95 Phonics Core Program Classroom Kit for Grade 2

Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course.

The grade 2 materials include a scope and sequence outlining the concepts taught in the course in the 95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 Scope & Sequence Alignment to the TEKS. The scope and sequence is divided into five sections: "Lesson," "Skill Focus," "HFW," "Morphology Focus," and "Unit Overview & Academic Vocabulary." The concepts taught begin with consonant blends, followed by long vowel sounds, vowel teams, and ending with r-controlled syllables and different syllable types. The Scope & Sequence illustrates the connection between the scope and sequence of concepts taught and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). For example, Lesson 5 shows the standard ELA.2.2.B.vi (demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge by: Decoding words with prefixes, including un-, re-, and dis-, and inflectional endings, including -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -er, and -est) correlated to the phonic focus "Inflected Endings (-s/es, -ed, -ing)." Although the 95 Phonics Core Program materials include information regarding English Learners in the "Language in Literacy: Maximizing Outcomes with 95 Phonics Core Program" resource, a scope and sequence outlining the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) taught in the course is not present.

Evaluation for 1.1b
Materials include suggested pacing (pacing guide/calendar) to support effective implementation for various instructional calendars (e.g., varying numbers of instructional days-165, 180, 210)

The 95 Phonics Core Program Teacher's Guide for Implementation Success includes an integrated pacing guide. This program consists of 25–30 weekly lessons designed to be taught for 30 minutes each day. In Appendix A of the Guide for Implementation Success, the materials offer varying instructional calendar modifications of 165, 180, and 210 days with instructional considerations. In the calendar option for 165 days, the resource suggests 150 instructional days with 15 flex days. The "Considerations" portion of Appendix A suggests that the teachers "Begin instruction as soon as possible." In the calendar option for 180 days, the resource suggests 150 instructional days with 30 flex days. In the calendar option for 210 days, the resource suggests 150 instructional days with 60 flex days. The "Considerations" portion of Appendix A suggests that teachers "Begin instruction within 10–15 days of school starting" for these calendars.

Evaluation for 1.1c
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.

The 95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 Teacher's Edition (Volumes 1-3) provides teacher tips that explain how each lesson builds on previous concepts, helping teachers support students in making connections between lessons. For example, in the "Teacher Tip Overview of Lessons 1–5," the materials explain that "the critical phonics skills taught in grade 1 are reviewed in Lessons 1–5 in order to ensure success with the more complex skills in Lessons 6–30." The 95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 Background Content Knowledge Unit Overview also provides an "Overview by Unit" that describes the purpose of each unit as they progress and also the logic behind that order. For example, Unit 3 introduces students to a routine for reading multisyllable words, Unit 4 gives students the opportunity to spend more time reading and writing multisyllable words, and, finally, Units 5 and 6 move into more complex multisyllable patterns.

Evaluation for 1.1d
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.

In Appendix B, "How to Prep for a 95 PCP® Instructional Unit," of the Guide for Implementation Success, the materials provide a process for unit internalization including previewing the scope and sequence, the end of unit assessment, the unit, and previous unit assessments. For each of these steps in the process, the materials provide guiding questions for internalization, such as "How are the skills under Other Skills building from previous units?" and "What skills should students be able to demonstrate by the end of the unit?" Appendix C, "How to Prep for a 95 PCP® Lesson in Under 10 Minutes" of the Guide for Implementation Success provides a process for lesson internalization. The process includes guidance for previewing each lesson to understand the focus of the lesson and where it falls in the sequence of the unit. The process also provides questions that prepare teachers to consider potential misconceptions and how they will address them.

Evaluation for 1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.

In the "Course Level Design" of the Guide for Implementation Success, the materials provide guidance for instructional leaders, including how to use the "Implementation Tracker" resource. The guidance includes developing a communication plan and scheduling weekly observations to see fidelity of the resource being used. The "Implementation Tracker" in Appendix C of the Guide for Implementation Success is a resource for instructional leaders to utilize in supporting teachers with implementation. The "Implementation Tracker" provides instructional leaders with "Look fors" by weekly focus, including use of the Teacher's Edition and instructional dialogue.

Evaluation for 1.2a
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.

Teacher tip boxes are embedded throughout the Teacher's Edition to provide further guidance and background content knowledge and give educators a broader understanding of how the lessons are sequenced and what is needed to provide instruction in the future lessons. For instance, in Volume 1, Day 2, Lesson 1, the teacher tip shares how to teach "transfer to text," which involves scaffolding from finding and underlining the pattern words to then practicing them before reading the text. The teacher tip explains that this process leads to improved proficiency in reading them in connected text. The 95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 Background Content Knowledge Overview provides unit overviews containing all the lesson instructions and knowledge in one place. For example, it begins with an overview of Unit 1, which includes a review of the critical phonics skills taught in grade 1. The materials then explain that the mastery of these skills "are critical to a student's ability to move through the advanced skills included in the grade 2 curriculum." The Scope & Sequence outlines a unit overview along with academic vocabulary used within each unit. For example, Unit 1 has academic vocabulary: "phoneme, segmentation, initial, final, consonant, vowel, blend, digraph, gesture, syllable, finger-stretch, pronunciation, double, combine/combining, delete, phrase, phonogram, single, affix, prefix, suffix, contraction, apostrophe, chorally, unexpected, inflected (ending), voice, unvoiced, base."

Evaluation for 1.2b
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.

The grade 295 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 Ancillary Instructional Materials include weekly "Family Support Letters" in both English and Spanish. The letters in English provide English activities for families to support their students' learning at home and reinforce what they learn in class. For example, the first letter for Lesson 1 shares about consonants, vowels, consonant digraphs, and initial blends. Just as in English, the parent support letters in Spanish have the same content of phonological instruction as English but are translated for the Spanish "Family Support Letter." For example, it still has the same word diction to pronounce "(p. ej., /b/ /ā/ /k/)."

Evaluation for 1.3a
Materials include comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that include daily objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the content and language standards of the lesson (aligned with the TEKS and the ELPS).

The 95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 Scope & Sequence Alignment to TEKS resource illustrates how each lesson meets content standards and is aligned to the TEKS. For example, Lesson 5 shows the standard ELA.2.2.B.vi (demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge by: Decoding words with prefixes, including un-, re-, and dis-, and inflectional endings, including -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -er, and -est). However, the lesson plans do not address how language standards are met through alignment to the ELPS. The 95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 Lesson Overview of Lesson Plans Resource includes the daily objectives, instructional activities and tasks for students to practice to promote mastery, the materials needed for each lesson, and the assessment related to the lesson. For example, the daily objective in Lesson 1 is "Students demonstrate understanding of closed syllable words with the initial consonant blend, consonant digraph, and Floss Rule patterns by correctly identifying, reading, and writing pattern words in isolation and in passages." The activities and tasks for students to practice to promote mastery include "Sound-Spelling Mapping (with and without chips)." Materials required include the Student Workbooks, volumes a-d. The assessments include formative assessments. The95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2—Assessment Overview contains a list of the assessments and what skills are taught. For example, Assessment 1 will cover "Review of Grade 1 Skills" and "Closed, Open and Long Vowel Silent-e Syllables." According to the overview, this assessment covers the skills addressed in Lessons 1–5. The Teacher's Edition includes comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that provide a script with questions to check for understanding over the course of each lesson, materials needed for the lesson on the right-hand side, and Learning Objectives. For example, in Lesson 1, Day 1, after introducing the students to the closed syllable phonics pattern, the teacher checks for understanding by asking the students "What type of vowel sound is in a closed syllable word?" There are not, however, questions that promote the use of language to meet language objectives.

Evaluation for 1.3b
Materials include a lesson overview listing the teacher and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson, and the suggested timing for each lesson component.

The 95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 Lesson Overview of Lesson Plans Resource includes the teacher materials and student materials needed for each individual lesson. For example, in Lesson 1, the teacher needs the Teacher's Edition and presentation files, while the student needs their student workbook and manipulative kit with phonics chips, and sound-spelling cards. The Teacher's Edition includes timing allocations at the beginning of each lesson. For example, Lesson 1, Day 1 allocates two minutes for the "Phonological Awareness Warm-Up," five minutes for "Phonics Pattern," eight minutes for "Writing," and five minutes for "Passage Reading."

Evaluation for 1.3c
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).

The Assessment Guide provides "Decision Trees for Instructional Response" to "provide educators with clear, actionable guidance for interpreting results and implementing targeted instructional responses" for additional practice or extension with certain skills. The Assessment Guide provides "Strategies for Accelerated Learning" in fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, morphology, and writing as opportunities for extension. The Assessment Guide also provides an observation tracker for independent practice (Appendix A), so that teachers can track skills (such as sound-spelling mapping or passage reading) that require reinforcement. Appendix G of the Assessment Guide is an example of a choice board that teachers can adapt as a "flexible learning tool that offers students various enrichment activities."

Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions.

In the "Types of Assessments" section of the Assessment Guide, the materials outline diagnostic assessments ("95 Phonemic Awareness Screener for Intervention" and "95 Phonics Screener for Intervention"), formative assessments like weekly spelling tests, and summative assessments at the end of each unit. At the unit level, the diagnostic and summative assessments vary in types of task. For example, in the grade 2 Unit 2 summative assessment, Section A requires students to complete sound spelling mapping; Section B requires students to sort words based on vowel teams. In the "95 Phonics Screener for Intervention," the tasks vary from students reading single-syllable to multisyllable words. The diagnostic and summative assessments at the unit level do not vary in types of questions. At the lesson level, the formative assessments vary in types of task. For example, the Teacher's Edition includes spelling tests given every week in addition to tasks teachers can use to check for understanding and monitor student progress, such as having students complete dictation sentences on lined paper, complete writing word chains, or have students complete application tasks in their workbooks. The formative assessments at the lesson level do not vary in types of questions. There are no summative assessments provided at the lesson level.

Evaluation for 2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.

The Assessment Guide provides definitions for different types of instructional assessments. For example, the "Formative Assessment" subheading describes formative assessments as flexible and informal ways to gather real-time data and monitor students' ongoing learning. In the "Diagnostic Assessments" subheading, diagnostic assessments are defined as providing baseline data regarding a student's foundational knowledge or proficiency. The Assessment Guide also states the intended purpose of different types of instructional assessments. The Formative Assessment subheading explains that the purpose is to help the teacher determine whether to reteach, practice, or extend the current lesson. The Assessment Guide states that the purpose of the "Phonemic Awareness Screener" is to "help teachers quickly identify phonemic awareness skill gaps and pinpoint precisely where to begin instruction," and the purpose of the "Phonics Screener" is to "provide insight into a student's ability to read single-syllable and multisyllable words with specific phonics patterns."

Evaluation for 2.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.

The Assessment Guide provides guidance and key practices to ensure consistent and accurate administration of assessments in the section "Ensuring Consistency and Reliability." The practices suggested are assessment trainings, clear administration protocols, collaborative scoring, observation and feedback, and data verification. The Assessment Guide also includes a section "Assessment Administration" that offers an assessment timeline for when the assessments should be administered throughout the school year, guidance for teachers on preparing to administer assessments, and grade-specific guidelines. For example, the grades 2 and 3 guidelines state that "By second and third grade, students should be capable of completing assessments in a whole-group setting with minimal support." Each 95 Phonics Core Program (PCP) '"Unit Assessment" includes detailed "Teacher Directions" available on the One95 platform that offers a script for educators to follow to ensure that the administration of the assessments remains accurate and consistent among different examiners. For instance, at the beginning of the "Grade 2 – Unit 1 Assessment Teacher Directions," the script says, "You are going to write two sentences on your paper using correct spelling and punctuation. I'll say the sentence and you will repeat it. Then, you will have time to write the sentence on your paper. Listen as I say the sentence."

Evaluation for 2.1d
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.

The "Diagnostic Assessment" section of the Assessment Guide details how the screeners are aligned to the objectives of the course. For example, the Assessment Guide states that the "Phonemic Awareness Screener" "helps teachers quickly identify phonemic awareness skill gaps and pinpoint precisely where to begin instruction," and the "Phonics Screener" "provides insight into a student's ability to read single-syllable and multisyllable words with specific phonics patterns." There are no TEKS outlined in alignment with the diagnostic assessments. The Scope & Sequence resource outlines the TEKS and objectives of each lesson along with how students can demonstrate their learning through formative assessments. For example, in Lesson 2, the formative assessment entails "Students demonstrate understanding of closed syllable words with the initial three-letter blend and final s-, l-, and t-blend patterns by correctly identifying, reading, and writing pattern words in isolation and in passages," which corresponds with TEKS ELA.2.2.B.i ("Demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge by: Decoding words with short, long, or variant vowels, trigraphs, and blends") and the lesson objective "Initial 3-Letter Blends and Final Blends." Each "Unit Assessment" includes detailed "Teacher Directions" available on the One95 platform that lists the relevant TEKS and objectives for each section of the assessment in correlation with the unit. For example, Section A of the "Grade 2 – Unit 1 Assessment Teacher Directions "assesses students in correspondence with the objective "Sound-Spelling Mapping" and the TEKS 2.2.C.i and 2.2.B.i.

Evaluation for 2.1e
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.

Each"Unit Assessment" includes TEKS-aligned items at more than two levels of text complexity. For example, the Grade 2—Unit 1 Assessment includes items that require students to spell words, sort words, and write sentences.

Evaluation for 2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.

The Assessment Guide includes a section titled "Decision Trees For Instructional Responses" within the Assessment Guide that provides guidance for interpreting student performance on assessments. The decision trees provide steps for analyzing individual student performance on predetermined critical drivers, class-wide performance data, and the need for additional assessment. For example, the "Individual Student Decision Tree" begins with Step 1: Evaluate Proficiency on Critical Drivers and the guiding question "Is the student proficient (80%+) on the Word Sort and Sound-Spelling Mapping?" How the teacher responds to each step determines what they do next: if they answer "no" to Step 1, the scoring information guides them to "Implement Tier 1 small-group instruction focused on the specific phonics patterns where the student demonstrated difficulty." The "Unit Assessments" include scoring rubrics with examples for each section of the assessment. For example, the "Grade 2 Unit 1 Teacher Directions" gives teachers examples on how many points to award depending on the answer a student gives.

Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.

The Assessment Guide includes a section titled "Responding Effectively" that outlines tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments, such as "Differentiated Tier I Small Groups," with steps for implementation and resources. For example, the section guides teachers to utilize "'Small-Group Reteach Templates' for critical drivers such as letter-sound correspondence, phonics, and fluency." The Assessment Guide also includes a section titled "Critical Drivers" that guides teachers to prioritize "key components that align with the unit's primary objectives." The section includes a table that provides recommendations by grade level and time of year. For example, the table recommends that grade 2 prioritizes "Sound-Spelling Mapping" and "Word Sort" at the beginning of the year (Units 1–2). These examples demonstrate that the materials provide clear, actionable guidance aligned to student performance trends.

Evaluation for 2.2c
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.

The Assessment Guide includes an "Observation Tracker for Independent Practice" for grades 1–3. The tracker allows a teacher to track student progress and growth at their own discretion on "Encoding Application" and "Decoding Application." There is also a section to make notes and set goals for each student. The Assessment Guide also includes a "Student Learning Log." Students use the log weekly to record scores on tests, reflect on learning, and set goals.

Evaluation for 3.1a
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, activities, and paired (scaffolded) lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content and skills.

The 95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 materials provide clear instructional guidance for supporting students who have not yet reached proficiency. The Assessment Guide includes a "Responding Effectively" section and Appendix D, which outlines a small group reteach template. This template uses a gradual release model—beginning with explicit instruction and modeling, then moving toward student independence (You Do)—to support encoding and decoding instruction. Grade 2 lessons include scaffolded activities such as phonics word sorting, passage reading with word pattern focus, and encoding targeted words. For example, in Lesson 15, Days 1–5, students practice identifying, reading, and writing ou vowel team words in isolation and in text. The program also provides routines like adapting passage length and using sound-spelling routines to support student mastery of phonics patterns. The program includes lessons that intentionally build on one another—for example, Lessons 18–20 scaffold instruction on Vowel-r and Vowel-r phonograms. The Teacher's Edition provides embedded scaffolds such as "transfer of text," where students practice reading underlined words before reading the full passage to support transfer of decoding skills to connected text. Teachers are also guided to preview lessons using the implementation guide to anticipate skills requiring additional scaffolding.

Evaluation for 3.1b
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic language). (T/S)

Appendix E of the Language in Literacy guide contains the "PLUSS Framework Template Guide," which provides support strategies for unfamiliar academic vocabulary and lesson component vocabulary, such as using visuals and graphic organizers, realia, and the Total Physical Response strategy. The Teacher's Edition also uses embedded supports such as hand gestures to help students understand unfamiliar academic vocabulary. For instance, the teacher uses a closed fist to introduce and reinforce "closed syllables" with the students. The Teacher's Edition and Language in Literacy guide also include background knowledge and questioning to support students' understanding of unfamiliar references in text. For example, to support students' understanding of a reference to drums in a decodable text, the lesson in the Teacher's Edition provides the teacher with a script: "This passage is about how to craft a drum. Have you ever made your own drum? What did you use to build it?" The "PLUSS Framework Template Guide" accounts for priming background knowledge by helping the teacher plan to "identify critical knowledge for understanding lesson content" and support comprehension of connected text.

Evaluation for 3.1c
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills.

The Assessment Guide provides guidance for identifying students ready for differentiated instruction. Indicators include 90%+ accuracy on key concepts, strong automaticity in decoding, consistent performance on Weekly Spelling Tests, and independent application of phonics skills. Teachers are encouraged to use advanced fluency routines, continuous progress monitoring, and tailored instruction to accelerate learning for proficient students. Grade 2 materials include enrichment activities such as literature circles, reader's theater, poetry, and choice boards (Appendix G). Students may engage in higher-level vocabulary tasks like using context clues, comprehension work such as graphic organizers for text structure, or explore Greek and Latin roots to deepen morphological understanding. These tasks can be embedded during the first 15–20 minutes of Tier 1 or during independent work time.

Evaluation for 3.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.

The Teacher's Edition includes scripted black-print prompts that guide teachers in modeling phonics concepts. For example, in a Phonics Pattern lesson, teachers are prompted to say, "The gesture for the closed syllable is a closed fist. Practice the gesture with me." When modeling vowel team mapping, teachers say, "Watch me write the letter or letters that spell each sound." Explicit teacher prompts provide clear verbal explanations of phonics concepts. For example, while teaching the vowel team oa, the teacher is guided to say, "This vowel team 'oa' says /ō/. That is the long‑o sound." In a lesson on the long vowel silent e pattern, the script says: "There are 2 vowel letters—e and silent e—and there is a consonant in between them. The vowel sound is /ē/." Guidance includes modeling steps embedded within the lesson structure. For example, when teaching three-letter blends, teachers are guided through modeling vowel identification, gesture use, and word placement in blend categories. Additionally, the Phonological Awareness Warm-Up instructs teachers to use gradual release by modeling a few words before prompting student repetition. Visual aids and teacher guidance support clear explanation of concepts. For example, during lessons on long vowel silent e, teachers are prompted to display the visual of the word theme and use syllable gestures to explain the pattern, reinforcing student understanding through both spoken explanation and imagery.

Evaluation for 3.2b
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.

The Teacher's Edition supports effective lesson delivery using a variety of instructional approaches, including modeling, guided practice, choral reading, and writing. For example, in a consonant blend lesson, students begin by orally reciting features of consonant blends, then sort words by blend type, and finally write the words using sound-spelling mapping. In the Phonological Awareness Warm-Up, the teacher models word routines using a gradual release approach, prompting students to repeat words to reinforce learning. The materials incorporate more than two instructional approaches across lessons, such as direct instruction, partner sharing, choral reading, and small-group differentiation. In vowel team lessons (e.g., a-i, a-y, o-i, o-y, a-u, a-w), the teacher begins with explicit modeling ("Watch the steps I use") and then moves to guided practice ("Let's sort the next word together"). Additional instructional strategies include having students choral read vowel pattern words and participate in partner sharing, such as creating and discussing sentences using prefixes. The Assessment Guide further supports varied instructional delivery by offering steps for implementing small-group differentiation during Tier 1, including group formation, instructional delivery, and ongoing progress monitoring.

Evaluation for 3.2c
Materials support multiple types of practice (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.

The materials support multiple (more than two) types of student practice, including guided, independent, and collaborative learning. For example, in the "Phonics Pattern" section, students begin by orally identifying characteristics of consonant blends, then sort blend words in their student workbook, and finally engage in a sound-spelling mapping activity. Similarly, the "Phonological Awareness Warm-Up" on Day 1, Lesson 1, includes phoneme segmentation, word sorting, and spelling application, providing repeated and varied practice across modalities. The materials include explicit guidance for teachers to support effective implementation. The Guide for Implementation Success introduces the gradual release model—I Do, We Do, You Do—to structure instruction. It also details how to support student learning using scripts, modeling routines, and guided questions for decoding and mapping activities. The Assessment Guide reinforces this with ready-to-use scripts for teaching skills like reading single-syllable words and completing word chains. The materials include recommended instructional structures such as whole group, small group, and individual learning. The Guide for Implementation Success outlines how to organize lessons with warm-ups, direct instruction, collaborative practice, and independent application. In the Assessment Guide, specific guidance is provided for small group instruction using routines like word chaining, where students identify and apply phoneme and grapheme changes to build new words.

Evaluation for 3.3a
Materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.

The materials do not support increasingly more academic language at even one level of language proficiency. While the Language in Literacy guide includes general instructional strategies and scaffolds to support English learners, it lacks alignment with the ELPS and does not provide differentiated linguistic accommodations by proficiency level. For example, the guidance may suggest using visuals or pairing students for support, but there are no specific accommodations targeted at beginning, intermediate, or advanced English learners as required by the ELPS. The materials also fail to provide support for increasingly more academic language across an additional level of language proficiency. Although the Cross-Linguistic Connections document and the Language in Literacy Handbook include helpful tips, these resources are not embedded into daily instruction and do not reflect systematic planning across multiple phases of language acquisition. In the grade 2 Background Overview, there are occasional Teacher Tips, but these do not provide routine, leveled support or explicitly scaffold academic language development. Without consistent, tiered accommodations aligned to the ELPS, the materials do not meet the expectations for this indicator.

Evaluation for 3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.

The materials do not provide sufficient implementation guidance for use in state-approved bilingual or ESL programs. While the 95 Phonics Core Program includes a Language in Literacy guide and a "Cross-Linguistic Connections" document, these resources offer general instructional strategies and comparisons between English and other languages (e.g., silent letters or vowel sounds). For instance, Appendix F of the Assessment Guide includes scaffolds like using visuals and cognates, but these supports are generic and not tailored to the specific structures of Texas-approved bilingual or ESL models. The program lacks explicit direction for adapting lessons within dual language or content-based ESL frameworks. Without alignment to the ELPS or guidance for differentiating instruction by proficiency level, the materials take a one-size-fits-all approach that does not meet the needs of bilingual/ESL educators in state-approved settings.

Evaluation for 3.3c
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.

Appendix C of the Language in Literacy guide, "Support for Elevating Oracy," provides teachers with instructional moves to foster oral language development, including visuals, complete sentence responses, and contextual word use. The Teacher's Edition supports oral discourse with prompts like: "Now that you've read the passage Reed's Foal, let's discuss it. Did Roe enjoy her bath? How do you know?" Additionally, students engage orally by turning to partners to use high-frequency words in a sentence and by building words collaboratively using morphemes. Appendix D of the Language in Literacy guide and the "Cross-Linguistic Connections" document provide teachers with phonological comparisons between English and Spanish. For example, both languages contain nasal phonemes /m/ and /n/, and English includes final /k/ in words like back and week, which may differ in usage from Spanish. These tools guide oral conversations that help students connect their home language to English phonics instruction. The Teacher's Edition regularly prompts students to respond in writing after reading. For example, after reading a passage, students complete sentence stems in their workbooks to demonstrate understanding. The Guide for Implementation Success emphasizes writing strategies, encouraging partner and independent activities such as word building with morphemes. These practices strengthen students' vocabulary and comprehension through structured written tasks. Teachers are provided guidance to help students compare written phonics concepts in English and Spanish. For instance, students may explore how /k/ appears in English word endings with spellings like ck or k, and how that contrasts with spelling rules in Spanish. These written comparisons deepen understanding of English structure and support English learners in connecting prior knowledge to new learning.

Evaluation for 3.3d
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.

This guidance is not applicable because the program is not designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs.

Evaluation for 4.1a
Materials include systematic and sequenced instruction of phonics (sound-symbol correspondence) skills.

The Scope & Sequence demonstrates how the objectives follow a structured phonics progression. This progression begins with a review of first grade skills (such as initial blends, consonant digraphs, and the FLOSS rule) and then progresses to predictable vowel teams, unpredictable vowel teams, vowel-r, complex consonants, and, finally, ends with an introduction to grade 3 skills. The Teacher's Edition demonstrates a systematic progression of instruction. This progression begins with a review of phonological awareness skills, then moves into application of a previously taught phonics skill (e.g., decoding words with vowel teams in isolation), then sound-spelling mapping words with the same phonics skill, and finally applying decoding skills by reading that phonics pattern in connected, decodable text. This sequencing ensures that phonics instruction is cumulative and supports ongoing skill mastery across the year.

Evaluation for 4.1b
Materials include explicit (direct) and intentional ongoing practice opportunities for phonics (sound-symbol correspondence) skills, both in isolation and through decodable texts.

The Teacher's Edition provides whole-group lessons with explicit instruction of phonics skills. For example, a teacher might model how to spell words using knowledge of taught letter-sound correspondences and syllable patterns using a script that demonstrates how to separate syllables and isolate each sound in that syllable (e.g., rab → /r/ /ă/ /b/ and bit → /b/ /ĭ/ /t/) before writing the letters that represent each sound and then support students with ongoing practice in their Student Workbook. The Teacher's Edition also includes lessons that provide teacher-led instruction and practice opportunities for phonics skills through connected, decodable texts. The scripts include teacher guidance on locating and decoding a focus phonics skill in connected text (e.g., words with vowel teams), and then giving students the opportunity to practice reading the stories on their own. After reading, the teacher checks in with a comprehension question.

Evaluation for 4.2a
Daily lessons include explicit (direct) phonics instruction with teacher modeling.

The Teacher's Edition provides daily lessons that include direct whole group phonics instruction with teacher modeling. Each time a new phonics pattern is introduced, the teacher uses scripted modeling to explain the pattern, how it is pronounced, and how to decode words using knowledge of the phonics pattern (e.g., "Today we are learning to read and spell words with the vowel team syllable type. A vowel team has two or more letters side by side that are pronounced as one vowel sound. In this lesson, we will learn two vowel teams: a-u and a-w. The letter w becomes part of a vowel team when it 'teams up' with the letter 'a,' followed by a model of how to decode the word 'fraud')." This structure is used consistently across daily lessons, ensuring predictability and supporting student confidence.

Evaluation for 4.2b
Daily lessons include opportunities for explicit (direct) guided instruction with guidance for immediate and corrective feedback.

The Teacher's Edition includes guidance for corrective and immediate feedback with specific phrasing. The teacher script for modeling is coded in black and bolded font, with expected student responses in blue. The Teacher's Edition also includes a model of any manipulatives on the side of the text for the teacher to reference during instruction. For example, one lesson includes the teacher script and expected student responses for syllable mapping the multisyllabic word "foghorn": "First syllable? fog First sound? /f/ Letter? f Second sound? /ŏ/ Letters? o Third sound? /g/ Letter? g Syllable type and gesture? closed Syllable? fog Second syllable? horn First sound? /h/ Letter? h Second sound? /or/ Letters? o-r Third sound? /n/ Letter? n Syllable type and gesture? vowel-r Syllable? horn Word? foghorn."

Evaluation for 4.2c
Daily lessons include a variety of opportunities for students to practice phonics skills through collaborative learning and independent practice.

The Teacher's Edition includes daily lessons with a variety of opportunities for students to practice phonics skills through independent practice. For example, students might independently use phonics chips and elkonin boxes to map the sounds in words with vowel teams igh and oa after watching the teacher model, practice independently encoding those words in their Student Workbook, and finally independently whisper read a decodable, connected text with words applying the same phonics skill. Daily lessons in the Teacher's Edition do not include opportunities for collaborative practice of daily phonics skills. While the gradual release model (I Do, We Do, You Do) is utilized throughout the lessons, the We Do component is done whole group, instead of in small groups, pairs, or groups of three for collaborative practice. While the gradual release model is used, the materials do not include structured small group or paired practice, as required by the guidance for collaborative learning.

Evaluation for 4.3a
Materials include intentional cumulative phonics review and practice activities throughout the curriculum.

The Teacher's Edition includes regular review lessons within the units in which previously taught skills are reviewed and practiced. For example, Lessons 6–9 focus on the introduction of predictable vowel teams igh, oa, ee, oe, ai, ay, oi, and oy, while Lesson 10 reviews these vowel teams and gives students the opportunity to read and write words with previously taught phonics skills (such as spelling the word groan or reading the word tight). The Teacher's Edition also outlines routines to introduce and review phonics skills that include different learning methods, such as sound-spelling mapping, word chaining, sorting words, and reading words in decodable, connected text. These review activities are intentionally designed to reinforce previously taught phonics skills before introducing new content.

Evaluation for 4.3b
Practice opportunities include only phonics skills that have been explicitly taught.

The Teacher's Edition includes lessons in which students apply the focus skill for the lesson (or skills from previous lessons in the materials) during guided practice. For example, in Lesson 1, Day 1, the teacher utilizes the script to provide direct instruction and modeling of reading and writing closed syllable words with blends and consonant digraphs: "I'm going to look for the initial consonant blend pattern. Watch the steps I use," and "Now we're going to spell closed syllable words with an initial blend. Watch how I use the Sound-Spelling Mapping paper, which has boxes to map the sounds in a word. Each box holds only 1 sound." In Lesson 1, Day 2, the teacher reviews the pattern and supports students in reading closed syllable words with blends and consonant digraphs as well as sorting words with the pattern. In Lesson 1, Days 3–5, students continue reviewing and practicing the phonics pattern.

Evaluation for 4.3c
Decodable texts incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills.

The Teacher's Edition and Student Workbook provide instruction with decodable, connected texts. These decodable texts include words that use only letter-sound correspondences and high-frequency words that have been previously taught. For example, the decodable text "Flin and Stef" used in Lesson 1 focuses on closed syllable words with initial blends (the focus of instruction for the corresponding lesson) along with previously taught phonics skills and high-frequency words such as they, like, and are. Each decodable incorporates not only the current skill, but also phonics elements taught in prior lessons, supporting ongoing mastery.

Evaluation for 4.3d
Lessons include an instructional focus with opportunities for practice in isolation and decodable, connected text.

The Teacher's Edition includes lessons that provide opportunities for students to practice phonics skills in isolation, as well as decodable connected text. For example, in Lesson 21, students practice reading and writing words with vowel-r patterns a-r and o-r (e.g., smart and torn) using activities such as sorting words and sound-spelling mapping before reading the decodable connected text "A Red Star," practicing the same phonics skills.

Evaluation for 4.4a
Materials include a variety of assessment tools that are developmentally appropriate.

The 95 Phonics Core Program (PCP) Unit Assessments are summative assessments that are developmentally appropriate and progress from simpler to more complex tasks throughout the course. For example, the Grade 2, Unit 1 summative assessment requires students to decode a passage with specific spelling patterns such as silent-e, while the Grade 2, Unit 3 summative assessment requires students to decode a passage with more complex spelling patterns such as ou and oo. The Teacher's Edition includes a variety of formative assessments that are developmentally appropriate and progress from simpler to more complex tasks throughout the course. For example, the Lesson 1, Day 1 Phonological Awareness task assesses students in phoneme segmentation, while the Lesson 21, Day 1 Phonological Awareness task assesses the more complex phonological awareness skill of phoneme substitution.

Evaluation for 4.4b
Materials include progress monitoring tools that systematically and accurately measure students' acquisition of grade-level phonics skills.

The Assessment Guide includes an "Observation Tracker for Independent Practice." In grade 2, the "Observation Tracker" supports teachers in systematically and accurately measuring students' acquisition of grade-level phonics skills by checking word chains, syllable separation, decoding, and encoding. The Assessment Guide also suggests using the weekly spelling tests to help monitor students' acquisition of that week's phonics pattern. For example, in the Teacher's Edition, Volume 1, Lesson 1, Day 5 offers a spelling test on words with the "closed syllable" pattern.

Evaluation for 4.4c
Materials include assessment opportunities across the span of the school year aligned to progress monitoring tools.

The Scope & Sequence provides a timeline for assessments at the end of each unit. In grade 2, students will take six assessments after Units 5, 10, 17, 21, 25, and 30. The Teacher's Edition also embeds formative assessment opportunities during daily or weekly instruction to determine if students are making adequate progress with the provided instruction. For example, Lesson 1, Day 1 assesses students' ability to spell closed syllable words with an initial blend by having them independently spell in their workbooks.

Evaluation for 4.5a
Materials include data-management tools for tracking individual student progress to make appropriate instructional decisions to accelerate instruction.

The Assessment Guide includes an "Observation Tracker for Independent Practice" for grades 1–3 for teachers to use as a data-management tool to track individual student progress. For example, the tracker allows teachers to track progress in encoding and decoding skills. Within the "Fluency Practice," the materials also include a "Teacher Fluency Tracking Chart (2–5)" that allows teachers to monitor student progress in fluency passages for students in grades 2–5.

Evaluation for 4.5b
Materials include data-management tools for tracking whole-class student progress to analyze patterns and needs of students.

There is no data-management tool to enable teachers in documenting whole-class student data regarding progress on taught phonological awareness and phonics skills. In the "Responding Effectively" section of the Assessment Guide, teachers are provided with the benefits of implementing differentiated Tier 1 small-group instruction as a way of responding to trends in student performance and goes on to list steps for implementation. The suggested grade 1–3 small-group activities include: a phonemic awareness warm-up, a letter-sound drill, decoding (reading) practice, encoding (spelling) practice, application, and a closing question. However, there are no reports by skill, TEKS, or student that analyzes needs or patterns. The Assessment Guide does not provide teachers with a tool for tracking whole-class progress, but does explain what to do with one if a teacher were to create one. The "Whole-Class Decision Tree for Instructional Response" graphic guides teachers to analyze class-wide performance data by assessing overall proficiency, evaluating "critical drivers," and targeting specific skill gaps.

Evaluation for 4.5c
Materials include specific guidance on determining frequency of progress monitoring based on students' strengths and needs.

The Assessment Guide recommends "more frequent progress monitoring (e.g., end of a three-week cycle)" for students in Tier 2: Strategic Intervention who "consistently score below 80% on unit assessments despite strong core instruction," and weekly progress monitoring for students in Tier 3: Intensive Intervention who "show minimal response to Tier 2 interventions" and may require more support. The "Fluency Practice" resources include the section "How Often Should I Progress Monitor?" which advises that "the frequency at which a student is monitored should be in proportion with the teacher's level of concern for the student" and gives the example of progress monitoring a student who is "reading 6–12 months below grade level" once or twice a month.

Evaluation for 4.5d
Materials include guidance on how to accelerate learning based on the progress monitoring data to reach mastery of specific concepts.

The Assessment Guide includes a "Strategies for Accelerating Learning" chart with enrichment activities to motivate proficient readers and develop their literacy skills. For example, if a student is scoring 90 percent accuracy in critical drivers, showing consistent automaticity in decoding, strong performance on two weekly spelling tests consecutively, and showing independent application of phonics skills based on progress monitoring, they should be provided with enrichment opportunities such as creating word family trees to build vocabulary.

Evaluation for 5.B.1a
Materials include explicit (direct) and systematic instructional guidance on developing oral language and oracy through a variety of methods (e.g., modeling, guided practice, coaching, feedback, and independent practice). (T)

The materials do not include explicit or systematic instructional guidance on developing oral language and oracy. The Teacher's Edition includes an "Oral Response" section in the lessons with discussion prompts and possible student responses such as "Now that you've read the passage, let's talk about it. What is something new you learned about the red fox? (answers vary) What helps a red fox be a good hunter? (good eyesight like a cat)" to support comprehension of the decodable texts, but they do not include systematic and explicit guidance for how the teacher should use the prompts to build oral language development and oracy.

Evaluation for 5.B.1b
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in social and academic communication for different purposes and audiences. (S)

The Teacher's Edition includes academic tasks in which the teacher prompts students to use academic vocabulary and respond to text-based questions. For example, the teacher asks, "In lines 16–17, where it says 'to go forth with art in the warm sun for the rest of the week,' what does 'forth' mean?" to assess comprehension after reading the connected decodable text "Art Class." The materials might also ask students to orally process newly taught morphology, such as by asking students to share definitions of unknown words with recently taught prefixes with the class. The materials lack opportunities for social communication that fosters strategic communication skills.

Evaluation for 5.B.1c
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)

The Teacher's Edition includes authentic oral language tasks where students are expected to listen, discuss, and share information and ideas in order to better understand the learning objective. The lessons are structured based on the gradual release model (I Do, We Do, You Do), and the We Do component of each lesson "engages visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses." For example, in Lesson 10 Day 5, the students actively listen to sounds in order to practice phoneme substitution in words, discuss the sound-spelling correspondences in "heart" words, and share out answers to comprehension questions on the decodable text "Reed's Foal." The Teacher's Edition does not include opportunities for students to ask questions within the lessons.

Evaluation for 5.C.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing letter names and their corresponding sounds. (PR 2.A.1)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

Evaluation for 5.C.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for teaching and developing student automaticity in the identification of the 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase) and their corresponding sounds. (PR 2.A.1) (T)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

Evaluation for 5.C.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) and systematic instruction for letter formation for the 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (T)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

Evaluation for 5.C.1d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) alphabet knowledge both in isolation and in the context of meaningful print. (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S).

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

Evaluation for 5.C.2a
Materials explicitly (directl), and systematically introduce letter-sound relationships in an order that allows for application to basic decoding and encoding. (PR 2.A.1)

The 95 Phonics Core Program Grade 2 Teacher's Edition provides explicit instruction on the introduction of letter-sound relationships in order for students to both decode and encode. For example, the teacher models how to read the word "trip" by looking at the word to decide if it follows the closed syllable pattern, whispering the syllable type and showing the gesture, whispering the vowel sound, looking for an initial consonant blend or a consonant digraph, writing the word under the correct column [with the corresponding sound-spelling pattern], and whisper reading the word. The teacher also explicitly models application to encoding: "Watch me do the first one. The word is tell. I finger-stretch the word tell: /t/ /ĕ/ /l/. There are 3 sounds. I write the word under the column labeled '3 Sounds.' I say the sounds again as I write the letters: /t/ /ĕ/ /l/. Word? tell." The Scope & Sequence outlines how the materials systematically teach short vowels before introducing long vowels in decoding and encoding. Lessons 1–5 are a review of the letters and sounds learned in grade 1. The remaining lessons build in complexity from predictable vowel teams to complex consonants, ending with an introduction to grade 3 skills. The 95 Core Phonics Program Teacher's Edition for grade 2 includes opportunities for students to decode words like croak and encode words like rains in Lesson 10, while Lesson 25 includes the decoding and encoding of words with silent letters, such as gnaw and knob.

Evaluation for 5.C.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction focused on connecting phonemes to letters within words with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)

The Guide for Implementation Success includes Appendix D: "Corrective Feedback for Positive Achievement." This guide supports teachers in "delivering consistent and immediate corrective feedback" on common errors with sound identification, letter-sound correspondence, word reading, word sorting, and word writing using a script to support students in connecting phonemes to letters within words. For example, the corrective feedback for multisyllable word reading is "Let's read the word together. Touch the vowel letters. (Use 2 hands.) Look at the first syllable. Syllable type and gesture? Vowel sound? (Say the vowel sound with the student.) Syllable? Repeat the steps above for the second syllable. Word? (Read the word with the student.)" The materials do not provide teacher guidance for recommended explanatory feedback based on misconceptions, but the Teacher's Edition for grade 2 does provide notes for the teacher, such as "In co-articulated speech, both /b/ sounds in the word rabbit are not pronounced." While this may address errors in reading the words "rabbit", it does not provide adequate explanatory feedback around the misconception for the students.

Evaluation for 5.C.2c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) their understanding of applying letter-sound correspondence to decode one syllable and multisyllable words in isolation and decodable connected text. (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)

The Teacher's Edition provides opportunities for students to develop, practice, and reinforce applying letter-sound correspondence to decoding one syllable words in isolation. For example, the teacher develops this skill by explicitly modeling the process for decoding a simple one-syllable word, e.g., trip, in isolation: point to the vowel(s) and identify the syllable type, look for an initial consonant blend or consonant digraph, and slide a finger under the word and whisper trip. The teacher then facilitates practice with the skill by having students apply the same process to decode words such as flag, lock, and clip. Opportunities for reinforcement through cumulative review come in a later lesson in the section "Word Reading Accuracy," in which students read closed syllable words (some with initial blends and digraphs, some without) fluently. The Teacher's Edition provides opportunities for students to develop, practice, and reinforce applying letter-sound correspondence to decoding one syllable words in decodable connected text. For example, the teacher develops the skill of decoding words within connected text by guiding students to read the underlined pattern words within the passage. The teacher facilitates practice with this skill by having students whisper reading the underlined words and then the passage as a whole. Opportunities for reinforcement through cumulative review come as the students read later passages with both newly taught phonics patterns as well as previously taught phonics patterns, such as the words "dusk" and "strap" within the text "Tank and the New Kitten" which focuses on the phonograms ang, ing, ong, ank, and ink. The Teacher's Edition provides opportunities for students to develop, practice, and reinforce applying letter-sound correspondence to decoding multisyllabic syllable words in isolation. For example, the teacher develops this skill by explicitly modeling the process for decoding a multisyllabic word with a silent-e syllable, e.g., invade, in isolation: find the vowels, underline the vowels, draw a line between the syllables, read each syllable, and read the word. The teacher then facilitates practice with the skill by having students apply the same process to decode multisyllabic words such as bagpipe, railroad, and coffee. Opportunities for reinforcement through cumulative review come in a later lesson in which students apply the same process to read additional multisyllabic words. The Teacher's Edition provides opportunities for students to develop, practice, and reinforce applying letter-sound correspondence to decoding multisyllabic words in decodable connected text. For example, the teacher develops the skill of decoding words within connected text by guiding students to read the underlined pattern words within the passage. The teacher facilitates practice with this skill by having students whisper reading the underlined words and then the passage as a whole. Opportunities for reinforcement through cumulative review come as the students read later passages with both newly taught phonics patterns as well as previously taught phonics patterns, such as the words smitten and happen within the text "Twin Cows," which focuses on the sound patterns associated with the ow spelling and includes multisyllabic words like rainbow.

Evaluation for 5.D.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonological awareness activities in accordance with grade-level TEKS that begins with simple skills and larger units of sound (e.g., identifying and producing rhyming words, recognizing spoken alliteration, identifying the individual words in spoken sentences) and gradually transitions to more complex skills and smaller units of sound (e.g., adding, deleting, and substituting syllables). (PR 2.A.1)

The Scope & Sequence shows that the phonological awareness instruction begins with simpler skills and gradually moves toward more complex skills in accordance with the grade 2 TEKS. The phonological awareness activities (included in the daily "Phonological Awareness Warm-Up" and "Phonological Awareness Wrap-Up" sections of each lesson) begin with phoneme segmentation and gradually move toward manipulating phonemes within base words (2.2.A.iv) in the final unit. In the Teacher's Edition, for example, Lesson 1 Day 1 engages students in segmenting phonemes such as segmenting shack into /sh/ /ă/ /k/, while Lesson 30, Day 5 engages students in substituting phonemes, such as changing /ĕ/ to /ā/, to go from spread to sprayed. The Teacher's Edition even makes this progression clear to teachers by noting "In grade 2 lessons, the PA focus begins with phoneme segmentation and builds up to the more complex tasks of manipulation." The phonological awareness activities do not, however, begin with larger units of sound and gradually transition toward smaller units of sound. In alignment with grade 2 TEKS, there is an opportunity for the scope and sequence to include activities with larger units of sound, such as "producing a series of rhyming words" (2.2Ai), but the phonological awareness activities included in the Teacher's Edition only include work at the phoneme level.

Evaluation for 5.D.1b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction for teaching phonological awareness skills with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)

The Guide for Implementation Success includes Appendix D, "Corrective Feedback for Positive Achievement." This provides corrective feedback based on errors for sound identification, sound articulation, and general phonological awareness. For example: "1. Stop and identify the error (e.g., When combining two words to make a compound word, a student says shoehorse instead of horseshoe). 2. Explain the mistake (e.g., You combined the words, but you mixed up the order). 3. Provide a strategy or scaffold (e.g., Use actions, a mat with chips, or picture/word cards to demonstrate the word that was incorrect). 4. Practice using the strategy or scaffold (e.g., Have the student use the provided strategy or scaffold 3–4 times with different words). 5. Remove the scaffold when appropriate (e.g., Continue practicing the skill orally)." The Teacher's Edition utilizes teacher call out boxes that include guidance for misconceptions. For example, one teacher callout box says "The important insight for students in the lessons focusing on consonant blends is that each consonant letter in the blend represents a separate sound. The term 'blend' can be confusing to students; it implies that the sound is a blended sound when in fact each letter maintains its own sound. The review lessons on blends increase in difficulty with the 3-letter blends in the next lesson. Students who understand the closed syllable concept should do well on these lessons."

Evaluation for 5.D.1c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonological awareness skills connected to grade-level TEKS (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)

The Teacher's Edition provides opportunities for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonological awareness skills during the "Phonological Awareness Warm-Up" and "Phonological Awareness Wrap-Up" portions of lessons through memory-building strategies such as hand gestures and colored chips representing sounds. For example, students develop and practice phonological awareness skills in Lesson 1, Day 1, "Phonological Awareness Warm-Up" when the teacher uses the gradual release process to support students in segmenting phonemes in words such as shack and flock. Finally, phonological awareness skills are reinforced as students apply the same procedure to segment phonemes during "Sound-Spelling Mapping" later in that lesson. Students "finger-stretch" and use dots to represent the sounds they segment in the words grab and clip before mapping graphemes onto the sounds.

Evaluation for 5.D.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonemic awareness activities that begins with identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes, and gradually transitions to more complex manipulation practices such as adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes. (PR 2.A.1)

In the Teacher's Edition, phonemic awareness activities begin with phoneme segmentation and move toward more complex manipulation practices such as adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes. For example, Lesson 1, Day 1 engages students in segmenting phonemes in words such as shack and flop; while Lesson 2, Day 1 engages students in adding phonemes such as adding /b/ to last to make blast, Lesson 6, Day 1 engages students in deleting phonemes such as deleting /s/ from steam to make team, and Lesson 10, Day 1 engages students in substituting phonemes such as changing /k/ in cry to /d/ to make dry. The materials do not demonstrate a sequence that begins with blending and gradually transitions to manipulation.

Evaluation for 5.D.2b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction for teaching phonemic awareness with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)

The Guide for Implementation Success includes Appendix D, "Corrective Feedback for Positive Achievement." This provides corrective feedback based on errors for sound identification, sound articulation, and general phonological awareness. For example: "1. Stop and identify the error (e.g., when combining two words to make a compound word, a student says shoehorse instead of horseshoe). 2. Explain the mistake (e.g., you combined the words, but you mixed up the order). 3. Provide a strategy or scaffold (e.g., use actions, a mat with chips, or picture/word cards to demonstrate the word that was incorrect). 4. Practice using the strategy or scaffold (e.g., have the student use the provided strategy or scaffold 3–4 times with different words). 5. Remove the scaffold when appropriate (e.g., continue practicing the skill orally)." This feedback could be given to students based on common errors with phonemic awareness skills. The Teacher's Edition includes directions for teachers to provide feedback based on common misconceptions regarding phonemic awareness. For example, the teacher provides guidance on a possible misconception regarding the "FLOSS" rule, saying, "Remember, we will use the blue consonant chip with words that have the Floss Rule pattern because the doubled consonant is pronounced as one sound."

Evaluation for 5.D.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle, to support students in the transition from oral language activities to basic decoding and encoding. (PR 2.A.1) (T)

The Teacher's Edition includes scripted lessons to support students in connecting phonemic awareness skills to both decoding and encoding. For example, in Lesson 1, Day 1, the teacher leads students in both spelling and reading the word grab by first segmenting the phonemes and then connecting each phoneme to the alphabetic principle before blending to read: "The word is grab. First, I figure out how many boxes I need. I finger-stretch and say the sounds: /g/ /r/ /ă/ /b/—4 sounds. I need 4 boxes. I tap and place a dot in the bottom right corner for each sound I hear: /g/ /r/ /ă/ /b/. Now, I spell the sounds. Letter g in the first box. Letter r in the second box. Letter a in the third box. Letter b in the fourth box. Sounds? /g/ /r/ /ă/ /b/ Word? grab."

Evaluation for 5.D.2d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonemic awareness skills (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)

The Teacher's Edition provides opportunities for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonemic awareness skills during the "Phonological Awareness Warm-Up" and "Phonological Awareness Wrap-Up" portions of lessons. For example, students develop and practice phonemic awareness skills in Lesson 1, Day 1, "Phonological Awareness Warm-Up" when the teacher uses the gradual release process to support students in segmenting phonemes in words such as shack and flock and then gives students the opportunity to practice on words such as skit and chat. Finally, phonemic awareness skills are reinforced as students apply the same procedure to segment phonemes during the "Phonological Awareness Warm-Up" the following day.

Evaluation for 5.E.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)

The Scope & Sequence shows a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound spelling patterns in accordance with grade 2 TEKS. The sound-spelling patterns grow in complexity as the program progresses. For example, the lessons begin with learning predictable vowel teams in Lessons 6–9 before learning unpredictable vowel teams in Lessons 11–17.

Evaluation for 5.E.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (PR 2.A.1) (T)

The Teacher's Edition provides explicit teacher guidance through daily lesson scripts that support instruction of grade-level sound-spelling patterns in alignment with the TEKS. For example, on Lesson 3 Day 1, the teacher script states, "Today we are practicing how to read and spell words with the phonogram patterns ang, ing, ong, ank, ink, and onk. A phonogram is a series of letters that represents one or more sounds. The vowel sound changes in a phonogram. The phonograms in today's lesson contain one vowel followed by 2 consonants—either n-g or n-k."

Evaluation for 5.E.1c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1) (T)

To develop sound-spelling knowledge, the Teacher's Edition engages students in whole-group phonics lessons where the teacher introduces a phonics pattern using hand gestures and visual aids like Sound Spelling Cards. For practice, students participate in hands-on activities like sorting pattern and contrast words and "Sound Spelling Mapping" with elkonin boxes. To reinforce these patterns, the Teacher's Edition includes cumulative review activities such as reading and writing word routines with previously taught sounds and decodable readers containing a mix of new and previously taught sound-spelling patterns.

Evaluation for 5.E.1d
Materials provide a variety of activities and/or resources to support students in decoding and encoding words that include taught sound-spelling patterns, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)

The Teacher's Edition provides a variety of activities to support students in decoding words, both in isolation and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction. For example, Lesson 2 Day 3 supports students in reading words with phonograms, such as cold and talk. In Lesson 3, students read the passages "Ball Games" and "Tank and the New Kitten," which incorporate previously taught phonics patterns. The Teacher's Edition also provides a variety of activities to support students in encoding words in both isolation and decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction. For example, Lesson 3 Day 5 supports students in writing words with phonograms, such as talk and kind. In Lesson 5 Day 5, students write sentences with previously taught phonics patterns such as "We saw the grebes dive for fish."

Evaluation for 5.E.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. (PR 2.A.1)

The 95 Phonics Core Program includes a scope and sequence for grade 2 for introducing both regular and irregular high-frequency words aligned with the Dolch list of high-frequency words. According to the Scope & Sequence, the regular high-frequency words five, gave, made, and why, along with the irregular high-frequency word write," are introduced in Lesson 4 in conjunction with instruction the "Long Vowel Silent-e (a, e, i, o, u)" phonics pattern and the open syllable type.

Evaluation for 5.E.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (PR 2.A.1) (T)

The Teacher's Edition includes the Dolch sequence for learning and mastering the reading and spelling of high-frequency words with guidance such as scripts, the "heart word" strategy, and sound-spelling mapping. For example, in Lesson 1 Day 5, the script includes guidance for dissecting and spelling a regular high-frequency word: "Today we are working with common words that you will see often. Decide how many sounds are in each word and write it under the correct column. Watch me do the first one. The word is tell. I finger-stretch the word tell: /t/ /ĕ/ /l/ There are 3 sounds. I write the word under the column labeled '3 Sounds.' I say the sounds again as I write the letters: /t/ /ĕ/ /l/ Word? tell." In Lesson 6, Day 5, the script includes guidance for dissecting and spelling an irregular high-frequency word: "Today, we will spell some special words called "heart words" that do not fit the patterns learned. Watch how I use the Sound-Spelling Mapping paper. Remember, each box holds one sound. The word is your. Word? your. Finger-stretch your. /y/ /or/. How many sounds? 2 How many boxes? 2 I place a dot in the corner of 2 boxes. Watch me write the letter or letters that spell each sound. What is the first sound? /y/ Which letter? y Which box? first. Next sound? /or/ spelled with o-u-r in your. I write them in the second box. I drew a heart in the box for this unexpected spelling. Word? your."

Evaluation for 5.E.2c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode regular and irregular high-frequency words (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)

The Teacher's Edition provides a recursive routine through the daily lessons to develop, practice, and reinforce decoding and encoding both regular and irregular high-frequency words. The routine develops these skills through explicit instruction: the teacher displays the high-frequency word, leads the students through decoding the word by "finger-stretching" it and determining the number of sounds, then leads the students through encoding the word by writing the corresponding sound-spelling patterns. The routine then engages the students in practicing these skills in their Student Workbook. Finally, the routine allows for reinforcement and cumulative review through resources and activities such as fluency practice, sentence dictation, reading decodable connected texts, and spelling tests. For example, in Lesson 2 Day 5, the teacher develops the high-frequency word best and allows students to practice the words both, fast, wash, wish, by, and how as well as take a spelling test including the words both and wash. In Lesson 12 Day 5 students read phrases such as "with the king," write sentences such as "You can be a champ with a fish dish," and read the passage "Ball Games."

Evaluation for 5.E.2d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to read, and write high-frequency words in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1) (S)

The scripts in Teacher's Edition provide activities and resources such as high-frequency word grids, sentence dictation, and decodable passages for students to engage in reading and writing high-frequency words both in isolation and connected text. For example, Lesson 3 Day 4 engages students in reading high-frequency words in isolation such as cold and call using a high-frequency word grid. Lesson 3 Day 5 provides a script to teach students to write the high-frequency word how in isolation: "The word is how. I finger-stretch the word how: /h/ /ow/ There are 2 sounds. I write the word under the column labeled '2 Sounds.' I say the sounds again as I write the letters: /h/ /ow/ Word? how." Lesson 6 Day 5 provides the opportunity for students to write the high-frequency words did, you and the in the sentence "Did you find the croaking toad?" Lesson 6 provides students with the multiple opportunities to read high-frequency words in the passages "Roaming Goat" and "A Toad's Life."

Evaluation for 5.E.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)

The Scope & Sequence outlines the systematic sequence for teaching the syllable types in accordance with grade 2 TEKS. For example, the syllable types are covered in Lessons 1–26, starting with closed syllables and followed by open syllables, VCe, vowel teams, r-controlled syllables, and final stable syllables. In Lesson 27, students begin reading and writing words with more than one syllable type, such as multisyllabic words with closed and long vowel silent-e syllables. Students apply their knowledge of these syllable patterns to decode and encode both one-syllable and multisyllabic words accordingly. Additionally, the Teacher's Edition provides a systematic sequence for instruction based on syllable division principles. For example, the VCCV syllable division principle is taught beginning in Lesson 10 ("When there are 2 consonants between the 2 vowel sounds, divide the word between them.") before the VCCCV syllable division principles are taught in Lesson 23 ("When there are more than 2 consonants between the vowel sounds, we have to use our knowledge of digraphs and consonant blends to decide where to divide.").

Evaluation for 5.E.3b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words. (PR 2.A.1) (T)

The scripts in Teacher's Edition provide explicit guidance for teaching students to apply knowledge of syllable types when decoding and encoding one-syllable words. For example, the script on Lesson 1 Day 1 states, "Let's review the closed syllable pattern. Words with the closed syllable pattern have (repeat it with me): 1 vowel letter followed by 1 or more consonants." The teacher then models using knowledge of closed syllables having a short vowel pattern to decode the words trap and rap. In Lesson 1 Day 2, the teacher models encoding a word using knowledge of syllable types by finding the vowel and whispering the syllable type, making the closed syllable gesture, whispering the correct vowel sound, and spelling the word in the correct column. The scripts in Teacher's Edition also provide explicit guidance for teaching students to apply knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles when decoding and encoding multisyllabic words. For example, the script on Lesson 3 Day 4 states, "Today we are going to practice spelling multisyllable words with the closed-closed syllable pattern. Watch how I use the Syllable Mapping paper. Each box holds 1 syllable. Let's try the first word together. The word is picnic. Word? picnic I tap 1 box for each syllable we hear. pic/nic How many syllables? 2 Now, I write the letters that spell the sounds in each syllable." The teacher then models using knowledge of the closed syllable type to encode each syllable and write the word picnic. Lesson 17 includes a routine for students to decode multisyllabic words: find the vowels, underline the vowels, draw a line between the syllables, read each syllable, and read the word. Lesson 18 Day 3 includes teacher modeling using this routine to decode the word carpool.

Evaluation for 5.E.3c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)

The Teacher's Edition includes a variety of activities and resources, such as word sorts, pattern word lists, and decodable texts, to support students in developing and practicing the decoding of one-syllable and multisyllabic words. For example, each lesson includes decodable passages that align with the target phonics skill for the week, such as the closed-closed syllable pattern ("Tank and the New Kitten" and "Ball Games" in Lesson 3). These texts also incorporate cumulative review, allowing students to decode previously taught patterns alongside new ones, reinforcing continued mastery. The Teacher's Edition also includes a variety of activities and resources, such as writing pattern and contrast words, sound-spelling mapping with phonics chips, and sentence dictation, to support students in developing and practicing the encoding of one-syllable and multisyllabic words. For example, each lesson includes writing pattern and contrast words that align with the target phonics skill for the week, such as the vowel team syllable pattern. These sorts also incorporate cumulative review, allowing students to encode previously taught patterns alongside new ones, reinforcing continued mastery. For example, the sort in Lesson 10 Day 1 has students sorting and spelling words with the vowel team syllable pattern from words with previously taught syllable patterns.

Evaluation for 5.E.3d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding one-syllable or multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)

The Teacher's Edition includes a variety of activities and resources, such as word sorts, pattern word lists, and decodable texts, to support students in using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division patterns to decode words in both isolation and connected text. For example, in Lesson 19 Day 3, students read multisyllabic words with r-controlled syllables in isolation from a pattern word list. The students must first divide the syllables using knowledge of syllable division, read each syllable using knowledge of syllable types, then blend the syllables to read the word. The students also read multisyllabic words with r-controlled syllables in connected text in Lesson 19 when they read the decodable passages "As the Ferns Grow" and "The Hunter Bird." The Teacher's Edition includes a variety of activities and resources, such as writing pattern and contrast words, sound-spelling mapping with phonics chips, finding pattern words in sentences, and sentence dictation, to support students in using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division patterns to encode words both in isolation and connected text. For example, in Lesson 19 Day 1, students encode multisyllabic words with r-controlled syllables in isolation when they engage in syllable mapping words such as splinter. In Lesson 19 Day 5, the students encode multisyllabic words in connected text when they write the sentence "They took first and third in the contest."

Evaluation for 5.E.4a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)

The Scope & Sequence outlines a clearly defined scope and sequence for the introduction of grade 2 morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS (ELA.2.2.B.vi Demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge by: "Decoding words with prefixes, including un-, re-, and dis-, and inflectional endings, including -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -er, and -est," and "Demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge by: Spelling words with prefixes, including un-, re-, and dis-, and inflectional endings, including -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -er, and -est."). The sequence begins with instruction on the prefixes un-, re-, and dis- in Unit 1 and suffixes -est and -er in Unit 3 and are reviewed throughout the remainder of the lessons in conjunction with base words that incorporate the phonics pattern for the lesson.

Evaluation for 5.E.4b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes and using their meanings (e.g., affixes, roots, and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. (PR 2.A.1) (T)

The Teacher's Edition provides explicit teacher guidance through scripts to help students use the meaning of morphemes to support encoding, decoding, and reading comprehension. For example, the script for Lesson 26 Day 1 states, "(Display -tion.) Today we will learn a new suffix: -tion. Remember, a suffix is a part added to the end of a word. When a suffix is added to a word, it changes the meaning of the word. The suffix -tion most often forms nouns from verbs and adjectives (usually Latin roots). To be able to read words with this suffix, we will learn the most common pronunciation for -tion. The most common pronunciation for the suffix -tion is /shә n/ as in the word education. Repeat after me: /shә n/ /shә n/; education education Now that we know the pronunciation for -tion, let's take notes on the meaning of this suffix." The materials then provide a rule table that provides different suffixes, their meanings, and an example in a sentence. The teacher then models reading sentences that contain words with the suffix while students write the word and write the meaning.

Evaluation for 5.E.4c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)

The Teacher's Edition provides a variety of activities and resources, such as display cards, note-taking tables, and Morphology Keys, to develop, practice, and reinforce grade 2 morphological skills. For example, Lesson 23 Day 3 develops the prefix over- by displaying it and providing explicit instruction. Students then practice the morpheme by taking notes and defining unknown words using knowledge of the morpheme in the "Notes About Suffixes" table in their Student Workbook. Cumulative review is reinforced with the review of the previously taught prefix mid- in addition to the prefix over-.

Evaluation for 5.E.4d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)

The Teacher's Edition provides a variety of activities and resources to encode and decode words with morphemes in isolation, as well as connected text that builds on previous instruction. For example, students read words with morphemes in isolation from a word bank in Lesson 28, Day 2; write words in isolation in Lesson 28, Day 1 (including release and decay with prefixes re- and de-); and practice word-reading accuracy in Lesson 28, Day 3 (with the prefix re- in retreat). Students engage in written responses that allow them to encode words with morphemes in connected text (such as the inflectional ending -ed in the word enjoyed in Lesson 15, Day 5), as well as sentence-dictation practice (such as the inflectional ending -ed in "Beads of sweat streamed down her head" in Lesson 13, Day 5). The students read phrases that allow them to practice morphemes in connected text (such as the inflectional ending -s in "twirls her skirt" in Lesson 19, Day 5), as well as in their "Notes About Suffixes" in their Student Workbook (such as with the suffix -ity in Lesson 20, Day 3).