A: The purpose of the K-12 ASL Content Standards is to guide ASL instruction so that deaf and hard of hearing children can learn about and study ASL as a first language in the same way hearing children in the United States learn about English as part of their academic studies. The Standards are based on grade-level expectations of children learning ASL as their first language (L1). As with teachers teaching English to students who are English Language Learners, teachers of deaf students are expected to align instructional plans and assessments to gauge student progress towards achieving grade-level ASL competencies.