Kindergarten - Gateway 1
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Alignment to Research-Based Practices
Alignment to Research-Based Practices and Standards for Foundation Skills Instruction| Score | |
|---|---|
Gateway 1 - Partially Meets Expectations | 70% |
Criterion 1.1: Alphabet Knowledge | 8 / 10 |
Criterion 1.2: Phonemic Awareness | 10 / 16 |
Criterion 1.3: Phonics (Decoding and Encoding) | 24 / 32 |
Criterion 1.4: Word Recognition and Word Analysis | 7 / 12 |
See Alignment Summary.
Criterion 1.1: Alphabet Knowledge
Materials and instruction provide systematic and explicit instruction and practice for letter recognition.
The materials include systematic and explicit instruction in letter names and their corresponding sounds. The instruction begins at the beginning of the year during Weeks 2–13, with a review of all letters during Week 14. Materials include a clearly defined sequence for explicit instruction in letter formation. Students spend 13 weeks learning how to write all of the upper and lower case letters. The materials provide explicit instruction and guidance for the teacher and also provide a routine for each letter, which includes watching a video, tracing the letter, verbal prompts, and air writing. Materials do not provide teacher guidance on providing corrective feedback to students when students make a mistake or do not understand how to form the letters correctly. Materials provide assessment opportunities at the end of each unit; however, the materials do not provide guidance to teachers about assessing students more frequently. The documentation included with the assessments indicates that students should score 80% or higher on the end-of-unit assessments before moving on to the next unit, though there is limited additional support for students who do not reach this threshold.
Indicator 1a
Alphabet Knowledge
Indicator 1a.i
Materials provide systematic and explicit instruction in letter names and their corresponding sounds.
The materials include systematic and explicit instruction in letter names and their corresponding sounds. The instruction begins at the beginning of the year during Weeks 2–13, with a review of all letters during Week 14. In the beginning, the teacher introduces one letter at a time, and by the end, the teacher introduces three letters at a time. The teacher introduces uppercase and lowercase letters simultaneously. During instruction, the teacher introduces the letter name, the letter formation, and the letter sound.
There is a defined sequence for letter recognition instruction to be completed in a reasonable time frame over the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:
The Program Materials section contains a Yearlong Scope and Sequence for Kindergarten that indicates a defined sequence for letter recognition that begins in Unit 1, Week 2 and goes through Week 14.
Week 2: Mm
Week 3: Ss, Aa
Week 4: Rr, Tt
Week 5: Ll, Nn
Week 6: Bb, Oo
Week 7: Pp, Cc
Week 8: Ii, Ff
Week 9: Dd, Hh
Week 10: Uu, Gg
Week 11: Kk, Ee, Vv
Week 12: Xx, Jj, Ww
Week 13: Yy, Qq, Zz
Week 14: Review of all 26 letters
Each week of instruction includes one to three letters in their upper and lowercase form, with time built in to review previously learned letters. For example, in Week 6, students learn the letters Bb and Oo. They receive explicit instruction in writing the letters and identifying the letter names and sounds, and then have opportunities to practice.
Materials contain isolated, systematic and explicit instruction for students to recognize all 26 lowercase and uppercase letters. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In Unit 1, Week 7, Day 1, the materials include specific teacher language to explicitly teach the letter Pp. The teacher first has students point to the letter P on the alphabet chart and has students collectively say, “capital P” and repeat with lowercase p. Then, the teacher shows the letter card and shows a rhyme, and students point out any words that have Pp in it. The teacher introduces the sound, and students repeat the sound. Then, the teacher asks students for words that start with the /p/ sound and records them on the board. The teacher can also show an optional Letter Pp video clip that has the letter name, sound, and movement for the students.
In Unit 1, Week 10, Day 1, the teacher explicitly introduces the letter Uu. The students identify the letter on their alphabet chart, and then the teacher shows the letter on a letter card. The students brainstorm words that start with the letter Uu. The teacher also asks students if the letter is a vowel or consonant and confirms it is a vowel because the jaw drops.
Indicator 1a.ii
Materials provide opportunities for student practice in letter names and their corresponding sounds.
Students have opportunities throughout Unit 1 and some of Unit 2 to practice identifying letters by name and sound. Students spend all of Unit 1 learning letter names and corresponding sounds. Each week, students are given worksheets or games to practice letter names and sounds after initial instruction.
Materials include sufficient practice opportunities for students to recognize all 26 lowercase and uppercase letters accurately and automatically. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 1, students sing the ABCs, and point each letter while they say the alphabet. Then, the teacher explains that the alphabet is made up of letters, and there are different features of letters like letters with holes or not holes or straight lines versus curves. With a partner, students sort the letters into holes or no holes.
In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 2, students watch the Alphabet Video two times. During the second time, students are encouraged to say the letter names and sounds along with the video. In addition, students are given a Font Sort as part of independent practice, which can be used throughout the week. Students are given a bunch of tiles of M, m, S, s, A, a and sort them into the appropriate column. Teachers can choose when to use this throughout the week.
In Unit 1, Week 13, Day 3, students watch the Alphabet VIdeo and say the letter name and sounds with the video. Throughout the week, students learn the letters Yy, Qq, and Zz. On Day 3, students can complete a picture sort, though this activity is labeled optional. The students have to identify the initial sound of the picture and then sort it into the appropriate columns labeled Yy, Qq, and Zz.
In Unit 2, Week 15, students can play either the “Cover Your Garden” or “Pop the Bubbles” game. This is an optional activity during independent practice, which can be used any day of the week. Students are given a board with a bunch of letters and then draw either a flower or a counter with a letter. Students must say the letter and determine if they have it on their game piece. Students can also use the game piece to say the corresponding sound.
Materials incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) alphabet knowledge. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 1, Week 2, Lessons 1 - 5, students learn about the letter Mm. Throughout the week, students participate in a variety of activities to build their understanding of the letter including repeated readings of “Our Class Letter Book for Mm”, daily letter formation instruction and practice, multisensory writing, and sound/letter sorts.
In Unit 1, Week 7, Day 2, students learn the letter Pp. After introducing the letter, the teacher introduces a book with things that start with the letter Pp. While reading the book, the teacher points out the letter at the beginning of each word.
In Unit 1, Week 9, students learn the letters Dd and Hh and get to play a game with peers called the Pull & Match game. The teacher has a bunch of tiles with pictures facedown on the table. Students pick up one picture at a time, identify the image and the initial sound, and then sort it in the appropriate column labeled with both current letters Dd and Hh, but also review letters including Bb, Pp, Aa, Oo, and Cc. This game is a choice the teacher has when selecting independent activities throughout the week.
In Unit 2, Week 20, students review all of the digraphs. One of the independent activities is a matching game between the digraph and a picture that has the digraph in the initial position. The teacher chooses which day to use this worksheet.
Indicator 1a.iii
Materials provide explicit instruction and teacher modeling in printing and forming the 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase).
The materials include a clearly defined sequence for explicit instruction in letter formation. Students spend 13 weeks learning how to write all of the upper and lower case letters. The materials provide explicit instruction and guidance for the teacher and also provide a routine for each letter, which includes watching a video, tracing the letter, verbal prompts, and air writing. Materials do not provide teacher guidance on providing corrective feedback to students when students make a mistake or do not understand how to form the letters correctly.
There is a defined sequence for letter formation, aligned to the scope and sequence of letter recognition, to be completed in a reasonable time frame over the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Program Materials, there is a Kindergarten Year Long Scope and Sequence for letter formation that begins in Unit 1, Week 2, and concludes by Week 13. This is the same scope and sequence used in the program for letter recognition. In the program, students learn letter names, formation, and phonemes together.
The scope and sequence includes:
Week 2: Mn
Week 3: Ss, Aa
Week 4: Rr, Tt
Week 5: Ll, Nn
Week 6: Bb, Oo
Week 7: Pp, Cc
Week 8: Ii, Ff
Week 9: Dd, Hh
Week 10: Uu, Gg
Week 11: Kk, Ee, Vv
Week 12: Xx, Jj, Ww
Week 13: Yy, Qq, Zz
Materials include clear directions for the teacher concerning how to explain and model how to correctly form each of the 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase). Examples include, but are not limited to:
In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 2, the materials provide the teacher with guidance on how to teach the letter Ss. Instructional activities include watching a handwriting video and using a letter formation poster to show students how to trace the letter.
In Unit 1, Week 5, Day 2, students learn how to write the letter Ll. The teacher begins by showing a handwriting video, and then the students watch it a second time but air-write along with the video. Then, the teacher shows a poster with the letter, and the students air-trace the letter while the teacher provides verbal prompts.
In Unit 1, Week 7, Day 4, the teacher introduces the letter Cc. The teacher uses the same routine as in previous weeks and days, which includes watching a video, air-writing, and tracing along dotted lines with verbal prompts.
In Unit 1, Week 11, Day 4, the teacher follows the same instructional routine to teach students how to write the letter Vv, including tracing it, using verbal prompts, and air writing it.
Materials include teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. Examples include, but are not limited to:
No evidence found.
Indicator 1a.iv
Materials provide opportunities for student practice in printing and forming the 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase).
The materials provide students with frequent opportunities to practice forming all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters. Students practice printing letters using whiteboards and handwriting sheets. The materials direct teachers to review multiple letters each day for practice. Materials also direct the teacher to use multisensory activities such as sand, that may not be available for the teacher.
Materials include frequent opportunities for students to practice forming all of the 26 uppercase and lowercase letters. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In Unit 1, Week 4, Lesson 2, students use multi-sensory material, such as sand, to practice writing the letter R. The teacher prompts students to say the letter name while writing it.
In Unit 1, Week 12, Lesson 2, students learn the letter Xx. After direct instruction and air-writing practice, students complete a handwriting sheet. The handwriting sheet contains dotted lines and visual and written reminders to support students with correct letter formation.
In Unit 2, Week 15, Lesson 4, the teacher passes out multisensory materials. The teacher says a sound, and students repeat the sound. Then students write the letter. Students practice writing the letters Ii, Aa, Yy, Jj, Ee, Oo, and Uu.
In Unit 3, Week 21, Lesson 4, students practice writing the letter Nn while hearing the sound /n/. Students trace the lowercase letter in a sensory material, such as sand, and say the sound as needed.
Materials include cumulative review of previously learned letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In Unit 1, Week 8, Lesson 2, students practice tracing all of the sounds they have learned so far in sand or another multisensory material after the teacher models how to do it.
In Unit 1, Week 11, Lesson 5, students use whiteboards and dry erase markers to write letters that the teacher says. The teacher says the letter and sound, and the students repeat the letter name and sound back before writing the letter. Students write the letters Ee, Kk, Cc, Vv, Ii, Ss, Aa, and Rr.
In Unit 2, Week 15, Lesson 2, students practice writing the letters Aa, Mm, Vv, Xx, Ee, Ww, and Lk.
In Unit 2, Week 16, Lesson 2, students practice writing letters in multisensory materials. The letters include Oo, Ee, Ii, Aa, Yy, Zz, Dd, and Hh.
Indicator 1b
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress through mastery of letter recognition and printing letters (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
The materials provide assessment opportunities at the end of each unit; however, the materials do not provide guidance to teachers about assessing students more frequently. The documentation included with the assessments indicates that students should score 80% or higher on the end-of-unit assessments before moving on to the next unit, though there is limited additional support for students who do not reach this threshold.
Materials regularly and systematically provide a variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of letter recognition and letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Kindergarten materials include a placement test that is designed to be given at the start of the year and the end of the year to determine where students should begin in the program and growth over the course of the year. This assessment measures letter identification, names, and sounds.
Each unit ends with an End of Unit Assessment to assess students’ knowledge of the skills learned within the unit. For example, in Unit 1, the teacher uses the Level K, Unit 1 End of Unit Assessment to assess several skills, including students’ letter recognition and letter sound identification. Teachers can also administer the extended letter formation/handwriting assessment, though this is optional.
Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of letter recognition and letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Unit 1, End of Unit Assessment includes guidance for the teacher that states the purpose of the assessment is to “evaluate student learning throughout this unit, as well as to help you set up for small group instruction that begins in Unit 2.” It suggests students should get an 80% or higher to continue in the scope and sequence.
The Unit 3, End of Unit Assessment provides data about students’ mastery of the phonological awareness, phonics, and high frequency word skills taught in the unit. However, the assessment does not evaluate letter recognition and printing letters.
Materials support teachers with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students to progress toward mastery in letter recognition and letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 1, if students score 80% or lower on the end-of-unit assessment, they should continue working on Unit 1 concepts. However, the materials do not specify what skills students should continue to work on.
In Unit 2, Week 15, information for teachers is provided on how to use the unit assessment results, including how to group students. The materials suggest that if students know fewer than 80% of letter names and sounds, they should go into a small group.
Criterion 1.2: Phonemic Awareness
This criterion is non-negotiable. Materials must achieve a specified minimum score in this criterion to advance to the next gateway.
Materials emphasize explicit, systematic instruction of research-based and/or evidence-based phonemic awareness.
The materials include a scope and sequence delineating the order in which phonological and phonemic awareness skills should be taught. A hierarchy of skills moves from phonological awareness to isolating, blending, and segmenting, and then to manipulation. The materials contain a phonemic awareness sequence of instruction and practice aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Throughout the materials, there is some explicit instruction in phonemic awareness with repeated teacher modeling, but the materials include minimal guidance for corrective feedback in phonemic awareness. Students have regular opportunities to practice phonemic awareness skills. The lessons include support on pronouncing each phoneme, but directions to the teacher for demonstrating how to pronounce each phoneme based on mouth formation do not exist. Materials include a Placement Test and End of Unit Assessments that evaluate students’ phonemic awareness skills, among other foundational reading skills. There are no interim assessments within each unit to provide regular and systematic assessment opportunities. There is minimal guidance on what to do with assessment results or how to support teachers with next steps toward mastery in phonemic awareness.
Indicator 1c
Scope and sequence clearly delineate the sequence in which phonemic awareness skills are to be taught, with a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected hierarchy of phonemic awareness competence.
The materials include a scope and sequence delineating the order in which phonological and phonemic awareness skills should be taught. The first unit of instruction focuses mostly on phonological awareness skills. During this unit, students learn the phoneme for common graphemes, and lessons incorporate activities where students have to identify the phoneme. Blending is introduced in Unit 1, but segmenting is not introduced until Unit 2. A hierarchy of skills moves from phonological awareness to isolating, blending, and segmenting, and then to manipulation. It is important to know that manipulation begins in Week 18 and remains the focus for most phonemic awareness instruction. The materials contain a phonemic awareness sequence of instruction and practice aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. The materials include an evidence-based explanation for the order of phonemic awareness skills in Unit 1 Overview.
Materials contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence for teaching phonemic awareness skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Program Materials, the video and PDF slides for Phonological Awareness Instruction in K-2 include an explanation of phonological awareness, how phonological awareness is taught in the materials, and the gradient of phonological awareness tasks as they increase in difficulty. The tasks outlined from least to greatest difficulty are rhyming, sentence segmenting, syllable segmenting and blending, onset and rime segmenting, phoneme blending and segmenting, and phoneme manipulation.
In the Unit Family letter, materials state that students will begin practicing phonological awareness skills because it contributes to children’s reading success. Then, it lists some of the skills, such as rhyming, isolating the initial and end sounds, and breaking up words into syllables. Additional information about phonemic awareness skills and the sequence is not identified in the unit letters.
In the Research Base for From Sounds to Spelling, one bullet point states, “phonological awareness (specifically, phonemic awareness) is a strong predictor of student success with decoding. Phonological awareness can be improved through brief, daily instruction.” However, the document does not include an expected sequence for teaching phonemic awareness skills. The section titled, “Scope and Sequence Research Base” only focuses on the scope and sequence for phonics.
Materials have a sequence of phonemic awareness instruction based on the expected hierarchy to build toward students’ immediate application of the skills. Materials incorporate phonological sensitivity tasks throughout, including transition activities and whole group activities for two minutes. Phonemic awareness skills begin in Unit 2, and students only focus on the phonological sensitivity level in Unit 1. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Kindergarten Year Long Scope and Sequence provides a specific phonological awareness focus each week; but not specifically for phonemic awareness. The materials incorporate blending in Unit 1, and segmenting in Unit 2; however, this is not clear on the Phonological Awareness Scope and Sequence. The provided scope and sequence is as follows:
Week 1: Rhyming
Week 2: Initial sounds & review
Week 3: Repeating sentences, syllable blending & review
Week 4: Counting words in a sentence, blending phonemes, identifying initial sounds & review
Week 5: Review
Week 6: Syllable segmenting & review
Week 7: Adding syllables & review
Week 8: Deleting syllables & review
Week 9: Substituting syllables & review
Week 10: Blending onset & rime, segmenting onset & rime & review
Week 11: Review
Week 12: Ending sounds & review
Week 13 & 14: Review
Week 15: Medial sound matching, phoneme segmentation for CV and VC words (+ review)
Week 16: Identifying a medial sound, and phoneme segmentation for CC words (+ review)
Week 17: Blending and segmenting 3-sound words with digraphs (+ review)
Week 18: Adding initial phonemes (+ review)
Week 19: Adding initial digraph phonemes (+ review)
Week 20: Deleting initial phonemes (+ review)
Week 21: Deleting initial phonemes (+ review)
Week 22: Review
Week 23: Substituting initial phonemes (+ review)
Week 24: Review
Week 25: Segmenting words with blends (+ review)
Week 26: Review
Week 27: Adding final phonemes (+ review)
Week 28 & 29: Review
Week 30 - 32: Blending and segmenting words with blends, adding final phonemes, and substituting final phonemes
Week 33: Blending and segmenting words with blends and long vowels, substituting medial phonemes, and deleting final phonemes
Week 34 & 35: Blending and segmenting, substituting medial phonemes, and deleting final phonemes
Materials attend to developing phonemic awareness skills and avoid spending excess time on phonological sensitivity tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Kindergarten Year Long Scope and Sequence, there is a sequence of phonological awareness skills across the continuum. The scope and sequence inconsistently attends to developing phonemic awareness skills and does not focus on progressing from simple to complex or building awareness of individual phonemes.
Phonemic awareness activities are specified as part of the phonological awareness scope and sequence beginning in Unit 2. However, in Unit 1, the materials include phonemic awareness activities such as isolating in Unit 1, Week 3, and blending two phonemes in Unit 1, Week 4. Phoneme segmentation is not introduced until Unit 2 however.
Materials contain a phonemic awareness sequence of instruction and practice aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 18, the phonics focus is ch and wh. In Lesson 2, during the phonological awareness section of the lesson, the teacher says a word, and the students say all the sounds. Some of the words include the digraphs ‘ch’ and ‘wh’ such as the words such, cheap, wheel, and beach.
In Unit 3, Week 23, the phonics focus is CVC words ending in -ot or -op. In Lesson 4, during the phonological awareness section of the lesson, the students engage in a chaining activity where the teacher begins with the word jot, and the teacher gives them a new initial sound to replace the /j/. All of the initial words given end in -ot or op.
Indicator 1d
Materials include systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness with repeated teacher modeling.
Throughout the materials, there is some explicit instruction in phonemic awareness with repeated teacher modeling. In some lessons there is teacher modeling, but in other lessons, the teacher explains the activity, and students complete it without teacher modeling. Materials include minimal guidance for corrective feedback in phonemic awareness.
Materials include some explicit instruction in sounds (phonemes). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words
In Unit 1, Week 5, Lesson 1, the teacher models how to isolate the initial, medial, and final sounds in the word hat. The teacher models how to do the hand movements while pronouncing each phoneme, as explained in the “Hand Movements for Level K” video. The directions say, “You listen first, watch my hands, and then you repeat.”
In Unit 2, Week 16, Lesson 1, the materials guide the teacher to isolate the initial, medial, and final sounds in the word seat. The teacher says the word and then segments the word into the individual phonemes.
In Unit 2, Week 18, Lesson 1,the teacher models how to isolate the initial, medial, and final sounds in the word gap. The lesson materials include the script, “I’ll say a word, and you tell me the sounds. If I say ‘gap’ you say /g/, /a/, /p/.”
In Unit 3, Week 24, Transition Activities, Day 2, the teacher says, “I’m going to say a word, and you tell me what the middle sound is. For example, the middle sound in jet is /ĕ/. Ready?” Students then practice with the words bed, chin, shut, cake, and dock.
In Unit 4, Week 34, Lesson 5, the teacher guides students to practice segmenting. The materials direct the teacher to say, “I’m going to say a word, and you tell me the sounds in the word. Ready?” The teacher models, if needed, then students segment the words note, stale, globe, hike, tube, line, mule, and flute.
Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
In Unit 2, Week 18, Lesson 1, the teacher introduces a game where the teacher says a word and then a phoneme to add to the initial position. The teacher models by saying the sound /ā/, then saying he/she needs to add the sound /m/, and the new word is may.
In Unit 4, Week 30, Lesson 5, the materials provide teachers with directions for a substitution game. The teacher models by saying, “In this game we’re going to switch out the last sound in the word. So if I say the word ‘lake’ and I change ‘k’ to ‘t’, I get late.”
Materials provide the teacher with examples for instruction in sounds (phonemes). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
Each week includes daily Transition Activities, which provide guidance on how to instruct the students in a variety of phonological awareness skills, not specifically phonemic awareness skills tied to the phonics skill. For example, in Unit 2, Week 15, the Transition Activities include daily review and practice in counting syllables and blending phonemes, identifying final sounds, generating rhymes, substituting syllables, blending phonemes, and adding syllables.
In Unit 3, Week 21, the Transition Activities include blending phonemes, identifying medial sounds, counting syllables, and identifying rhyming patterns and include words for the teacher to use.
Materials include minimal teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The materials do not include guidance for corrective feedback when needed. There are some suggestions on teacher actions if students are making mistakes (i.e. in Unit 4, Week 30, Lesson 2, during the Blending Drill and Wrap-Up section, guidance is provided that “if students struggle, model saying each sound and then blending the sound together”) but there is no guidance or examples of how to use corrective feedback to support students in identifying and correcting their error.
Indicator 1e
Materials include daily, brief lessons in phonemic awareness.
Students have regular opportunities to practice phonemic awareness skills. During the Phonics portion of the lesson, materials generally introduce a sound card and students practice using sound cards in a Blending Routine. The lessons include support on pronouncing each phoneme, but directions to the teacher for demonstrating how to pronounce each phoneme based on mouth formation do not exist.
Daily phonemic awareness instruction correlates to the phonics portion of the lesson (phoneme-grapheme correspondence). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 15, the Phonological Awareness focus of the week is medial sound matching and phoneme segmentation. The phonics focus of the week is short vowels a and i. In Lesson 1, the teacher instructs students to listen for the short a sound in the middle of the words.
In Unit 3, Week 24, the target skills include CVC words with the -ob ending and mixed short a and o word families. In Lesson 3, during Phonological Awareness, the teacher plays a game with students where the teacher says a word, students repeat it, and then students switch out the initial sound, but all words are CVC words with short a.
In Unit 4, Week 35, the materials focus on long vowels i and u with silent e. During Lesson 1, Phonological Awareness, students play a game to identify the sounds in the word, and words include duke, lime, tile, tune, and cute. Then, during Word Building, students use magnetic letters, tiles, or cards to build words with short vowels and then add the “magic e” to make the long vowel sound in the words.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice connecting sounds to letters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Lesson 9, students go through the sound cards and say each letter name and sound.
In Lesson 30, students use s blend cards and vowel cards to complete a blending drill. Students read the whole word by saying each sound and then reading the word.
Materials include limited directions to the teacher for demonstrating how to pronounce each phoneme (articulation/mouth formation). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Unit 1 Materials, the program provides a Letter Sounds Video that includes a video of the teacher demonstrating the pronunciation of each letter. While there is modeling of the sound and accompanying hand gestures, there is no evidence of modeling articulation and mouth formation. There is also no guidance for the teacher on utilizing the videos for students other than direction to play the video within that section of the lesson. For example, in Unit 1, Week 6, Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the letter “b,” demonstrates how to pronounce the phoneme, and plays the video, but there is no modeling about mouth formation.
Indicator 1f
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress in phonemic awareness (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
Materials include a Placement Test and End of Unit Assessments that evaluate students’ phonemic awareness skills, among other foundational reading skills. There are no interim assessments within each unit to provide regular and systematic assessment opportunities. There is minimal guidance on what to do with assessment results or how to support teachers with next steps toward mastery in phonemic awareness.
Materials provide limited assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence in phonemic awareness. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
Materials include a Placement Test for teachers to administer at the beginning of the year and again at the end of the year to measure growth.
There is an End-of-Unit Assessment for all four units, but there are no interim assessments provided within each unit.
The Unit 1 End of Unit Assessment includes items that measure phonological and phonemic awareness skills, including syllable blending, syllable segmenting, identifying initial and final sounds, phoneme blending, and syllable manipulation.
The Unit 3 End of Unit Assessment includes items that measure phoneme blending, phoneme segmenting, and phoneme deleting, including initial phoneme substitution and final phoneme addition.
Within each unit, in the Overview & End of Unit Assessment section, the materials provide a downloadable Excel spreadsheet for teachers to keep track of data electronically if they choose.
Assessment materials provide teachers and students with limited information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of phonemic awareness. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The materials include a Level K Placement Test, which provides information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of phonemic awareness. The materials include guidelines to assist in placement of where a student should begin in the materials.
Within the End of Unit Assessment documents, the materials indicate that if a student performs a task with 80% accuracy or better they are ready for the next unit, but otherwise, the assessments do not provide teachers and students with information concerning students’ current skills/levels of understanding of phonemic awareness.
Materials support teachers with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students to progress toward mastery in phonemic awareness. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
No evidence was found of instructional suggestions for assessment-based next steps to help students progress toward mastery in phonemic awareness.
Criterion 1.3: Phonics (Decoding and Encoding)
This criterion is non-negotiable. Materials must achieve a specified minimum score in this criterion to advance to the next gateway.
Materials emphasize explicit, systematic instruction of research-based and/or evidence-based phonics.
The materials include a phonics scope and sequence that includes common phonics generalizations and high-utility patterns; however, the scope and sequence progresses through skills quickly and includes work with word families. The materials include a Researched Based-Principles and Citations document that outlines the research used for the scope and sequence of instruction. Materials do not contain elements of instruction that are based on the three-cueing system. Materials include a phonics target skill each week. All activities students engage in throughout a daily lesson incorporate the focus for the week with interleaved practice included throughout. Students practice the skills in isolation and in context and have the opportunity to both read the words and write the words, including opportunities to practice with sentence reading, dictation, and decodable readers. Materials include systematic and explicit in phonics instruction. However, the materials do not include opportunities or guidance for the teacher to give corrective feedback. Materials include opportunities to practice decoding and encoding words with common and newly taught sound and spelling patterns. Students have opportunities to decode words and sentences, and they engage in encoding during Dictation practice in sensory bins and on a whiteboard. Throughout the materials, students have the opportunity to apply what they learn for the target phonics skill of the week to spelling. Students have the opportunity to learn the spelling pattern and practice it almost every day within the five-day lesson cycle through the use of whiteboard/dictation and worksheets. Materials include decodable texts that align with the weekly phonics skill. There are two “levels” of decodable readers, and both sets contain the phonics skill that students are practicing. Most opportunities for rereading the decodable are optional and at the discretion of the teacher. Materials include assessment opportunities for phonics that occur during the Placement Test at the beginning and end of the year, as well as the End-of-Unit Assessments. There are weekly dictation activities in Kindergarten beginning in Week 15 that serve as informal data, but there are no regular assessment opportunities for decoding. In addition, there is minimal evidence of guidance for the teacher on what to do with the data once it is collected to help students progress toward mastery in phonics.
Indicator 1g
Scope and sequence clearly delineate an intentional sequence in which phonics skills are to be taught, with a clear evidence-based explanation for the order of the sequence.
The materials include a phonics scope and sequence that includes common phonics generalizations and high-utility patterns; however, the scope and sequence progresses through skills quickly and includes work with word families. Students spend 14 weeks on letter names, sounds, formation, then progress quickly through all short vowels, CVC words, and digraphs in six weeks. Students then spend nine weeks on CVC word families and end with six weeks of blends and long vowels. The materials include a Researched Based-Principles and Citations document that outlines the research used for the scope and sequence of instruction.
Materials contain a clear evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence for teaching phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The program materials include a Research Base for From Sounds to Spellings document, which includes a bulleted list of research-based best practices. This includes information about phonics instruction and research citations.
In the Frequently Asked Questions section, the materials state that the scope and sequence is developed based on the research of Donald Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, Francine Johnston, and Wiley Bevins, but it does not include the specific research to explain the order of the phonics sequence.
Materials clearly delineate a scope and sequence with a cohesive, intentional sequence of phonics instruction, from simpler to more complex skills, and practice to build toward the application of skills; however, materials progress quickly through some skills and include word families. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The materials include a scope and sequence of phonics instruction. The scope and sequence includes the following:
In Unit 1, Weeks 1-14, the focus is on introducing all of the letters.
In Unit 2, Weeks 15-20, the focus is on short vowels a, e, i, o, and u; CVC words; and digraphs sh, th, ch, wh, qu, and ck.
In Unit 3, Weeks 21-29, the focus is CVC words in -at, -an, -am, -ap, -op, -ot, -ob, -im, -ip, -in, -ill, -ug, -ut, -ed, and -et word families and plural nouns and inflectional endings.
In Unit 4, Weeks 30-35, the focus is on initial s-blends; initial l-blends; initial r-blends; sounds of long a, e, i, o, and u; CVCe words with long a and long o; and CVCe words with long i and long u.
Phonics instruction is based on high utility patterns and/or common phonics generalizations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Units 2-4, the scope and sequence of phonics skills begins with introducing students to all of the short vowel sounds and common digraphs. With foundational knowledge of short vowels and common digraphs, the scope and sequence of instruction in the lessons moves to the common word family patterns of CVC words using each short vowel, then plural nouns, and initial blends. Finally, an introduction to long vowel sounds and CVCe word patterns occurs by the end of the year.
Indicator 1h
Materials are absent of the three-cueing system.
The materials do not include evidence of the three cueing system to teach decoding in lesson
plans or lesson resources.
Indicator 1i
Materials, questions, and tasks provide reasonable pacing where phonics (decoding and encoding) skills are taught one at a time and allot time where phonics skills are practiced to automaticity, with cumulative review.
Materials include a phonics target skill each week. The skill is taught on Days 1 and 3, with review and practice on Days 2 and 4. Then, students take what they learn and apply it on Day 5. All activities students engage in throughout a daily lesson incorporate the focus for the week with interleaved practice included throughout. Students practice the skills in isolation and in context and have the opportunity to both read the words and write the words, including opportunities to practice with sentence reading, dictation, and decodable readers.
Materials include reasonable pacing of newly-taught phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yearlong Scope and Sequence, the materials detail the phonics skills that should be taught each week for a total of 35 weeks of instruction. Within the weekly lesson plans, the materials note a phonics target skill. Each daily lesson provides instruction on the week’s phonics skill. For example, in Unit 3, Week 23, the phonics target skill is CVC words with -op and -ot endings. The materials provide instruction on this skill throughout each day’s lesson for the whole week.
The lesson plan design allots time to include sufficient student practice to work towards automaticity. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 1, Week 13, Day 2 Activities, students review the letter flashcards and sounds and do a blending drill. The teacher arranges sound cards in one of three stacks. The teacher alternates between choosing a card in the first stack, middle stack, or last stack while students blend the sounds together. Students practice concepts that have been previously taught to build automaticity.
In Unit 2, Week 17, Lesson 4, the teacher conducts a 1 - 2 minute review of letters and sounds using flashcards. Then, the teacher provides a 2-3 minute review of the phonics concept digraph th, which was taught the previous day. Then, students spend 5 - 6 minutes doing word reading activities. Next, students spend 2 - 3 minutes doing sentence-level reading. Students then move to a sentence dictation activity and, finally, spend 4 - 10 minutes reading the decodable book that also focuses on the digraph th. In this specific lesson, students spend at least 20 minutes practicing reading and writing words with digraph th.
In Unit 3, Week 28, the phonics target skill is CVC words with -ed and -et endings. In Lesson 1, the teacher teaches CVC words with -ed in small groups, and in Lesson 2, instruction continues through word and sentence reading, whiteboard dictation, decodable book reading, and sentence writing. In Lessons 3 - 4, the teacher follows a similar instructional model for CVC words with -et. Then, in Lesson 5, the teacher reviews both concepts, and students have additional opportunities to practice. This type of format is found throughout the program.
Materials contain distributed, cumulative, and interleaved opportunities for students to practice and review all previously learned grade-level phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Yearlong Scope and Sequence indicates specific weeks for cumulative review. For example, in Week 20, students review the digraphs taught in weeks 18 and 19. In Week 24, students review short a and short o word families that were previously taught in Weeks 21 - 24.
In Unit 2, Week 19, the phonics target skill is the digraphs qu and ck. Students learn the skill in Lessons 1 and 3 of the week and practice it in Lessons 2 and 4. The teacher then reviews the skill in Lesson 5.
In Unit 2, Week 20, students review digraphs sh, th, ch, wh, qu, ck. Students were initially taught these digraphs in Week 17 - 19. In Lesson 1, students practice reading words in isolation and sentences containing these digraphs. Words include shin, wish, thin, shut, with, and math. Sentences include “I do not rush” and “We like to do math.”
In Unit 3, Week 3, Day 2, students review blends they learned in previous lessons. The teacher begins by reviewing l-blends using sound cards with the blends taught the previous day. The materials instruct the teacher to mix in some single initial consonant sounds and digraphs.
In Unit 3, Week 25, Lesson 1, students practice previously learned concepts through a blending drill. The teacher has three stacks of graphemes, and the teacher flips over one card in a stack at a time for students to practice blending. The first stack includes consonants and the digraph th, the second stack is all vowels, and the third stack is consonants and the digraph sh and ck.
In Unit 4, Week 35, Lesson 4, the materials include one minute of the whole group reviewing word cards. The materials do not specify which word cards to use and leave it up to the teacher based on student needs. This type of review is found regularly throughout the units and lessons.
Indicator 1j
Materials include systematic and explicit phonics instruction with repeated teacher modeling.
The materials include systematic and explicit in phonics instruction. The lessons include direct instruction, modeling, practice, and repetition. Students have the opportunity to blend and segment one-syllable words and opportunities to practice writing words and sentences. However, the materials do not include opportunities or guidance for the teacher to give corrective feedback. The materials do not provide guidance to the teacher on how to support students who make mistakes through the use of corrective feedback.
Materials contain explicit instructions for systematic and repeated teacher modeling of all newly-taught phonics patterns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.
In Unit 1, Week 2, Lesson 2, the teacher introduces the letter Mm. The teacher explains that “Every letter has a name and at least one sound. This letter’s name is M, and the sound is /m/. Say /m/ with me.”
In Unit 1, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher introduces the letter Ss. The teacher shows students both the uppercase and lowercase letters and explains that Ss says /s/ and shows a picture of a sun as the keyword.
In Unit 1, Week 4, Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the letter Rr and that it says /r/. The teacher also introduces a picture of a rat on the alphabet poster as a keyword to support the one-to-one letter-sound correspondence.
In Unit 1, Week 9, Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the letter Dd. The teacher explains that the letter Dd says /d/. Students repeat the sound, and the teacher shows the keyword duck. The teacher then asks what other words start with /d/.
Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
In Unit 3, Week 24, Lesson 1, the teacher reviews the short o sound. The teacher builds the word job and asks students to segment each sound. Then, the teacher engages in a chaining activity with students using the words cob, sob, and rob.
In Unit 4, Week 33, the lessons introduce the long vowel sounds for Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, and Uu, and contrast these sounds with the previously learned short vowel sounds. For example, in Lesson 3, the teacher reviews the short and long vowel sounds for Oo and Ee, and then introduces the long vowel sound for Ii. The teacher uses the words hid and hi as examples.
In Unit 4, Week 34, Lesson 1, the teacher gives students magnetic letters (or equivalent), and together the students make the word name. Students discuss the two vowels and are asked which vowel makes a sound. Students continue with a chaining activity using gate, late, lake, make, and rake.
Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
In Unit 3, Week 21, Lesson 3, the teacher directs students to build the word man with magnetic tiles or similar. Then, the teacher tells the students to make the word ban next. The teacher says, “Whoa, guess what? ‘Ban’ has /an/, just like ‘man.’” The teacher continues discussing the similarities and differences in /an/ words.
In Unit 3, Week 24, Lesson 1, the materials direct teachers to say, “Let’s play a game. I’ll say the word, and you repeat it. Then, we’ll switch out for the first sound to make a different word. Ready? The word is ‘day.’ Repeat. (day) Change /d/ to /p/, and we get ‘pay.’ Do you hear how ‘day’ turns into ‘pay’ when we change the /d/ to /p/?” Students then practice turning job into rob, then sob, mob, cob, and Bob.
In Unit 3, Week 28, Lesson 1, the teacher has the students make the word fed by first segmenting and then writing or using magnetic tiles. Then, the teacher has the students make the word red. The teacher asks, “how do we change fed into red?” Then, students make the words bed, led, and wed.
Lessons include blending and segmenting practice using structured, consistent blending routines with teacher modeling. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 1, Week 6, Lesson 2, the materials direct the teacher to say, “Now let’s do something different. We’re going to practice breaking words into syllables again.” The teacher directs students to stand up and open their palms, first reading and modeling pounding syllables if needed.
In Unit 3, Week 24, Lesson 4, the teacher has the students practice writing words with short a and o. The first word is sad, and collectively, the students are expected to segment the sounds. Then, students write the word and check it by repeating each sound and blending them together. The teacher presents additional words, and students segment them each time if needed.
In Unit 4, Week 31, Day 1, during the blending drill, students engage in a blending drill with the l-blends. The teacher shows students a word, and before saying the word, they must say each sound and blend it together.
In Unit 4, Week 32, Day 1, during the Blending Drill, students work with r-blends. It is suggested that students segment each sound before blending them together, and if they struggle, the teacher should model each sound and blend the sounds together.
Lessons include dictation of words and sentences using the newly taught phonics pattern(s). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 3, Week 22, Lesson 5, the teacher passes out dictation paper and displays their own copy for students to follow along. After engaging in dictation of individual sounds, students begin writing words. The teacher says the word and uses it in a sentence before students write the word. The teacher can go through each letter, sound by sound, or have students write the whole word. During this time, students also write the sentence, I am Pam and I can nap.
In Unit 3, Week 25, Lesson 2, the materials include a Whiteboard Dictation section. In small groups, the teacher directs students to practice writing words in the -im word family. The teacher says the word, students repeat it, and then the teacher puts it into a sentence. Collectively, they segment the word and write the y sound. Finally, students check it. In Lesson 5, the teacher dictates the sentence, Hit it to him. Students reread the sentence, fix any mistakes they made, then the teacher writes the sentence on the board.
In Unit 3, Week 28, Lesson 2, during Whiteboard Dictation, students write words in the -ed family, including led, shed, red, bed, fed. The teacher says the word, students repeat, and then the teacher says it in a sentence. Students then segment the word and write the word before checking it by blending it together.
In Unit 4, Week 32, Lesson 4, the teacher dictates the word drop for students to write. The teacher says it aloud, uses it in a sentence and then repeats it. The students then segment the word as a class and write it on their sheets. Then, they check the word and rewrite it, even if they got it correct.
Materials include teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
No evidence found
Indicator 1k
Materials include frequent practice opportunities for students to decode and encode words that consist of common and newly-taught sound and spelling patterns.
The materials include opportunities to practice decoding and encoding words with common and newly taught sound and spelling patterns. Students have opportunities to decode words and sentences, and they engage in encoding during Dictation practice in sensory bins and on a whiteboard. Materials also include accuracy and automaticity practice by using half-page word and sentence lists that students complete with their teacher first and then can practice with a peer, independently, and at home.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to decode phonetically spelled words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 18, Lesson 4, students learn about the digraphs ch and wh. The words they read are whim, much, wish, when, chip, and thin. Students also practice reading the sentences “When can you go?” and “You and I got a dish.”
In Unit 3, Week 27, Lesson 1, students read CVC words with -ug endings. Students practice reading the words rug, hug, bug, mug, and dug.
In Unit 4, Week 30, Lesson 2, students learn about s-blends. They practice reading words and sentences with these patterns. Words include skip, step, swim, spin, spot, skin, snap, step, and swam. The sentences include “Look at the big slug,” “Do not step on that wet spot,” and “We can come swim with you.”
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to encode phonetically spelling words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 17, Day 3, students use sensory materials for writing. The teacher says a word, students repeat it, and then students write each sound. Students practice with the words shop, if, an, fun, dish, and bath.
In Unit 3, Week 21, Lesson 1, during Whiteboard Dictation, students practice writing the words pat, bat, and flat. The teacher helps students by having them segment the sounds first.
In Unit 4, Week 31, Lesson 2, students learn about l-blends, and during Whiteboard Dictation, students write the words, club, flip, slip, glad, clap, and sled.
Lessons include student-guided practice and independent practice of blending sounds using the sound-spelling pattern(s) in an instructional sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 16, Lesson 3, the teacher asks students to find the letter that makes the /d/ sound, then the /o/ sound, and finally the /t/ sound. The teacher then has the students blend the sounds to read the word dot. This process continues with the words nod, drug, mud, cub, and job. The phonics focus this week is reading CVC words with short vowels e, o, and u.
In Unit 3, Week 26, Lesson 1, students learn CVC words with -in and -ill endings. During Word Reading, the teacher says, “Now let’s read some words with the short i in them. If you already know the word, that’s great! But don’t shout it out - we are going to say each sound and blend the sounds together.” Words include fin, tin, bin, and pin.
In Unit 4, Week 32, Lesson 1, the teacher places the r-blend sound cards in a stack. To the right of those cards is a stack of vowel cards, and to the right of the vowel is a single stack of consonant cards. The students blend the first word by saying each sound and then reading the whole word. Then, the students switch one stack to practice blending and reading the words. This practice comes after initial instruction with r-blends the week prior.
Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in word-level decoding practice focused on accuracy and automaticity. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 18, Lesson 2, the teacher displays a copy of the half-page Word and Sentence Reading sheet for Lesson 2. Students receive differentiated support, reading all the words first, and then the students read the words independently. After this, students practice with a partner and/or can take the sheet home for at-home practice.
In Unit 3, Week 31, Lesson 2, during Word and Sentence reading, students practice reading words and sentences either with the teacher modeling first or with guided practice and then students read the words independently. After, students practice with their partner and/or take it home.
In Unit 4, Week 34, Lesson 2, during Dictation, students write words, and then students chorally read the words back that they wrote.
Indicator 1l
Spelling rules and generalizations are taught one at a time at a reasonable pace. Spelling words and generalizations are practiced to automaticity.
Throughout the materials, students have the opportunity to apply what they learn for the target phonics skill of the week to spelling. Students have the opportunity to learn the spelling pattern and practice it almost every day within the five-day lesson cycle through the use of whiteboard/dictation and worksheets. The majority of lessons include phonics practice and spelling practice through both guided and independent practice.
Spelling rules and generalizations are aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 17, the target phonics skill is digraph ch and sh. The objective for the week is “The students will read and spell words with the digraphs ‘sh’ and ‘th.’” The teacher displays the SH poster and asks students what they know about the letters sh (“together they say /sh/”). Then, the students say S-H says /sh/ several times. Then, the students air write sh while saying S-H says /sh/. This process repeats in Lesson 4, but with th.
In Unit 3, Week 29, the target phonics skill is plural nouns and inflectional endings with -s. During Word Building in Lesson 1, students use magnetic letters, cards, or tiles to spell words. Students first build the CVC word and then add the plural s. Words for practice include dot/dots, kid/kids, and fan/fans.
In Unit 4, Week 32, students are introduced to r-blends. In Lesson 1, they are introduced to this concept for 4 - 5 minutes and then practice word building almost immediately after. The teacher begins the instruction with the word drag, having students segment it together and then identify each sound they hear and the letter that makes the sound. Students engage in this learning with the words drag, brag, flag, flap, trap, trip, drip, drop, and crop.
Materials include explanations for the spelling of specific words or spelling rules. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 17, the teacher explains that the digraph th can make two slightly different sounds. The teacher first uses the word thing and tells students to put their hand on their throat to discover that they do not feel anything. Then the teacher has the students say the word three with their hand on their throat to feel the vibration. The teacher explains that th can be voiced or unvoiced.
In Unit 3, Week 29, the teacher uses the pocket chart and begins explaining that the ending sound at the end of bats says /s/. The materials have the teacher explain that when s is at the end, it makes the word plural, meaning not just one bat but two or more bats. The teacher then does the same thing but with the word dogs. The teacher points out that this time, even though they are talking about more than one dog, the s says /z/. The teacher summarizes that sometimes the s at the end of a word can say /s/, and other times it says /z/.
In Unit 4, Week 34, the phonics target skill for the week is CVCe words with long a and long o. During the concept introduction in Lesson 2, the materials tell the teacher to show the students the Magic E video, which introduces the spelling rule of CVCe.
Students have sufficient opportunities to practice spelling rules and generalizations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 3, Week 29, students practice plural nouns and inflectional endings with -s through multiple opportunities and activities. In addition to concept introduction and word building, there are options for independent work time that include four worksheets to practice plural words that end in -s, handwriting sheets for plural words, and a game called Superhero Roundup to practice plural words.
In Unit 4, Week 34, the phonics target skill for the week is CVCe words with long a and long o. In Lesson 1, students are introduced to the concept and then given time to practice spelling words with the long a and long o pattern. For example, in Lesson 4, during Whiteboard and Quick Dictation, the teacher dictates several words, including cave, code, made, and doze. The teacher and students segment the first word or two before students do it independently.
Indicator 1m
Materials include decodable texts with phonics aligned to the program’s scope and sequence and opportunities for students to use decodables for multiple readings.
The materials include decodable texts that align with the weekly phonics skill. Students have the opportunity to read and reread the texts each week. However, the materials do not guide the teacher on using the decodable text until students can accurately read single-syllable words. There is no explicit instruction on how to use these texts, and instead, the program provides suggestions based on student needs, such as the option to choral read, echo read, or whisper read.
Decodable texts contain grade-level phonics skills aligned to the program’s scope and sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 16, students read the decodable text “Chat with Chad.” The phonics target skill for the week is digraphs ch and wh. Words included in the text are Chad, chop, chip, chin, and chum.
In Unit 3, Week 21, students read the decodable text “The Cat, the Rat, and the Bat.” The target skill for the week is words that contain the -at word family, and words in the text include hat, mat, rat, bat, chat, and at.
In Unit 3, Week 29, students read the decodable text “Jobs” and the decodable poem, “Rats in Hats.” The text contains grade-level phonics skills aligned to the program’s scope and sequence. The target skills for the week include plural nouns and inflectional endings with -s. Words included in the decodable texts include cups, hugs, pups, shops, mats, ships, and dots.
In Unit 4, Week 35, students read two decodable texts, “Five Ripe Limes” and “Meg, Mike, and the Job.” The phonics skill focus of the week is CVCe words with long i and long u. Words that are in the decodable reader include five, ripe, limes, line, Mike, wipe, cube, tune, quite, and sides.
Materials include detailed lesson plans for repeated readings of decodable texts to address acquisition of phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 18, students read “Chat with Chad.” In Lesson 5, the materials say that students would read the text after initially echo reading. It also suggests that if students struggle to recognize high-frequency words, they should search for words they already know and circle or highlight these words.
In Unit 3, Week 29, Lesson 2, students circle/highlight words included in the decodable poem “Rats in Hats” with the -s ending. Students chorally read the poem together and then whisper-read it to themselves. In Lessons 3 - 5, during independent work, the materials suggest that students reread the decodable texts and write about them.
In Unit 4, Week 31, students read “Little Jack Horner” and “The Plum Club.” There is some support for teachers in supporting repeated readings of the text. In Lesson 3, the materials advise the teacher to have students whisper read the story at their own pace and chorally read if the teacher anticipates that students will struggle. In Lesson 4, the materials tell teachers to have students read with a partner.
Reading practice occurs in decodable texts (i.e., an absence of predictable texts) until students can accurately decode single-syllable words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
No evidence was found regarding regular opportunities for the teacher to guide students in the reading of decodable texts to ensure students are accurately decoding single-syllable words.
Indicator 1n
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress of phonics in- and out-of-context (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
Materials include assessment opportunities for phonics that occur during the Placement Test at the beginning and end of the year, as well as the End-of-Unit Assessments. There are no interim assessments throughout the units to regularly and systematically assess students. In addition, there is minimal evidence of guidance for the teacher on what to do with the data once it is collected to help students progress toward mastery in phonics. There are weekly dictation activities that the teacher is expected to use to determine if the class is ready to move on to the next target skill. This data is analyzed whole-class as opposed to individual students.
Materials regularly and systematically provide a variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence in phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Level K Placement Test is used to “measure student growth throughout the school year.” A Student Summary sheet is included to record the components of the assessment, including CVC words with digraphs and blends. Assessment items include both decoding and encoding.
Materials include an end-of-unit assessment to collect data about student progress, but interim assessments are not included in the program.
The Level K Placement Test includes a suggested order of components for administering the assessment based on the time of year.
In Unit 1, Week 15, Lesson 3, during Whiteboard Dictation, the lesson plan advises the teacher to “Carefully observe your students and periodically check to see if they can be successful with little support.” However, there is no recording sheet and this type of formative assessment is not systematic across the program.
Besides the Placement Test and the End of Unit Assessment for all four units, there are no opportunities for teachers to regularly assess students’ progress toward mastery and independence with phonics.
Assessment materials provide teachers and students with limited information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Level K Placement Test provides information on students’ ability to read and write CVC words with blends and digraphs. Teachers are expected to take results and place students in small groups.
Materials support teachers with limited instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students to progress toward mastery in phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 3, Week 21, the teacher dictates spelling words based on the sound-spelling pattern for the week. The materials include that “if most students spell five or more of the words correctly, that is a good indicator that you can move on to the next week’s target skill.”
Criterion 1.4: Word Recognition and Word Analysis
Materials and instruction support students in learning and practicing regularly and irregularly spelled high-frequency words.
Throughout Kindergarten, students learn new high-frequency words every week beginning in Week 7, with time built-in to review previously taught words. Students learn two to three new words per week with explicit instruction and modeling; however, materials do not consistently include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words that includes connecting the phonemes to the graphemes. Throughout the materials, there are opportunities for students to practice and gain decoding and encoding automaticity of high-frequency words. While the material presents a lot of opportunities to read high-frequency words in context, many of the worksheets and games are optional and are at the discretion of the teacher. Materials include limited explicit instruction in syllable types. Word analysis lessons include plural nouns towards the end of the Kindergarten year. Throughout the program, students take an end-of-unit assessment that measures their progress in word recognition, but there is no evidence of word analysis assessment. In addition, interim formative assessments throughout the program do not exist. The program’s end-of-unit assessments measure students’ ability to read and spell high-frequency words, but there are no assessment items that examine students’ level of performance with word analysis.
Indicator 1o
Materials include explicit instruction in identifying the regularly spelled part and the temporarily irregularly spelled part of words. High-frequency word instruction includes spiraling review.
Throughout Kindergarten, students learn new high-frequency words every week beginning in Week 7, with time built-in to review previously taught words. Students learn two to three new words per week with explicit instruction and modeling; however, materials do not consistently include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words that includes connecting the phonemes to the graphemes
Materials include systematic and explicit instruction of high-frequency words with an explicit and consistent instructional routine. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 1, Week 7, students learn the high-frequency words see, a, we. The teacher provides explicit instruction, including reading a sentence with the high-frequency word, pulling apart the high-frequency word to see how to read and spell it, and then participating in activities to practice. Students receive flashcards and are told to tap out the word on their own.
In Unit 3, Week 29, students learn the words me and come. The teacher explicitly teaches the word me first by using a pocket chart to identify the sounds of each grapheme. The teacher explains that the e does not normally say /ē/, but all vowels can make more than one sound. The teacher repeats the same type of instruction for come. Students then review these words and previously taught ones using high-frequency word flashcards.
The materials provide a review of all previously taught high-frequency words at the end of Units 1 and 2. In addition, Unit 4 contains no new high-frequency words, and materials instruct the teacher to review or cover words at the teacher’s discretion. The materials do not provide explicit instruction.
Materials do not consistently include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words that includes connecting the phonemes to the graphemes. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 1, Week 7, Day 2, the teacher holds up the card for see and models touching his/her arm white saying each letter. Then they do it together, tapping their arm while they spell the word.
In Unit 2, Week 19, the high-frequency words of the week are to and do. On Day 1, the teacher shows the students the sentence, “We can go to the shop.” The teacher asks students which word in the sentence says to. The teacher then takes out a card for the pocket chart that says to and tells students it says to and asks students how to spell it. Then, the teacher points to each letter as they say the sound the letter makes.
In Unit 3, Week 21, students learn the word an. The teacher asks students to point to the word that says an, ask what letters are in it, and the sounds, and models blending it together. The teacher also explains the utility of the word by explaining it comes before a word that starts with a vowel.
Materials include a sufficient quantity of high-frequency words for students to make reading progress. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Kindergarten Year Long Scope and Sequence includes an overview of the high-frequency words taught each week. There is a range from one to three words in a week. High-frequency word instruction begins in Week 7 of Unit 1.
The materials include multiple resources that provide opportunities for students to use and practice the newly learned one to three words each week. Examples include decodable texts, high-frequency word worksheets, and games. For example, in Unit 3, Week 27, the high-frequency word is up. Students have various opportunities throughout the week to practice this word through whole group and small group instruction and activities.
In Unit 3, Week 24, the materials include multiple resources to provide students with the opportunities to use and practice high-frequency words. This includes high-frequency word worksheets for the word is, pocket chart sentence card activity, and a sight word mix-up activity.
Indicator 1p
Instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and gain decoding automaticity of high-frequency words.
Students have the opportunity to regularly read and write high-frequency words in isolation and in context through direct instruction. Students apply what they learn from explicit instruction to practice reading and writing them. Students do this in sentences, word lists, flashcards, worksheets, and decodable texts.
Students practice decoding high-frequency words in isolation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 1, Week 7, students learn about the words we, see, and a. Students practice reading these words. The words are in a pocket chart in a sentence. A student identifies the words, reads them in isolation, and then places them back into the pocket chart.
In Unit 2, Week 19, students learn the high-frequency words to and do. Students practice reading these words on flashcards along with previously taught high-frequency words to promote retrieval.
In Unit 3, Week 29, students learn the high-frequency words me and come. During Lesson 1, students practice identifying and reading high-frequency words in isolation. During Lesson 2, during the whole group review, students read the high-frequency words on flashcards to promote retrieval.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to read high-frequency words in context. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 1, Week 7, the class books “Our Class Letter Book for Cc” and “My Letter Book for Cc” include the high-frequency words we, see, and a.
In Unit 2, Week 19, students practice reading the high-frequency words in the decodable texts. In Lesson 2, students are introduced to the decodable text and the word to, which is in the decodable text. In Lesson 4, students are introduced to the second decodable text, and the words to and do are in it.
In Week 3, Week 21, Lesson 1, students read the high-frequency words an and in in a pocket chart sentence, “I look at an ax.” There is also a worksheet that includes the sentence, “I see an egg.”
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to write high-frequency words in tasks, such as sentences, in order to promote the automaticity of high-frequency words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 2, Week 19, students write the high-frequency words to and do in sentences in both Lessons 3 and 5.
In Unit 3, Week 22, Lesson 2, students write the high-frequency words out and about three times after direct instruction/modeling. The materials also suggest students write an original sentence with each word.
In Unit 3, Week 29, Lesson 2, students write high-frequency words during Whiteboard Dictation, which occurs during small groups. The teacher says the word, puts it in the sentence, and repeats the word. The words students practice writing are come, me, are, and for. These words are both current and review words.
Indicator 1q
Materials include explicit instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis and provide students with practice opportunities to apply learning.
The materials include limited explicit instruction in syllable types. Word analysis lessons include plural nouns towards the end of the Kindergarten year.
Materials contain limited explicit instruction of syllable types and routines for syllable division that promote decoding and encoding of words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 4, Lesson 33, Day 1, the teacher introduces “wacky” vowels by telling students that the “door strip” with the word got and the short o sound. The teacher tells students that wacky vowels make more than one sound and “if we open the door, the vowel yells its name out the door. When the door is closed we have the word got. The o makes the short o sound. When the door is open, the vowel yells its name out the door and the word is go.” A note in this section indicates that the teacher can introduce the concept of open/closed syllables if you like. The text states “I don’t do this with most Kindergarten students, but you know your students best!”
In Unit 4, Week 34, Day 1, the teacher plays a video about the story of Silent E or Magic E. The teacher displays the A Magic E word card and tells students that when you see the Magic E at the end of the word, the Magic E “shoots across the word like a shooting star and makes the a say its name.” The teacher models segmenting and reading the word, reminding students that the e will be silent.
Materials contain explicit instruction in morpheme analysis to decode unfamiliar words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 3, Week 24, the materials include the option to introduce students to the plural marker s. A note to the teacher says, “NOTE: Your goal here is not for students to master plurals with -s. You’re simply introducing the concept for students who are ready, and you will cover it in more depth later on in the unit.” The teacher writes the word “mop” on the board for students to read, then adds the ‘s’ at the end. The teacher says, “What does this say now? Let’s see. Mop, /s/. Mops! If I’m talking about one mop, I say, ‘mop.’ If I’m talking about two mops, I say mops!” The teacher continues this explicit instruction with the word pot/pots.
In Unit 3, Week 29, day 1, the teacher tells students we add -s to the end of a word when we talk about more than one thing. The teacher models adding -s to the word dog and explains that in the word dogs, the letter s makes a /z/ sound. The teacher repeats with pot, and explains that in the word pots, the letter s makes an /s/ sound.
Limited opportunities are provided over the course of the year for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis strategies. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Unit 3, Week 29, Day 2, students read plural words.
In Unit 4, Week 34, day 4, students read words with the magic e using letter cards. The teacher directs students to change consonants and vowels and build new words.
Indicator 1r
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress of word recognition and analysis (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
Throughout the materials, students take an end-of-unit assessment that measures their progress in word recognition, but there is no evidence of word analysis assessment. In addition, interim formative assessments throughout the program do not exist. The program’s end-of-unit assessments measure students’ ability to read and spell high-frequency words, but there are no assessment items that examine students’ level of performance with word analysis. The materials include the guidance that if students score 80% or better on the assessment, they are ready for the next unit, but do not provide additional guidance and instructional next steps.
Materials regularly and systematically provide a variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of word recognition and analysis. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In each unit, there is an end-of-unit assessment that includes assessment of word recognition. However, there are no regular and systematic assessments throughout the program besides these four end-of-unit assessments. There are multiple activities for word recognition and analysis throughout the lessons, but no formal assessment is present in the lessons.
In Unit 1, students are assessed on high frequency words in the End-of-Unit Assessment, such as the words, the, at, we, a, I, like, look, can, see, and my.
In Unit 3, students are assessed on high frequency words in the End-of-Unit Assessment, such as the words: in, are, is, it, an, up, on, am, for, me, and come.
Assessment materials provide the teacher and students with information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of word recognition and word analysis. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The end-of-unit assessments provide general information on students’ current skill level. According to the information that accompanies the end-of-unit assessments, “If a student gets 80% or more of the assessment items correct, this is a good indication that they are ready to continue in the scope and sequence rather than continue working on Unit X concepts.” This information is not specific for word recognition and analysis.
In the Overview & End of Unit Assessment section, the materials include a spreadsheet to record results from the end-of-unit assessments. The spreadsheet is delineated by phonics skills, such as mastery of digraphs, but does not include word recognition.
Materials support the teacher with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students to progress toward mastery in word recognition and word analysis. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Kindergarten, students take a Placement Test, and the materials include a Placement Guide for teachers to use when utilizing the assessment as a placement test. However, the recommendations indicate where to begin the material, and it does not include instructional suggestions.
Besides indicating that students are ready to move on to the next unit if they receive an 80% or higher, the materials do not provide instructional suggestions to help students toward mastery in word recognition and word analysis.