| Reading | Turning written words into meaning. | Gatekeeper subject in every test year. |
| Writing | Putting thought into clear written form. | Proof of thinking in every subject. |
| Speaking | Communicating out loud with clarity. | Interviews, presentations, daily life. |
| Mathematics | Quantity, pattern and logic. | Gatekeeper subject in every test year. |
| History | What happened, why, and what it means now. | Context for civics and literature. |
| Civics | How people govern themselves together. | Foundation for the Constitution. |
| Literature | Stories, poems and plays read as art. | Empathy, vocabulary, analysis. |
| Science | How the natural world works, tested by observation. | Teaches ask, test, prove. |
| U.S. Constitution | The founding framework of U.S. government and rights. | Required by statute. |