Amira Reading Suite, Grade 3

Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include an explanation of the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., additional instruction and/or practice, targeted remediation or acceleration).

The Amira Reading Suite grade 3 materials include an explanation of the stated purpose of the supplemental program as additional practice to enhance grade-level instruction, plus targeted remediation and acceleration for students who are below grade level. The Amira Instruct User Manual explains the stated purpose of the supplemental program and provides an overview of Amira Instruct as a resource designed to bridge assessment data and daily classroom instruction by generating artificial intelligence (AI)-driven differentiated lesson plans. Detailing this curriculum-coherent practice, the manual explains that “Instruct transforms those insights into actionable, differentiated lesson plans that align with district curricula and Science of Reading principles.”

The Amira Tutor User Manual provides an overview of Amira Tutor as a resource designed for practice, targeted remediation, acceleration, and integration into a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. Detailing this support, the manual explains that “Amira Tutor is an AI-powered reading coach that provides one-on-one tutoring support for students across all reading levels.”

Evaluation for 1.1b
Materials include guidance on how to appropriately use the supplemental program to support an existing core reading and language arts program.

The Amira Implementation Guide offers detailed, step-by-step instructions for integrating the supplemental program with existing core reading and language arts curricula. The guide addresses implementation across all MTSS tiers and provides checklists, practical resources for launching the program, and advice on preparing students, setting weekly goals, and embedding the Amira Reading Suite into daily routines. Importantly, the guide includes evidence that Amira’s adaptive AI aligns supplemental lessons with the district’s tier one scope and sequence, ensuring that instruction follows a coherent progression and supports seamless integration with core classroom instruction.

The grade 3 materials provide guidance for integrating the supplemental program with an existing core reading and language arts curriculum. According to the Amira MTSS Guide, the Amira Reading Suite supports all MTSS tiers as both a diagnostic tool and an instructional tool. The guide details how the program supplements core instruction at each tier and emphasizes its role in intervention support, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the MTSS framework.

Evaluation for 1.1c
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining student expectations, skills taught, and a rationale for the design of the scope and sequence.

The Amira Scope & Sequence and the Amira ELAR Lesson Map identify on grade-level student expectations addressed within the supplemental program. For example, the grade 3 materials identify the instructional progression across the school year and align instructional lessons to the specific grade 3 TEKS. However, because the program provides both additional instruction and practice and targeted remediation or acceleration, the materials are expected to identify both the on grade-level and below grade-level TEKS addressed within the program. The materials do not identify the below grade-level TEKS addressed through targeted instruction.

The Amira Scope & Sequence identifies the literacy skills taught throughout the supplemental program and shows where those skills are developed across the school year. For grade 3, the scope and sequence names specific skills within instructional strands, including decoding, phonological awareness, high-frequency words, vocabulary, background knowledge, and structures and reasoning related to comprehension and language. The weekly progression identifies when specific skills are taught and includes a cumulative review of previously taught skills. For example, grade 3 decoding instruction includes reading and spelling multisyllabic words with multiple sound–spelling patterns. This organization allows educators to identify the specific literacy skills that are taught and where they occur within the program’s instructional sequence.

Within the Amira Scope & Sequence, the “About This Scope and Sequence” section provides a rationale for the design and sequencing of instruction. The materials explain that the default scope and sequence reflects recommended pacing when no personalization data is available and that skills within each instructional strand follow a sequential progression, with previously taught skills reviewed cumulatively as new skills are introduced. Since the program is adaptive, the instruction can respond to individual student needs rather than requiring every student to follow the same pathway. Additionally, in the Amira Instruct User Manual, section 2.2, “Core Coherence Pathway,” provides guidance for districts to upload their own tier one curriculum scope and sequence to align Amira instruction with local curriculum and pacing. This guidance explains the purpose of the default sequence and how instruction can be adjusted to meet students’ needs or to align with district curriculum and pacing.

Evaluation for 1.1d
Materials include guidance on time requirements (e.g., duration, frequency) and suggested pacing for effective implementation.

The materials provide explicit, research-backed guidance on time requirements and suggested pacing for effective implementation with Amira Tutor. The Usage Guidelines for Amira recommend 10 minutes per week for basic impact, 20 minutes per week for noticeable growth, and 30 minutes per week across three or more sessions for optimal results, noting that additional time beyond 45 minutes per week does not yield further benefit.

The “Scheduling Success with Amira” document provides specific, actionable guidance for educators. For example, the document includes a sample daily schedule that allocates 15–20 minutes for Amira Tutor three times a week and recommends administering Amira Istation’s Indicators of Progress (ISIP) Assess three times per year with monthly progress monitoring. The document also details differentiated pacing based on student percentile rank, allowing educators to adjust frequency and duration according to individual student needs. By offering these concrete examples, the materials ensure that educators can implement the program with clarity and flexibility.

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

The grade 3 materials include resources and guidance to support educators in implementing the materials as designed. For example, the Amira Implementation Guide provides step-by-step instructions, checklists, and practical support for launching the program, including advice on preparing students, setting weekly goals, and integrating the program into daily routines. This guidance helps educators support students with additional practice to enhance grade-level instruction plus targeted remediation and acceleration for students who are performing below grade level.

The Amira Instruct User Manual explains how the AI-powered program can fully plan lessons for effective implementation, but recommends that educators maintain their own agency throughout the process. The program combines automatic generation with educator customization. Through this combination, the program can effectively implement lessons and activities that are adaptive to each student’s individual needs and progress, but educators can also apply their professional judgment based on formal and informal student observations. This process also allows the educator to adjust for classroom dynamics, available resources, and timing to meet the needs of students who are performing at or below grade level.

Evaluation for 1.1f
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.

The materials include supports for families in both English and Spanish, along with additional resources designed to support student growth. The Amira Family Communication Guide provides suggestions for supporting student progress and includes communication tools, explanations of program metrics, and guidance for supporting reading at home. The guide explains that schools should maintain consistent and predictable communication with families throughout the school year to foster clear, supportive, and encouraging partnerships rather than limiting communication to benchmark windows or periods of concern. The guide provides resources that educators can send home with students both before and after administering beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year benchmark assessments. These resources are designed to build partnerships between the school and the student’s home.

An introductory family letter, titled “Boosting Literacy with Amira Learning,” introduces families to Amira Learning and explains that additional opportunities might be sent home to support students’ reading development. The letter emphasizes the importance of family partnership in helping students thrive. Another resource in the Amira Family Communication Guide is designed to help families interpret the “Parent Report” and offers score interpretation and suggestions for supporting reading growth at home. Family letters are available in both English and Spanish, as well as seven other languages.

Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include appropriate instructional assessments for the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., diagnostic placement assessments for targeted remediation or acceleration).

The Amira ISIP Assess User Manual explains that materials include a diagnostic instructional assessment used to place students in an adaptive pathway to provide targeted remediation or acceleration or to provide additional practice for students who demonstrate grade-level proficiency. This Amira ISIP Assessment is administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. The assessment includes “tasks that cover all components of the ‘reading rope’ model,” including phonological awareness, phonics and decoding, high-frequency word recognition, oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The “Inside Amira ISIP Assess” document explains that specific tasks, like pseudoword identification, are designed to assess “phonics mastery and ability to decode unfamiliar words.” Through this evaluation, the AI-powered program can target remediation or assign acceleration goals. This assessment allows for remediation or acceleration based on the results and provides educators with “real-time actionable data.” It can also be used as a summative assessment at the middle and end of the year.

The Amira Reading Suite materials provide ongoing formative assessment opportunities, allowing educators to monitor student progress and adjust instruction throughout implementation. Outside of benchmark administration windows, educators can assign the On-Demand Assessment, a full ISIP assessment that educators can use at any point in the academic year, or the Subtests On-Demand Assessment, a skill-based formative assessment tool that educators can use to identify student growth areas that need additional support. These assessment options allow educators to frequently monitor growth, identify skill deficits, and make instructional decisions related to remediation or acceleration without replacing benchmark assessment data.

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

The Amira ISIP Assess User Manual explains the different types of instructional assessments used throughout the program and how they fit within the MTSS framework. The “Integrating Amira into MTSS” section describes a “comprehensive three-layer approach to progress monitoring” and outlines the assessment tools associated with each level of support, including diagnostic benchmarks, tutoring assessments, AI assessments, and on-demand testing. A chart explains the purpose of each assessment type and identifies whether it is used for screening, ongoing progress monitoring, or evaluation of response to intervention. This guidance helps educators understand the role of each assessment.

In the Amira ISIP Assess Technical Guide, the “Purpose and Use” section explains the intended purpose of the instructional assessments that are used throughout the program. The materials state that the Amira ISIP Assess serves “three distinct and crucial purposes in supporting early literacy development: as a universal screener, a benchmark assessment, and a progress monitoring tool.” The Universal Screener identifies students who might need additional support, while the Benchmark Assessment, a diagnostic tool, provides beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year data to monitor students’ growth over time. The guide describes the Progress Monitoring component as an ongoing formative assessment that evaluates “students’ rate of improvement” and identifies skills that require additional instructional intervention. Combined, these explanations clarify how assessment results guide intervention and tailor instructional planning throughout the year, culminating in the Amira ISIP Assessment, a summative evaluation tool that assesses students’ mastery at the end of the academic school year.

Evaluation for 2.1c
For instructional assessments administered by educators, materials include guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.

The Amira Benchmark Guide provides educators with step-by-step guidance for administering benchmark assessments consistently throughout the academic school year. The materials outline procedures for “what to do before, during, and after the Amira Benchmark assessment,” including checking the assessment window, adjusting assessment settings, and setting up accommodations prior to administration. The guide also includes recommendations for maintaining a focused testing environment during assessment administration and reviewing and sharing results after testing is complete. This guidance helps educators prepare for benchmark administration and supports consistent assessment practices across testing windows.

The Amira Benchmark Guide also includes administrative guidance to support accurate testing conditions and consistent assessment delivery. The materials provide recommendations for “space setup and technology needs,” including seating arrangements that are designed to reduce microphone interference and minimize background noise during assessment administration. These measures are intended to ensure that assessment results accurately reflect students’ abilities by minimizing external factors that could distort performance. The manual also includes troubleshooting guidance, technology preparation recommendations, and procedures for students who completed test administration. By providing troubleshooting support and technology preparation steps, the manual enhances the accuracy of assessment results by helping to prevent technical errors that could affect data quality, supporting educators in managing assessment conditions, and ensuring that assessments are administered consistently and accurately across instructional settings.

The “Guidance for Assessment Accommodations” document outlines how educators can make decisions about assessment accommodations to support consistent and accurate administration. The document guides educators through identifying students’ needs and selecting appropriate accommodations based on factors like individualized education programs, Section 504 plans, and language proficiency. The document also includes step-by-step guidance on choosing assessment formats and applying supports to ensure students demonstrate their skills as accurately as possible.

Evaluation for 2.1d
Instructional assessments include items at varying levels of complexity.

Amira ISIP Assess evaluates reading development across a range of skill areas and increasing levels of complexity. The “Inside Amira ISIP Assess” document provides an overview of assessment tasks that progress from foundational literacy skills like letter names, letter sounds, and phonological awareness, to more advanced literacy tasks involving decoding, spelling, and reading comprehension. For example, students move from identifying letters and sounds to reading real and nonsense words, applying spelling knowledge, and demonstrating comprehension of written passages. This progression allows assessment tasks to measure increasingly complex reading skills as students develop proficiency.

The Amira Reading Suite uses AI to adjust text complexity based on student performance. In the Amira Tutor User Manual, the “Tutor Features and Capabilities” section explains that students interact with texts that are leveled by AI to varying levels of complexity: below, at, or above grade level. Students are provided with texts and reading tasks that match their current skill level as they progress. This work allows educators to gather assessment data from students who are working across different levels of text complexity.

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

The Amira Metrics Guide provides scoring guidance through a collection of assessment measures and reports that help educators make sense of student performance data. The guide explains key measures, including the Amira Reading Mastery (ARM) score, Amira Reading Mastery Percentile Rank, Estimated Mastery, Mastery of Academic Standards & Targets (MAST) score, and Dyslexia Risk Index (DRI). The guide also explains what each score means and how it can be used. For example, the ARM score compares a student’s performance to that of their peers, the DRI identifies a potential reading risk, and the MAST score reflects mastery of grade-level standards. The guide outlines how educators can interpret various scores from the assessments to help them “understand student performance in relation to national peers, grade-level standards, and risk indicators for reading difficulties.”

The Administrator Dashboard: Configurations & Reporting Guide explains how educators can use the “Assessment Classification Report” and the “How to Track Reading Risk” report to interpret assessment results. For example, the “Assessment Classification Report” provides information about student performance and the “How to Track Reading Risk” report highlights student risk levels based on those results. The Administrator Dashboard: Configurations & Reporting Guide provides educators with information needed to interpret the dashboard reports and track reading risk, standards mastery, and reading proficiency.

Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of the supplemental program to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.

The Administrator Dashboard: Configurations & Reporting Guide and the Teacher Reports Reference Guide explain how educators can use “Teacher Reports,” including the “Reading Rope Insights Report,” to identify areas that require additional instruction or practice. In the “Teacher Reports,” educators can view performance across reading skills and determine specific areas of strength and growth. The reports in the materials provide educators with guidance for identifying patterns in data trends and making instructional decisions based on individual student needs. For example, the “Background Knowledge” tab provides information about students’ understanding of concepts and content related to reading comprehension and when additional instruction or support might be necessary.

The Amira MTSS Guide explains how educators can use assessment data to identify student needs and decide on appropriate instructional support. The guide helps educators identify needs, select interventions, and monitor student progress. For example, the “Intervention Plan Template” helps educators document students’ needs, set goals, select intervention strategies, and create a progress monitoring plan for growth. The guide also explains how assessment results can be used across different tiers of support. At tier one, assessment data help educators identify students’ strengths and areas that might need additional support. At tier two, educators can use Amira Tutor and Amira Instruct to address specific reading skill gaps. At tier three, more detailed reports help educators plan intensive support for students with greater instructional needs.

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

The Amira Reading Suite program includes a digital dashboard that provides several tools to track students’ progress and growth. The Administrator Dashboard: Configurations & Reporting Guide and the Teacher Reports Reference Guide explain how educators can use the program’s reporting tools to track students’ progress and growth over time. For example, the “Class Progress Report” allows educators to monitor assessment scores throughout the school year, while the “Skill Diagnostic Report” provides information about students’ mastery of individual reading skills.

In the Amira Reading Suite students have access to tools that allow them to view and monitor their own progress over time. The “Student Growth Graph” provides a visual display of students’ performance and growth across assessment opportunities. Additional student-facing reports like the “Progress Report” and the “Student Summary Report” provide real-time data related to reading risk, skill mastery, and assessment performance to help students track their progress and better understand their reading growth over time.

Evaluation for 2.2d
If applicable for the stated purpose of the supplemental program, materials include guidance for entry and exit criteria.

The materials include guidance for entry criteria through the Amira ISIP Assess Technical Guide, which provides measurable criteria for identifying students who require supplemental intervention. For example, the guide includes recommended ARM cut scores by grade level and assessment window (e.g., fall, winter, spring) and states that students whose ARM scores fall below the recommended cut score are identified as at risk for reading difficulties. The guide also classifies students who scored below the 25th percentile as tier three and provides explicit entry criteria for intervention placement.

The Amira MTSS Guide includes an “Intervention Check-In Template” that supports educators as they monitor progress toward a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) learning goal and document decisions to continue, modify, or exit intervention. For example, the template provides space to record ongoing progress monitoring data and team decisions across multiple intervention check-ins. However, the materials do not establish program-defined exit criteria that indicate when students have met intervention goals or are ready to discontinue supplemental support. Instead, exit decisions are based on educator-developed SMART goals and team judgment rather than objective exit thresholds established by the program.

Evaluation for 3.1a
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills.

The educator-led lessons in Amira Instruct include guidance to help educators differentiate instruction for students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills. Within the “Differentiation and Support” section of each lesson, educators are provided with differentiation suggestions, intervention activities, and additional support. For example, in the lesson “Asking Questions After Reading with Text Evidence” educators are encouraged to provide question stems and models that ask questions about a text before students practice with a partner. Additional intervention supports include using a two-column “My Question/Text Evidence” chart and highlighting important sentences in the passage to help students connect their questions to evidence. Students are also given opportunities to rehearse their responses out loud before writing. These supports provide educators with practical ways to scaffold instruction and reinforce skills for students who need additional support.

The Early Reader Skills Scaffold provides targeted support for students who need additional practice in foundational reading skills. The Early Reader Skills Scaffold Overview provides a structured sequence of activities designed for students who are not yet ready to read connected text independently. These activities include letter–sound practice, phoneme segmentation, word manipulation tasks, and decodable sentence reading. The scaffolded activities allow educators to provide students with more targeted practice based on their needs while reinforcing foundational literacy skills.

Evaluation for 3.1b
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills.

The materials offer educators guidance for differentiating instruction for students who already demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills, as outlined in the Amira Instruct User Manual. The program’s adaptive instruction adjusts text complexity and instructional focus in response to individual student performance, ensuring access to appropriately rigorous content. Additionally, the materials feature Comprehension Conversations, which are AI-driven Socratic dialogues that prompt students to articulate their thinking, reflect on ideas, and make real-world connections. These elements provide advanced learners with meaningful opportunities to interact with more complex texts, deepen understanding through higher-order questions, and expand their learning beyond grade-level expectations. These features provide advanced learners with opportunities to engage with more complex texts, respond to higher-order questions, and extend learning beyond grade-level expectations.

​The materials also include educator guidance for differentiated activities for students who demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills. The Amira Tutor User Manual describes a lesson planning process that uses assessment data to adjust instruction based on students’ performance and skill mastery. The manual provides guidance for differentiating assignments to ensure that every student receives instruction matched to their specific needs and skill level, using a process that “customizes assignments based on individual learning profiles” to provide appropriately challenging learning opportunities.

Evaluation for 3.1c
Materials include educator guidance for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) for students receiving supports and services through special education.

The materials reference supports for students with disabilities but do not include educator guidance for providing SDI. For example, the Amira Instruct User Manual includes sections like “MTSS and IRIP Integration” and “Efficacy and Impact,” which describe tier three supports and individualized reading instruction plans (IRIPs) based on identified student needs. While these resources support the identification of students who require intervention and provide data for instructional decision-making, the materials do not provide educator-facing guidance for adapting lesson content, instructional methods, or instructional delivery to meet the individualized needs of students who receive special education services.

Additionally, the Administrator Dashboard: Configurations & Reporting Guide includes options for adjusting assessment settings and accommodations. In the “How to Configure Assessments” section, guidance shows educators how to modify the “Rapid Automatized Naming” task, select language preferences, and apply extended time through a timer accommodation. While these features allow educators to customize assessment administration based on students’ needs, they do not provide guidance for adapting lesson content, instructional methods, or instructional delivery for students who receive special education services.

Evaluation for 3.2a
Educator-led supplemental programs include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the skill(s) to be learned.

The educator-led lessons in Amira Instruct include explicit prompts to support educators in modeling and explaining the skills to be learned. In the “Teach (I Do)” section, educators receive direct scripting and think-aloud prompts to guide students through the learning process. For example, the lesson “The [Vowel-Consonant-Consonant-Vowel (VCCV)] Syllable Division Pattern” directs the educator to write the word monster on the board and think aloud by stating, “Vowels: o and e. Three consonants between them: n, s, t. I need to decide where to split. I know st is a blend. I keep st together with the second syllable. The n stays with the first syllable.” Similarly, the lesson “Analyzing Plot Including Rising Action and Climax” prompts educators to model identifying plot elements by stating, “The first two sentences set the stage. Leo is a swimmer training for a big race. That is our character and situation.” The lesson also guides educators to read a passage aloud and think aloud as they identify key events and analyze how those events contribute to the plot. These explicit prompts support educators in modeling the thinking process and explaining new concepts and skills.

Additionally, the materials provide consistent instructional structures that support educator modeling and explanation of targeted skills across lessons. Each lesson includes a learning target, key terms, and organized instructional sections such as, “Launch,” “Teach,” “Model,” “Guided Practice,” and “Wrap & Review.” Within these sections, educators receive instructional guidance, sample explanations, and modeling support to demonstrate concepts to students. For example, the lesson “Argumentative Text: Claims, Facts, and Opinions” prompts educators to explain the difference between a topic and a claim and model how to identify facts that support an author’s claim. Similarly, the lesson “Asking Questions During Reading with Text Evidence” prompts educators to model how to ask questions while reading and locate evidence within the text to answer those questions. The lesson also includes modeling guidance that supports educators in demonstrating how questioning supports comprehension and how text evidence can be used to support responses. Across lessons, these embedded supports consistently guide educators in modeling and explaining the targeted skills and concepts to be learned.

Evaluation for 3.2b
Educator-led supplemental programs include educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.

The Teacher Dashboard offers a variety of lessons and activities that are designed to support educators as they teach reading skills. These lessons provide clear, step-by-step instructions that follow a gradual release of responsibility model: educators first demonstrate the skill in the “I Do” step, then guide students through practice in the “We Do” step, and finally allow students to apply the skill independently in the “You Do” step. Instructional strategies include educator modeling, collaborative discussions, multisensory activities, and structured opportunities for student engagement. For instance, in the lesson “Creating Mental Images While Reading” educators guide students through visualization activities by saying, “Close your eyes. I am going to read a sentence, and I want you to make a picture in your mind,” before asking students to describe what they visualized. The lesson also includes collaborative learning opportunities that guide students to discuss their mental images with a partner and explain which senses they used to create them. These lesson components include educator modeling, guided visualization, discussion, and collaborative learning activities and provide educators with guidance for implementing a variety of instructional approaches.

The “Guided Practice” section of educator-led lessons within Amira Instruct supports effective facilitation through structured opportunities for discussion, collaboration, and active participation. For example, the lesson “Retelling and Paraphrasing” includes a variety of instructional approaches that support effective delivery and facilitation. The lesson includes recommendations for facilitating movement-based activities, whole-group participation, and structured partner discussions. For example, educators prompt students to “Stand up. Act out what happened next,” and later ask them to give a “thumbs up” or “stomp your foot” to identify the logical order. The lesson also incorporates collaborative learning by guiding educators to say to students, “Turn to your elbow partner. Retell the middle of the chapter in logical order,” before allowing time for discussion and collecting responses. These instructional approaches actively engage students while supporting discussion, collaboration, and understanding of the targeted skill.

Evaluation for 3.2c
Materials include guidance for educators on recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.

The materials provide guidance on recommended instructional structures to support effective program implementation. The “Scheduling Success with Amira” document encourages educators to use the program flexibly across individual, small-group, and whole-group instructional settings. The materials connect each instructional structure to specific purposes, including independent practice, intervention, homework, literacy centers, support for emergent bilingual (EB) students, and core literacy instruction. Additional implementation supports include a sample classroom schedule and student plans that are organized by percentile rank, which help educators determine appropriate levels of use and instructional focus. These resources guide educators in integrating the program into daily classroom routines and meeting diverse student needs. These resources also support flexible implementation across instructional settings and classroom routines.

The materials guide educators in selecting instructional structures aligned to student support needs within the MTSS framework, as outlined in the Amira MTSS Guide. For tier one, the guide emphasizes high-quality classroom instruction for all students and highlights whole-group practices that support oral reading fluency and skill reinforcement. For tier two, the guide recommends targeted small-group interventions for students who require additional support and provides reporting tools to help educators form groups based on specific skill needs. The materials also explain how Amira Tutor supplements educator-led small-group instruction through guided oral reading practice. Additional supports for tier three include individualized instructional pathways, adaptive feedback, and one-on-one oral reading practice at each student’s instructional level. The materials include an “Intervention Plan Template” that prompts educators to identify the appropriate tier and document instructional supports.

Evaluation for 3.3a
Materials include educator 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 educator-led lessons in Amira Instruct include guidance for providing linguistic accommodations that support multilingual learners in using academic language during instruction. For example, in the lesson “Explain How an Author Uses Facts to Support an Argument,” the “Multilingual Learners” section includes a visual anchor chart, sentence frames, a word bank, and opportunities for partner discussion before sharing responses in English. These supports encourage students to use academic vocabulary words related to the lesson, including argument, fact, opinion, evidence, support, and proof. These linguistic accommodations support EB students’ access to lesson content and provide opportunities to use academic language during literacy instruction.

The materials do not include explicitly differentiated guidance for two or more levels of language proficiency as defined by the ELPS, such as pre-production, beginning, intermediate, high intermediate, and advanced. While several lessons in Amira Instruct include multilingual support, the guidance does not differentiate accommodations by proficiency level or provide separate recommendations for students at different stages of English language development. For example, the “Multilingual Learners” sections provide the same accommodations for all multilingual learners rather than distinguishing between supports for students at varying proficiency levels. Additionally, the program includes supports like Spanish assessment options, Spanish-language directions, and cognate supports in the “Guidance for Assessment Accommodations” document and the Amira Intervention Encyclopedia. However, these resources focus primarily on language access, assessment accommodations, and tutoring supports rather than educator guidance that differentiates linguistic accommodations according to students’ levels of English language proficiency.

Evaluation for 3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support educators in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.

The materials do not include implementation guidance to support educators in effectively using the materials within state-approved bilingual and ESL programs. While the materials offer instructional strategies for multilingual learners at the lesson level, overview guidance in user manuals does not provide direction for implementing the program within state-approved ESL program structures. For example, the “Multilingual Support” section of educator-led lessons in Amira Instruct provides guidance on using linguistic accommodations, cross-linguistic strategies (e.g., identifying cognates), and pre-teaching vocabulary. However, the Amira Instruct User Manual includes only general guidance on differentiating instruction for all students and does not address support for EB students.

The Amira Intervention Encyclopedia outlines additional linguistic accommodations and supports for EB students. However, it does not provide guidance on how these supports are integrated into a state-approved instructional model. This resource outlines “micro-interventions” in Amira Tutor that focus on specific reading skills. AI provides these interventions to students based on errors in oral reading. While the encyclopedia states that materials are available in both English and Spanish, it does not explain how these “micro-interventions” align with or are used with state-approved ESL program models (e.g., ESL Content-Based, ESL Pull-Out). For example, the “Cognate” section states, “In this intervention, Amira helps the student to bridge from Spanish to English. Amira shows the student the Spanish cognate for the English word that has induced struggle.” The section further explains that this support is only provided to students who were designated as bilingual in the dashboard. Overall, the materials identify available supports but do not provide educators with guidance for implementing them within a state-approved bilingual or ESL program.

Evaluation for 3.3c
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 do not include the three-cueing method as defined in Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0062. TEC, §28.0062 defines three-cueing as a method of reading instruction for the identification of words in which a student is encouraged to draw on context and sentence structure to read words without sounding the words out or using a phonics-based approach.

No evidence of three-cueing as defined in Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0062 was found in this program.

Evaluation for 4.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose that progresses from basic skills and larger units of sound to more complex skills and smaller units of sound.

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonological awareness skills.

Evaluation for 4.2b
Materials include a systematic sequence of phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose that progresses from basic skills (e.g., identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes) to more complex skills (e.g., adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes).

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonemic awareness skills.

Evaluation for 4.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonological or phonemic awareness skills.

Evaluation for 4.2d
Materials include cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonological or phonemic awareness skills.

Evaluation for 4.2e
Student practice includes only phonological and phonemic awareness skills that have been explicitly taught.

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonological or phonemic awareness skills.

Evaluation for 4.A.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Instruct User Manual and the Amira Scope & Sequence show how phonics instruction builds systematically across grade levels and is intended to strengthen instruction by giving students additional opportunities to practice skills and receive targeted support when needed. In the manual, the section titled “Integration with High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) and Scope & Sequence” describes the program’s phonics instruction as systematic, progressing from blending and segmenting sounds to more advanced sound-manipulation skills. Additionally, the section “Understanding Science of Reading Alignment” explains the explicit, systematic instruction in letter–sound correspondences and decoding strategies and states that the program is designed to work alongside district-adopted curriculum, supporting alignment with the grade-level TEKS. The grade 3 scope and sequence shows this progression through increasingly complex syllable patterns and word analysis skills. The materials provide opportunities for students to learn a new skill and then apply that skill in a corresponding lesson, reinforcing sound–spelling patterns over time.

The lessons within Amira Instruct reinforce the systematic sequence of sound–spelling instruction through explicit modeling and application of appropriate grade-level patterns. For example, the lesson “[Vowel-Consonant-Consonant-Consonant-Vowel (VCCCV)] Syllable Division” guides educators to review how to divide words like basket and reptile into syllables when consonants appear between vowels. After the words are divided, students use previously learned sound–spelling patterns to determine the vowel sounds in each syllable and read the word accurately. The lesson builds on earlier phonics instruction and prepares students for more advanced multisyllabic decoding patterns that are introduced later in the sequence. Then, students are given opportunities to apply the targeted sound–spelling patterns within longer words, reinforcing the progression of phonics instruction over time.

Evaluation for 4.A.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons include structured opportunities for educators to model how sound–spelling patterns support accurate word reading. For example, the lesson “Reading and Spelling Multisyllabic [Vowel-Consonant-e (VCe)] Syllable Words” includes explicit educator modeling in the “Model” section so educators can demonstrate how words like lemonade and compete contain a silent e that causes the vowel to say its long sound. Similarly, the lesson “VCe Mixed Syllables” provides explicit instruction so educators can model how to identify the VCe pattern in words like Valentine and apply the pattern to read the complete word. Then, students can practice reading words containing the targeted pattern with educator support before applying the skill independently. These instructional supports connect new learning to previously taught letter–sound relationships and provide opportunities for modeling, practice, review, and feedback as students develop decoding skills.

Similarly, the educator-led lessons provide explicit, direct instruction in encoding. For example, the lesson “Reading and Spelling Multisyllabic VCe Syllable Words” includes explicit educator modeling in the “Teach” section so educators can demonstrate how to encode words like compete and reptile using the targeted VCe pattern. The lesson also includes a “Wrap & Review” activity that prompts students to write words like escape and invite, identify the VCe syllable, and cross out the silent e to reinforce the pattern. Similarly, the lesson “Reading and Spelling With Multiple Sound–Spelling Patterns” provides explicit instruction so educators can model how to identify vowel teams and r-controlled patterns in words like nightmare, then guide students in applying those same patterns to words like paintbrush and starfish. Then, students practice the targeted patterns with educator support before applying them independently. These instructional supports provide a gradual release from educator modeling to student application while reinforcing previously taught skills through practice, review, and feedback.

Evaluation for 4.A.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.

The Amira Instruct lessons provide cumulative opportunities for students to practice decoding and encoding sound–spelling patterns in isolation across multiple lessons. The Amira Instruct User Manual states that instruction is “explicit, systematic, cumulative, and multisensory in its delivery,” indicating that skills are designed to build progressively over time. For example, the lesson “Reading Multisyllabic Words With Vowel Digraphs” provides cumulative practice with previously taught vowel digraph patterns by prompting students to identify and spell the digraphs ea, ai, and ee in specific words such as, season, trailer, and thirteen. Similarly, the lesson “VCCCV Syllable Division” reinforces previously taught syllable patterns by prompting students to read word lists, underline vowels, and mark syllable divisions in specific words such as napkin, frozen, and district. Student-facing activities in the lesson “Reading Words by Syllable Division Patterns” further extend this practice by requiring students to read words, identify syllable patterns, build words using provided syllables, and write words using the targeted patterns. These cumulative practice opportunities provide repeated, isolated practice in decoding and encoding to support increased accuracy and automaticity.

Additionally, the materials include cumulative student practice in decoding sound–spelling patterns in connected decodable text. For example, in the grade 3 lesson “Final Stable Syllables in Connected Text” students read the passage “The Nature Hike” and apply previously taught decoding skills while decoding words with final stable syllables like vacation, bundle, nature, section, and moisture. In the “Guided Practice” section students are prompted to read a passage with a partner, identify words with final stable syllables, and explain the pattern used to decode each word. Students can also apply their decoding skills to answer comprehension questions about the text. By including previously taught sound–spelling patterns alongside the targeted skill, the lesson provides cumulative decoding practice in connected text to support accuracy and automaticity. Similar connected-text lessons appear throughout the grade 3 materials for previously introduced patterns, including multiple sound–spelling patterns, VCe syllables, and vowel digraphs, providing repeated opportunities for students to apply established decoding skills while reading new text.

Evaluation for 4.A.3d
Student practice includes only sound-spelling patterns that have been explicitly taught.

The Amira Scope & Sequence outlines a progression of phonics and word analysis skills that build from less complex to more complex patterns and includes cumulative review opportunities throughout instruction. The Amira Instruct lesson “Reading Multisyllabic R-Controlled Syllable Words” ensures that student practice aligns with previously taught sound–spelling patterns. In the “Guided Practice” section students are prompted to apply the er, or, and ir patterns introduced during instruction by identifying r-controlled syllables in words like understand and spelling r-controlled syllables in specific words such as tornado and birthday. These activities allow students to practice and reinforce sound–spelling patterns that were already introduced during instruction.

Similarly, Amira Instruct includes the student activity “Reading Multisyllabic Words with Vowel Diphthongs,” which provides additional opportunities for students to apply previously taught sound–spelling patterns. Prior instruction introduces and models the vowel diphthongs oi and oy (/oi/) and ou and ow (/ou/). During independent practice, students identify diphthongs in words, determine which diphthong pattern they hear, and complete multisyllabic words, such as announce, alliance, surround, flower, and moisture, by adding the correct missing diphthong. Then, students can apply those same patterns in a sentence writing task using words from the lesson. These activities allow students to practice and reinforce sound–spelling patterns that were already introduced during instruction, rather than requiring them to apply unfamiliar patterns.

Evaluation for 4.B.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Scope & Sequence does not list regular or irregular high-frequency words for instruction or identify a planned progression of high-frequency words from a research-based list across the grade level. While the scope outlines instructional modules throughout the year, it does not identify targeted high-frequency words or demonstrate how regular and irregular high-frequency words are introduced and reviewed across grade 3.

The Amira ELAR Lesson Map identifies high-frequency word lessons for grade 3, such as “Identifying High-Frequency Words” and “Reading High-Frequency Words.” However, the lesson map does not identify specific high-frequency words that are taught or the instructional order in which those words are introduced and revisited across the grade level. Although the lesson map demonstrates that high-frequency word instruction is included, it does not identify a grade-level progression for introducing and reviewing regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list.

Evaluation for 4.B.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons provide explicit, direct instruction in decoding regular and irregular high-frequency words, support grade-level instruction, and provide additional practice and targeted support as needed. The lessons include clearly stated learning targets, educator-led explanations, modeling, guided practice, independent application, and opportunities for review and feedback. For example, in the lesson “Identifying High-Frequency Words” educators explicitly introduce high-frequency words like you’re, heart, son, months, and century and explain how to determine whether each word is a Heart Word or a Sound-It-Out Word. In the “Model” section educators are prompted to demonstrate how to identify expected and unexpected sound–spelling correspondences by explaining that the ea sound in heart is the tricky part, while the word months follows expected sound–spelling patterns. Then, students can practice decoding additional high-frequency words with educator support before independently applying the same process. These instructional supports include high-frequency word instruction, explicit explanations, educator modeling, guided practice, review, and feedback, while supporting grade-level instruction and providing targeted remediation and acceleration when needed.

Similarly, the educator-led lessons provide explicit, direct instruction in encoding. The lessons include clearly stated learning targets, educator-led explanations, modeling, guided practice, independent application, and opportunities for review and feedback. For example, in the lesson “Reading High-Frequency Words” educators explain that students will read high-frequency words in sentences and then practice spelling them so the words become automatically recognized. In the “Teach” section educators are prompted to explicitly model the “Say-Tap-Write-Check” routine and guide students to map letters and sounds before writing each high-frequency word. Then, students practice encoding the targeted words with educator support before independently applying the same routine. These instructional supports provide a gradual release from educator modeling to student application while reinforcing orthographic mapping, accurate spelling, and automatic word recognition, which supports the program’s stated purpose of enhancing grade-level instruction and providing targeted remediation and acceleration when needed.

Evaluation for 4.B.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level skills as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.

The grade 3 materials provide cumulative practice for students in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in isolation, such as word lists. The lessons include educator explanations, modeling, guided practice, independent application, and review activities that reinforce previously taught high-frequency words. For example, in the lesson “Reading High-Frequency Words” students complete three practice activities using previously introduced high-frequency words. Students first read the words in context, then spell the words using vocabulary clues, and finally write a complete sentence using two previously practiced words. These instructional routines provide cumulative practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words in isolation to support the development of automaticity.

Additional cumulative practice provides students with opportunities to decode regular and irregular high-frequency words in decodable connected text. For example, in the lesson “Identifying High-Frequency Words” students practice reading a decodable connected text that includes newly taught irregular high-frequency words like you’re, heart, son, months, and century. Students also can cumulatively review additional regular high-frequency words (e.g., over, takes, for) and irregular high-frequency words (e.g., one, year, many) through reading decodable connected text in both sentences and a paragraph.

Evaluation for 4.B.3d
Student practice includes only regular and irregular high-frequency words that have been explicitly taught.

The grade 3 materials ensure that student practice includes only regular high-frequency words that educators explicitly teach before students practice them independently. In the Amira Instruct lesson “Read High-Frequency Words at Grade Level — Felt” students learn to read the high-frequency word felt. In the “Teach” section the educator is prompted to explicitly introduce and review this high-frequency word before students practice identifying the sounds in the word, connecting sounds to spellings, spelling the word, and recognizing it in sentences. Throughout the lesson, students can practice only the high-frequency word that educators explicitly teach before independent application.

The materials also ensure that student practice includes only irregular high-frequency words that were explicitly taught. For example, in the Amira Instruct lesson “Identify High-Frequency Words” the educator explicitly introduces and reviews the irregular high-frequency words you’re, heart, and century before students practice them. During instruction, the educator models how to read each target word and explains that some words contain irregular spellings that must be remembered. Then, students practice reading and spelling the irregular high-frequency words that were taught. Throughout the lesson, student practice remains limited to those explicitly taught, irregular high-frequency words.

Evaluation for 4.C.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing syllable types and syllable division principles in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Scope & Sequence shows how syllable instruction progresses systematically across grade levels and is intended to strengthen grade-level instruction by providing students with additional practice and targeted support when needed. In grade 3 the scope outlines sequenced instruction in syllable types, beginning with open and closed syllables before advancing to VCe syllables, r-controlled syllables, vowel digraphs, diphthongs, final stable syllables, and increasingly complex syllable division patterns. This organized sequence moves from more common syllable types to more complex syllable patterns and principles of syllable division, allowing students to build on previously learned knowledge as instruction progresses.

The lesson-level materials reinforce this systematic progression by introducing increasingly complex syllable types and principles of syllable division across lessons. For example, the Amira Instruct lesson “Reading Words by Syllable Division Patterns” introduces students to the VCCV syllable division pattern, then expands to the vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV) pattern in the same lesson. As students build their understanding of these foundational syllable division principles, subsequent lessons, including “The VCCCV Syllable Division Pattern,” introduce more complex syllable division patterns by teaching students to identify consonant blends and digraphs in VCCCV words and to apply syllable division strategies to decode increasingly complex multisyllabic words. This progression moves from foundational principles of syllable division to more advanced syllable patterns, allowing students to build on previously learned knowledge throughout the instructional sequence.

Evaluation for 4.C.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons provide explicit, direct instruction in decoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words, support grade-level instruction, and provide additional practice and targeted support. The lessons include clearly stated learning targets, educator-led explanations, modeling, guided practice, independent application, and opportunities for review and feedback. For example, in the lesson “The VCCCV Syllable Division Pattern,” educators explicitly model how to decode multisyllabic words by identifying the VCCCV syllable division pattern and applying it to read unfamiliar words. In the “Launch” and “Teach” sections educators are prompted to connect the new syllable division pattern to previously learned patterns, explain where to divide words with three consonants, and model the decoding process before guiding students through structured practice. Then, students practice decoding additional multisyllabic words with educator support before independently applying the same decoding routine. These instructional supports provide explicit explanations, educator modeling, guided practice, review, and feedback while supporting grade-level instruction and providing targeted remediation and acceleration when needed.

Similarly, educator-led lessons provide explicit, direct instruction in encoding. The lessons include clearly stated learning targets, educator-led explanations, modeling, guided practice, independent application, and opportunities for review and feedback. For example, in the lesson “Reading and Spelling Multisyllabic Closed Syllable Words” educators explicitly model how to encode multisyllabic words by identifying syllables, applying closed-syllable patterns, and spelling each syllable accurately. In the “Guided Practice” section students are prompted to work on dry-erase boards to divide words like sunset into syllables, encode each syllable, and, with educator support, write the complete multisyllabic word before independently applying the same spelling routine. These instructional supports provide a gradual release from educator modeling to student application while reinforcing accurate encoding of one-syllable and multisyllabic words.

Evaluation for 4.C.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.

The Amira Scope & Sequence provides cumulative practice for students in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in isolation throughout grade 3 by revisiting previously taught syllable types and syllable division patterns as new patterns are introduced. As instruction progresses through increasingly complex syllable division patterns, students continue to apply previously learned decoding and encoding skills alongside new learning. For example, in the student activity for the lesson “Reading and Spelling Multisyllabic Open Syllable Words” students practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words with open and closed syllables—such as program, contact, and student—using both previously taught and newly introduced patterns.

Additional cumulative student practice provides students with opportunities to decode one-syllable and multisyllabic words in decodable connected text. For example, in the lesson “The VCCCV Syllable Division Pattern” students decode sentences containing the newly taught VCCCV syllable division pattern (with words like pumpkin and complete) as well as previously taught patterns with other syllable types (with words like enter and contest). Together, these instructional routines provide cumulative practice with one-syllable and multisyllabic word patterns in isolation and connected text to support the development of accuracy and automaticity.

Evaluation for 4.C.3d
Student practice includes only syllable types and syllable division principles that have been explicitly taught.

The grade 3 materials ensure that student practice includes only the syllable types and syllable division principles that educators explicitly teach before students practice them independently. The lesson “The VCCCV Syllable Division Pattern” ensures that student practice aligns with previously taught syllable division principles. During guided practice students divide and read words by applying the VCCCV syllable division pattern. The lesson’s “Launch” section confirms that students already received instruction on the VCCV and VCV syllable division patterns before applying the VCCCV pattern during practice. These activities allow students to practice and reinforce syllable division principles that were already introduced during instruction.

Similarly, the student lesson “Reading and Spelling Multisyllabic Words with Open and Closed Syllables” provides additional opportunities for students to apply previously taught syllable types and syllable division principles. During independent practice students divide, decode, and spell multisyllabic words using only targeted syllable patterns that were taught in the paired educator lesson. These activities require students to apply the syllable patterns explicitly modeled in the “Teach” section. By revisiting the same patterns across multiple activities, students are able to reinforce previously taught syllable types and principles of syllable division rather than encountering unfamiliar ones.

Evaluation for 4.D.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing morphemes in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Scope & Sequence shows how morpheme instruction progresses systematically across grade levels and is intended to strengthen grade-level instruction by providing students with additional practice and targeted support. In grade 3 the scope outlines morphemes in a planned progression, beginning with contractions, then introducing common prefixes and suffixes, and later applying these morphemes in increasingly complex word analysis. This organized sequence moves from less complex morphemes to more complex morphemes, allowing students to build on previously taught morphological knowledge as instruction progresses.

The lesson-level materials reinforce this systematic progression by building on previously taught morphemes before introducing more complex morphemes. For example, in the Amira Instruct lesson “Reading and Spelling Words with Prefixes” educators review common prefixes like un-, re-, dis-, mis-, and pre-, explicitly teaching how each prefix changes the meaning of a base word. Then, students apply this knowledge during guided practice by identifying prefixes and base words to decode, spell, and determine the meanings of multisyllabic words. The sequence continues in the lesson “Decoding Words with Suffix-Driven Base Word Changes,” which prompts educators to build on students’ understanding of suffixes by introducing spelling change rules, including doubling the final consonant, dropping silent e, and changing y to i before adding suffixes. Students can build on their earlier understanding of prefixes as they learn increasingly complex morphological patterns, reinforcing a systematic progression in morphological instruction.

Evaluation for 4.D.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons provide explicit, direct instruction on morphological skills that support grade-level instruction and provide additional practice and targeted support. The lessons include clearly stated learning targets, educator-led instruction, precise instructional language, guided practice, and opportunities for ongoing review and feedback. For example, in the lesson “Reading and Spelling Words with Prefixes” educators explicitly teach the meanings of common prefixes, including un-, re-, dis-, mis-, and pre-, and explain how each prefix changes the meaning of a base word. In the “Teach” section educators are prompted to provide direct explanations for identifying the prefix, determining its meaning, locating the base word, and combining the two to determine the meaning of the new word. These clear explanations, precise directions, and explicit educator guidance provide direct instruction in morphological skills while supporting the program’s stated purpose of enhancing grade-level instruction and providing targeted remediation and acceleration when needed.

The explicit instruction provides educator-led explanation and modeling of morphological skills before students apply them independently. For example, in the lesson “Decoding Words with Suffix-Driven Base Word Changes” educators are prompted to explain the spelling change rules that occur when suffixes are added, including doubling the final consonant, dropping silent e, and changing y to i. Educators also model how to apply each rule using multiple example words, like changing stop to stopping, hope to hoping, and happy to happiness. Then, students practice applying these spelling change rules under educator guidance before independently decoding and spelling additional words with suffix-driven base word changes. This gradual release from educator modeling to supported and independent application provides explicit instruction that helps students accurately understand and apply grade-level morphological skills.

Evaluation for 4.D.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice of morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text, to develop automaticity.

The Amira Scope & Sequence outlines cumulative opportunities for students to practice morphological skills throughout grade 3 by revisiting previously taught prefixes and suffixes while introducing more complex morphological analysis. Throughout the year, lessons continue to provide opportunities for students to analyze, decode, encode, and build words using both previously taught and newly introduced morphemes in isolation. For example, in the lesson “Reading and Spelling Words with Prefixes” educators review the prefixes un-, dis-, re-, mis-, and pre- before students analyze words like disagree, uncover, dislike, and preview. Similar review and application routines occur across grade 3 morphology lessons.

The materials further provide cumulative student practice of morphological skills in decodable connected text. For example, in the Amira Instruct lesson “Suffixes with Spelling Changes in Connected Text” students apply previously taught morphological skills as they read a passage called “Rosa’s Slow Climb.” Students decode suffixed words with spelling changes like shining, hurried, easier, traded, and happiest, while also reviewing previously taught suffix patterns within the passage. Students identify the base word, the suffix, and the spelling change and apply these skills as they read the connected text. The lessons provide cumulative practice with previously taught and newly introduced morphological skills within decodable connected text to support automaticity.

Evaluation for 4.D.3d
Student practice includes only morphemes that have been explicitly taught.

The grade 3 materials ensure that student practice includes only morphemes that educators explicitly teach before students apply them independently. For example, the lesson “Spelling Words with Suffix-Driven Base Word Changes” ensures that student practice aligns with previously taught morphemes. In the “Guided Practice” section students are prompted to identify the applicable spelling rule, build words using the targeted suffix changes, and apply those patterns while decoding and spelling words. This lesson’s “Launch” section confirms that students already received instruction on these morphemes before applying them during practice. These activities allow students to practice and reinforce morphemes that were already introduced during instruction.

Similarly, the student activity in the lesson “Decoding Words with Prefixes and Suffixes” provides additional opportunities for students to apply previously taught morphemes. During independent practice, students can decode, analyze, and build words using only prefixes and suffixes that were taught in the paired educator lesson. These activities require students to apply the targeted morphemes that were explicitly modeled in the “Teach” section to both word analysis and word building tasks. By revisiting the same morphemes across multiple activities, students are able to reinforce previously taught morphemes rather than encountering unfamiliar ones.

Evaluation for 6.1a
Materials include modeling of fluent reading (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons include modeling of fluent reading, addressing rate, accuracy, and prosody. In the lesson “Reading with Fluency,” the “Teach” and “Model” sections define rate, accuracy, and prosody and direct the educator to model fluent and nonfluent reading using a passage called “Stage Fright.” Educators should first read the passage in a flat, monotone voice, then reread it with expression, pointing out places where their voice changes to reflect meaning and emotion. An anchor chart is included to support the educator as they model and describe the components of fluency. This modeling addresses rate, accuracy, and prosody through expression, adjusted speed, and accurate oral reading of the passage to convey meaning.

The Amira Intervention Encyclopedia outlines micro-interventions delivered by Amira Tutor in response to students’ oral reading fluency errors. For example, the “Sentence Re-Read” intervention is initiated when “a student struggles to read more than one word in a sentence and is losing persistence and understanding.” During the intervention the program reads the sentence aloud, then prompts the student to echo the modeled reading. This repeated model-and-echo routine provides students with an opportunity to hear fluent reading, then immediately practice reading the sentence with appropriate expression and phrasing.

Evaluation for 6.1b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with word lists, phrases/sentences, and connected texts.

The materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with word lists. In “Teacher Plan 2.2: Fluency” students use high-frequency word lists from Dolch and Fry as part of fluency practice. For example, part 1 includes a “Read-Find-Sort” activity that prompts students to search for and identify high-frequency words while reading, using the word lists to locate and circle targeted words in text. The plan also directs educators to use high-frequency word practice to support automatic word recognition and oral reading fluency. These word list activities provide students with opportunities to repeatedly read and recognize high-frequency words in order to build fluency.

Additionally, the materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with phrases and sentences. For example, in the “How Does Your Voice Sound?” student fluency activity, the “Expression Practice” section provides sentence-level fluency practice as students read sentences aloud with appropriate expression and prosody. Students are reminded that “Prosody is the music of reading: the rise and fall of your voice, the speed, the emotion. The same sentence can mean very different things depending on how you say it.” Then, students are directed to “Pick a feeling. Read the sentence out loud with that emotion.” This activity provides opportunities for students to practice sentence-level fluency while developing oral reading expression.

Amira Instruct also includes opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with connected texts. In the “How Does Your Voice Sound?” lesson, the “Phrasing Coach” section teaches students to group words into meaningful phrases and identify natural pauses while reading a connected paragraph out loud. Students practice reading the paragraph fluently by applying phrasing, expression, and self-monitoring strategies, then reflect on their fluency performance in the “Wrap It Up” section. These activities provide opportunities for students to develop fluency through connected-text reading.

Evaluation for 6.1c
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with a variety of grade-level texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with a variety of grade-level text types. For example, in the lesson “Learning to Read with Fluency” students are provided with this learning target: “I am learning to read smoothly, say words correctly, and use my voice to show meaning.” Students can refer to an anchor chart that defines the components of fluency, including rate, accuracy, and prosody. In the lesson the educator is prompted to model the difference between choppy and fluent reading using a short narrative passage. In the “Guided Practice” section students are prompted to follow a three-step routine: listen, echo-read, and read the passage together. This lesson provides opportunities for students to practice fluency skills with grade-level narrative text.

Similarly, the materials include activities that support students’ development of reading fluency by exposing them to a variety of grade-level informational texts. For example, in the student-facing lesson “Asking and Answering Questions After Reading” students read an informational text called “The Coral Reef,” then complete comprehension activities that require them to return to the text, answer questions, and write responses. Students can also select an additional informational passage to read and respond to, which provides repeated opportunities to engage with grade-level informational text. Across these activities, the materials provide opportunities for students to practice reading with a variety of grade-level narrative and informational texts.

Evaluation for 6.1d
Materials include a variety of texts at different levels of complexity.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons include a variety of texts at different levels of complexity that support students’ development of reading fluency with grade-level texts. For example, in the lesson “Retelling and Paraphrasing Texts” students read multiple narrative passages that vary in topic and include grade-level vocabulary, increasingly complex syntax, and cohesive text structures. One passage follows a chronological narrative sequence as students read about a boy building a treehouse with his father. The passage includes a combination of simple and compound sentences, requiring students to process connected ideas across multiple sentences while reading fluently. Vocabulary words like measured, gathered, ladder, and backyard increase the text’s complexity while remaining contextually supported. The inclusion of multiple passages with varied topics and language features provides students with opportunities to practice reading texts at an appropriate level of complexity.

Evaluation for 6.1e
Materials include guidance for educators to provide feedback to students on reading fluency (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons include guidance for educators to provide feedback to students on reading fluency, including rate, accuracy, and prosody. In the educator-facing lesson “Reading with Fluency,” the “Differentiation & Support” section provides Teacher Notes with specific coaching prompts to support immediate, individualized feedback during oral reading. For example, educators are prompted to say, “Try that sentence again, but slow down at the important part,” “I noticed you paused at the period. Nice job! Now, try pausing at the comma, too,” and “How do you think that character is feeling right now? Can your voice show that?” These prompts guide educators as they provide feedback on rate by adjusting reading speed. Educators can also provide feedback on accuracy through self-monitoring and rereading and feedback on prosody through phrasing, pauses, and expressive reading. This guidance supports educators as they deliver targeted feedback on students’ individual reading fluency.

The Amira Intervention Encyclopedia describes targeted micro-interventions that are offered in response to students’ oral reading fluency performance in Amira Tutor. These interventions provide students with immediate feedback in specific areas of fluency, including decoding accuracy, reading rate, and prosody. For example, interventions like “Sound It Out” and “Tap It Out” provide immediate feedback when students experience difficulty decoding individual words. Also, paced reading supports allow students to adjust their reading rate to support comprehension. The “Sentence Re-Read” intervention models fluent reading by providing feedback through a model of appropriate phrasing, expression, and intonation before prompting the student to echo the reading. Together, these embedded supports provide immediate, individualized feedback that addresses reading accuracy, rate, and prosody during oral reading.

Evaluation for 8.1a
[English reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational). [Spanish reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex authentic or transadapted Spanish texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational).

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex texts. For example, in the lesson “Predicting and Confirming Using Text Features and Genre” students read well-crafted passages, including an informational text, a realistic fiction passage, and a folktale. The texts are coherent and error-free and reflect the characteristics of their respective text types. The text called “How Bridges Are Built” presents accurate information and topic-specific vocabulary words like foundations and piers, while “The Fastest Runner in Town” includes a developed narrative arc, dialogue, and a clear character arc. Similarly, in “Explaining How Text Structure Contributes to Author’s Purpose” students read connected grade-level passages that require them to interpret organizational patterns, academic and content-specific vocabulary, and relationships among ideas to understand the author’s purpose. Together, these lessons provide students with access to high-quality texts that include vocabulary, text structures, and knowledge demands that are appropriate for grade-level reading comprehension.

Additionally, the educator-led lessons include a variety of text types for students to read. For example, in the lesson “Predicting and Confirming Using Text Features and Genre” students read multiple passages during guided practice, including an informational text called “How Bridges Are Built,” a realistic fiction passage called “The Fastest Runner in Town,” and a folktale called “Why the Sun and Moon Take Turns.” Students use genre and text-feature clues to make predictions, then confirm or revise them as they read. Since the lesson includes both informational and literary texts, students can practice reading across multiple text types while applying the targeted comprehension skill.

Evaluation for 8.1b
Materials include a variety of high-quality texts at different levels of complexity.

The Amira Instruct lessons include a variety of high-quality texts at different levels of complexity. For example, in the lesson “Distinguishing Characteristics of Children’s Literature: Traditional Stories,” students work with traditional stories that vary in complexity, including differences in plot development, demands on background knowledge, and the amount of inference required to understand the text. Some passages are less complex because they include familiar story patterns and clearly stated lessons or endings, while others are more layered because students must use text clues across the passages to infer plot details, character actions, and meanings. As students move through the “Guided Practice” and “Independent Practice” sections, they read additional stories from different cultural traditions and use text evidence to identify genre characteristics and text structures that are not always explicitly stated. The passages vary in complexity in terms of background knowledge demands, the amount of inference required, and the level of attention that students must give to details within each text to classify and understand each story.

Similarly, traditional literary texts that vary in complexity are included within the same lesson sequence. In the lesson “Identifying Characteristics of Folktales, Fables, and Legends” students read texts ranging from more straightforward traditional stories to passages that require greater vocabulary, syntax, and background knowledge. For example, some passages are less complex because they rely on familiar story patterns and clearly stated meanings, like the fable in which “The fox saw a bunch of grapes hanging high on a vine.” The moral of the fable is stated directly at the end: “It is easy to look down on what you cannot have.” Other passages are more complex because students must interpret vocabulary words and ideas tied to traditional story genres—including terms like moral, generations, exaggerated, threatened, amazement, and grant—while also using context to understand how those details shape the story. In the passage from a legend, students encounter more layered syntax in sentences like “When a great flood threatened the valley, Samuel carried boulders on his back and stacked them into a dam to hold back the river,” which requires students to track multiple actions and details across the sentence. As students move through the “Model,” “Guided Practice,” and “Wrap-Up” sections, they continue to read additional traditional stories and support their thinking with text evidence. Across the lessons, the texts vary in complexity through differences in vocabulary, sentence structure, knowledge demands, and the amount of inference required to interpret and compare the stories.

Evaluation for 8.1c
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences.

The materials include texts that are relevant and engaging for students. In the Amira Instruct lesson “Discussing Dialogue and Setting in Drama” students read short drama scenes set in familiar contexts, including a school talent show, a family campsite, a kitchen where a child bakes with a grandparent, and a soccer field during the final game of the season. These scenarios reflect everyday experiences and relationships that are recognizable to elementary students while also giving them situations to think through like stage fright, teamwork, and family interactions. Throughout the lesson, students read and discuss texts in grade-level appropriate settings and meaningful situations that support engagement and reinforce the lesson’s focus on dialogue and setting.

The educator-led lessons also include texts that reflect a variety of backgrounds and experiences. In the lesson “Distinguishing Characteristics of Children’s Literature: Traditional Stories” students read traditional stories from multiple cultural traditions, including Anansi stories from the Ashanti people of West Africa, stories connected to Japan, and texts from the Ojibwe Nation and the Lakota people. As students read and classify folktales, fables, and fairy tales, they also engage with stories that are rooted in different cultural origins and storytelling traditions. These texts expose students to a range of perspectives and experiences while showing how cultural background shapes traditional literature.

Evaluation for 8.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge.

The materials include routines that activate and build background knowledge before reading. In the Amira Instruct lesson “Asking and Answering Questions Before Reading” students preview titles, headings, pictures, and text features before reading to consider what they already know and what they still want to learn about a topic. The educator models this process with texts like “The Secret Life of Earthworms” by connecting the topic to familiar experiences, like seeing earthworms in gardens or after rain, before students read the passage. As students move into the lesson, they use that background knowledge to support comprehension of the informational text and to establish a purpose for reading.

The educator-led lessons also build background knowledge before students read unfamiliar informational texts. In the lesson “Generating Questions” students preview the title and section headings of a passage about the three branches of government before reading, then use that information to begin asking questions about the topic. The educator introduces key background information about the legislative, executive, and judicial branches and explains how the three branches work within the government before students read the passage. The lesson also builds understanding of unfamiliar concepts like the Constitution and separation of powers, so students have enough background knowledge to make sense of the text as they read.

Evaluation for 8.2b
Materials include pre-teaching of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts.

The materials include pre-teaching of unfamiliar vocabulary words before students read the texts. In the ISIP lessons, the “Build Background and Develop Vocabulary” section introduces vocabulary words from the upcoming narrative before students read it. In “ISIP Advanced Reading 1A” students preview words like eager, cumbersome, purchase, downloaded, and entranced before reading the passage. Similarly, in “ISIP Advanced Reading 6A” students preview words and phrases like frustrated, stumble, disaster, drum, and marching before reading “Drum Lesson.” In both lessons, the educator asks students what they already know about each word, then affirms or clarifies their understanding using the definitions provided in the lesson. Students can also use the vocabulary words in prediction activities before reading, which helps prepare them to understand the text.

Additionally, the Amira Instruct lessons include pre-teaching of unfamiliar vocabulary words before students read an informational text. For example, in “A Science Fair Story” students preview key vocabulary words from the passage before reading. The lesson provides a student-friendly definition for each word and presents the word in context before students encounter it in the text. For example, students are introduced to words like original, displayed, harvest, perform, and experiment before they read the text. By previewing unfamiliar vocabulary words and providing support of their meanings before students read, the lesson pre-teaches the language that students need to comprehend the informational text.

Evaluation for 8.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using contextual analysis to determine the word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons provide explicit, direct instruction in using contextual analysis to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words in text, using the gradual release of responsibility model. The lesson “Using Context for Word Meaning” includes a clearly stated learning target and educator-led instruction on how to determine the meaning of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning words using context. In the “Teach” and “Model” sections the educator is prompted to introduce four types of context clues like definition, example, synonym, and antonym clues and explain how surrounding words and sentences can help readers determine a word’s meaning. Then, the educator models this process with words like fierce and ring, using the surrounding context to show how readers can identify the meaning that best fits the sentence. Students can continue practicing the same routine during guided and independent work with additional words in context, and the lesson includes an exit ticket and support activities to reinforce the strategy. These lesson components provide explicit explanation, educator modeling, guided practice, and independent application in using contextual analysis to determine a word’s meaning.

The vocabulary lessons included in the materials also provide explicit, direct instruction in using contextual analysis to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words in text. In “ISIP Advanced Reading Vocabulary 8C” the educator introduces a four-step routine for determining the meaning of unfamiliar words by examining the surrounding context, identifying the word’s part of speech, looking at meaningful word parts, and using nearby synonyms or antonyms. In the “Teach” section the educator is prompted to explain each step of the routine and model its application while reading a historical fiction letter called “Torn Apart.” Then, students can practice the same process during both guided and independent work to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words like rupture, conceive, internal, and contradictory, using contextual evidence from the text. The lesson includes repeated practice with the routine while students read connected text with educator support before independent application.

Evaluation for 8.2d
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words in grade-appropriate texts. For example, in the lesson “Using Context for Word Meaning” students practice the same contextual analysis routine introduced during direct instruction as they move through guided and independent work. In the “We Do” section students are prompted to use context clues like shivering, cold air, and see our breath to determine that frigid means very cold. Students also analyze the sentence, “The light feather floated gently through the air,” to determine the meaning of light from the surrounding context. In the “You Do” section students work with a partner to determine the meaning of the word spring in a sentence about waking from a long winter sleep and use context to identify the correct meaning of the multiple-meaning word. The lesson extends practice through “Exit Ticket” and “Support” activities that prompt students to continue to identify word meanings and cite context clues that support their choices. The activities in these materials give students repeated practice in using contextual analysis to determine word meanings in text.

Similarly, corresponding student activities also include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words in text. In the lesson “Beyond the Sentence: Context Clues in Surrounding Text” students practice using clues from surrounding sentences to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in connected text. In the “Independent Practice” section students are prompted to read short passages, determine the meaning of underlined words, and identify whether the clue appears in the same sentence or beyond the sentence. For example, students read a sentence about a fragile vase that shatters and use the surrounding context to determine the word’s meaning. The lesson continues with additional passages and a student worksheet that requires students to apply contextual analysis, identify where the clue appears, and explain the evidence that supports their thinking.

Evaluation for 8.3a
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) instruction on reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Scope & Sequence outlines systematic instruction in reading comprehension skills across multiple levels like literal, inferential, and evaluative. According to the grade 3 scope, comprehension instruction follows a planned progression across the school year, moving from less complex skills to more complex comprehension work. Early lessons focus on more literal comprehension tasks like asking and answering questions and identifying a central idea before progressing to lessons that require students to analyze text structure, make inferences, and evaluate an author’s claim and supporting reasons. For example, this progression is reflected in the Amira Instruct lesson “Argumentative Text: Claims, Facts, and Opinions,” which prompts students to identify the author’s claim and distinguish facts from opinions, then analyze how the supporting evidence strengthens the argument. Finally, students evaluate whether the argument is convincing by considering the quality and quantity of the evidence that is presented. The lesson includes explicit educator instruction, modeling, guided practice, and independent application, reflecting the broader comprehension instruction sequence that is outlined in the scope and sequence.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons provide explicit, direct instruction in reading comprehension skills at multiple levels. For example, in the lesson “Asking and Answering Questions After Reading” students receive educator-led instruction on asking and answering questions after reading to deepen comprehension and reflect on key ideas and details in a text. The lesson includes a clearly stated learning target and a process for working through three different question types: “right there questions,” “think and search questions,” and “author and me questions.” In the “Teach” and “Model” sections the educator is prompted to demonstrate literal comprehension by modeling how to answer questions with answers that are stated directly in the text, then model inferential comprehension by showing how to combine details across the text to answer think-and-search questions. Then, the lesson extends into evaluative thinking as students answer author-and-me questions that require them to combine text evidence with their own thinking. Students continue to practice the same process during guided and independent work as they answer questions, explain their thinking, and support their responses with evidence from the text. The lesson components provide explicit explanation, educator modeling, guided practice, and independent application in reading comprehension at multiple levels.

Evaluation for 8.3b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) with a variety of grade-level texts in alignment with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Amira Instruct educator-led lessons include student practice in reading comprehension skills at multiple levels, including literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension. For example, in the lesson “Identifying How Key Details Support the Central Idea” students engage in literal comprehension by identifying a central idea and the key details that support it. Then, students move into inferential comprehension by explaining how those details support the central idea using evidence from the text. The lesson extends into evaluative comprehension as students determine which details are most important to the author’s message and justify their thinking. Another lesson, “Key Ideas vs. Interesting Details,” provides additional practice as students distinguish key ideas from supporting details, explain how those ideas contribute to a text’s meaning, and justify which ideas are most essential. Across these lessons, the activities provide repeated practice in literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension.

The materials also provide students with comprehension practice across a variety of grade-level literary texts. In the lesson “Identifying How Key Details Support the Central Idea” students read informational passages and engage in literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension as they identify central ideas, explain supporting details, and determine which details are most important to the author’s message. In the lesson “Retelling and Paraphrasing Texts” students read both narrative and informational passages and engage in literal and inferential comprehension by retelling key events and paraphrasing important ideas in their own words. By asking students to apply comprehension skills across both informational and narrative texts, the materials provide practice with multiple grade-level text types while reinforcing different levels of comprehension.