.5b | Show understanding of words by relating them to their synonyms and antonyms. | not taught |
Science
Kentucky Academic Standards for Science
How Kentucky writes its codes: The national codes unchanged, for example 3-LS1-1 (life cycles); the three engineering design codes (3-5-ETS1-1 to 3) are listed once in a separate grades 3-5 section after Grade 5.
Uses the national codes · adopted 2022
17 same · 0 close · 0 partly · 1 not in Grade 3
| National standard | Kentucky code(s) | Match | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-PS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. | 3-PS2-1 | Same | |
| 3-PS2-2 Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion. | 3-PS2-2 | Same | |
| 3-PS2-3 Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other. | 3-PS2-3 | Same | |
| 3-PS2-4 Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets. | 3-PS2-4 | Same | |
| 3-LS1-1 Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death. | 3-LS1-1 | Same | |
| 3-LS2-1 Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive. | 3-LS2-1 | Same | |
| 3-LS3-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms. | 3-LS3-1 | Same | |
| 3-LS3-2 Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment. | 3-LS3-2 | Same | |
| 3-LS4-1 Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Not a Grade 3 standard in Kentucky. The fossil standard sits in Grade 4, coded 4-LS4-1, with the same wording. |
| 3-LS4-2 Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. | 3-LS4-2 | Same | |
| 3-LS4-3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. | 3-LS4-3 | Same | |
| 3-LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change. | 3-LS4-4 | Same | |
| 3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. | 3-ESS2-1 | Same | |
| 3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world. | 3-ESS2-2 | Same | |
| 3-ESS3-1 Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard. | 3-ESS3-1 | Same | |
| 3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. | 3-5-ETS1-1 | Same | |
| 3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. | 3-5-ETS1-2 | Same | |
| 3-5-ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved. | 3-5-ETS1-3 | Same |
Social Studies
Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies
How Kentucky writes its codes: Grade, discipline, concept and number, for example 3.E.MI.1 (grade 3, economics, microeconomics, standard 1); inquiry standards use I (3.I.Q.1).
adopted 2022
Grade 3 focus in Kentucky: Grade 3 is "Global Interactions": children study how diverse groups of people and communities around the world govern themselves, trade, move, share culture and affect Kentucky.
In Kentucky's Grade 3 social studies standards, not covered by a unit