Ascend Focus, 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 materials explain that the program is an intensive intervention for students who require instruction beyond tier 1 core literacy. The “Ascend Program Design and Instructional Routines” guide states that the program addresses persistent skill gaps through explicit, systematic instruction, supporting its stated purpose of targeted remediation and intervention.

The “Program Architecture” overview identifies the program’s purpose as a targeted, educator-led intervention for students with foundational skill gaps. The material’s stated purpose describes individualized intervention for grades K–12 that pinpoints where support is needed to enable targeted, developmentally aligned instruction. The program aligns with Ascend Mastery and can function either independently or within any core literacy program.

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.

“Using Ascend Focus to Support Core Literacy Instruction” provides educators with guidance on using the program alongside an existing core reading and language arts program. The guidance explains that the program supplements tier 1 instruction by addressing specific foundational skill gaps through targeted intervention while students continue to receive core literacy instruction.

The materials also provide an overview of how each part of the program works together to support skill mastery. For example, the “Ascend: A Coherent Literacy System for Instruction, Assessment, and Impact” section states that the program is a platform that connects multiple instructional pathways into one coherent system. Each component serves a distinct purpose, allowing students to move seamlessly between levels of support without disruption or inconsistency. Educators operate within a single instructional framework, reducing complexity while increasing effectiveness.

Furthermore, the materials explain how educators use assessment data, differentiated small groups, targeted scaffolding, and intervention pathways within the broader literacy system. The “Lesson and Unit Planning Protocol” directs educators to use weekly checkpoint data, diagnostic assessment information, and grouping recommendations to provide targeted support while students continue participating in core literacy instruction.

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 scope and sequence in the “Phonics Instruction” section of the Ascend Focus Teacher Manuals identifies the foundational literacy skills taught across Skill Sets and lessons. In the set of short vowels, the skills taught are closed syllables, while the set of long vowels includes vowel teams, silent e, and open syllables.

The “Program Architecture” overview provides a rationale for the scope and sequence, noting that the skills taught progress from simple to complex. The materials begin with foundational sound mapping, then progress to structural word building, followed by syllable types and advanced decoding and morphology.

The scope and sequence outlines student expectations, including student-friendly “I can” statements that are aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

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

The materials provide guidance for instructional time, pacing, and implementation of interventions. The program guide identifies Ascend Focus as an individualized intervention and recommends 30 minutes of daily instruction when used for tier 3 and special education (SPED) support. The “Program Architecture” overview outlines the instructional time allotted for each phonics intervention, including both explicit educator instruction and student application.

The “Ascend Program Design and Instructional Routines” guide provides pacing guidance for the first 30 and 60 days of implementation, including recommended instructional minutes, lessons per week, regrouping based on student data, and adjustments when students master or struggle with concepts. The materials also include a 30-minute intervention block divided among phonics, fluency, and comprehension/writing, with time designated for both educator-led instruction and student practice. This structure supports a gradual release model while allowing educators to adjust instruction based on student needs.

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

The materials include training and implementation supports designed to help educators implement Ascend Focus with fidelity. The “Program Architecture” overview identifies supports such as live professional learning, instructional modeling, hands-on practice, coaching, onboarding, self-service resources, and ongoing product support. The materials also include a dedicated “Implementation Guide” organized across four phases of the school year to build educator familiarity with instructional routines and strengthen implementation confidence.

Additional educator supports appear throughout the program resources. The program guide provides scripted guidance, phonetic pronunciations, and instructional tips for phonological and phonemic awareness lessons. Program architecture documents explain intervention design and lesson structures, while the “Program Design and Instructional Routines” materials include an “Assessment System Guide” that helps educators interpret assessment results and use data to adjust instruction throughout the year.

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

The caregiver resources in the “Program Architecture” overview include examples of letters to send home to families in both English and Spanish. These letters provide suggestions for reinforcing skills at home and offer insight into the taught skills. The product has a caregiver letter in both Spanish and English and states how families can support their student at home. For example, the English caregiver letter states, “Read Together Daily: Spending just 10–15 minutes reading together builds strong life long readers.” The letters also state, “Encourage Writing: Invite your child to draw and write about their daily experiences to strengthen their communication skills.”

Furthermore, the materials include progress sharing tools and at-home literacy strategies in the “Ascend Student Experience” in both English and Spanish. These supports help families monitor student progress and reinforce literacy development outside of the classroom.

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 “Assessment System Guide” outlines a comprehensive assessment structure that includes diagnostic, formative, and progress-monitoring assessments that identify student skill gaps, provide real-time instructional feedback, and measure mastery over time, directly supporting the program’s purpose of targeted remediation and acceleration. The materials explain how each assessment type supports a distinct phase of implementation: Diagnostic assessments identify unfinished foundational literacy skills to guide instructional placement, while formative and progress-monitoring assessments track student growth and inform instructional adjustments throughout the program.

The “Intervention Assessment Structure” section of the program guide describes the assessments as a layered assessment system that includes an entry diagnostic, daily lesson checks, and progress monitoring. The “Assessment System Guide” explains that the entry-diagnostic assessments identify students’ current skill profiles and place the students on personalized learning paths. The daily lesson checks provide real-time formative information for immediate instructional adjustment, and the progress-monitoring assessments occur every 15 calendar days to guide summative recalibration of instruction, intensity, grouping, or skill focus. All the assessments are used for all students, whether they are in targeted remediation or acceleration.

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

The program guide provides an overview, including the definition and intended purpose of the layered assessment system that supports both placement and progress monitoring. The entry diagnostic (comprehensive) identifies each student’s current skill profile and places them on a personalized learning path. The daily lesson checks (in the moment) provide quick, in-the-moment checks that help educators adjust instruction immediately. Progress monitoring (ongoing) is conducted every 15 calendar days, and provides an ongoing pulse check to ensure intervention effectiveness—guiding recalibration of instruction, intensity, grouping, or skill focus based on student progress.

The “Intervention Assessment Structure” explains that assessments obtain data on individual students’ phonics skills, identify areas where students may need additional instruction or support, and monitor growth. This resource also identifies assessment uses such as identifying gaps and monitoring growth.

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

The “Assessment System Guide” provides educators with explicit guidance on administering diagnostic, formative, and progress-monitoring assessments, including when each assessment occurs within instruction and how the results inform intervention decisions. The materials establish consistent implementation expectations tied directly to the supplemental instructional model, connecting assessment administration to instructional routines.

The “How to Use It” section in the “Resources” tab of the online platform describes the materials needed and the directions for administering the tests. This section also provides screener notes about marking errors, self-corrections, hesitation errors, and sounding out before reading.

The Digital Teacher Platform further supports consistent implementation by organizing assessment resources within each instructional Skill Set and embedding assessments directly into the instructional sequence. The materials indicate when assessments occur within instruction and provide aligned resources connected to targeted literacy routines. This structure reduces ambiguity around assessment delivery and gives educators a clear, organized path for administering assessments across intervention settings.

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

The materials include a range of instructional assessment types, varying in structure and complexity. Diagnostic assessments, lesson-embedded formative checks, and progress-monitoring assessments each serve distinct functions, ranging from in-the-moment checks during instruction to more comprehensive measures of skill mastery. This range reflects a design that supports educators in gathering data at multiple points and levels throughout the intervention cycle. The instructional guidance for grade 3 includes a skill-matching table that connects identified deficits from the diagnostic assessment directly to corresponding lessons. Assessed skills span from consonant sounds to decoding multisyllabic words, capturing varying levels of complexity across the foundational skills continuum and giving educators a concrete tool for responding to student data at the appropriate level of instruction.

The instructional guidance for grade 3 illustrates this range in practice. Formative assessments embedded throughout the program offer additional opportunities to check for understanding at varying levels of complexity. In lesson 135, for example, students work with the /er/ sound spelling in both decoding and encoding contexts.

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

The Digital Teacher Platform includes student reports, progress-monitoring reports, and assessment reports that organize student literacy performance and mastery progression across instructional Skill Sets. These tools support educators in analyzing student growth trends, monitoring intervention effectiveness, and interpreting assessment outcomes to inform instructional decisions throughout the program. The “Data” tab in the educator portal helps educators interpret student performance. The “Group Skill Accuracy” section provides educators with percentages that help show whole-class progress on specific skills. This tab also provides a breakdown of students’ accuracy status at the individual level, showing each student’s current intervention status.

The “Using Progress Monitoring Data” section of the “Ascend Program Design and Instructional Routines” guide informs educators that data is used to establish an instructional starting point for intervention, prioritize the most relevant skills and content, and assign an individualized pathway and experience to support targeted intervention.

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

The “Dashboard and Reporting” section of the “Program Design and Instructional Routines” guide explains that reports show student mastery and instructional next steps from progress-monitoring data. The guidance states that reports break down student performance, explain where errors are occurring, and suggest specific instructional pivots, supporting educators in responding to assessment trends through regrouping, pacing adjustments, and targeted instruction.

The dashboard of the online platform provides instructional insights for three groups: what the data shows, what it means, and what to do next. In addition, it provides skill group accuracy, showing percentages for who needs support, who is on track, and who is progressing. The dashboard also organizes students by their current Skill Set, making it easy to manage small-group rotations and launch scripted lessons or digital resources directly from the screen. It highlights upcoming sound–spelling patterns and syllable types, which gives educators a clear road map for maintaining instructional momentum.

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 “Assessment Progress Monitoring” section of the program guide includes printable tools to support educators in tracking student progress and growth. These resources include individual data summary sheets, progress-monitoring summary sheets, and class-at-a-glance summary sheets, providing educators with organized options for monitoring performance at both the individual and whole-class levels. The “Focus” dashboard provides educators with immediate insight into where individual and group students are on the Phonics Track. At a glance, educators can compare each student’s initial diagnostic placement to current performance, giving a clear picture of growth over time. Students also have access to this progression on the dashboard, reinforcing the shared tracking system that supports goal setting and self-monitoring across the program.

To support student ownership of learning, the program also provides a skill mastery tracker for students to monitor their progress. Within this tool, students record the Skill Set they mastered, their goal, their score, and a personal reflection on what they learned. Together, the educator- and student-facing tracking tools create a shared system for monitoring growth throughout the intervention cycle.

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

The “Assessment System Guide” explains how diagnostic assessment results identify student skill gaps and determine placement within the intervention model. The materials connect assessment data to intervention decisions by outlining how student performance informs instructional grouping, targeted support needs, and ongoing progress monitoring so educators can act on assessment results with a defined approach to intervention placement.

The program architecture further explains how student assessment data supports the identification of literacy needs and inform ongoing intervention decisions related to foundational skill development and targeted remediation. Exit criteria are also defined, with students exiting the program upon demonstrating mastery of grade-level foundational skills, as evidenced by progress-monitoring and assessment data.

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 materials provide comprehensive guidance for differentiated instruction through a fully integrated, data-driven intervention model. The program places students based on diagnostic results; groups them by skill need; and provides support through targeted, educator-led instruction and additional resources, such as the Ascend Focus Teacher Manuals and Digital Teacher Platform. This structure ensures that students who have not yet reached proficiency receive precise, responsive instruction aligned to their specific skill gaps.

The “Program Design and Instructional Routines” guide indicates that students are placed in small groups based on skills not yet mastered. Small groups are flexible based on data. Differentiation occurs at three levels: adjusting pacing and scaffolding in whole-group instruction, targeting specific skill needs in small groups, and providing intensive individual intervention.

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.

This guidance is not applicable to the program because the program has a stated purpose of targeted remediation or acceleration, not additional instruction and/or practice.

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 include educator tips directly within the lesson flow. These tips support educators to meet learners’ needs. For example, multilingual support instructs educators to allow learners to think, write, or talk about the questions in their home language before translating them to English. The lesson also offers sentence starter supports, such as “I feel safe when __.” However, the lesson does not guide educators in supporting special education students.

In Skill Set 25, lesson 175, “Adding Suffixes: Changing y to i,” the lesson provides general instructional supports, such as scripted educator prompts, educator modeling, articulation support, guided practice, visual word marking, and structured student response routines. However, the materials do not provide special education supports or guidance for adapting content, methodology, or the delivery of instruction based on a student’s specially designed instructional needs.

The “Learner Variability Framework” includes general guidance about how to support students receiving supports and services through special education. However, the guidance is not tailored to the content, structure, and/or features of the specific instructional program.

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 materials include explicit prompts and guidance to support educators in modeling and explaining the skills to be learned. Each lesson provides structured instructional routines with scripted language that guides educators through introducing new skills, modeling concepts, prompting student responses, and facilitating guided practice. The educator-facing materials also include supports such as sound–spelling image cards and articulation guidance to help educators clearly explain and model targeted skills.

For example, in Skill Set 21, lesson 146, “Phonetics Three Letter Blends: str,” the materials provide explicit educator prompts for introducing the target phonics skill and supporting practice with blending before independent application. The materials direct the educator to model marking blends with an arc for decoding support. The materials also prompt the educator to model fluent reading.

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 materials include educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches. Lessons follow a structured instructional routine that includes explicit instruction, educator modeling, guided practice, student response opportunities, and skill application. Embedded educator prompts, scripts, and facilitation guidance support educators in implementing instruction across multiple modalities, including oral language, reading, writing, spelling, and fluency activities. The program architecture explains that each session incorporates explicit instruction, dictation and encoding, and fluency application to support skill development from initial introduction to independent use.



The materials provide opportunities for students to engage with skills through verbal practice, written practice, partner discussions, and reading and writing activities. For example, in Skill Set 21, lesson 146, “Phonetics Three Letter Blends: str,” the lesson includes articulation modeling, sound–spelling mapping, educator-guided spelling, dictation, word and sentence fluency, repeated passage reading, partner oral language, and writing connected to the passage “An Oak Lined Street.” Similarly, in Skill Set 22, lesson 153, the materials guide educators through educator modeling, guided practice, student-response opportunities, fluency practice, and application activities in reading and writing, demonstrating a variety of instructional approaches supported by educator-facing facilitation guidance.

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 feature a dashboard that organizes students by skill level and instructional placement, providing educators with a clear overview of students’ needs. In addition, the program’s student performance reports supply actionable data to inform instructional and grouping decisions.

The “Ascend Implementation Guide” includes guidance on recommended structures and recommendations on when to use whole-group, small-group, or individual instruction based on student results.

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 materials offer targeted support for emergent bilingual (EB) students, such as call-out boxes with linguistic accommodations, including sentence frames, structured responses, educator modeling, and guided language practice.

Additionally, the materials provide guidance on supporting EB students. For example, in lesson 37, there is a multilingual support call-out box that informs educators that some languages lack a voiced /b/ and the sound of the word, and those learners may replace the /b/ with a voiceless /p/.

The “Multilingual Learners” section of the program guide helps educators provide linguistic accommodations for various levels of 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 include implementation guidance to support EB students through structured linguistic supports such as sentence frames, oral language development routines, and educator modeling. For example, in lesson 76, there are oral language activities to target students at the elementary, intermediate, and secondary levels. Additionally, there are writing scaffolds using oral language and reminders to use words, phrases, or complete sentences as appropriate for their skill level.

The “Program Architecture” overview indicates that the materials use an integrated approach to support EB students, combining language and literacy skills. Explicit vocabulary instruction and oral discourse are used to support comprehension.

The “Multilingual Learners” section of the program guide includes implementation guidance to support educators in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual and ESL programs.

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 materials include a systematic sequence for introducing sound–spelling patterns that progresses from simple to more complex skills. The Phonics Track follows a cumulative framework that moves from foundational sound-symbol mapping to structural word building, phonetic and syllable instruction, and advanced decoding and morphology. The scope and sequence outlines this progression across grade 3, beginning with basic consonant and vowel correspondences in early Skill Sets (e.g., Skill Set 1, lesson 14, focusing on consonant /d/), then moving to more complex patterns such as digraphs (Skill Set 15, lesson 101), and later to advanced morphological patterns such as suffixes (Skill Set 31, lesson 215). This sequence demonstrates a clear instructional progression in sound–spelling patterns aligned to increasing word complexity.

This systematic sequence is further supported by the program’s instructional design, which reinforces cumulative development of sound–spelling knowledge across lessons. The “Phonics Domain” in the Ascend Focus Teacher Manuals describes instruction as progressing from short vowel patterns in CVC words (Skill Set 1) to digraphs and vowel teams in later Skill Sets, showing a consistent expansion of sound–spelling patterns. In grade 3 lessons, students apply this sequence through structured instruction that begins with direct sound–spelling introduction (e.g., consonant /g/ in Skill Set 6, lesson 36), followed by guided practice in spelling and reading, ensuring that each new sound–spelling pattern builds on previously taught patterns within the established instructional sequence.

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.

For grade 3, the materials include explicit instruction in decoding and encoding words with targeted sound spelling instruction. The instruction includes scripted educator modeling and explanation. In Skill Set 14, lesson 92, the educator guides students to decode the word hen by marking the short /e/ with an x underneath it, and an asterisk above the guardian consonant n. The educator states that the guardian consonant proves the vowel is short. The educator codes the short e with a breve over it. They then decode the word hen. The next portion of the lesson focuses on encoding using the sound–spelling pattern of e for /e/. The educator states, “Tell me the sounds in wet.” Students state, /w/ /e/ /t/. The educator is then scripted to say, “Wet. My jacket got wet as we walked in the rain. Spell the word wet.” The lesson guidance states for students to spell the word wet, one phoneme-grapheme match at a time. The students then code the word wet as the educator did with the word hen.

Additionally, these instructional routines ensure students have repeated practice with decoding and encoding, further supporting mastery of sound–spelling patterns. Furthermore, the materials provide educators with opportunities to explicitly teach phonics, offering multiple opportunities for students to decode and encode words using taught sound–spelling patterns. The educator’s guidance provides instruction to teach through direct modeling, dictation, marking routines, and cumulative review activities.

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.

In Skill Set 14, lesson 92, instruction begins with a cumulative review of Phonetic Skill 1, where students restate a previously taught rule: “When one consonant comes right after a vowel, the vowel sound is short.” Students then apply the skill to decode words in isolation such as hen and wet, followed by additional review words including mop, did, and log. Students also engage in encoding through educator dictation and word chaining (e.g., met → pet → pat → path → bath), demonstrating repeated application of previously taught patterns. This cumulative practice continues across word, sentence, and passage levels, including connected-text reading in “The Wet Day,” where students apply the same sound–spelling pattern in meaningful text to support fluency and automaticity.

Cumulative practice is embedded across the program through consistent routines such as daily dictation, review word lists, word chaining, sentence dictation, and passage fluency activities. For example, Skill Set 20, lessons 19 and 20, reinforce the /ir/ spelling pattern through repeated encoding of words such as first, stir, bird, and dictated review words including verge, term, and sort. Students also engage in word and sentence fluency and passage reading, providing repeated exposure to both isolated and connected-text applications. Similarly, across Skill Set 14 and related lessons, students cycle through decoding in isolation, encoding through dictation, and reading decodable passages with previously taught patterns.

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

In grade 3, the lessons include student practice that focuses only on sound–spelling patterns explicitly taught in the lesson. For example, in Skill Set 16, lesson 106, students are explicitly taught how to use the CVCe (o_e) to make the long /o/ sound. Students then encode words that follow that pattern, including note, vote, and those. Additionally, all the words in the dictation bank use o_e to spell long /o/. The sentence fluency decoding and the fluency passage decoding include words that follow this spelling pattern, as well as words with previously learned sound–spelling patterns, and they do not include words with unknown spelling patterns.

Building on this approach, the program’s structure and sequencing ensure that student reading and writing tasks map directly to the phonics concepts that were explicitly taught. As soon as a new sound–spelling pattern is introduced, students apply it immediately through dictation and connected decodable text practice.

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 materials provide a structured routine for teaching high-frequency words through the “High-Frequency Word” section of the Ascend Focus Teacher Manuals, which includes approximately 125 high-frequency words. Each word follows a consistent two-day instructional routine that includes “Tap It,” “Map It”, “Examine It,” “Read It,” “Write It,” “Review It,” “Read It Again,” “Write It Again,” and “Extend It,” supported by scripted educator directions, student responses, and explicit modeling.

The “High-Frequency Word” section indicates that the high-frequency words come from the Children’s Picture Book (CPB) Sight Words list and makes recommendations for words taught at each grade level.

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 materials include explicit instruction in decoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. For example, students learn the irregular high-frequency word to in the “High-Frequency Word” lessons. In the “Tap It” activity, the educator says, “Say the word to. → (to). Tell me the sounds in the word to. → (/t/ /o/). How many sounds are there? → (two).” During the “Map It” activity, the educator guides students to map sounds to letters and explains that the letter o represents an unusual spelling for the vowel sound in the word. Students then identify the irregular spelling pattern and connect sounds to letters. Finally, in the “Read It” activity, students read the word to in isolation and in phrases. The structure of and activities within this lesson are replicated across all day-one high-frequency word lessons.

The materials include explicit instruction in encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. For example, students spell the word of in the same instructional sequence. During the “Map It” activity, the educator asks students to identify each sound in the word (/u/ /v/) and match each sound to a letter, guiding them to recognize that o and f represent irregular spellings for the sounds. Students then encode the word by writing it using the identified letter–sound correspondences. In the “Write It” activity, students write and spell the word of multiple times while orally spelling each letter. The structure of and activities within this lesson are replicated across all day 1 “High-Frequency Word” lessons.

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 materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words through repeated exposure in isolation and connected text. For example, in Skill Set 19, lesson 127, students engage in cumulative practice using dictated words and review words that include previously taught high-frequency words embedded within sentence-level dictation. Students read and write high-frequency words in context during the connected text passage “Fixing the Shed,” which includes irregular high-frequency words such as of and was. These words are revisited alongside cumulative review tasks where students identify, read, and write previously taught high-frequency words within sentences. The “Extend It” activity further reinforces practice by having students choose between high-frequency words such as is and was to complete sentences correctly, supporting repeated exposure and accurate usage in context. Across these activities, students repeatedly encounter previously taught high-frequency words in isolation and connected text.

The materials also provide cumulative practice with previously taught irregular high-frequency words through repeated review in isolation and connected text. For example, the word was is revisited in explicit instruction where students segment, map, and read the word in isolation and within connected sentences. Students then apply their understanding in the “Extend It” activity by selecting between is and was to complete sentences, reinforcing correct usage in context. Across lessons, previously taught high-frequency words such as of and was are consistently embedded in dictation, sentence reading, and review tasks, ensuring repeated exposure. This cumulative practice supports automatic recognition and accurate spelling of high-frequency words through repeated use in both isolation and connected text.

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

The lessons in the “High-Frequency Words” student practice include only regular and irregular high-frequency words explicitly taught in the lesson. For example, there are two days of explicit instruction on the irregular high-frequency word eyes. The script involves explicit instruction on how to spell this word by mapping the irregular graphemes for the phonemes. Students then practice reading and writing the word eyes in isolation and in connected text. In several of the connected text sentences, students see additional irregular high-frequency words, including your and are, that were previously explicitly taught.

A similar approach is used with the irregular high-frequency word once. Over two days, students receive explicit instruction on spelling the word by mapping its irregular graphemes to phonemes. Then they practice reading and writing once in isolation and in connected text. Additionally, the connected text includes other irregular high-frequency words, such as our and been, which were previously taught, further reinforcing explicit instruction.

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 materials include a systematic sequence for introducing syllable types in alignment with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The scope and sequence outlines the introduction of syllable types including closed syllables, open syllables, and consonant-le syllables in a structured progression. Instructional materials provide scripted lessons that support the development of foundational syllable knowledge as students move through the program.

The scope and sequence provides explicit educator guidance for introducing phonics concepts and word structures, supporting students in recognizing how letter patterns represent sounds within words. Instruction includes systematic teaching of vowel teams such as ea, where students learn that vowel combinations can represent multiple sounds, supporting word reading development alongside phonics instruction.

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 materials include explicit instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words aligned with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. Skill Set 30, lesson 204, has explicit instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words containing the vowel digraph -ey. The lesson begins with reviewing the long /e/ sound as a buzzing sound, followed by finding it on the vowel slide slope. The educator then reviews previously learned ways to spell the long /e/ sound, including e, e-e, ea, ee, y, and ie. The educator then reviews what a vowel digraph is, reminding students that they have already learned about vowel digraphs with adjacent vowels in Phonetic Skill 5 and “Special Vowel Sounds.” The educator explicitly states that the -ey vowel digraph always appears at the end of a word and is most commonly found in words with more than one syllable. The educator then leads students to analyze the word monkey by marking the o and ey with an x, and an arc under the ey. The educator then explicitly reviews that there are two vowels in this word, indicating two syllables. The educator then reviews how to use decoding skill two to split the consonants between n and k. The educator and students further analyze the word monkey by identifying that the o in this word is a schwa sound, so they mark it with the schwa symbol. They then decode the word by its syllable types.

This explicit approach is further supported by the Phonics Domain Teacher Manual, which includes detailed scripts for decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words. For example, the “Syllabication Skills” framework provides a guided practice for students to encode syllables using the words such as interrupt and acrobat and divide syllables using words such as remember and tomorrow.

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 materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words aligned with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose, both in isolation and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity. For example, in Skill Set 30, lesson 204, there is a dictation bank with multisyllabic words ending in the vowel digraph ending -ey, including money and chimney. The remainder of the lesson has students practicing decoding multisyllabic words in isolation and in decodable connected text. The decodable connected text has both multisyllabic words and one-syllable words that follow this pattern, including alley and key.

Similarly, Skill Set 29, lesson 198, includes a dictation box with many multisyllabic words to encode, such as computer and important. Students then practice decoding multisyllabic words both in isolation and in connected text. The decodable connected text features a variety of multisyllabic words as well as one-syllable words, including used, as, and warm.

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

The materials include student practice that is limited to syllable types and syllable division principles that have been explicitly taught. In Skill Set 27, lesson 185, students are explicitly taught the consonant-le syllable pattern when preceded by an st blend, where the t becomes silent. The educator models that these words are divided with the s in the first syllable and the silent t in the second syllable. Students then apply this pattern in decoding and encoding practice using words such as hustle, gristle, and whistle for encoding, and bustle, jostle, and wrestle for decoding.

In Skill Set 32, lesson 220, students are taught to divide words with reversed vowel patterns, where each vowel represents its own sound (e.g., neon), in contrast to previously learned adjacent vowel patterns. Students mark vowels and syllable divisions and then apply this rule in practice with words such as rodeo, stereo, leotard, and chameleon. All student practice is confined to syllable types and division principles that have been explicitly taught in prior instruction.

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 materials include a systematic sequence for introducing morphemes aligned with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. For grade 3, there is a systematic introduction of morphemes located in the Phonics Domain Teacher Manual. Inflectional endings such as -s, -es, and -ed are introduced before other suffixes, including -ure. After these suffixes are introduced, the sequence lists common prefixes such as re- and un-.

This systematic approach continues in the “Resource Morphology” section. Here, common prefixes such as mis- and non- are introduced before more complex prefixes such as poly- and dia-. Similarly, common suffixes such as -or and -ship precede more complex suffixes such as -ent and -ous, and common roots such as photo- and micro- are introduced before more complex roots such as luna- and pend-.

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 materials include explicit instruction on morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The lessons in the Ascend Focus Teacher Manuals provide evidence of explicit instruction on morphological skills. For example, the lesson on adding the suffix -s to words begins with stating the objective in student-friendly terms. A definition of the purpose of a morpheme is explained using academic language. The educator then uses the “Gradual Release of Responsibility Model” to guide students to understand how adding the morpheme s makes a singular noun turn into a plural noun, and to indicate an action is happening now, in the present. The educator then models turning the word dot into dots, and models how to code the suffix -s with a line underneath. Together, they go through the process of decoding and encoding the word hat and turning it into the word hats by adding the morpheme -s. Students then independently turn the word cat into cats by adding the morpheme -s.

This explicit approach to morphological instruction is also evident in “Resource Morphology.” The lesson on adding the suffix -or begins by stating the objective in student friendly terms. A definition is provided of what a morpheme is using academic language. The educator explicitly states that the morpheme -or comes from the Latin language and means “someone who does a job.” The educator defines it as a suffix that is added to the end of a word to make it mean someone who does the job of the root word. The educator then models analyzing the word doctor with explicit think-aloud prompts. Together, they decode words such as actor and inventor. Students then decode the word director. The lesson is extended with oral language practice in which students have a conversation using the word director. A conversation prompt is given as a scaffold.

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 materials include cumulative student practice of morphological skills aligned with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose, both in isolation and in connected text, to develop automaticity. Skill Set 32, lesson 224, provides cumulative student practice of the prefix mid-. After the educator explicitly teaches the meaning and mechanics of the prefix mid-, the students practice the words midnight, midpoint, and midfield in isolation. The fluency passage practices the words midday, midfield, midpoint, midair, and midway in the decodable text. Additionally, this passage offers a cumulative review of the suffix -ing in the words watching and sailing, which was taught in Skill Set 15, lesson 103.

Similarly, Skill Set 28, lesson 192, provides cumulative student practice of the prefix un-. After the educator explicitly teaches the meaning and mechanics of the prefix un-, the students practice the words unhappy, untie, and unwrap in isolation. The fluency passage reinforces the words unlock, unzip, and untidy in decodable text. This passage also reviews the suffix -ed with the spelling change from y to i in the word tried, which was previously taught in Skill Set 25, lesson 175.

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

The materials incorporate student practice that includes only morphemes that have been explicitly taught. Skill Set 24, lesson 168, explicitly teaches the suffix -er, and the student practice includes words such as faster, leader, and louder. Similarly, Skill Set 18, lesson 125, focuses on one of the three sounds of the suffix -ed, /d/, with practice words including rained, cleaned, and stayed.

Additionally, “Resource Morphology” begins with a list of 133 morphemes, followed by detailed scripts for explicit instruction of each morpheme. The instruction for each morpheme spans two days or sessions, which includes morpheme–word connection and word-analysis formats. For example, the lesson on the suffix -able begins with an introduction to the new morpheme, an explanation of its origin and meaning, and how it is used. Then students apply that knowledge to words such as washable, comfortable, and understandable.

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

The materials include modeling of fluent reading in the online lessons. Each lesson includes a “Passage Fluency” activity after explicit instruction and practice with new skills. During the “Passage Fluency” routine, the educator first models fluent reading before students reread the passage through choral reading, partner reading, and independent reading. In Skill Set 20, lesson 136, students learn about “Adding Suffixes: Vowel R.” After explicit instruction explaining the rules for adding suffixes to vowel-r words, the educator first models fluent reading, then students reread through choral reading, partner reading, and independent reading. Students have the opportunity to practice reading words such as marching, curled, and stirred. Next, they read the sentence, “Her kite had started turning and whirling in the breeze.” Finally, students practice reading words that follow the skill learned in a passage titled “The Storm.”

Additionally, in Skill Set 22, lesson 151, students learn about “Long Vowel Combos: -ost.” After explicit instruction explaining the sound of the vowel o when it’s followed by -st and the educator then modeling the skill, students have the opportunity to practice reading words such as host, most, and post. Next they read the sentence, “Most of us will read the note on the post.” Finally, students practice reading words that follow the skill learned in a passage titled “The Class Host.”

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 lists, sentences, and passages. In grade 3, every lesson includes the “Word and Sentence Fluency” and “Passage Fluency” sections. These sections consist of a short list of words based on the skill taught in the lesson, a sentence containing several words that correspond with the skill taught, and a short passage with a collection of words with the skill taught for students to practice. For example, in Skill Set 12, lesson 84, students practice the skill “-NG Glued Sounds: -ing” by reading words such as king and thing, reading the sentence “The king has a big ring” and reading a passage titled “Jing and the King.”

Additional lessons follow the same instructional routine while targeting different phonics skills.For example, in Skill Set 20, lesson 140, students practice the skill “Trigraphs: -tch” by reading words such as switch and clutch; reading the sentence “Fletch can stitch a patch on his bag”; and reading a passage titled “Mitch and the Hutch.”

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 online lessons include passages in the “Fluency” section with words for students to read chorally, with a partner, and independently. The passages are different for each lesson and include words with taught phonics patterns from direct instruction earlier in the lessons. The lessons offer a variety of fluency passages for students to read chorally, such as informational, narrative, fiction, and procedural texts.

For example, Skill Set 17, lesson 118, includes the narrative text “Joe and His Toe.” Skill Set 17, lesson 119, includes the informational text titled “Would You Like a Peach?” These passages provide opportunities for students to build fluency across multiple text types.

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

The grade 3 materials include a variety of texts at different levels of complexity through decodable passages that increase lexical, syntactic, and conceptual demands while remaining aligned to the targeted phonics skill. In Skill Set 30, lesson 204, students apply the newly taught vowel digraph pattern while reading “The Lost Key.” The passage contains multisyllabic words including alley, chimney, and Bailey; vowel digraphs; compound sentence structures; dialogue; and an authentic narrative centered on honesty and responsibility.

Additionally, in Skill Set 33, lesson 228, students read “Routines,” an informational passage explaining how daily routines support organization, stress reduction, productivity, and healthy habits. The passage includes academic vocabulary, including routine, structure, responsibilities, and productivity; varied sentence lengths; explanatory text structures; and real-world applications. Students apply the target vowel pattern while reading an informational text that is more conceptually demanding than narrative decodables, providing opportunities to develop fluency with increasingly complex text.

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

The materials provide opportunities for students to practice fluency by reading sentences and passages. Each lesson includes a “Passage Fluency” activity at the end of the lesson after explicit instruction and practice with new skills. Each lesson guides the educator to read the passage four times. The educator reads first to model fluent reading. During the second read, the educator leads choral reading while fading their voice to allow students to take the lead. For the third read, the lessons guide the educator to have learners read with a partner and provide support as needed. The educator allows students to read independently for the fourth read. The script also guides educators to use echo reading or partner reading for additional support.

The “Ascend Corrective Feedback and Next Steps Guide” provides explicit educator guidance for corrective feedback on accuracy, rate, and prosody. This guidance includes modeling, guided correction, rereading, and targeted next steps based on the identified fluency errors.