Program Information
- ISBN
- 9781623825072
- Technical Specifications: Checklist
- Tech Specs: Checklist (pdf 524.2 KB)
- Technical Specifications: Professional Development
- Tech Specs: Professional Development (pdf 180.36 KB)
Ascend Mastery, Grade 3
ELAR Grade 3
IMRA 2026
Publisher: Reading Horizons dba HEC Software Inc.
Copyright: 2026
Series includes:
Rubric: ELAR K–3 | 2025 (Download Not Available)
* Some programs submit evidence for only part of a standard, while others submit all sections. A 100% score means this program met all the expectations it submitted.
Quality Review
Standards Alignment
Rubric Section
| Grade | TEKS % | ELPS % |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 52.31% | 100% |
Criteria for Quality
Rubric Section 1
Intentional Instructional Design
Total
92% (22 out of 24 points)
Evaluation for 1.1a
The scope and sequence includes a 150-day calendar and program components for word study/morphology, fluency, comprehension, grammar and syntax, and writing. The scope and sequence also outlines concepts taught throughout the course, including determining the theme from details and determining the main idea and summarizing. The “Evidence of TEKS Alignment” and “Evidence of ELPS Alignment” documents outline the standards addressed in the course.
The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) are embedded within the scope and sequence or directly connected to unit and lesson progression. Units and lessons identify which TEKS or ELPS appear within instruction.
Evaluation for 1.1b
The materials include a pacing guide with a 150-day instructional calendar, in which each lesson corresponds to one instructional day. The “Pacing Guidance” section recommends one lesson per day within the literacy block, with a weekly day for assessment and application. This includes phonics, fluency, grammar, comprehension, and writing components.
The pacing guide addresses the identified gap by providing pacing options for 150-, 165-, 180-, and 210-day instructional calendars while maintaining the 150-day core instructional sequence. The pacing guide also explains how responsive instruction days support reteaching, differentiation, extension, and application. The materials include general guidance, such as spending time in small groups reteaching based on assessments, extending writing assignments, or using extra days for student projects.
Evaluation for 1.1c
In the “Program Architecture Overview,” the instructional model establishes a consistent structure for core instruction and introduces concepts sequentially from simple to more complex. The program follows a linear, routine-based design and uses ongoing formative assessments to monitor student understanding and support mastery of prerequisite skills. Instruction is organized around 10 interconnected themes that recur across grade levels, enabling students to deepen their understanding and strengthen connections across domains over time.
The materials clearly explain the rationale for the course’s unit sequence. The program describes thematic progression and cross-domain connections and explains why it arranges units in their current order and how skills and concepts build systematically from one unit to the next. The course, unit, and learning progression guidance describes how learning progresses from accessible contexts to increasingly complex disciplinary knowledge, interdisciplinary connections, inquiry, and synthesis, and shows how earlier learning builds a foundation for later units.
Evaluation for 1.1d
The materials include structured processes to support educator preparation for unit instruction. Through the Program Design and Instructional Routines resource, educators use the “Planning Protocol” to internalize each unit. Educators review prior assessment and benchmark data; analyze the Essential Question and “Unit at a Glance” section; and identify learning progressions, instructional priorities, and academic vocabulary. Educators also gather differentiated instructional resources to support instruction before teaching the unit.
The materials provide additional unit-level supports through the “Unit at a Glance” section and the “Program Architecture Overview.” The “Unit at a Glance” section outlines instructional sequencing, key concepts, texts, and required materials. The “Program Architecture Overview” provides pacing guidance and supports for daily instruction, small groups, differentiation, and emergent bilingual (EB) students.
Evaluation for 1.1e
The implementation guide provides structured, phase-based guidance for school leaders to support and monitor effective program implementation. The timeline guides administrators in supporting instruction for four phases, including before school starts, the first week of school, 30 days into the school year, and 60 days into the school year.
“Use the Ascend Early Implementation Checklist” suggests that administrators use a checklist for walk-throughs, which addresses the identified gap by providing instructional leaders with observable indicators for monitoring lesson implementation and offering actionable coaching feedback.
Evaluation for 1.2a
Unit overviews provide the background knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to teach the concepts in the unit. The “Unit Order Rationale” contains each grade level’s unit overviews. Each unit overview is organized with the following sections: “Knowledge Students Will Build,” “Teacher Background Knowledge,” “Key Content Understandings,” “Academic and Content Vocabulary,” and “Teacher Planning Note.”
Each overview contains a “Teacher Background Knowledge” section that is specific to each unit and grade level. This component provides necessary information and possible misconceptions about the concepts in the unit. Both academic and content vocabulary for the unit are provided in the overviews.
Evaluation for 1.2b
Family support resources for each unit, including “Caregiver Letters,” provide overviews and at-home strategies to support student learning. These resources are available in both English and Spanish, which ensures accessibility for families and enables them to actively support their student’s literacy development.
The Caregiver portal provides families with access to lesson content and student progress, supporting ongoing engagement in both English and Spanish. For example, the “Caregiver Letter” tells families which skills students will be working on and provides practical suggestions for supporting learning progress through activities at home.
Evaluation for 1.3a
Lesson plans are structured into weekly and unit plans. Included are unit Essential Questions and weekly topics. Daily lessons include plans with tasks and questions related to the weekly topic. Lesson plans include components that have a general focus and lesson objectives.
In Program Design and Instructional Routines, the “Program Architecture Overview” provides a comprehensive and detailed lesson plan support. The “Lesson Planning: Scripted & Supported Instruction” section explains the daily objectives aligned to lesson standards, questions to check for understanding of lesson objectives, questions to promote the use of language to meet language objectives, tasks to promote mastery of the lesson objectives, and a list of required materials.
The materials included structured lesson plans with daily objectives, questions, tasks, and instructional assessments. Every fifth day, the lesson plan focuses on assessment, including a weekly checkpoint, a writing lesson, and opportunities to apply that week’s learning through fluency practice and engaging with connected text. For example, in lesson 31, the lesson objective is “Learners will pause at meaningful places in sentences to support understanding.” After reading two sample sentences, the educator asks, “Where is the first natural break?” Then the students participate in choral, partner, and independent reading with educator support for phrasing as needed. The weekly topic is “Explore how animals use powerful senses...to find food and stay safe.” The fluency lesson text is Your Senses, and the turn-and-talk prompt is “How do your senses keep you safe?” The materials do not identify how the activities and objectives align with the TEKS and the ELPS.
Evaluation for 1.3b
The “Resources” tab in the educator software provides a list of materials needed for the daily lesson, such as the practice packet, fluency passage, and comprehension text needed. The materials list includes only what is needed from the curriculum but does not list any extra classroom materials, such as whiteboards or crayons. The clock at the top of the lesson provides a suggested amount of time.
The “Resources” tab within the educator software provides all educator and student materials needed for instruction, including student pages, fluency passages, comprehension texts, assessments, and homework. This organization ensures educators can easily access the materials required to effectively deliver each lesson component.
In the “Program Architecture Overview,” the “Practice and Application” section provides a lesson breakdown with time allotments for Foundations and Language Comprehension, including explicit educator instruction, student application and practice, and total time.
Evaluation for 1.3c
The “Resources” tab includes centralized access to instructional and extended practice resources, and the dedicated “Differentiation” tab provides targeted support for developing, progressing, and proficient students. These differentiated resources include extension, reinforcement, and enrichment opportunities aligned to student needs, supporting effective use of materials for continued practice beyond the core lesson.
Additionally, lesson-connected practice packets, homework resources, weekly checkpoints, and benchmark assessments provide structured opportunities for continued practice and reinforcement beyond core instruction.
1.1 Course-Level Design
1.1a
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course.
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course.
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 1.1a
Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course.
3 out of 3 points
The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) are embedded within the scope and sequence or directly connected to unit and lesson progression. Units and lessons identify which TEKS or ELPS appear within instruction.
1.1b
Materials include suggested pacing (pacing guide/calendar) to support effective implementation for various instructional calendars (e.g., varying numbers of instructional days-165, 180, 210)
Materials include suggested pacing (pacing guide/calendar) to support effective implementation for various instructional calendars (e.g., varying numbers of instructional days-165, 180, 210)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1b
Evaluation for 1.1b
Materials include suggested pacing (pacing guide/calendar) to support effective implementation for various instructional calendars (e.g., varying numbers of instructional days-165, 180, 210)
2 out of 2 points
The pacing guide addresses the identified gap by providing pacing options for 150-, 165-, 180-, and 210-day instructional calendars while maintaining the 150-day core instructional sequence. The pacing guide also explains how responsive instruction days support reteaching, differentiation, extension, and application. The materials include general guidance, such as spending time in small groups reteaching based on assessments, extending writing assignments, or using extra days for student projects.
1.1c
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1c
Evaluation for 1.1c
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.
2 out of 2 points
The materials clearly explain the rationale for the course’s unit sequence. The program describes thematic progression and cross-domain connections and explains why it arranges units in their current order and how skills and concepts build systematically from one unit to the next. The course, unit, and learning progression guidance describes how learning progresses from accessible contexts to increasingly complex disciplinary knowledge, interdisciplinary connections, inquiry, and synthesis, and shows how earlier learning builds a foundation for later units.
1.1d
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1d
Evaluation for 1.1d
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.
2 out of 2 points
The materials provide additional unit-level supports through the “Unit at a Glance” section and the “Program Architecture Overview.” The “Unit at a Glance” section outlines instructional sequencing, key concepts, texts, and required materials. The “Program Architecture Overview” provides pacing guidance and supports for daily instruction, small groups, differentiation, and emergent bilingual (EB) students.
1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1e
Evaluation for 1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.
2 out of 2 points
“Use the Ascend Early Implementation Checklist” suggests that administrators use a checklist for walk-throughs, which addresses the identified gap by providing instructional leaders with observable indicators for monitoring lesson implementation and offering actionable coaching feedback.
1.2 Unit-Level Design
1.2a
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.2a
Evaluation for 1.2a
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.
2 out of 2 points
Each overview contains a “Teacher Background Knowledge” section that is specific to each unit and grade level. This component provides necessary information and possible misconceptions about the concepts in the unit. Both academic and content vocabulary for the unit are provided in the overviews.
1.2b
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.2b
Evaluation for 1.2b
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
2 out of 2 points
The Caregiver portal provides families with access to lesson content and student progress, supporting ongoing engagement in both English and Spanish. For example, the “Caregiver Letter” tells families which skills students will be working on and provides practical suggestions for supporting learning progress through activities at home.
1.3 Lesson-Level Design
1.3a
Materials include comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that include daily objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the content and language standards of the lesson (aligned with the TEKS and the ELPS).
Materials include comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that include daily objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the content and language standards of the lesson (aligned with the TEKS and the ELPS).
3 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 1.3a
Evaluation for 1.3a
Materials include comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that include daily objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the content and language standards of the lesson (aligned with the TEKS and the ELPS).
3 out of 5 points
In Program Design and Instructional Routines, the “Program Architecture Overview” provides a comprehensive and detailed lesson plan support. The “Lesson Planning: Scripted & Supported Instruction” section explains the daily objectives aligned to lesson standards, questions to check for understanding of lesson objectives, questions to promote the use of language to meet language objectives, tasks to promote mastery of the lesson objectives, and a list of required materials.
The materials included structured lesson plans with daily objectives, questions, tasks, and instructional assessments. Every fifth day, the lesson plan focuses on assessment, including a weekly checkpoint, a writing lesson, and opportunities to apply that week’s learning through fluency practice and engaging with connected text. For example, in lesson 31, the lesson objective is “Learners will pause at meaningful places in sentences to support understanding.” After reading two sample sentences, the educator asks, “Where is the first natural break?” Then the students participate in choral, partner, and independent reading with educator support for phrasing as needed. The weekly topic is “Explore how animals use powerful senses...to find food and stay safe.” The fluency lesson text is Your Senses, and the turn-and-talk prompt is “How do your senses keep you safe?” The materials do not identify how the activities and objectives align with the TEKS and the ELPS.
1.3b
Materials include a lesson overview listing the teacher and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson, and the suggested timing for each lesson component.
Materials include a lesson overview listing the teacher and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson, and the suggested timing for each lesson component.
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 1.3b
Evaluation for 1.3b
Materials include a lesson overview listing the teacher and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson, and the suggested timing for each lesson component.
3 out of 3 points
The “Resources” tab within the educator software provides all educator and student materials needed for instruction, including student pages, fluency passages, comprehension texts, assessments, and homework. This organization ensures educators can easily access the materials required to effectively deliver each lesson component.
In the “Program Architecture Overview,” the “Practice and Application” section provides a lesson breakdown with time allotments for Foundations and Language Comprehension, including explicit educator instruction, student application and practice, and total time.
1.3c
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 1.3c
Evaluation for 1.3c
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).
1 out of 1 points
Additionally, lesson-connected practice packets, homework resources, weekly checkpoints, and benchmark assessments provide structured opportunities for continued practice and reinforcement beyond core instruction.
Rubric Section 2
Progress Monitoring
Materials support educators in effective implementation through frequent, strategic opportunities to monitor and respond to student progress.
Total
83% (15 out of 18 points)
Evaluation for 2.1a
Program Design and Instructional Routines provides embedded daily checks, weekly checkpoints, unit assessments, benchmark assessments, diagnostic assessments, and progress monitoring assessments throughout the year. These assessment opportunities support ongoing monitoring of student learning and instructional decision-making.
At the lesson level, embedded daily checks and weekly checkpoints provide formative assessment opportunities that monitor student understanding during instruction. At the unit level, unit assessments and benchmark assessments measure student mastery of concepts and skills taught across groups of lessons. Diagnostic assessments identify student readiness and instructional needs before or during instruction.
Program Design and Instructional Routines explains that diagnostic assessments are used to evaluate students at benchmark points three times throughout the year. However, the diagnostic assessments cannot be viewed by the educator.
Evaluation for 2.1b
In Program Design and Instructional Routines, the “Program Architecture Overview” defines embedded daily checks as formative assessments embedded within instruction to capture immediate evidence of student understanding. Weekly checkpoints are short-cycle assessments that monitor retention and application of recently taught skills. Unit assessments evaluate mastery of skills and concepts taught across an instructional unit. Benchmark assessments evaluate cumulative proficiency and growth at key points throughout the year. Diagnostic assessments identify literacy skill gaps that contribute to grade-level performance needs.
The materials also explain the intended purpose of each assessment type. Embedded daily checks identify misconceptions and guide immediate instructional adjustments. Weekly checkpoints support small-group instructional planning and identify students who need additional support or enrichment. Unit assessments confirm mastery and readiness for future instruction. Benchmark assessments monitor long-term growth and support instructional planning. Diagnostic assessments guide targeted intervention and instructional support.
Evaluation for 2.1c
In Program Design and Instructional Routines, the “Assessments” section provides assessment blueprints, administration time ranges, explanations of assessment structures, and directions for administering specific assessment tasks. Oral reading fluency directions, educator read-aloud guidance, and standardized prompts support consistent implementation across instructional settings.
The materials further support accurate administration through explicit guidance for assessment preparation, administration procedures, reporting expectations, and use of assessment data. Weekly checkpoint educator forms include estimated timing, educator directions, dictated prompts, student tasks, and scoring spaces for reading, spelling, high-frequency words, and comprehension assessments. Together, these resources support standardized assessment administration and consistent interpretation of results.
Evaluation for 2.1d
The materials include formative and summative assessments aligned to the TEKS and instructional objectives of lessons and units. In the “TEKS-ELPS Ascend Assessment Item Alignment” document, weekly checkpoints and unit assessments identify assessment items aligned to the specific TEKS. Additionally, Program Design and Instructional Routines explains that embedded daily checks are drawn directly from lesson activities and recently taught instruction, weekly checkpoints evaluate retention and application of recently taught skills, and unit assessments evaluate mastery of skills and concepts taught across a complete instructional unit.
Assessment artifacts further demonstrate alignment to instructional objectives. For example, the weekly checkpoint in lesson 5 assesses skills taught during lessons 1–4, including decoding and spelling words with -ed, blends, and double-l (both in isolation and in sentences) and demonstrating comprehension through key details, main idea, and inferential questions.
The materials reference diagnostic assessments and describe their intended use for identifying literacy skill gaps and informing instructional planning. However, diagnostic assessments are not available for review. As a result, the materials do not provide sufficient evidence to determine whether diagnostic assessments align with the TEKS or with the objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
Evaluation for 2.1e
The “TEKS-ELPS Ascend Assessment Item Alignment” document identifies assessment items aligned to the specific TEKS within weekly checkpoints and unit assessments. Assessment resources include multiple item types, such as letter and word reading, spelling tasks, oral reading fluency measures, multiple-choice questions, matching activities, constructed responses, and writing tasks.
Assessment items require students to demonstrate understanding through increasingly complex tasks. For example, weekly checkpoints assess reading, spelling, high-frequency words, writing, and comprehension skills using a variety of response formats. As students progress through the year, assessment tasks move beyond foundational literacy skills to require more advanced application of reading and comprehension skills, providing opportunities for students to demonstrate learning at varying levels of complexity.
Evaluation for 2.2a
Assessment resources include educator-facing scoring supports such as answer keys for weekly checkpoints and writing rubrics with proficiency-level descriptors, developmental expectations, and sample student responses within the “Benchmark Assessment Writing Packages.” These resources help ensure consistency and accuracy when evaluating student work.
The materials also provide guidance for interpreting assessment results through the Assessment System Guide, educator dashboard resources, and reporting tools. The Assessment System Guide explains how data from embedded daily checks, weekly checkpoints, benchmark assessments, unit assessments, and diagnostic assessments can inform instructional decisions including reteaching, intervention, enrichment, and flexible grouping. In addition, educator dashboards and instructor-level reports provide actionable data, identify student strengths and areas of need, and recommend instructional next steps. The reporting tools translate assessment results into meaningful instructional insights and support educators in analyzing performance trends and determining appropriate instructional responses.
Evaluation for 2.2b
The “Differentiation Planning Template” guides educators in reviewing weekly checkpoints, unit checkpoints, and in-lesson observations to identify student needs and select targeted instructional resources. Based on assessment results, educators group students into developing, progressing, and proficient performance levels and provide aligned support through reteach lessons, Decodable Reader routines, fluency resources, comprehension resources, and extension activities.
The materials also provide educator-facing data tools that support responsive instructional planning. For example, the “Instructional Insights” section of the dashboard explains what the assessment data shows, what the results mean, and the recommended next instructional steps. The section includes direct links to lessons and targeted resources that support reteaching, intervention, enrichment, and differentiated instruction based on identified student performance trends.
Evaluation for 2.2c
The educator dashboard includes a “Data” tab that displays class- and assessment-level information, including instructional insights, weekly domain-level accuracy, weekly accuracy growth, benchmark performance, and progress monitoring data. The materials also provide literacy profiles, instructional performance levels, and a “Differentiation Planning Template” that support review of assessment results, identification of error patterns, grouping of students by instructional need, monitoring of progress, and planning of instructional adjustments. For example, the “Instructional Insights” section explains what the assessment data shows, what the results mean, and the recommended next instructional steps to support instructional planning.
The materials also include tools for students to track their own progress and growth. “My Ascend Mastery Growth Tracker” allows students to record goals, monitor performance on weekly checkpoints and unit assessments, document scores, and reflect on their learning. Students respond to prompts such as “One Thing I Learned” and “Something I’m Proud Of,” which provide structured opportunities to monitor progress, reflect on growth, and take ownership of learning.
2.1 Instructional Assessments
2.1a
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions.
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions.
2 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 2.1a
Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions.
2 out of 3 points
At the lesson level, embedded daily checks and weekly checkpoints provide formative assessment opportunities that monitor student understanding during instruction. At the unit level, unit assessments and benchmark assessments measure student mastery of concepts and skills taught across groups of lessons. Diagnostic assessments identify student readiness and instructional needs before or during instruction.
Program Design and Instructional Routines explains that diagnostic assessments are used to evaluate students at benchmark points three times throughout the year. However, the diagnostic assessments cannot be viewed by the educator.
2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 2.1b
Evaluation for 2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.
1 out of 1 points
The materials also explain the intended purpose of each assessment type. Embedded daily checks identify misconceptions and guide immediate instructional adjustments. Weekly checkpoints support small-group instructional planning and identify students who need additional support or enrichment. Unit assessments confirm mastery and readiness for future instruction. Benchmark assessments monitor long-term growth and support instructional planning. Diagnostic assessments guide targeted intervention and instructional support.
2.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 2.1c
Evaluation for 2.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
1 out of 1 points
The materials further support accurate administration through explicit guidance for assessment preparation, administration procedures, reporting expectations, and use of assessment data. Weekly checkpoint educator forms include estimated timing, educator directions, dictated prompts, student tasks, and scoring spaces for reading, spelling, high-frequency words, and comprehension assessments. Together, these resources support standardized assessment administration and consistent interpretation of results.
2.1d
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
4 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 2.1d
Evaluation for 2.1d
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
4 out of 6 points
Assessment artifacts further demonstrate alignment to instructional objectives. For example, the weekly checkpoint in lesson 5 assesses skills taught during lessons 1–4, including decoding and spelling words with -ed, blends, and double-l (both in isolation and in sentences) and demonstrating comprehension through key details, main idea, and inferential questions.
The materials reference diagnostic assessments and describe their intended use for identifying literacy skill gaps and informing instructional planning. However, diagnostic assessments are not available for review. As a result, the materials do not provide sufficient evidence to determine whether diagnostic assessments align with the TEKS or with the objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
2.1e
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.1e
Evaluation for 2.1e
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.
2 out of 2 points
Assessment items require students to demonstrate understanding through increasingly complex tasks. For example, weekly checkpoints assess reading, spelling, high-frequency words, writing, and comprehension skills using a variety of response formats. As students progress through the year, assessment tasks move beyond foundational literacy skills to require more advanced application of reading and comprehension skills, providing opportunities for students to demonstrate learning at varying levels of complexity.
2.2 Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring
2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.2a
Evaluation for 2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
2 out of 2 points
The materials also provide guidance for interpreting assessment results through the Assessment System Guide, educator dashboard resources, and reporting tools. The Assessment System Guide explains how data from embedded daily checks, weekly checkpoints, benchmark assessments, unit assessments, and diagnostic assessments can inform instructional decisions including reteaching, intervention, enrichment, and flexible grouping. In addition, educator dashboards and instructor-level reports provide actionable data, identify student strengths and areas of need, and recommend instructional next steps. The reporting tools translate assessment results into meaningful instructional insights and support educators in analyzing performance trends and determining appropriate instructional responses.
2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 2.2b
Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
1 out of 1 points
The materials also provide educator-facing data tools that support responsive instructional planning. For example, the “Instructional Insights” section of the dashboard explains what the assessment data shows, what the results mean, and the recommended next instructional steps. The section includes direct links to lessons and targeted resources that support reteaching, intervention, enrichment, and differentiated instruction based on identified student performance trends.
2.2c
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.2c
Evaluation for 2.2c
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
2 out of 2 points
The materials also include tools for students to track their own progress and growth. “My Ascend Mastery Growth Tracker” allows students to record goals, monitor performance on weekly checkpoints and unit assessments, document scores, and reflect on their learning. Students respond to prompts such as “One Thing I Learned” and “Something I’m Proud Of,” which provide structured opportunities to monitor progress, reflect on growth, and take ownership of learning.
Rubric Section 3
Supports for All Learners
Materials support educators in reaching all learners through design focused on engagement, representation, and action/expression for learner variability.
Total
90% (18 out of 20 points)
Evaluation for 3.1a
The “Differentiation” tab directs educators to use results from weekly checkpoints, unit checkpoints, and in-lesson observations to organize students into “developing,” “progressing,” and “proficient” performance levels. Targeted support resources, reteach lessons, structured small-group routines, and differentiated activities help educators address identified skill needs while maintaining access to grade-level content. Additionally, educators use resources organized by instructional performance level to provide support during small-group and independent instructional settings.
The materials also include paired instructional routines designed to support students who have not yet reached proficiency. For example, the Decodable Reader Developing routine and Alphabet Book Developing routine provide explicit educator modeling, guided practice, oral language routines, corrective feedback, Elkonin box routines, sound tapping, tracking routines, and guided reading opportunities aligned to targeted phonics skills. The materials further support differentiated instruction through scaffolds provided in the “Notes” panel, including questioning prompts, articulation supports, EB student supports, and instructional guidance that helps students access and engage with grade-level content and skills.
Evaluation for 3.1b
The comprehension domain includes a “Background Knowledge and Vocabulary” section, shared reading with pause points, explicit strategy routines, and evidence and reasoning practice that support students in understanding unfamiliar vocabulary, academic language, and text-based references before and during reading. The materials also provide educator guidance for explicit vocabulary instruction, oral language activities, EB student supports, and structured discussions to help students apply newly learned vocabulary in meaningful contexts.
Lesson 12 includes a “Background Knowledge and Vocabulary” section that builds context before reading by connecting students to the idea of finding something just right. The lesson pre-teaches vocabulary such as defend, propose, committee, budget, and mural through visuals, actions, definitions, repeated practice, sentence examples, and oral language activities before students read “But Why, Though?” Additionally, sentence stems embedded within oral language activities and the “Notes” panel support students in using newly learned vocabulary in discussions and written responses.
Evaluation for 3.1c
The “Differentiation” tab directs educators to use weekly checkpoint data and lesson-embedded observations to identify students performing at the “proficient” level and select resources that increase complexity, promote independence, extend learning, and support skills transfer. The materials also provide guidance for fluency-building, application, and extension opportunities aligned to current instructional content.
The materials include enrichment and extension activities designed for proficient learners. For example, Decodable Reader Proficient routine and Alphabet Books Proficient routine support independent application of phonics patterns, fluent reading, oral language development, and transfer of grade-level literacy skills. Additional extension opportunities include Write and Share, Act It Out, Talk About the Story, Make a Connection, What Comes Next, and Partner Word Challenge; independent reading activities; and creative writing tasks that promote deeper thinking and application of learned skills.
Evaluation for 3.2a
Program Design and Instructional Routines describes a gradual-release model consisting of I Do (modeling), We Do (guided practice), and You Do (independent practice), with embedded instructional routines across literacy domains. Lessons provide direct educator scripting, modeled demonstrations, oral language prompts, questioning routines, corrective feedback prompts, expected student responses, and guided practice opportunities that support clear explanations and explicit instruction. For example, in unit 3, lesson 31, the phonics lesson includes scripted language directing the educator to model the target sound by saying, “Watch my mouth as I say /or/. My tongue curves like a spoon,” and to explain the concept by stating, “This is a different kind of vowel sound that happens in the back of your mouth.” These prompts help educators clearly demonstrate and explain new phonics concepts.
The materials also include guidance to support educators in modeling and explaining concepts. The “Lesson Planning: Scripted & Supported Instruction” section explains that lessons include point-of-use educator guidance, lesson targets, interactive scripting, educator tips, and instructional supports to guide lesson delivery. Throughout the lessons, oral language discussion prompts, sentence frames, and model responses provide additional support for educators as they facilitate instruction. For example, in unit 1, lesson 3, the “Instructional Support” note guides educators in engaging students in using the breve and macron when encoding and decoding words using taught phonics skills. The notes provide scripted prompts and explanations for modeling how to use these phonics markers. Additionally, in unit 3, lesson 31, a “Multilingual Support” note guides educators to explain how the letter r changes the vowel sound by pulling it back in the mouth. These supports help educators effectively model concepts and deepen students’ understanding of foundational literacy skills.
Evaluation for 3.2b
In Program Design and Instructional Routines, lesson routines and differentiated instructional routines incorporate direct instruction, guided practice, independent practice, collaborative partner discussions, oral language routines, differentiated small-group instruction, and independent application activities. The materials also provide guidance for flexible grouping and transitions between whole-group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities through recurring instructional routines and differentiated instructional pathways.
For example, in unit 3, lesson 31 incorporates direct instruction, guided practice, age-appropriate visuals, opportunities for student discourse, peer feedback, and gestures. These features demonstrate that the materials support effective lesson delivery through multiple instructional approaches that promote active student engagement and understanding. Embedded educator notes provide recommendations for monitoring student progress and delivering individualized support throughout the lesson.
Evaluation for 3.2c
In Program Design and Instructional Routines, lesson routines and differentiated instructional routines incorporate guided practice, independent practice, collaborative partner discussions, oral language activities, writing application, fluency practice, and differentiated small-group instruction. The materials also provide recommendations for whole-group instruction, targeted small-group instruction, independent practice, flexible grouping, and differentiated instructional pathways organized by student performance levels.
For example, the “Differentiated Comprehension” document provides guidance for using multilevel text sets, including options for read-alouds or shared reading during guided practice, and partner, small-group, or independent reading for collaborative and independent application. The document also includes a sample instructional flow to support flexible implementation across different grouping structures based on student needs.
Evaluation for 3.3a
The materials include educator guidance for providing linguistic accommodations that support EB students in developing academic language. The “Integrated Multilingual Learner Supports” section and embedded lesson supports provide accommodations such as visuals and gestures, sentence frames, oral rehearsal opportunities, partner discussions, explicit vocabulary instruction, cognate connections, translanguaging practices, and structured response stems. The materials also include guidance for supporting oral language development through collaborative discussions, questioning routines, and opportunities for students to act out vocabulary and concepts before responding verbally.
The materials contain an ELPS proficiency-level crosswalk and linguistic accommodations guidance. The proficiency-level crosswalk provides the specific ELPS level, ascend level, support level, and instructional emphasis. Other guidance includes linguistic scaffolds as English proficiency develops and for leveraging home-language and cross-linguistic connections within oral, reading, and writing experiences.
Evaluation for 3.3b
The materials include supports designed to assist EB students during instruction. The “Integrated Multilingual Learner Supports” section provides guidance for implementing language supports within lessons, and the materials include accommodations such as sentence frames, oral language routines, visuals, gestures, cognate connections, translanguaging practices, and embedded scaffolds to support language development. Additionally, the “Evidence of ELPS Alignment” document identifies connections to the ELPS and highlights how language supports are incorporated throughout the program.
The Learner Variability framework contains information on EB students and considerations of language proficiency. The framework emphasizes the use of embedded educator supports, oral language routines, background knowledge and vocabulary, writing and application experiences, translated resources, and differentiated practice opportunities.
Evaluation for 3.3c
The materials include embedded guidance to support EB students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, and building background knowledge through oral discourse. EB student supports include visuals and gestures, sentence frames, oral language routines, explicit vocabulary instruction, partner discussions, collaborative questioning, and oral rehearsal opportunities. For example, in lesson 91, the “Multilingual Support” note suggests acting out, whispering, and using facial expressions to show the other penguins’ attitudes and instructs the educator to use the sentence frame “Compare: The other penguins think Orville is ______, but Orville thinks he is _____.”
The materials also support EB students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, and building background knowledge through written discourse. For example, lesson 32 recommends that students think, write, or discuss their responses in their home language before translating ideas into English; however, the materials do not explain how educators should facilitate or extend these cross-linguistic connections. The materials provide opportunities for students to apply academic vocabulary and content knowledge during written responses while reinforcing comprehension through writing.
The materials provide limited support for cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse. While EB student supports recommend that students think, write, or discuss their responses in their home language before translating them into English, the materials do not provide consistent guidance on how to implement these supports. For example, in lesson 93, the “Multilingual Support” note says that other languages have similar prefixes and gives the educator examples in Spanish and French. There is no guidance for the educator on how to use that information to support students. As a result, the materials support academic vocabulary, comprehension, and background knowledge development but do not consistently support cross-linguistic connections in oral and written discourse.
Evaluation for 3.3d
This guidance is not applicable because the program is not designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs.
3.1 Differentiation and Scaffolds
3.1a
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, activities, and paired (scaffolded) lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content and skills.
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, activities, and paired (scaffolded) lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content and skills.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.1a
Evaluation for 3.1a
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, activities, and paired (scaffolded) lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content and skills.
1 out of 1 points
The materials also include paired instructional routines designed to support students who have not yet reached proficiency. For example, the Decodable Reader Developing routine and Alphabet Book Developing routine provide explicit educator modeling, guided practice, oral language routines, corrective feedback, Elkonin box routines, sound tapping, tracking routines, and guided reading opportunities aligned to targeted phonics skills. The materials further support differentiated instruction through scaffolds provided in the “Notes” panel, including questioning prompts, articulation supports, EB student supports, and instructional guidance that helps students access and engage with grade-level content and skills.
3.1b
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic language). (T/S)
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic language). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.1b
Evaluation for 3.1b
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic language). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
Lesson 12 includes a “Background Knowledge and Vocabulary” section that builds context before reading by connecting students to the idea of finding something just right. The lesson pre-teaches vocabulary such as defend, propose, committee, budget, and mural through visuals, actions, definitions, repeated practice, sentence examples, and oral language activities before students read “But Why, Though?” Additionally, sentence stems embedded within oral language activities and the “Notes” panel support students in using newly learned vocabulary in discussions and written responses.
3.1c
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills.
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.1c
Evaluation for 3.1c
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills.
1 out of 1 points
The materials include enrichment and extension activities designed for proficient learners. For example, Decodable Reader Proficient routine and Alphabet Books Proficient routine support independent application of phonics patterns, fluent reading, oral language development, and transfer of grade-level literacy skills. Additional extension opportunities include Write and Share, Act It Out, Talk About the Story, Make a Connection, What Comes Next, and Partner Word Challenge; independent reading activities; and creative writing tasks that promote deeper thinking and application of learned skills.
3.2 Instructional Methods
3.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.2a
Evaluation for 3.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.
2 out of 2 points
The materials also include guidance to support educators in modeling and explaining concepts. The “Lesson Planning: Scripted & Supported Instruction” section explains that lessons include point-of-use educator guidance, lesson targets, interactive scripting, educator tips, and instructional supports to guide lesson delivery. Throughout the lessons, oral language discussion prompts, sentence frames, and model responses provide additional support for educators as they facilitate instruction. For example, in unit 1, lesson 3, the “Instructional Support” note guides educators in engaging students in using the breve and macron when encoding and decoding words using taught phonics skills. The notes provide scripted prompts and explanations for modeling how to use these phonics markers. Additionally, in unit 3, lesson 31, a “Multilingual Support” note guides educators to explain how the letter r changes the vowel sound by pulling it back in the mouth. These supports help educators effectively model concepts and deepen students’ understanding of foundational literacy skills.
3.2b
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.2b
Evaluation for 3.2b
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
1 out of 1 points
For example, in unit 3, lesson 31 incorporates direct instruction, guided practice, age-appropriate visuals, opportunities for student discourse, peer feedback, and gestures. These features demonstrate that the materials support effective lesson delivery through multiple instructional approaches that promote active student engagement and understanding. Embedded educator notes provide recommendations for monitoring student progress and delivering individualized support throughout the lesson.
3.2c
Materials support multiple types of practice (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.
Materials support multiple types of practice (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.2c
Evaluation for 3.2c
Materials support multiple types of practice (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.
2 out of 2 points
For example, the “Differentiated Comprehension” document provides guidance for using multilevel text sets, including options for read-alouds or shared reading during guided practice, and partner, small-group, or independent reading for collaborative and independent application. The document also includes a sample instructional flow to support flexible implementation across different grouping structures based on student needs.
3.3 Support for Emergent Bilingual Students
3.3a
Materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.
Materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.3a
Evaluation for 3.3a
Materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.
2 out of 2 points
The materials contain an ELPS proficiency-level crosswalk and linguistic accommodations guidance. The proficiency-level crosswalk provides the specific ELPS level, ascend level, support level, and instructional emphasis. Other guidance includes linguistic scaffolds as English proficiency develops and for leveraging home-language and cross-linguistic connections within oral, reading, and writing experiences.
3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.3b
Evaluation for 3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.
1 out of 1 points
The Learner Variability framework contains information on EB students and considerations of language proficiency. The framework emphasizes the use of embedded educator supports, oral language routines, background knowledge and vocabulary, writing and application experiences, translated resources, and differentiated practice opportunities.
3.3c
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.
6 out of 8 points
Evaluation for 3.3c
Evaluation for 3.3c
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.
6 out of 8 points
The materials also support EB students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, and building background knowledge through written discourse. For example, lesson 32 recommends that students think, write, or discuss their responses in their home language before translating ideas into English; however, the materials do not explain how educators should facilitate or extend these cross-linguistic connections. The materials provide opportunities for students to apply academic vocabulary and content knowledge during written responses while reinforcing comprehension through writing.
The materials provide limited support for cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse. While EB student supports recommend that students think, write, or discuss their responses in their home language before translating them into English, the materials do not provide consistent guidance on how to implement these supports. For example, in lesson 93, the “Multilingual Support” note says that other languages have similar prefixes and gives the educator examples in Spanish and French. There is no guidance for the educator on how to use that information to support students. As a result, the materials support academic vocabulary, comprehension, and background knowledge development but do not consistently support cross-linguistic connections in oral and written discourse.
3.3d
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 3.3d
Evaluation for 3.3d
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
Not applicable.
Rubric Section 4
Phonics Rule Compliance
Total
68% (21 out of 31 points)
Evaluation for 4.1a
The materials provide a systematic approach to daily phonics instruction using a predictable routine. Each lesson begins with the educator introducing or reviewing a skill through direct instruction and modeling, followed by a guided practice phase in which students practice alongside the educator. For example, in unit 1, lesson 1, the educator first applies this sequence to review the digraphs th, ch, sh, and wh; then to review consonant-l blends; and finally to introduce spelling applications of both rules through modeling and guided practice. During decodable reader instruction, students read connected text aligned to the target phonics skill and apply decoding strategies within authentic reading practice. This cycle appears consistently throughout the program.
Instruction follows a structured, sequenced progression that begins with a foundational review before moving toward increasingly complex phonics and morphology. For example, unit 1 focuses on foundational skills such as digraphs, blends, and basic decoding. As the program advances, complexity scales through a deliberate sequence: unit 2 introduces prefixes, suffixes, schwa, and consonant-le syllables; units 3 through 6 target multisyllable words, complex vowel teams, reversed vowels, and silent letters; and units 7 through 10 culminate in advanced study of prefixes, suffixes, and Latin or Greek roots.
Evaluation for 4.1b
The materials provide explicit, ongoing opportunities to practice phonics skills in isolation through a structured daily routine. For example, in lesson 31, phonetic skill 5, explicit educator scripts model how to analyze and decode words containing the long /e/ sound-spelled ee and ea. Next, students practice writing and analyzing these targeted words under direct educator guidance, with the instructor checking their progress as they demonstrate the correct coded analysis to the whole group. Finally, students apply their skills by spelling and analyzing educator-dictated words that intentionally blend the new skill with cumulative review patterns, such as long /a/ spelled ai and ay.
To help students apply these isolated skills to connected text, the curriculum provides ongoing practice opportunities in decodable readers. The companion resource “Differentiation Routines—Decodable Readers” gives educators a consistent instructional sequence for use with individual students or small groups across all program texts. Following this routine, educators use Elkonin boxes with the specific skill words printed on the back covers of the books to reinforce the phonics pattern, then prompt students to read and practice the target skill in the text of the book.
Evaluation for 4.2a
Daily explicitly scripted lessons use a gradual-release model, advising educators to model a targeted skill before students transition to guided practice. In the first half of the year, this daily instruction focuses strictly on decoding and phonetic analysis. For example, in unit 1, lesson 12, the script directs the educator to model dividing multisyllable words such as carpet by identifying the internal vowel-consonant patterns and decoding the word syllable by syllable. Similarly, in unit 3, lesson 31, the educator models the physical articulation of the /or/ sound, demonstrates how the spelling our represents that sound in the word pour, and codes the word by identifying the vowel and the r to ensure accurate decoding
This explicit instructional routine remains in place daily through unit 6, when the focus systematically shifts to morphology. In these advanced units, daily instruction—excluding dedicated assessment days—guides the educator in explicitly modeling how to build and analyze longer words using roots, prefixes, and suffixes. This deliberate transition ensures that educators have consistent opportunities to model complex word structure and students have ongoing, daily opportunities to practice structural analysis.
Evaluation for 4.2b
Daily, purposeful lessons provide explicit guided phonics instruction and clear educator scripts. In lesson 32, the script explicitly defines suffix as “a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word that can change the meaning of the word” and guides the instructor to demonstrate how to read, spell, and mark words. Sidebar instructional support clarifies that -ly is pronounced /lē/ and notes that some of these words function as adjectives. Similarly, in the phonics lesson 32, the script guides the educator to explain and demonstrate how the letter w changes the sound of a succeeding vowel. In both lessons, students independently write, spell, and mark targeted words—such as closely, deeply, world, and warm—before the educator displays the correct answers and leads a whole-class review by prompting, “Let’s check your work.” Furthermore, the lesson includes sidebar EB student support that directs the educator to build articulatory awareness by having students practice the target sound in front of a mirror.
However, the curriculum completely lacks a system for delivering immediate, specific, or corrective feedback to individual students during these lessons. Daily phonics routines do not include if-then scenarios for educators to use when a student reads a word incorrectly. When feedback is provided in the materials, it remains strictly general and directed at the whole class during group answer checks rather than targeting individual student misconceptions. Even within the “Differentiation” tab for decodable texts, the corrective guidance is not specific to phonics or decoding mechanics. Instead, the resource merely instructs the educator to say, “Listen to me read this word,” read it for them, have the student repeat it, and then tell them to read the sentence again. Ultimately, most phonics lessons across the materials provide no educator suggestions or structural guidance on how to constructively address specific decoding or spelling errors.
Evaluation for 4.2c
The materials provide daily opportunities for students to apply phonics and literacy skills through independent and partnered activities. In daily fluency lessons, students participate in a choral reading of a passage—such as “Your Senses”—before transitioning to partner reading, during which the educator monitors and provides support. Following the text, students engage in a turn-and-talk activity to discuss a collaborative comprehension prompt, such as exploring how senses keep people safe. Additionally, within the “Differentiation” tab, students can work in small groups or pairs with minimal educator interaction to complete reinforcement tasks, such as practicing with flashcards or engaging in a roll-and-read game.
However, the core phonics lessons rely primarily on whole-group and independent work and do not embed diverse collaborative structures into explicit daily instruction. The program offers limited support for various cooperative frameworks—such as structured, student-led small groups—that help learners work together to build critical-thinking and communication skills. Furthermore, access to independent collaborative learning is inequitable. The curriculum relies heavily on educator-led instruction for tier two interventions, granting only the proficient student group the autonomy to choose between independent and partner activities. In contrast, partners in the developing and progressing pathways are limited to basic partner reading, oral language drills, or word-finding tasks, with no opportunities to collaboratively read and write target phonics patterns in independent settings away from the educator.
Evaluation for 4.3a
Every lesson gives students an opportunity to practice decoding words in connected text using decodable readers and daily fluency passages that systematically weave new target skills with previously taught concepts. For example, in unit 3, lesson 31, the fluency passage “Your Senses” features a sentence that targets the our spelling of /or/ while concurrently reviewing the special vowel sound /ow/ from unit 1 and the vowel-r variation ear as /er/ from unit 2. Similarly, the decodable reader The Fox and the Moon targets the schwa sound and consonant-le syllables from unit 2 while intentionally reviewing the letter y as long /i/ and long vowel combinations such as oo from unit 1.
Beyond core reading, students reinforce their skills by spelling words in a daily Dictation Bank and engaging in targeted supplemental activities. The curriculum offers lesson-specific extension activities, such as the Word Chain, Eraser Game, and Sentence Dictation, found in unit 3, lessons 31 and 32. Additional tiered support is housed under the “Differentiation” tab, where educators can access word-level practice organized by taught phonics skills for the “developing” group and sentence-level practice for the “progressing” group.
Evaluation for 4.3b
Daily phonics lessons embed practice opportunities that focus solely on phonics skills that have been explicitly taught. The Dictation Bank in the phonics lessons contains these practice opportunities. For example, in unit 3, lesson 31, the educator explicitly teaches the our pattern for the /or/ sound. In the Dictation Bank portion of the lesson, students independently encode and decode skill words that contain only the our pattern (e.g., court, four, course, pour). Students then independently encode and decode review words with patterns previously taught (tear, earth, swear). Each daily phonics lesson throughout the program follows this structure.
The “Differentiation” tab in the educator software provides students with additional practice opportunities. For example, in unit 3, lessons 31–34, students can practice with word-level activities, sentence-level activities, and decodable readers that reinforce new and previously taught phonics skills. The word-level and sentence-level practice documents list the skills being practiced at the top of each page but do not specify the unit or lesson in which each skill is taught. The decodable readers are available, but they do not indicate the associated unit or lesson.
Evaluation for 4.3c
The “Program Architecture Overview” explains that decodable readers provide targeted practice with previously taught phonics patterns and high-frequency words while supporting the application of newly learned skills. As students progress through the scope and sequence, decodable texts increase in complexity and provide opportunities to apply previously taught spelling patterns. This design allows students to continuously reinforce previously taught phonics skills while building new decoding knowledge.
For example, in the decodable reader Fern is Happy to Help, students practice digraphs and blends, double-l and glued sounds, Phonetic Skills 1–5, three sounds of -ed, vowel-r, jobs of y, trigraphs, other digraphs and blends, and long vowel combinations. The program teaches all of these phonics skills in weeks 1 and 2, according to the scope and sequence.
Evaluation for 4.3d
The materials follow a scaffolded progression: Educators first guide students through a new phonics skill, then students spell and read words in isolation. Next, students read a decodable reader to apply new skills in connected text. For example, there are 18 decodable readers that seem to align with 18 weeks of instruction, corresponding to units 1–6. Then there are 12 morphology readers that seem to correspond to units 7–10. Week 9 phonics pattern instruction covers three or more syllables, the prefix pre-, ie making the /long e/ sound, and ea making the /short e/ sound. Book 9 Big Sea Animals Help a Little Fish includes words such as Katie, remember, family, breakfast, pleasant, and fierce.
In unit 4, lesson 52, educators teach students to use ey to represent the /long a/ sound. After explicit instruction, students practice this skill in isolation during the spelling and Dictation Bank portions of the lesson by encoding and proving a series of words with the ey pattern (they, survey, prey, etc.). During the fluency portion, students practice this skill in connected text by reading the fluency passage “The Grey Dragon.” Students read the passage chorally, with a partner, and independently and encounter multiple words with the -ey pattern.
Evaluation for 4.4a
The materials include a variety of developmentally appropriate assessment tools, such as daily checks, weekly checkpoints, unit assessments, and benchmark assessments. These assessments align with students’ grade-level literacy development and instructional progression. Each unit features an Assess, Write, Apply checkpoint to help educators monitor understanding. According to the “Program Architecture Overview,” educators administer benchmark assessments three times a year, unit assessments once a month, unit checkpoints every fifth lesson, and daily checks in each lesson. The document outlines when to use each assessment and describes its specific purpose.
The benchmark assessments include reading lists, oral spelling tests of one-syllable and multisyllabic words, fluency passages, and constructed response prompts. For example, in the beginning-of-year benchmark, students read and spell words such as float, replay, and drifted. Educators listen as each student reads the oral reading fluency passage, which includes sentences such as “One afternoon he found an old map tucked inside a hollow tree.” In the end-of-year benchmark, students read and spell words such as misplace, inventor, and disagree. The end-of-year benchmark also provides a grade-level comprehension passage, such as “A young climber named Sofia wanted to reach the top of a rocky hill near her town,” which students read independently before answering related questions.
Evaluation for 4.4b
Program Design and Instructional Routines indicates that there are weekly checkpoints within the platform to systematically measure students’ mastery of grade-level phonics skills and to provide educators with actionable progress monitoring data to guide reteaching and intervention planning, but the materials lack progress monitoring tools. The program does not offer any resources to measure or track student progress on individual concepts. Instead, educators use weekly and unit checkpoints to assess whether students have mastered skills taught during the week or unit, but these assessments do not track progress for specific skills over time.
The “Data” tab on the educator dashboard displays some progress monitoring information, but reviewers cannot access all features, making it difficult to evaluate the available data. The dashboard presents data for the whole class, but clicking “Student” does not display individual student data in a sample class. A drop-down menu shows different types of assessments, but only weekly checkpoints appear—unit checkpoints and benchmarks are missing. Instructional insights are samples and show only a single week. The dashboard breaks down accuracy by reading, spelling, high-frequency words, and comprehension but not by specific skill or assessment task. The program charts weekly growth but uses sample images that don’t reflect what an educator would actually see in the “Data” tab.
Evaluation for 4.4c
The materials offer a variety of assessments throughout each unit to measure student progress in reading, spelling, high-frequency words, and comprehension. Educators use embedded daily checks as formative assessments during each lesson to gather evidence of students’ understanding in phonics, high-frequency words, fluency, comprehension, and grammar. Weekly checkpoints provide educators with frequent formative data on student mastery of previously taught skills across these domains. While these assessments yield useful data, they do not align with any progress monitoring tool that tracks achievement in specific concepts.
The program provides several assessment opportunities throughout the school year, but none aligns with progress monitoring tools. For example, educators use unit checkpoints to assess students’ mastery of concepts taught throughout the unit and analyze the data to identify instructional needs. However, the program does not connect unit checkpoints or any assessments to a progress monitoring system, leaving educators without tools to track student progress on specific concepts over time.
Evaluation for 4.5a
The educator software provides class- and student-level data dashboards with embedded instructional insights, weekly checkpoint reports, domain-level accuracy trends, and recommended next instructional steps. These features support educators in progress monitoring, reteaching, differentiation, and targeted intervention. However, the assessments or administration materials do not include the ability to track individual student progress or make instructional decisions.
According to the program’s design and routines, educators use weekly checkpoint reports to identify students’ performance tiers, adjust instruction when needed, and flag students who need intervention. However, individual student reports to inform instructional decisions are not present.
Evaluation for 4.5b
The materials include data-management tools for tracking whole-class student progress to analyze patterns of student performance. The “Data” tab in the educator software provides class-level reporting that organizes assessment results across literacy domains, including reading, spelling, high-frequency words, and comprehension. Data from benchmark assessments, weekly checkpoints, unit assessments, and embedded instructional assessments is summarized through class-level reports and performance summaries that allow educators to view trends in accuracy and achievement across the class. These tools help educators identify class-wide patterns, strengths, and areas of growth across literacy skills.
The materials also include data-management tools for analyzing the needs of students. Class-level data is connected to instructional insights, literacy profiles, instructional performance levels, and the “Differentiation Planning Template,” allowing educators to identify instructional gaps and determine appropriate next steps. The system supports regrouping students, selecting targeted instructional supports, planning reteaching and intervention opportunities, and adjusting instructional focus based on patterns identified through whole-class assessment data. These tools enable educators to analyze student needs and make instructional decisions that respond to class-wide performance trends.
Evaluation for 4.5c
The materials include an educator dashboard with a “Data” tab that displays class and individual student performance data to support daily instructional decisions, including differentiation and student grouping. Weekly checkpoints are administered every fifth lesson, and Program and Instructional Routines outlines the available assessments. Additionally, the document references a separate program, Ascend Focus, which appears to include progress monitoring tools and related guidance, although those materials are not available for review.
The materials do not include specific guidance for determining the frequency of progress monitoring based on students’ strengths or needs. All students complete assessments on the same five-lesson schedule rather than at intervals adjusted according to individual performance. Although the weekly checkpoints provide assessment data, they measure different skills over time and do not function as progress monitoring tools that repeatedly measure the same skill. As a result, there is no evidence that the program provides a dedicated progress monitoring tool or guidance for adjusting monitoring frequency based on students’ strengths or instructional needs.
Evaluation for 4.5d
The materials include guidance for accelerating learning based on assessment data. The “Lesson and Unit Planning” protocol directs educators to use daily, weekly, and unit assessment results to inform instruction, while the “Weekly Data Interpretation” protocol guides educators in using the educator dashboard to identify students in the “developing,” “progressing,” and “proficient” levels. The “Differentiation” tab provides instructional resources to extend learning for proficient students. Additionally, Program Design and Instructional Routines recommends adjusting instruction in real time, providing same-day reteaching or targeted scaffolding, offering small-group or individualized support, and maintaining a continuous feedback loop to help students reach mastery of specific concepts.
The materials do not include guidance on accelerating learning using progress monitoring data. Instead, the recommended instructional adjustments are based on data from weekly and unit checkpoints, which are assessments rather than progress monitoring tools, as they measure different skills over time. Since the program does not provide a dedicated progress monitoring tool for review, there is no evidence that acceleration decisions are driven by progress monitoring data.
4.1 Explicit (Direct) and Systematic Phonics Instruction
4.1a
Materials include systematic and sequenced instruction of phonics (sound-symbol correspondence) skills.
Materials include systematic and sequenced instruction of phonics (sound-symbol correspondence) skills.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.1a
Evaluation for 4.1a
Materials include systematic and sequenced instruction of phonics (sound-symbol correspondence) skills.
2 out of 2 points
Instruction follows a structured, sequenced progression that begins with a foundational review before moving toward increasingly complex phonics and morphology. For example, unit 1 focuses on foundational skills such as digraphs, blends, and basic decoding. As the program advances, complexity scales through a deliberate sequence: unit 2 introduces prefixes, suffixes, schwa, and consonant-le syllables; units 3 through 6 target multisyllable words, complex vowel teams, reversed vowels, and silent letters; and units 7 through 10 culminate in advanced study of prefixes, suffixes, and Latin or Greek roots.
4.1b
Materials include explicit (direct) and intentional ongoing practice opportunities for phonics (sound-symbol correspondence) skills, both in isolation and through decodable texts.
Materials include explicit (direct) and intentional ongoing practice opportunities for phonics (sound-symbol correspondence) skills, both in isolation and through decodable texts.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.1b
Evaluation for 4.1b
Materials include explicit (direct) and intentional ongoing practice opportunities for phonics (sound-symbol correspondence) skills, both in isolation and through decodable texts.
4 out of 4 points
To help students apply these isolated skills to connected text, the curriculum provides ongoing practice opportunities in decodable readers. The companion resource “Differentiation Routines—Decodable Readers” gives educators a consistent instructional sequence for use with individual students or small groups across all program texts. Following this routine, educators use Elkonin boxes with the specific skill words printed on the back covers of the books to reinforce the phonics pattern, then prompt students to read and practice the target skill in the text of the book.
4.2 Daily Instructional Sequence and Routines
4.2a
Daily lessons include explicit (direct) phonics instruction with teacher modeling.
Daily lessons include explicit (direct) phonics instruction with teacher modeling.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.2a
Evaluation for 4.2a
Daily lessons include explicit (direct) phonics instruction with teacher modeling.
1 out of 1 points
This explicit instructional routine remains in place daily through unit 6, when the focus systematically shifts to morphology. In these advanced units, daily instruction—excluding dedicated assessment days—guides the educator in explicitly modeling how to build and analyze longer words using roots, prefixes, and suffixes. This deliberate transition ensures that educators have consistent opportunities to model complex word structure and students have ongoing, daily opportunities to practice structural analysis.
4.2b
Daily lessons include opportunities for explicit (direct) guided instruction with guidance for immediate and corrective feedback.
Daily lessons include opportunities for explicit (direct) guided instruction with guidance for immediate and corrective feedback.
1 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 4.2b
Evaluation for 4.2b
Daily lessons include opportunities for explicit (direct) guided instruction with guidance for immediate and corrective feedback.
1 out of 3 points
However, the curriculum completely lacks a system for delivering immediate, specific, or corrective feedback to individual students during these lessons. Daily phonics routines do not include if-then scenarios for educators to use when a student reads a word incorrectly. When feedback is provided in the materials, it remains strictly general and directed at the whole class during group answer checks rather than targeting individual student misconceptions. Even within the “Differentiation” tab for decodable texts, the corrective guidance is not specific to phonics or decoding mechanics. Instead, the resource merely instructs the educator to say, “Listen to me read this word,” read it for them, have the student repeat it, and then tell them to read the sentence again. Ultimately, most phonics lessons across the materials provide no educator suggestions or structural guidance on how to constructively address specific decoding or spelling errors.
4.2c
Daily lessons include a variety of opportunities for students to practice phonics skills through collaborative learning and independent practice.
Daily lessons include a variety of opportunities for students to practice phonics skills through collaborative learning and independent practice.
3 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.2c
Evaluation for 4.2c
Daily lessons include a variety of opportunities for students to practice phonics skills through collaborative learning and independent practice.
3 out of 4 points
However, the core phonics lessons rely primarily on whole-group and independent work and do not embed diverse collaborative structures into explicit daily instruction. The program offers limited support for various cooperative frameworks—such as structured, student-led small groups—that help learners work together to build critical-thinking and communication skills. Furthermore, access to independent collaborative learning is inequitable. The curriculum relies heavily on educator-led instruction for tier two interventions, granting only the proficient student group the autonomy to choose between independent and partner activities. In contrast, partners in the developing and progressing pathways are limited to basic partner reading, oral language drills, or word-finding tasks, with no opportunities to collaboratively read and write target phonics patterns in independent settings away from the educator.
4.3 Ongoing Practice Opportunities
4.3a
Materials include intentional cumulative phonics review and practice activities throughout the curriculum.
Materials include intentional cumulative phonics review and practice activities throughout the curriculum.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.3a
Evaluation for 4.3a
Materials include intentional cumulative phonics review and practice activities throughout the curriculum.
2 out of 2 points
Beyond core reading, students reinforce their skills by spelling words in a daily Dictation Bank and engaging in targeted supplemental activities. The curriculum offers lesson-specific extension activities, such as the Word Chain, Eraser Game, and Sentence Dictation, found in unit 3, lessons 31 and 32. Additional tiered support is housed under the “Differentiation” tab, where educators can access word-level practice organized by taught phonics skills for the “developing” group and sentence-level practice for the “progressing” group.
4.3b
Practice opportunities include only phonics skills that have been explicitly taught.
Practice opportunities include only phonics skills that have been explicitly taught.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.3b
Evaluation for 4.3b
Practice opportunities include only phonics skills that have been explicitly taught.
1 out of 1 points
The “Differentiation” tab in the educator software provides students with additional practice opportunities. For example, in unit 3, lessons 31–34, students can practice with word-level activities, sentence-level activities, and decodable readers that reinforce new and previously taught phonics skills. The word-level and sentence-level practice documents list the skills being practiced at the top of each page but do not specify the unit or lesson in which each skill is taught. The decodable readers are available, but they do not indicate the associated unit or lesson.
4.3c
Decodable texts incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills.
Decodable texts incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.3c
Evaluation for 4.3c
Decodable texts incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills.
1 out of 1 points
For example, in the decodable reader Fern is Happy to Help, students practice digraphs and blends, double-l and glued sounds, Phonetic Skills 1–5, three sounds of -ed, vowel-r, jobs of y, trigraphs, other digraphs and blends, and long vowel combinations. The program teaches all of these phonics skills in weeks 1 and 2, according to the scope and sequence.
4.3d
Lessons include an instructional focus with opportunities for practice in isolation and decodable, connected text.
Lessons include an instructional focus with opportunities for practice in isolation and decodable, connected text.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.3d
Evaluation for 4.3d
Lessons include an instructional focus with opportunities for practice in isolation and decodable, connected text.
2 out of 2 points
In unit 4, lesson 52, educators teach students to use ey to represent the /long a/ sound. After explicit instruction, students practice this skill in isolation during the spelling and Dictation Bank portions of the lesson by encoding and proving a series of words with the ey pattern (they, survey, prey, etc.). During the fluency portion, students practice this skill in connected text by reading the fluency passage “The Grey Dragon.” Students read the passage chorally, with a partner, and independently and encounter multiple words with the -ey pattern.
4.4 Assessment
4.4a
Materials include a variety of assessment tools that are developmentally appropriate.
Materials include a variety of assessment tools that are developmentally appropriate.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.4a
Evaluation for 4.4a
Materials include a variety of assessment tools that are developmentally appropriate.
2 out of 2 points
The benchmark assessments include reading lists, oral spelling tests of one-syllable and multisyllabic words, fluency passages, and constructed response prompts. For example, in the beginning-of-year benchmark, students read and spell words such as float, replay, and drifted. Educators listen as each student reads the oral reading fluency passage, which includes sentences such as “One afternoon he found an old map tucked inside a hollow tree.” In the end-of-year benchmark, students read and spell words such as misplace, inventor, and disagree. The end-of-year benchmark also provides a grade-level comprehension passage, such as “A young climber named Sofia wanted to reach the top of a rocky hill near her town,” which students read independently before answering related questions.
4.4b
Materials include progress monitoring tools that systematically and accurately measure students' acquisition of grade-level phonics skills.
Materials include progress monitoring tools that systematically and accurately measure students' acquisition of grade-level phonics skills.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.4b
Evaluation for 4.4b
Materials include progress monitoring tools that systematically and accurately measure students' acquisition of grade-level phonics skills.
0 out of 2 points
The “Data” tab on the educator dashboard displays some progress monitoring information, but reviewers cannot access all features, making it difficult to evaluate the available data. The dashboard presents data for the whole class, but clicking “Student” does not display individual student data in a sample class. A drop-down menu shows different types of assessments, but only weekly checkpoints appear—unit checkpoints and benchmarks are missing. Instructional insights are samples and show only a single week. The dashboard breaks down accuracy by reading, spelling, high-frequency words, and comprehension but not by specific skill or assessment task. The program charts weekly growth but uses sample images that don’t reflect what an educator would actually see in the “Data” tab.
4.4c
Materials include assessment opportunities across the span of the school year aligned to progress monitoring tools.
Materials include assessment opportunities across the span of the school year aligned to progress monitoring tools.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.4c
Evaluation for 4.4c
Materials include assessment opportunities across the span of the school year aligned to progress monitoring tools.
0 out of 1 points
The program provides several assessment opportunities throughout the school year, but none aligns with progress monitoring tools. For example, educators use unit checkpoints to assess students’ mastery of concepts taught throughout the unit and analyze the data to identify instructional needs. However, the program does not connect unit checkpoints or any assessments to a progress monitoring system, leaving educators without tools to track student progress on specific concepts over time.
4.5 Progress Monitoring and Student Support
4.5a
Materials include data-management tools for tracking individual student progress to make appropriate instructional decisions to accelerate instruction.
Materials include data-management tools for tracking individual student progress to make appropriate instructional decisions to accelerate instruction.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.5a
Evaluation for 4.5a
Materials include data-management tools for tracking individual student progress to make appropriate instructional decisions to accelerate instruction.
0 out of 1 points
According to the program’s design and routines, educators use weekly checkpoint reports to identify students’ performance tiers, adjust instruction when needed, and flag students who need intervention. However, individual student reports to inform instructional decisions are not present.
4.5b
Materials include data-management tools for tracking whole-class student progress to analyze patterns and needs of students.
Materials include data-management tools for tracking whole-class student progress to analyze patterns and needs of students.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.5b
Evaluation for 4.5b
Materials include data-management tools for tracking whole-class student progress to analyze patterns and needs of students.
2 out of 2 points
The materials also include data-management tools for analyzing the needs of students. Class-level data is connected to instructional insights, literacy profiles, instructional performance levels, and the “Differentiation Planning Template,” allowing educators to identify instructional gaps and determine appropriate next steps. The system supports regrouping students, selecting targeted instructional supports, planning reteaching and intervention opportunities, and adjusting instructional focus based on patterns identified through whole-class assessment data. These tools enable educators to analyze student needs and make instructional decisions that respond to class-wide performance trends.
4.5c
Materials include specific guidance on determining frequency of progress monitoring based on students' strengths and needs.
Materials include specific guidance on determining frequency of progress monitoring based on students' strengths and needs.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.5c
Evaluation for 4.5c
Materials include specific guidance on determining frequency of progress monitoring based on students' strengths and needs.
0 out of 2 points
The materials do not include specific guidance for determining the frequency of progress monitoring based on students’ strengths or needs. All students complete assessments on the same five-lesson schedule rather than at intervals adjusted according to individual performance. Although the weekly checkpoints provide assessment data, they measure different skills over time and do not function as progress monitoring tools that repeatedly measure the same skill. As a result, there is no evidence that the program provides a dedicated progress monitoring tool or guidance for adjusting monitoring frequency based on students’ strengths or instructional needs.
4.5d
Materials include guidance on how to accelerate learning based on the progress monitoring data to reach mastery of specific concepts.
Materials include guidance on how to accelerate learning based on the progress monitoring data to reach mastery of specific concepts.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.5d
Evaluation for 4.5d
Materials include guidance on how to accelerate learning based on the progress monitoring data to reach mastery of specific concepts.
0 out of 1 points
The materials do not include guidance on accelerating learning using progress monitoring data. Instead, the recommended instructional adjustments are based on data from weekly and unit checkpoints, which are assessments rather than progress monitoring tools, as they measure different skills over time. Since the program does not provide a dedicated progress monitoring tool for review, there is no evidence that acceleration decisions are driven by progress monitoring data.
Rubric Section 5
Foundational Skills
Materials include guidance for explicit (direct) and systematic instruction in foundational skills, instructional routines, student practice, and cumulative review.
Total
85% (112 out of 132 points)
Evaluation for 5.A.1a
This guidance is not applicable to grade 2 and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten and grade 1.
Evaluation for 5.A.1b
This guidance is not applicable to grade 2 and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten and grade 1.
Evaluation for 5.B.1a
Throughout the curriculum, educators model effective oral language skills, provide guided practice through structured discussions, offer coaching and feedback, and support students as they independently apply oral communication skills. For example, in unit 1, lesson 2, educators model how to discuss a character’s traits and personal experiences and then guide students as they practice using sentence stems such as “That shows he/she is ___ because ___.” Students receive peer and educator feedback as they develop complete oral responses and explain their thinking.
The materials also include systematic instructional guidance for developing oral language and oracy through recurring instructional routines. Educators consistently model fluent reading before guiding students through partner practice that emphasizes phrasing, expression, and intonation. As students’ oral language skills develop, recurring turn-and-talk routines, collaborative discussions, and sentence stems support increasingly sophisticated conversations in which students explain ideas, support responses with evidence, and build oral communication skills. These recurring instructional routines provide systematic opportunities for modeling, guided practice, collaborative discussion, and independent oral language application throughout the curriculum.
The materials include additional instructional guidance that develops oral language and oracy through coaching, feedback, and differentiated practice. Educators regularly provide sentence stems, discussion prompts, and opportunities for peer feedback that help students refine oral language while discussing texts and content-area topics. Throughout lessons, educators monitor student conversations, reinforce effective communication, and provide coaching before students independently participate in collaborative discussions. Together, these instructional routines provide explicit and systematic guidance through modeling, guided practice, coaching, feedback, and independent oral language practice.
Evaluation for 5.B.1b
The materials include opportunities for students to engage in social communication for various purposes, but opportunities to communicate with different audiences are limited. Throughout instruction, students participate in daily partner discussions that encourage conversation, collaboration, and sharing ideas. However, these social communication opportunities primarily occur with partners, and the materials provide little evidence of students engaging socially with small groups or other audiences.
The materials include opportunities for students to engage in academic communication for different purposes and audiences. In the Decodable Reader Progressing routines, students predict events before reading, share questions with a partner, locate words that contain targeted phonics patterns after reading, and participate in educator-led whole-class discussions about text meaning and text features. These activities provide opportunities to communicate academic ideas through partner and whole-class discussions. Although students frequently explain their thinking during academic conversations, the materials do not provide guidance on how to build on or respectfully disagree with peers’ ideas.
Evaluation for 5.B.1c
The materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively and ask questions to understand information. In the Decodable Readers routine, students generate “I wonder” questions before reading, and after reading, participate in think-pair-share discussions, written responses, or group discussions using the “Check for Understanding” and “Think About the Story” prompts. In lesson 114, students listen carefully as a partner reads about the water cycle, identifying examples of formal language and scientific vocabulary while providing feedback on their partner’s writing.
The materials also provide authentic opportunities for students to engage in discussion to deepen their understanding of the information. Throughout the curriculum, students participate in recurring turn-and-talk routines that encourage collaborative thinking before reading, writing, and responding to comprehension questions. For example, in unit 3, lesson 32, students orally rehearse a narrative by imagining they are the star from the story, sharing one exciting event with a partner, answering a partner’s question, and clarifying ideas through discussion.
The materials provide authentic opportunities for students to share information and ideas across recurring oral language routines. Students regularly share their thinking through partner discussions, collaborative conversations, and whole-class presentations. In lesson 114, students participate in an author’s chair and present their writing to the class after receiving peer feedback. These recurring opportunities support students in listening, questioning, discussing, and sharing information across authentic literacy experiences.
Evaluation for 5.C.1a
This guidance is not applicable to grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten.
Evaluation for 5.C.1b
This guidance is not applicable to grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten.
Evaluation for 5.C.1c
This guidance is not applicable to grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten.
Evaluation for 5.C.1d
This guidance is not applicable to grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten.
Evaluation for 5.C.2a
The materials systematically introduce letter–sound relationships in an order that allows for application to basic encoding and decoding. The scope and sequence outlines the phonics skills that are taught throughout the year, lesson by lesson. At the beginning of the year, phonics skills start with less complex concepts (such as digraphs and blends in unit 1), move to more complex concepts over the course of the year (trigraphs and three-letter blends in units 4 and 5), and end with morphology.
For example, in unit 2, lesson 28, educators review the /er/ sound at the start of words (earn, early, urge); remind students that er, ir, and ur can spell /er/; and then teach that ear also spells /er/. Using earth as an example, educators explain how ea before r can create the vowel-r sound /er/. Educators model how to mark vowels and identify ear in words; guide students to encode words such as heard, pearl, and search; and have them demonstrate their decoding by marking vowels and identifying ear as the /er/ sound. All phonics lessons use this explicit, systematic routine to teach new letter–sound relationships. This instructional progression moves from explicit instruction to guided decoding, encoding, and phoneme manipulation, providing systematic opportunities for students to apply letter–sound relationships in reading and spelling.
Evaluation for 5.C.2b
The materials guide educators to provide explicit instruction on connecting phonemes to letters in words. Phonics lessons include scripts and word-level activities, such as modeling how to read words with the /or/ sound-spelled our in lesson 31. Sidebar guidance helps educators support EB students with pronunciation. However, the materials do not offer explanatory feedback for educators to use in response to student errors or misconceptions.
The materials give educators tips to deepen their understanding of phonemes and word spellings but do not provide explanatory feedback for students. In unit 3, lesson 32, educators use a script to teach the suffix -ly. The lesson includes sidebar tips; one describes how to make the sound, and another notes that most words that end in -ly are adverbs. These tips support educators during instruction but are not intended for students.
Evaluation for 5.C.2c
The materials include a variety of activities and resources to help students develop their understanding of how to apply letter–sound correspondence to decode one-syllable and multisyllable words, both in isolation and in decodable connected text. Daily phonics instruction introduces new sound–spelling relationships by connecting them to previously learned skills, then educators model decoding and spelling routines. For example, in unit 3, lesson 31, students learn the /or/ sound spelled our through multiple instructional activities, including explicit modeling, guided decoding, spelling practice, and reading connected text. Students then apply the new letter–sound correspondence while reading independently. Throughout the curriculum, students continue developing multisyllabic decoding by applying phonics patterns to increasingly complex words in isolated practice and connected text.
The materials also provide a variety of activities and resources for students to practice applying letter–sound correspondence to decode one-syllable and multisyllable words in isolation and in decodable connected text. During the We Do and You Do portions of each phonics lesson, students decode and spell one-syllable words containing digraphs, blends, and targeted vowel patterns before applying those skills in sentences and connected reading. For example, in lesson 3, students decode one-syllable r-blend words such as brush and frog, mark vowel sounds, and encode additional words during dictation. In later lessons, including lesson 81, students extend these decoding strategies to multisyllabic words such as program, treating blends as single phonics units when decoding and encoding. Additional practice is available through the “Differentiation” tab, which includes word-level activities, sentence practice, and decodable readers.
The materials include a cumulative review that reinforces students’ understanding of how to apply letter–sound correspondence to decode one-syllable and multisyllable words in isolation and in decodable connected text. Each daily phonics lesson begins by reviewing previously taught phonics concepts before introducing new learning. Students revisit earlier sound–spelling patterns through spelling, dictation, fluency activities, and connected reading while continuing to apply those patterns to increasingly complex one-syllable and multisyllabic words. The Differentiation resources further reinforce cumulative learning through review word lists, sentence-level practice, fluency passages, and decodable readers that integrate previously taught and newly introduced phonics patterns, providing repeated opportunities to strengthen automatic decoding in both isolated words and connected text.
Evaluation for 5.D.1a
This guidance is not applicable to grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2.
Evaluation for 5.D.1b
This guidance is not applicable to grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2.
Evaluation for 5.D.1c
This guidance is not applicable to grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2.
Evaluation for 5.D.2a
This guidance is not applicable to grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2.
Evaluation for 5.D.2b
This guidance is not applicable to grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2.
Evaluation for 5.D.2c
This guidance is not applicable to grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2.
Evaluation for 5.D.2d
This guidance is not applicable to grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2.
Evaluation for 5.E.1a
The scope and sequence for grade 3 provides a structured progression that allows educators to review grade 2 skills, such as decoding words with trigraphs and blends in unit 1 and decoding words with silent letters in unit 2. In unit 6, the skills advance to more complex sound–spelling patterns, in which the scope and sequence features decoding and encoding words with the ei spelling of long /a/.
The materials systematically review previously taught sound–spelling patterns before introducing more complex sound–spelling patterns. For example, in unit 2, lesson 28, the educator begins by reviewing the previously learned sound–spelling patterns of using er, ir, and ur to spell the /er/ sound. The educator says, “What sound do you hear at the beginning of these words: earn, early, urge? Yes. They all start with /er/. We’ve learned to spell the sound /er/ with the letters er, ir, and ur.” The educator then introduces a new sound–spelling pattern, saying, “Another way to spell /er/ is with the letters ear. The spelling ear usually spells /er/, as in near. However, when ear is followed by another consonant or digraph, it can spell the Vowel R sound /er/ instead.” This same systematic approach can be seen throughout the materials when introducing more complex sound–spelling patterns.
Evaluation for 5.E.1b
Each lesson scripts how educators introduce sound–spelling patterns. All lessons follow the gradual-release model, ensuring students practice and reinforce all sound–spelling patterns. The lessons guide educators to provide explicit instruction of grade-level sound–spelling patterns through the script and educator tips on the right side of the lesson. For example, in unit 2, lesson 29, the script supplies words that help educators teach the new spelling patterns, ai and ay. The lesson connects students’ prior learning of long a sounds to these new spelling patterns and then instructs educators to say, “Phonetic Skill 5 tells us when certain vowels are adjacent, the second vowel is silent and the first vowel sound is long.” Educators use the words listed in the lesson to show students how to use this knowledge to spell and read words with these patterns.
Each phonics lesson includes an educator script with consistent routines that include explicit review and instruction of new sound–spelling patterns. For example, in unit 1, lesson 7, the script instructs educators to first review the /y/ sound: “Read the words. (yam, yarn, yeast) What sound does the letter y spell in each of these words? Right. When y comes at the beginning of a word, it acts as a consonant and spells the sound /y/.” The script then explicitly teaches students that y can also act as a vowel to spell short i and long i. The educator says, “The letter y can also act as a vowel. When this letter is in the middle or at the end of a word, it becomes a vowel, and we can use the phonetic skills to help us know which sound it spells.” The educator script continues as the educator guides students through example words that contain the new sound–spelling patterns to teach students when y represents a short i sound and when it represents a long i sound.
Evaluation for 5.E.1c
The materials provide cumulative review opportunities through dictation, fluency routines, and extension activities that help students apply increasingly complex sound–spelling patterns in reading and writing tasks. Lessons present decodable passages that use the same phonics patterns just taught, helping students practice reading these patterns fluently. Lesson 3 introduces those short and long vowel patterns, and the passage “Bees” features words such as hive, wax, them, face, sprays, and queen. The weekly homework includes an additional decodable passage that features all the patterns taught that week, and differentiation materials offer word cards and roll-and-read activities for fluency practice at the word level.
The “Differentiation” tab of the educator software provides practice and reinforcement, including resources such as word cards and roll-and-read activities. These activities reinforce learning by including previously taught sound–spelling patterns. The materials offer a variety of activities for students to develop and practice grade-level sound–spelling patterns through direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice. Each phonics lesson gives students opportunities to develop the sound–spelling pattern taught in that lesson. Students decode and encode the new pattern in words as well as in connected text with the educator’s guidance. Students also practice the new sound–spelling pattern with a partner and independently to ensure they understand and use the new sound–spelling pattern. For example, in unit 4, lesson 56, students learn the suffix -tion. Students develop their understanding of this suffix by listening to the lesson introducing the new pattern and then continue developing their understanding of the new pattern by spelling words with the class such as nation, direction, and information. Later, students read words, sentences, and a short decodable paragraph with the educator and class, which continues to help them develop their understanding of the new suffix. In the same lesson, students independently practice their skills by spelling words such as action and attention. Then, they read more words with -tion in a decodable paragraph with a partner and later independently. The lesson provides students with multiple practice opportunities to solidify their understanding of the new spelling pattern.
Evaluation for 5.E.1d
The materials offer a variety of activities that help students decode words with taught sound–spelling patterns, both in isolation and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction. In the decodable book The Fox and the Moon, students read the words mother and cycle with the schwa sound and the consonant-le syllable, which correspond to skills taught in unit 2, lessons 21–24. In this book, students also read words with letter y as long /i/ and long vowel combinations such as oo, which unit 1, lessons 6–9 previously taught. In lesson 31, students read the words course, court, and contour and the sentence “Pour your sister a glass of milk,” after learning the our spelling of /or/.
Each lesson provides practice for encoding words with the sound–spelling pattern learned for that lesson. Students also encode words with past sound–spelling patterns to reinforce all the sound–spelling patterns they must master for grade 3. For example, in unit 4, lesson 56, students learn about the suffix -tion. They encode words such as action, vacation, and attention. Students encode words in connected text through the weekly and unit checkpoints offered every fifth lesson. For the unit 4 checkpoint, students encode the sentences “The prince felt frantic during the clinic visit” and “They decided to displace the plastic fence.” These sentences include many words from past lessons, so students practice using the sound–spelling patterns to encode the connected text.
Evaluation for 5.E.2a
The materials introduce regular and irregular high-frequency words, but the program does not organize them in a systematic sequence. The program does not include high-frequency words as part of daily instruction for all students or list them in the scope and sequence. As a result, the program does not systematically introduce high-frequency words. The “Differentiation” tab provides guidance for high-frequency words only in the Decodable Reader Developing routines, but not in the Decodable Reader Progressing or Proficient routines. Furthermore, the implementation guide directs educators to organize words by pattern, function, or feature, which shows that the program does not provide a systematic sequence.
The scope and sequence does not include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. Instead, the program embeds high-frequency words within phonics and morphology lessons. For example, lesson 11 presents the word look as an example of the /ǒo/ sound of the vowels oo. Educators must explicitly instruct students in high-frequency words to support early literacy. The materials rely on students encountering high-frequency words incidentally throughout phonics lessons rather than receiving dedicated instruction. Because the program introduces the words sporadically, students do not receive the focused practice they need to retain them.
Evaluation for 5.E.2b
The “Differentiation” tab in the “developing” resources provides a high-frequency word document with educator guidance to explicitly teach decoding and encoding of irregular high-frequency words. The materials guide educators to analyze, examine, read, write, extend, and review the word. For example, the educator says the word sweet, spells the word, and then says, “The word sweet has meaning that must be understood in context.” Then, the educator writes a sentence using the word sweet before asking students to discuss how sweet could be used in different contexts or meanings. This document is presented to educators for only developing readers, and it contains highly decodable words mixed with irregular words.
The “Program Architecture Overview” explains that irregular high-frequency words are taught through a Heart Word routine that directs students to identify the unexpected or tricky spelling within each word while connecting expected sound–spelling relationships to previously learned phonics knowledge. For example, for the irregular high-frequency word though, the educator begins the Analyze It part of the routine by saying, “We will learn the word though. Say the word though. Spell the word though.” These directions may also ask the educator to simply say the word and spell it for students. During the next part of the routine (Examine It), the educator says, “The word though has meaning that must be understood in context.” Next, the Read It part of the routine directs educators to read a sentence using though. After this, during the Write It part of the routine, students write though. Through explicit educator modeling, guided sound–spelling analysis, reading, writing, and application, the materials provide direct instruction for decoding and encoding both regular and irregular high-frequency words.
Evaluation for 5.E.2c
The materials include some explicit instruction in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. Phonics lessons teach high-frequency words such as look, introducing it with the oo spelling pattern in lesson 11. The materials do not sequence the introduction, review, and cumulative practice of high-frequency words over time. Students encounter high-frequency words as they progress through lessons, so they practice these words incidentally rather than intentionally building automaticity through varied activities and resources. Although the materials feature high-frequency words throughout, students primarily practice and reinforce these words through exposure in phonics lessons and connected texts, not through a systematic review. For each high-frequency word taught (both regular and irregular), the “High-Frequency Word Instruction” document provides educators with additional directives for encoding these words.
However, lessons do not implement this guidance. The “High-Frequency Word” document targets only “developing” readers because it is located in the “Differentiation” tab. The program does not teach high-frequency words to students at the “progressing” or “proficient” levels. This document serves as a supplemental resource and applies to grades 3–5, so the words are not specific to the grade 3 program and do not align with whole-group instruction. The document provides explicit guidance for teaching decoding and encoding regular high-frequency words. However, it does not offer a variety of activities for developing, practicing, or reinforcing encoding high-frequency words. At the end of every fifth word lesson, students briefly review the last five words taught, but the program does not revisit those five words again.
Evaluation for 5.E.2d
The materials state that high-frequency words are embedded in the phonics lesson. The “Differentiation” tab recommends the “High-Frequency Word Practice for Developing Readers” document. Students encounter high-frequency words in decodable readers and fluency paragraphs within the program. Educators can choose to teach the first word in the “High-Frequency Word Practice” document on any day.
The materials give the students the opportunity to write high-frequency words in isolation. For example, in each high-frequency word lesson (as seen in the “High-Frequency Word Instruction” document found in the “Differentiation” tab for developing readers), the educator directs the students to “Spell the word ___” during the Analyze It portion of the lesson. This routine forms part of direct instruction for the word.
Evaluation for 5.E.3a
The materials use different terminology from what the TEKS use. In this program, closed syllables are referred to as “Phonetic Skills 1 and 2,” open syllables are “Phonetic Skill 3,” VCe syllables are “Phonetic Skill 4,” vowel teams are “Phonetic Skill 5,” r-controlled syllables are called “vowel-r syllables,” and final stable syllables are called “consonant-le syllables.” The materials review the syllable types learned in grade 2 very early in the school year. This ensures that students have the better part of the year to develop, practice, and reinforce their syllable division principles, which allows them to decode and encode multisyllabic words with more accuracy. The material follows a systematic sequence that helps students build upon what they know.
The materials systematically review previously taught sound–spelling patterns before introducing more complex sound–spelling patterns. For example, in unit 2, lesson 28, the educator reviews previously learned sound–spelling patterns that use er, ir, and ur to spell the /er/ sound. The educator asks, “What sound do you hear at the beginning of these words: earn, early, urge? Yes. They all start with /er/. We’ve learned to spell the sound /er/ with the letters er, ir, and ur.” Next, the educator introduces a new sound–spelling pattern and explains, “Another way to spell /er/ is with the letters ear. The ear spelling usually represents /er/, as in near. However, when ear is followed by another consonant or digraph, it can spell the Vowel R sound /er/ instead.” The materials consistently use this systematic approach when introducing more complex sound–spelling patterns.
Evaluation for 5.E.3b
The materials include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types to decode and encode one-syllable words. In unit 1, lessons 3 and 6 contain an educator script to review how to apply syllable types to decode and encode one-syllable words. In lesson 3, the educator reviews Phonetic Skills 1–5 (closed syllables, open syllables, VCe syllables, and vowel teams) by first guiding students through marking a set of example words to prove the vowels and decode the words. During the spelling portion, the educator dictates a list of words (feed, flash, mice, pond, we) for students to encode. In lesson 6, the educator reviews vowel-r syllables, first reviewing all vowel-r sounds (ar, or, er, ir, ur). Students decode a set of words containing each of the r-controlled sounds. During the spelling portion, the educator dictates a list of words for students to encode (dark, porch, bird).
The materials for grade 3 include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types to decode one-syllable words. In lesson 3, “Phonics,” the educator states the objective, saying, “Today we will learn five phonetic skills that help us know whether a vowel is spelling its short sound or its long sound. It’s what follows the vowel that proves its vowel sound.” Then the educator reviews each phonetic skill using example words such as pot, wish, go, and time, and provides opportunities for students to apply their knowledge of syllable types to encode one-syllable words such as flash, pond, and we. Finally, students apply the phonetic skills while spelling words containing examples of the different syllable types, such as blast and chose, before they watch the educator explain how the syllable type helps them check their work. Throughout the materials, the daily lessons provide guidance for educators to support students in using syllable types to decode one-syllable words.
Evaluation for 5.E.3c
The materials include a variety of activities and resources for students to develop their decoding and encoding of one-syllable and multisyllabic words. The materials offer activities for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode one-syllable words. In unit 1, lesson 3, the educator introduces Phonetic Skills 1–5. The educator explains, “It’s what follows the vowel that proves its vowel sound,” and models how to use Phonetic Skills 1–5 to read one-syllable words with various syllable types, such as pot, last, go, time, and suit. The educator then models spelling one-syllable words in isolation, such as feed and flash. Students spell words independently and learn how to check their work. In lesson 3, students practice reading two-syllable words in isolation, in sentences such as “The ice was blue on the lake,” and in passages. Students read the passage “Bees” chorally, with a partner, and independently. Throughout the year, weekly checkpoints give students opportunities to read and spell multisyllabic words in isolation, in decodable sentences, in comprehension passages, and in response to a writing prompt.
For encoding, students develop skills during the daily phonics lesson in the dictation portion. The educator gives students a word in a sentence and instructs them to spell the word correctly and prove how they spelled the syllables. Students develop their skills by writing responses to the weekly homework passages and by playing Beat the Clock on Assess, Write, Apply days. Students also encode words during the weekly and unit assessments.
Evaluation for 5.E.3d
The materials offer activities and resources for students to practice decoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words using their knowledge of syllable types and syllable-division principles, both in isolation and in connected text that builds on previous lessons. Each daily lesson provides guided activities during the spelling, Dictation Bank, and fluency portions, during which students decode one-syllable and multisyllabic words projected on the screen. In unit 3, lesson 34, the educator uses a Dictation Bank with words such as quarrel, squad, squat, quasi, quad, equal, aqua, and quarter for students to spell and prove. The “Differentiation” tab offers word-level practice resources such as decodable cards, word cards, and the roll-and-read game, giving students more chances to practice decoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in isolation. Each unit provides daily fluency passages (choral and partner reads) and weekly decodable books aligned with target phonics skills and syllable types. These texts reinforce decoding skills through cumulative review of previously taught material.
The weekly and unit checkpoints provide another opportunity for students to encode one-syllable and multisyllabic words using the phonics skills they have learned. In the unit 1 checkpoint, students encode the words burst, market, reply, and coast. Students use syllable types and syllable-division principles to spell words correctly. During writing lessons, students encode both one-syllable and multisyllabic words. In unit 1, lesson 12, for example, the educator asks students to write about what they are secretly good at and to wrap up with three reasons. To accomplish the task, students encode both one-syllable and multisyllabic words. These writing tasks occur three times a week, so students have many opportunities to practice encoding words.
Evaluation for 5.E.4a
The materials present a systematic scope and sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, beginning with simpler, high-utility affixes and progressing to less common ones. For example, students learn suffixes such as -y and -ful and prefixes such as pre- and dis- in units 2–4 and tackle more complex affixes such as -ness and non- in later units. The program teaches students how to apply spelling rules for adding suffixes, including principles such as dropping the e or doubling the final consonant before adding a suffix in unit 1 and changing y to i before adding a suffix in unit 2. However, the materials do not fully align with the grade 3 TEKS requirements, as they omit certain required morphemes such as the prefixes im- and in-.
Students have daily phonics lessons that vary between teaching phonemes and sound–spelling rules and teaching affixes. The first six units consist of these lessons, which start with reviewing some grade 2 affixes such as -ly, -ful, pre-, and dis-. Starting in unit 7, the lessons switch to being solely based in morphology, as students learn prefixes, suffixes, and root words. These lessons span two days. On the first day of the lesson, such as in lesson 133, students learn the morpheme, origin, and definition. The educator provides several examples of the morpheme in word contexts, such as action, react, and active. Then the educator shows students more words and has them break the words down to access their meanings. This word-analysis section takes the place of the phonics spelling section. Students are shown a word such as interact and break it into its smallest pieces. However, inter- is not a prefix that the students have previously been taught, so the educator must also explain its meaning. Students read the word in a sentence and then use it in partner talk.
Evaluation for 5.E.4b
The materials include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes and using their meanings to support decoding and encoding. Students spend two days for each morpheme, developing grade-level morphological skills in units 7–10. The lessons include explicit instruction in meaning, and students are exposed to the morpheme in the context of many words, sentences, and a fluency passage. After learning the suffix -let in lessons 106 and 107, students read a passage about heat and water that uses words such as inlet, droplet, and booklet. Sometimes the weekly homework passage also includes words learned in morphology lessons, but the unit 8, week 1 passage includes only words with -ward, not -let.
The materials do not include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction for using common morphemes’ meanings to support reading comprehension. Morphology skills are only briefly covered in the “Morphology Practice” document, which covers all morphemes from grades 3–5. Students are meant to be able to perform five different activities with the morphemes learned that week, but not all lessons have been written out with all the activities. Students working with the suffix -let build and define the words booklet, piglet, and droplet; sort them by meaning; and fill in a single sentence. Only proficient readers are assigned tasks to write the words when they receive extension activities to accompany the weekly morphology readers.
Evaluation for 5.E.4c
Students practice their morphological skills through the weekly and unit checkpoints and morphology readers. Checkpoints at every fifth lesson assess students’ decoding, encoding, and comprehension skills and give students an opportunity to practice what they learned in the previous four lessons. Morphology readers also give students opportunities to practice their morphological skills. The 12 morphology readers focus on one or two morphemes in each book, which allows students to practice in connected text.
Students receive reinforcement through cumulative review by reading morphology readers and completing worksheets from the “Morphology Practice” document in the “Differentiation” tab on the educator dashboard. Students use morphology readers to practice newly and previously learned morphemes, including morpheme segmentation through cumulative practice, allowing them to use morphology reader 2 What An Achievement in unit 7, week 2 to practice the morphemes -ment and non-. This book also helps students reinforce the morpheme -ful, which they learned in unit 3. The “Morphology Practice” document provides additional reinforcement of previously learned morphemes and follows the order of the grade 3 morphology lessons.
Evaluation for 5.E.4d
In unit 7, lesson 94 students practice reading words in decodable connected text and select the correct word with the target morpheme to finish the sentence “I didn’t mean to _________my backpack before school,” choosing between misplace or misjudge. In lesson 94, students read words in isolation, such as misbehave, and in sentences, such as “The report had a misprint which misled the readers.” Students then read the decodable passage “From Errors to Airplanes” chorally, with a partner, and independently. In lesson 94, students write in response to the previously read text The Dream of Flight.
The materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode words with morphemes in isolation and in decodable texts that build on previous instruction. In each phonics lesson, the educator displays words in isolation that contain examples of the target morphology skill, and students identify the affix and then decode by proving and marking the base word. In unit 4, lesson 46, for example, the educator introduces the prefix dis- and guides students as they decode the word dislike, first presenting the base word and then adding the prefix. In the fluency lesson, the educator displays a set of words in isolation for students to read (dislike, disconnect, disqualify). The “Differentiation” tab provides resources such as decodable cards, word cards, and roll-and-read games for each morphology skill, giving students more practice decoding words in isolation. To practice decoding words in decodable texts, students use morphology readers, a collection of decodable readers aligned with each week of instruction and featuring words from the targeted weekly phonics and morphology skills. The “Differentiation” tab also contains sentence-level practice with fluency pyramids and decodable sentences for each phonics and morphology skill.
Evaluation for 5.F.1a
The materials provide educator guidance to support students in determining the meaning of unfamiliar words using context and within texts. Lessons focus on unfamiliar words and context clues and include explicit educator scripts that model how to use surrounding words to determine meaning. For example, in unit 5, lesson 61, the educator script states, “When we come across a word we don’t know, we don’t have to stop reading or grab a dictionary right away. Instead, we can be word detectives! We look at the other words in the sentence and ask ourselves: What clues tell me what this word might mean?” The lesson includes additional examples containing unfamiliar words and guides the educator to continue modeling. Students then apply the strategy independently and discuss their responses with the class. Overall, the materials provide educator guidance, modeled examples, and student practice opportunities that support using context in texts to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
In every comprehension lesson, there is a portion set aside for reviewing important vocabulary in the book students are about to read. In lesson 33, the educator teaches new words such as magnetic, echolocation, and ultraviolet. During the “I Do” portion in teaching magnetic, the teacher shows a picture of magnets on a fridge, demonstrates what it looks like to hold two magnets and have them attract or repel each other, and provides a definition and a sentence with the word in context. For “We Do,” the students repeat the definition and the word to the teacher, then the teacher uses the word in two sentences and the students decide if the word was used correctly or not. For “You Do,” students turn and talk to a partner with a response to a teacher’s question about sensing magnetic fields.
Evaluation for 5.F.1b
The materials include educator guidance that supports print resources such as dictionaries and glossaries. In unit 10, lesson 141, the educator script states, “Today we’re learning about glossaries and how they help us find the exact meaning of a word. A glossary is a special list of words and their meanings found at the back of many books. The words are listed in alphabetical order, just like a dictionary. When you see an unfamiliar word while reading, you can look it up in the glossary to find exactly what it means.” The materials do not guide educators to provide explicit instruction in the use of glossaries. Later in lesson 141, the educator script shows only projected visuals of what glossary entries look like rather than modeling and explaining how to look up an unknown word in a glossary.
The materials do not include educator guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of digital resources such as dictionaries and glossaries. The materials do not include their own online dictionary or glossary, and they do not direct students to use a digital dictionary or glossary. The lessons do not instruct students on how to look up a word digitally or how to navigate and understand different formats of an online dictionary or glossary. One lesson teaches that the purpose of a dictionary is to spell words. In lesson 148, the educator uses the word chronological.
Evaluation for 5.F.1c
The materials include only direct and guided instruction on the purpose and use of print resources and do not include student tasks or activities. The educator shows a slide labeled “Glossary” that lists all the words and their definitions discussed during lesson 141. It is unclear whether the educator uses a print or digital glossary, as the only material specified in this lesson is projected slides. There are no practice tasks. The lesson is a discussion, and there are no follow-up activities or tasks for students to use print and digital resources to determine word meanings, pronunciations, or syllabification. Additionally, within the educator-directed lesson, the educator identifies only the possible definition of words and not their pronunciations or syllabifications.
The educator is responsible for teaching meaning, pronunciation, and syllabication. The students participate in these lessons, but there are no other resources or activities available within the materials, and students are not directed to look outside them. The materials include discussions of word meanings, pronunciation, and syllabication but do not provide hands-on activities or tasks for students to actively engage with print and digital resources. The student is dependent on the educator for all instruction on new vocabulary. In lesson 91, students read a text containing vocabulary such as partition, deliberate, license, and grandstand. The educator teaches students the meaning of deliberate as an adjective, describing doing something in a careful, controlled way. However, the educator never teaches that deliberate can also be a verb, meaning “to argue and go over.” As a result, students do not see multiple pronunciations and meanings when they learn these words.
Evaluation for 5.G.1a
Every five lessons, during the Assess, Write, Apply lesson, educators have the option to use a Fluency Sprint as an activity to help students practice fluency. In a Fluency Sprint, the educator provides students with a copy of the weekly fluency passage and gives students one minute on a timer. Students read aloud for one minute to build smooth, accurate reading. Students mark the last word they read when the timer goes off and then repeat the reading two or three times. Fluency pyramids in the “Differentiation” tab are aligned with weekly phonics skills and can be used for out-of-context practice.
Fluency lessons begin with reading words in isolation that match the phonics skills taught. Sentence-level reading follows. The educator then introduces the fluency focus and demonstrates the focus during the I Do part of the lesson. In unit 8, lesson 11, the fluency focus is on volume and pacing. The educator reads a sentence to model changing volume and pace at certain words. When it is time to read the fluency passage, the educator and students read together, then students read with a partner and, finally, they read independently. . As teacher feedback, the teacher is directed to monitor student reading, provide support as needed, and prompt students to reread words and sentences when errors occur. Students observe modeling and practice the passage three times.
Evaluation for 5.G.1b
The differentiation resources offer word lists, roll-and-read activities, sentence lists, and pyramid sentences for students at “developing” or “progressing” proficiency levels. These resources organize words by phonics patterns so the educator can choose lists that students can decode based on the proficiency they have shown. The fluency pyramids present students with a word and add a single word at a time, encouraging word-by-word reading rather than fluent phrases.
In daily fluency lessons, students read word lists and decodable sentences aligned to the spelling pattern taught during the phonics lesson, as well as previously taught spelling patterns. The educator then models a targeted fluency skill, and students practice applying the skill with guidance and feedback. For example, in unit 3, lesson 31, students read a word list that includes words such as court and contour and read sentences such as “Pour your sister a glass of milk.” The educator then models how to pause during a natural break in a sentence, and students practice by reading, “Your body has five senses that help it get around each day.” The educator models fluent reading of the decodable passage “Your Senses,” and students then engage in repeated readings through choral, partner, and independent reading.
Evaluation for 5.G.1c
The phonics and fluency lessons are whole-group lessons four out of five days each week. Students read words in isolation, in connected text, and in a decodable paragraph as a whole class. Throughout the lesson, students also work with a partner. For example, students reread the fluency paragraph with a partner before reading it independently. In unit 3, lesson 31, students read words with -our in them, such as course, contour, and court, as well as sentences with words that have the focus phonics skills in them as a whole class. The educator models reading sentences with natural breaks, and students then practice reading sentences with a partner and independently. Later in the lesson, the educator reads a decodable fluency paragraph, followed by the whole class, with a partner, and then independently.
Students work in small groups to practice their word-reading fluency with decodable readers. This time gives students additional practice with the focus phonics skills learned throughout the week and provides opportunities for cumulative review. Students work with the educator and a small group to receive more focused instruction. The materials offer Decodable Reader routines to guide the educator in facilitating the small-group lesson. Depending on the readers, the educator may have students choral read the text, read it to each other, or read it individually. After reading, the educator has the small group discuss and review the text.
Evaluation for 5.G.1d
The materials include various texts in the phonics lessons that focus on accuracy. Every fluency lesson provides a list of words in isolation that features the focus phonics skill and a connected text with the focus phonics skill. Students read the text accurately. The fluency lesson also presents a mini-lesson on some aspect of fluency and prosody. The scope and sequence highlights examples such as punctuation, natural breaks, short-breath pauses, and self-monitoring. After the mini-lesson, the materials provide a fluency paragraph for students to practice the new technique. For example, in unit 3, lesson 31, the educator models reading sentences with natural breaks. The students then practice reading sentences with a partner and independently. Later in the lesson, the educator, the whole class, a partner, and then individual students read a decodable fluency paragraph.
The materials include various texts to build accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension. Throughout the year, students engage with 18 decodable readers that include a section with “Think About the Story” questions and 12 morphology readers that include comprehension and discussion items. For example, the educator might select decodable book 1 A Fun Day for small-group instruction using the Decodable Reader Progressing routine. Students read the text with a partner to identify the target sound–spelling pattern, thereby improving decoding accuracy. After multiple readings, including partner and independent reading, students respond orally or in writing to comprehension prompts such as “Name two things at the festival that helped the family experience different cultures” and “Compare two types of music that the family heard. Explain how the music was different and the same.”
Evaluation for 5.H.1a
The materials include a “Teacher Guidance for Cursive Instruction” document with “How to Teach It,” “Instructional Routine,” and “Beyond the Writing Page” sections. The guidance provides cursive lessons that begin with single letters, move to words, and progress to sentences. The materials state, “Once letter formation is secure, move cursive into authentic writing tasks,” and suggest classroom applications of cursive writing, such as having students write journal responses, class notes, and spelling words in cursive.
The “Teacher Guidance for Cursive Instruction” document helps educators meet grade-level standards by providing students with opportunities to accurately form all cursive letters and to use appropriate strokes when connecting letters. The materials also guide educators to integrate handwriting instruction into classroom learning to reinforce handwriting practice. The materials state, “Once letter formation is secure, move cursive into authentic writing tasks.” The materials also suggest classroom applications of cursive writing, such as having students write journal responses and spell words in cursive.
Evaluation for 5.H.1b
“Beyond the Handwriting Page” in the cursive resources on the “developing” readers “Differentiation” tab provides educator guidance. The materials recommend that once letter formation is secure, the educator should move cursive into authentic writing tasks. Examples include copying short passages in cursive, writing journal responses or summaries in cursive, taking brief class notes in cursive (recommended only for grade 3 and above), writing spelling words, and practicing the full alphabet daily as a warm-up. These recommendations are included in this document rather than found in daily lessons.
The materials include a writing lesson three times a week. In unit 1, lesson 10, for example, the educator gives students the following writing prompt: “Write about what you want to teach your readers about how people trade goods and services to meet their needs.”
5.A.1 Print Awareness K-1
5.A.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) and systematic instruction in print awareness and for regular review of print concepts, including how print has different purposes (K-1) (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) and systematic instruction in print awareness and for regular review of print concepts, including how print has different purposes (K-1) (T)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.A.1a
Evaluation for 5.A.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) and systematic instruction in print awareness and for regular review of print concepts, including how print has different purposes (K-1) (T)
Not applicable.
5.A.1b
Materials include frequent opportunities for students to apply print awareness knowledge while engaging with a variety of texts in a variety of formats. (K-1) (S).
Materials include frequent opportunities for students to apply print awareness knowledge while engaging with a variety of texts in a variety of formats. (K-1) (S).
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.A.1b
Evaluation for 5.A.1b
Materials include frequent opportunities for students to apply print awareness knowledge while engaging with a variety of texts in a variety of formats. (K-1) (S).
Not applicable.
5.B.1 Oral Language Development
5.B.1a
Materials include explicit (direct) and systematic instructional guidance on developing oral language and oracy through a variety of methods (e.g., modeling, guided practice, coaching, feedback, and independent practice). (T)
Materials include explicit (direct) and systematic instructional guidance on developing oral language and oracy through a variety of methods (e.g., modeling, guided practice, coaching, feedback, and independent practice). (T)
8 out of 8 points
Evaluation for 5.B.1a
Evaluation for 5.B.1a
Materials include explicit (direct) and systematic instructional guidance on developing oral language and oracy through a variety of methods (e.g., modeling, guided practice, coaching, feedback, and independent practice). (T)
8 out of 8 points
The materials also include systematic instructional guidance for developing oral language and oracy through recurring instructional routines. Educators consistently model fluent reading before guiding students through partner practice that emphasizes phrasing, expression, and intonation. As students’ oral language skills develop, recurring turn-and-talk routines, collaborative discussions, and sentence stems support increasingly sophisticated conversations in which students explain ideas, support responses with evidence, and build oral communication skills. These recurring instructional routines provide systematic opportunities for modeling, guided practice, collaborative discussion, and independent oral language application throughout the curriculum.
The materials include additional instructional guidance that develops oral language and oracy through coaching, feedback, and differentiated practice. Educators regularly provide sentence stems, discussion prompts, and opportunities for peer feedback that help students refine oral language while discussing texts and content-area topics. Throughout lessons, educators monitor student conversations, reinforce effective communication, and provide coaching before students independently participate in collaborative discussions. Together, these instructional routines provide explicit and systematic guidance through modeling, guided practice, coaching, feedback, and independent oral language practice.
5.B.1b
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in social and academic communication for different purposes and audiences. (S)
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in social and academic communication for different purposes and audiences. (S)
3 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.B.1b
Evaluation for 5.B.1b
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in social and academic communication for different purposes and audiences. (S)
3 out of 4 points
The materials include opportunities for students to engage in academic communication for different purposes and audiences. In the Decodable Reader Progressing routines, students predict events before reading, share questions with a partner, locate words that contain targeted phonics patterns after reading, and participate in educator-led whole-class discussions about text meaning and text features. These activities provide opportunities to communicate academic ideas through partner and whole-class discussions. Although students frequently explain their thinking during academic conversations, the materials do not provide guidance on how to build on or respectfully disagree with peers’ ideas.
5.B.1c
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.B.1c
Evaluation for 5.B.1c
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)
4 out of 4 points
The materials also provide authentic opportunities for students to engage in discussion to deepen their understanding of the information. Throughout the curriculum, students participate in recurring turn-and-talk routines that encourage collaborative thinking before reading, writing, and responding to comprehension questions. For example, in unit 3, lesson 32, students orally rehearse a narrative by imagining they are the star from the story, sharing one exciting event with a partner, answering a partner’s question, and clarifying ideas through discussion.
The materials provide authentic opportunities for students to share information and ideas across recurring oral language routines. Students regularly share their thinking through partner discussions, collaborative conversations, and whole-class presentations. In lesson 114, students participate in an author’s chair and present their writing to the class after receiving peer feedback. These recurring opportunities support students in listening, questioning, discussing, and sharing information across authentic literacy experiences.
5.C.1 Alphabet Knowledge (K only)
5.C.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing letter names and their corresponding sounds. (PR 2.A.1)
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing letter names and their corresponding sounds. (PR 2.A.1)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.C.1a
Evaluation for 5.C.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing letter names and their corresponding sounds. (PR 2.A.1)
Not applicable.
5.C.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for teaching and developing student automaticity in the identification of the 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase) and their corresponding sounds. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for teaching and developing student automaticity in the identification of the 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase) and their corresponding sounds. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.C.1b
Evaluation for 5.C.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for teaching and developing student automaticity in the identification of the 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase) and their corresponding sounds. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Not applicable.
5.C.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) and systematic instruction for letter formation for the 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) and systematic instruction for letter formation for the 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (T)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.C.1c
Evaluation for 5.C.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) and systematic instruction for letter formation for the 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (T)
Not applicable.
5.C.1d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) alphabet knowledge both in isolation and in the context of meaningful print. (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S).
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) alphabet knowledge both in isolation and in the context of meaningful print. (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S).
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.C.1d
Evaluation for 5.C.1d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) alphabet knowledge both in isolation and in the context of meaningful print. (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S).
Not applicable.
5.C.2 Letter-Sound Correspondence
5.C.2a
Materials explicitly (directly), and systematically introduce letter-sound relationships in an order that allows for application to basic decoding and encoding. (PR 2.A.1)
Materials explicitly (directly), and systematically introduce letter-sound relationships in an order that allows for application to basic decoding and encoding. (PR 2.A.1)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.C.2a
Evaluation for 5.C.2a
Materials explicitly (directly), and systematically introduce letter-sound relationships in an order that allows for application to basic decoding and encoding. (PR 2.A.1)
4 out of 4 points
For example, in unit 2, lesson 28, educators review the /er/ sound at the start of words (earn, early, urge); remind students that er, ir, and ur can spell /er/; and then teach that ear also spells /er/. Using earth as an example, educators explain how ea before r can create the vowel-r sound /er/. Educators model how to mark vowels and identify ear in words; guide students to encode words such as heard, pearl, and search; and have them demonstrate their decoding by marking vowels and identifying ear as the /er/ sound. All phonics lessons use this explicit, systematic routine to teach new letter–sound relationships. This instructional progression moves from explicit instruction to guided decoding, encoding, and phoneme manipulation, providing systematic opportunities for students to apply letter–sound relationships in reading and spelling.
5.C.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction focused on connecting phonemes to letters within words with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction focused on connecting phonemes to letters within words with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.C.2b
Evaluation for 5.C.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction focused on connecting phonemes to letters within words with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)
0 out of 2 points
The materials give educators tips to deepen their understanding of phonemes and word spellings but do not provide explanatory feedback for students. In unit 3, lesson 32, educators use a script to teach the suffix -ly. The lesson includes sidebar tips; one describes how to make the sound, and another notes that most words that end in -ly are adverbs. These tips support educators during instruction but are not intended for students.
5.C.2c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) their understanding of applying letter-sound correspondence to decode one syllable and multisyllable words in isolation and decodable connected text. (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) their understanding of applying letter-sound correspondence to decode one syllable and multisyllable words in isolation and decodable connected text. (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
12 out of 12 points
Evaluation for 5.C.2c
Evaluation for 5.C.2c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) their understanding of applying letter-sound correspondence to decode one syllable and multisyllable words in isolation and decodable connected text. (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
12 out of 12 points
The materials also provide a variety of activities and resources for students to practice applying letter–sound correspondence to decode one-syllable and multisyllable words in isolation and in decodable connected text. During the We Do and You Do portions of each phonics lesson, students decode and spell one-syllable words containing digraphs, blends, and targeted vowel patterns before applying those skills in sentences and connected reading. For example, in lesson 3, students decode one-syllable r-blend words such as brush and frog, mark vowel sounds, and encode additional words during dictation. In later lessons, including lesson 81, students extend these decoding strategies to multisyllabic words such as program, treating blends as single phonics units when decoding and encoding. Additional practice is available through the “Differentiation” tab, which includes word-level activities, sentence practice, and decodable readers.
The materials include a cumulative review that reinforces students’ understanding of how to apply letter–sound correspondence to decode one-syllable and multisyllable words in isolation and in decodable connected text. Each daily phonics lesson begins by reviewing previously taught phonics concepts before introducing new learning. Students revisit earlier sound–spelling patterns through spelling, dictation, fluency activities, and connected reading while continuing to apply those patterns to increasingly complex one-syllable and multisyllabic words. The Differentiation resources further reinforce cumulative learning through review word lists, sentence-level practice, fluency passages, and decodable readers that integrate previously taught and newly introduced phonics patterns, providing repeated opportunities to strengthen automatic decoding in both isolated words and connected text.
5.D.1 Phonological Awareness (K-2)
5.D.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonological awareness activities in accordance with grade-level TEKS that begins with simple skills and larger units of sound (e.g., identifying and producing rhyming words, recognizing spoken alliteration, identifying the individual words in spoken sentences) and gradually transitions to more complex skills and smaller units of sound (e.g., adding, deleting, and substituting syllables). (PR 2.A.1)
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonological awareness activities in accordance with grade-level TEKS that begins with simple skills and larger units of sound (e.g., identifying and producing rhyming words, recognizing spoken alliteration, identifying the individual words in spoken sentences) and gradually transitions to more complex skills and smaller units of sound (e.g., adding, deleting, and substituting syllables). (PR 2.A.1)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.D.1a
Evaluation for 5.D.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonological awareness activities in accordance with grade-level TEKS that begins with simple skills and larger units of sound (e.g., identifying and producing rhyming words, recognizing spoken alliteration, identifying the individual words in spoken sentences) and gradually transitions to more complex skills and smaller units of sound (e.g., adding, deleting, and substituting syllables). (PR 2.A.1)
Not applicable.
5.D.1b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction for teaching phonological awareness skills with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction for teaching phonological awareness skills with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.D.1b
Evaluation for 5.D.1b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction for teaching phonological awareness skills with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)
Not applicable.
5.D.1c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonological awareness skills connected to grade-level TEKS (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonological awareness skills connected to grade-level TEKS (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.D.1c
Evaluation for 5.D.1c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonological awareness skills connected to grade-level TEKS (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
Not applicable.
5.D.2 Phonemic Awareness (K-2)
5.D.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonemic awareness activities that begins with identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes, and gradually transitions to more complex manipulation practices such as adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes. (PR 2.A.1)
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonemic awareness activities that begins with identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes, and gradually transitions to more complex manipulation practices such as adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes. (PR 2.A.1)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.D.2a
Evaluation for 5.D.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonemic awareness activities that begins with identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes, and gradually transitions to more complex manipulation practices such as adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes. (PR 2.A.1)
Not applicable.
5.D.2b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction for teaching phonemic awareness with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction for teaching phonemic awareness with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.D.2b
Evaluation for 5.D.2b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction for teaching phonemic awareness with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. (PR 2.A & 2.A.2) (T)
Not applicable.
5.D.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle, to support students in the transition from oral language activities to basic decoding and encoding. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Materials include explicit (direct) guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle, to support students in the transition from oral language activities to basic decoding and encoding. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.D.2c
Evaluation for 5.D.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle, to support students in the transition from oral language activities to basic decoding and encoding. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Not applicable.
5.D.2d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonemic awareness skills (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonemic awareness skills (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 5.D.2d
Evaluation for 5.D.2d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce phonemic awareness skills (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
Not applicable.
5.E.1 Sound-Spelling Patterns
5.E.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.E.1a
Evaluation for 5.E.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)
1 out of 1 points
The materials systematically review previously taught sound–spelling patterns before introducing more complex sound–spelling patterns. For example, in unit 2, lesson 28, the educator begins by reviewing the previously learned sound–spelling patterns of using er, ir, and ur to spell the /er/ sound. The educator says, “What sound do you hear at the beginning of these words: earn, early, urge? Yes. They all start with /er/. We’ve learned to spell the sound /er/ with the letters er, ir, and ur.” The educator then introduces a new sound–spelling pattern, saying, “Another way to spell /er/ is with the letters ear. The spelling ear usually spells /er/, as in near. However, when ear is followed by another consonant or digraph, it can spell the Vowel R sound /er/ instead.” This same systematic approach can be seen throughout the materials when introducing more complex sound–spelling patterns.
5.E.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.E.1b
Evaluation for 5.E.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
1 out of 1 points
Each phonics lesson includes an educator script with consistent routines that include explicit review and instruction of new sound–spelling patterns. For example, in unit 1, lesson 7, the script instructs educators to first review the /y/ sound: “Read the words. (yam, yarn, yeast) What sound does the letter y spell in each of these words? Right. When y comes at the beginning of a word, it acts as a consonant and spells the sound /y/.” The script then explicitly teaches students that y can also act as a vowel to spell short i and long i. The educator says, “The letter y can also act as a vowel. When this letter is in the middle or at the end of a word, it becomes a vowel, and we can use the phonetic skills to help us know which sound it spells.” The educator script continues as the educator guides students through example words that contain the new sound–spelling patterns to teach students when y represents a short i sound and when it represents a long i sound.
5.E.1c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1) (T)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 5.E.1c
Evaluation for 5.E.1c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1) (T)
3 out of 3 points
The “Differentiation” tab of the educator software provides practice and reinforcement, including resources such as word cards and roll-and-read activities. These activities reinforce learning by including previously taught sound–spelling patterns. The materials offer a variety of activities for students to develop and practice grade-level sound–spelling patterns through direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice. Each phonics lesson gives students opportunities to develop the sound–spelling pattern taught in that lesson. Students decode and encode the new pattern in words as well as in connected text with the educator’s guidance. Students also practice the new sound–spelling pattern with a partner and independently to ensure they understand and use the new sound–spelling pattern. For example, in unit 4, lesson 56, students learn the suffix -tion. Students develop their understanding of this suffix by listening to the lesson introducing the new pattern and then continue developing their understanding of the new pattern by spelling words with the class such as nation, direction, and information. Later, students read words, sentences, and a short decodable paragraph with the educator and class, which continues to help them develop their understanding of the new suffix. In the same lesson, students independently practice their skills by spelling words such as action and attention. Then, they read more words with -tion in a decodable paragraph with a partner and later independently. The lesson provides students with multiple practice opportunities to solidify their understanding of the new spelling pattern.
5.E.1d
Materials provide a variety of activities and/or resources to support students in decoding and encoding words that include taught sound-spelling patterns, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials provide a variety of activities and/or resources to support students in decoding and encoding words that include taught sound-spelling patterns, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.E.1d
Evaluation for 5.E.1d
Materials provide a variety of activities and/or resources to support students in decoding and encoding words that include taught sound-spelling patterns, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
4 out of 4 points
Each lesson provides practice for encoding words with the sound–spelling pattern learned for that lesson. Students also encode words with past sound–spelling patterns to reinforce all the sound–spelling patterns they must master for grade 3. For example, in unit 4, lesson 56, students learn about the suffix -tion. They encode words such as action, vacation, and attention. Students encode words in connected text through the weekly and unit checkpoints offered every fifth lesson. For the unit 4 checkpoint, students encode the sentences “The prince felt frantic during the clinic visit” and “They decided to displace the plastic fence.” These sentences include many words from past lessons, so students practice using the sound–spelling patterns to encode the connected text.
5.E.2 Regular and Irregular High-Frequency Words
5.E.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. (PR 2.A.1)
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. (PR 2.A.1)
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.E.2a
Evaluation for 5.E.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. (PR 2.A.1)
0 out of 2 points
The scope and sequence does not include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. Instead, the program embeds high-frequency words within phonics and morphology lessons. For example, lesson 11 presents the word look as an example of the /ǒo/ sound of the vowels oo. Educators must explicitly instruct students in high-frequency words to support early literacy. The materials rely on students encountering high-frequency words incidentally throughout phonics lessons rather than receiving dedicated instruction. Because the program introduces the words sporadically, students do not receive the focused practice they need to retain them.
5.E.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.E.2b
Evaluation for 5.E.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
4 out of 4 points
The “Program Architecture Overview” explains that irregular high-frequency words are taught through a Heart Word routine that directs students to identify the unexpected or tricky spelling within each word while connecting expected sound–spelling relationships to previously learned phonics knowledge. For example, for the irregular high-frequency word though, the educator begins the Analyze It part of the routine by saying, “We will learn the word though. Say the word though. Spell the word though.” These directions may also ask the educator to simply say the word and spell it for students. During the next part of the routine (Examine It), the educator says, “The word though has meaning that must be understood in context.” Next, the Read It part of the routine directs educators to read a sentence using though. After this, during the Write It part of the routine, students write though. Through explicit educator modeling, guided sound–spelling analysis, reading, writing, and application, the materials provide direct instruction for decoding and encoding both regular and irregular high-frequency words.
5.E.2c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode regular and irregular high-frequency words (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode regular and irregular high-frequency words (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
6 out of 12 points
Evaluation for 5.E.2c
Evaluation for 5.E.2c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode regular and irregular high-frequency words (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
6 out of 12 points
However, lessons do not implement this guidance. The “High-Frequency Word” document targets only “developing” readers because it is located in the “Differentiation” tab. The program does not teach high-frequency words to students at the “progressing” or “proficient” levels. This document serves as a supplemental resource and applies to grades 3–5, so the words are not specific to the grade 3 program and do not align with whole-group instruction. The document provides explicit guidance for teaching decoding and encoding regular high-frequency words. However, it does not offer a variety of activities for developing, practicing, or reinforcing encoding high-frequency words. At the end of every fifth word lesson, students briefly review the last five words taught, but the program does not revisit those five words again.
5.E.2d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to read, and write high-frequency words in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to read, and write high-frequency words in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1) (S)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.E.2d
Evaluation for 5.E.2d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources (including the use of memory-building strategies) for students to read, and write high-frequency words in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1) (S)
4 out of 4 points
The materials give the students the opportunity to write high-frequency words in isolation. For example, in each high-frequency word lesson (as seen in the “High-Frequency Word Instruction” document found in the “Differentiation” tab for developing readers), the educator directs the students to “Spell the word ___” during the Analyze It portion of the lesson. This routine forms part of direct instruction for the word.
5.E.3 Decoding and Encoding One-Syllable or Multisyllabic Words
5.E.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.E.3a
Evaluation for 5.E.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)
2 out of 2 points
The materials systematically review previously taught sound–spelling patterns before introducing more complex sound–spelling patterns. For example, in unit 2, lesson 28, the educator reviews previously learned sound–spelling patterns that use er, ir, and ur to spell the /er/ sound. The educator asks, “What sound do you hear at the beginning of these words: earn, early, urge? Yes. They all start with /er/. We’ve learned to spell the sound /er/ with the letters er, ir, and ur.” Next, the educator introduces a new sound–spelling pattern and explains, “Another way to spell /er/ is with the letters ear. The ear spelling usually represents /er/, as in near. However, when ear is followed by another consonant or digraph, it can spell the Vowel R sound /er/ instead.” The materials consistently use this systematic approach when introducing more complex sound–spelling patterns.
5.E.3b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
8 out of 8 points
Evaluation for 5.E.3b
Evaluation for 5.E.3b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
8 out of 8 points
The materials for grade 3 include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types to decode one-syllable words. In lesson 3, “Phonics,” the educator states the objective, saying, “Today we will learn five phonetic skills that help us know whether a vowel is spelling its short sound or its long sound. It’s what follows the vowel that proves its vowel sound.” Then the educator reviews each phonetic skill using example words such as pot, wish, go, and time, and provides opportunities for students to apply their knowledge of syllable types to encode one-syllable words such as flash, pond, and we. Finally, students apply the phonetic skills while spelling words containing examples of the different syllable types, such as blast and chose, before they watch the educator explain how the syllable type helps them check their work. Throughout the materials, the daily lessons provide guidance for educators to support students in using syllable types to decode one-syllable words.
5.E.3c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
12 out of 12 points
Evaluation for 5.E.3c
Evaluation for 5.E.3c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
12 out of 12 points
For encoding, students develop skills during the daily phonics lesson in the dictation portion. The educator gives students a word in a sentence and instructs them to spell the word correctly and prove how they spelled the syllables. Students develop their skills by writing responses to the weekly homework passages and by playing Beat the Clock on Assess, Write, Apply days. Students also encode words during the weekly and unit assessments.
5.E.3d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding one-syllable or multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding one-syllable or multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
8 out of 8 points
Evaluation for 5.E.3d
Evaluation for 5.E.3d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding one-syllable or multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A & 2.A.3) (S)
8 out of 8 points
The weekly and unit checkpoints provide another opportunity for students to encode one-syllable and multisyllabic words using the phonics skills they have learned. In the unit 1 checkpoint, students encode the words burst, market, reply, and coast. Students use syllable types and syllable-division principles to spell words correctly. During writing lessons, students encode both one-syllable and multisyllabic words. In unit 1, lesson 12, for example, the educator asks students to write about what they are secretly good at and to wrap up with three reasons. To accomplish the task, students encode both one-syllable and multisyllabic words. These writing tasks occur three times a week, so students have many opportunities to practice encoding words.
5.E.4 Morphological Awareness (1-3)
5.E.4a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.E.4a
Evaluation for 5.E.4a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS. (PR 2.A.1)
0 out of 1 points
Students have daily phonics lessons that vary between teaching phonemes and sound–spelling rules and teaching affixes. The first six units consist of these lessons, which start with reviewing some grade 2 affixes such as -ly, -ful, pre-, and dis-. Starting in unit 7, the lessons switch to being solely based in morphology, as students learn prefixes, suffixes, and root words. These lessons span two days. On the first day of the lesson, such as in lesson 133, students learn the morpheme, origin, and definition. The educator provides several examples of the morpheme in word contexts, such as action, react, and active. Then the educator shows students more words and has them break the words down to access their meanings. This word-analysis section takes the place of the phonics spelling section. Students are shown a word such as interact and break it into its smallest pieces. However, inter- is not a prefix that the students have previously been taught, so the educator must also explain its meaning. Students read the word in a sentence and then use it in partner talk.
5.E.4b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes and using their meanings (e.g., affixes, roots, and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes and using their meanings (e.g., affixes, roots, and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
3 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.E.4b
Evaluation for 5.E.4b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes and using their meanings (e.g., affixes, roots, and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. (PR 2.A.1) (T)
3 out of 4 points
The materials do not include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction for using common morphemes’ meanings to support reading comprehension. Morphology skills are only briefly covered in the “Morphology Practice” document, which covers all morphemes from grades 3–5. Students are meant to be able to perform five different activities with the morphemes learned that week, but not all lessons have been written out with all the activities. Students working with the suffix -let build and define the words booklet, piglet, and droplet; sort them by meaning; and fill in a single sentence. Only proficient readers are assigned tasks to write the words when they receive extension activities to accompany the weekly morphology readers.
5.E.4c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 5.E.4c
Evaluation for 5.E.4c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
3 out of 3 points
Students receive reinforcement through cumulative review by reading morphology readers and completing worksheets from the “Morphology Practice” document in the “Differentiation” tab on the educator dashboard. Students use morphology readers to practice newly and previously learned morphemes, including morpheme segmentation through cumulative practice, allowing them to use morphology reader 2 What An Achievement in unit 7, week 2 to practice the morphemes -ment and non-. This book also helps students reinforce the morpheme -ful, which they learned in unit 3. The “Morphology Practice” document provides additional reinforcement of previously learned morphemes and follows the order of the grade 3 morphology lessons.
5.E.4d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.E.4d
Evaluation for 5.E.4d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences or decodable texts). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
4 out of 4 points
The materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to decode words with morphemes in isolation and in decodable texts that build on previous instruction. In each phonics lesson, the educator displays words in isolation that contain examples of the target morphology skill, and students identify the affix and then decode by proving and marking the base word. In unit 4, lesson 46, for example, the educator introduces the prefix dis- and guides students as they decode the word dislike, first presenting the base word and then adding the prefix. In the fluency lesson, the educator displays a set of words in isolation for students to read (dislike, disconnect, disqualify). The “Differentiation” tab provides resources such as decodable cards, word cards, and roll-and-read games for each morphology skill, giving students more practice decoding words in isolation. To practice decoding words in decodable texts, students use morphology readers, a collection of decodable readers aligned with each week of instruction and featuring words from the targeted weekly phonics and morphology skills. The “Differentiation” tab also contains sentence-level practice with fluency pyramids and decodable sentences for each phonics and morphology skill.
5.F.1 Vocabulary Development
5.F.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to support students in determining the meaning of unfamiliar words with illustrations, texts, and guidance in the use of context according to grade-level TEKS.
Materials include teacher guidance to support students in determining the meaning of unfamiliar words with illustrations, texts, and guidance in the use of context according to grade-level TEKS.
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 5.F.1a
Evaluation for 5.F.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to support students in determining the meaning of unfamiliar words with illustrations, texts, and guidance in the use of context according to grade-level TEKS.
3 out of 3 points
In every comprehension lesson, there is a portion set aside for reviewing important vocabulary in the book students are about to read. In lesson 33, the educator teaches new words such as magnetic, echolocation, and ultraviolet. During the “I Do” portion in teaching magnetic, the teacher shows a picture of magnets on a fridge, demonstrates what it looks like to hold two magnets and have them attract or repel each other, and provides a definition and a sentence with the word in context. For “We Do,” the students repeat the definition and the word to the teacher, then the teacher uses the word in two sentences and the students decide if the word was used correctly or not. For “You Do,” students turn and talk to a partner with a response to a teacher’s question about sensing magnetic fields.
5.F.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources such as picture dictionaries, primary dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources such as picture dictionaries, primary dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. (T)
1 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.F.1b
Evaluation for 5.F.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources such as picture dictionaries, primary dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. (T)
1 out of 4 points
The materials do not include educator guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of digital resources such as dictionaries and glossaries. The materials do not include their own online dictionary or glossary, and they do not direct students to use a digital dictionary or glossary. The lessons do not instruct students on how to look up a word digitally or how to navigate and understand different formats of an online dictionary or glossary. One lesson teaches that the purpose of a dictionary is to spell words. In lesson 148, the educator uses the word chronological.
5.F.1c
[2nd grade only] Materials include activities and tasks for students to use print and digital resources to determine the meaning of words and their pronunciations. (S) [3rd grade only] Materials include activities and tasks for students to use print and digital resources for determining the meaning of words and their pronunciation and syllabication. (S)
[2nd grade only] Materials include activities and tasks for students to use print and digital resources to determine the meaning of words and their pronunciations. (S) [3rd grade only] Materials include activities and tasks for students to use print and digital resources for determining the meaning of words and their pronunciation and syllabication. (S)
0 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.F.1c
Evaluation for 5.F.1c
[2nd grade only] Materials include activities and tasks for students to use print and digital resources to determine the meaning of words and their pronunciations. (S) [3rd grade only] Materials include activities and tasks for students to use print and digital resources for determining the meaning of words and their pronunciation and syllabication. (S)
0 out of 4 points
The educator is responsible for teaching meaning, pronunciation, and syllabication. The students participate in these lessons, but there are no other resources or activities available within the materials, and students are not directed to look outside them. The materials include discussions of word meanings, pronunciation, and syllabication but do not provide hands-on activities or tasks for students to actively engage with print and digital resources. The student is dependent on the educator for all instruction on new vocabulary. In lesson 91, students read a text containing vocabulary such as partition, deliberate, license, and grandstand. The educator teaches students the meaning of deliberate as an adjective, describing doing something in a careful, controlled way. However, the educator never teaches that deliberate can also be a verb, meaning “to argue and go over.” As a result, students do not see multiple pronunciations and meanings when they learn these words.
5.G.1 Reading Fluency (1-3)
5.G.1a
Materials include lessons, activities and tasks with modeling and practice of fluent reading skills in and out context with suggestions for teacher feedback. (T)
Materials include lessons, activities and tasks with modeling and practice of fluent reading skills in and out context with suggestions for teacher feedback. (T)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 5.G.1a
Evaluation for 5.G.1a
Materials include lessons, activities and tasks with modeling and practice of fluent reading skills in and out context with suggestions for teacher feedback. (T)
3 out of 3 points
Fluency lessons begin with reading words in isolation that match the phonics skills taught. Sentence-level reading follows. The educator then introduces the fluency focus and demonstrates the focus during the I Do part of the lesson. In unit 8, lesson 11, the fluency focus is on volume and pacing. The educator reads a sentence to model changing volume and pace at certain words. When it is time to read the fluency passage, the educator and students read together, then students read with a partner and, finally, they read independently. . As teacher feedback, the teacher is directed to monitor student reading, provide support as needed, and prompt students to reread words and sentences when errors occur. Students observe modeling and practice the passage three times.
5.G.1b
Materials include embedded modeling and practice with word lists, decodable phrases/sentences, and decodable connected texts in the lesson. (S)
Materials include embedded modeling and practice with word lists, decodable phrases/sentences, and decodable connected texts in the lesson. (S)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 5.G.1b
Evaluation for 5.G.1b
Materials include embedded modeling and practice with word lists, decodable phrases/sentences, and decodable connected texts in the lesson. (S)
3 out of 3 points
In daily fluency lessons, students read word lists and decodable sentences aligned to the spelling pattern taught during the phonics lesson, as well as previously taught spelling patterns. The educator then models a targeted fluency skill, and students practice applying the skill with guidance and feedback. For example, in unit 3, lesson 31, students read a word list that includes words such as court and contour and read sentences such as “Pour your sister a glass of milk.” The educator then models how to pause during a natural break in a sentence, and students practice by reading, “Your body has five senses that help it get around each day.” The educator models fluent reading of the decodable passage “Your Senses,” and students then engage in repeated readings through choral, partner, and independent reading.
5.G.1c
Materials include practice activities and tasks to develop word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in teacher-facilitated small groups, etc.). (S)
Materials include practice activities and tasks to develop word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in teacher-facilitated small groups, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.G.1c
Evaluation for 5.G.1c
Materials include practice activities and tasks to develop word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in teacher-facilitated small groups, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Students work in small groups to practice their word-reading fluency with decodable readers. This time gives students additional practice with the focus phonics skills learned throughout the week and provides opportunities for cumulative review. Students work with the educator and a small group to receive more focused instruction. The materials offer Decodable Reader routines to guide the educator in facilitating the small-group lesson. Depending on the readers, the educator may have students choral read the text, read it to each other, or read it individually. After reading, the educator has the small group discuss and review the text.
5.G.1d
Materials include various texts for the building of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
Materials include various texts for the building of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.G.1d
Evaluation for 5.G.1d
Materials include various texts for the building of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
4 out of 4 points
The materials include various texts to build accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension. Throughout the year, students engage with 18 decodable readers that include a section with “Think About the Story” questions and 12 morphology readers that include comprehension and discussion items. For example, the educator might select decodable book 1 A Fun Day for small-group instruction using the Decodable Reader Progressing routine. Students read the text with a partner to identify the target sound–spelling pattern, thereby improving decoding accuracy. After multiple readings, including partner and independent reading, students respond orally or in writing to comprehension prompts such as “Name two things at the festival that helped the family experience different cultures” and “Compare two types of music that the family heard. Explain how the music was different and the same.”
5.H.1 Handwriting Development
5.H.1a
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on the teaching of handwriting skills, including handwriting strokes, as appropriate for each grade level and, when possible, connected to current student learning. (T)
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on the teaching of handwriting skills, including handwriting strokes, as appropriate for each grade level and, when possible, connected to current student learning. (T)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.H.1a
Evaluation for 5.H.1a
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on the teaching of handwriting skills, including handwriting strokes, as appropriate for each grade level and, when possible, connected to current student learning. (T)
2 out of 2 points
The “Teacher Guidance for Cursive Instruction” document helps educators meet grade-level standards by providing students with opportunities to accurately form all cursive letters and to use appropriate strokes when connecting letters. The materials also guide educators to integrate handwriting instruction into classroom learning to reinforce handwriting practice. The materials state, “Once letter formation is secure, move cursive into authentic writing tasks.” The materials also suggest classroom applications of cursive writing, such as having students write journal responses and spell words in cursive.
5.H.1b
Materials include frequent opportunities, resources, and activities and tasks for students to authentically practice and develop handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level. (S)
Materials include frequent opportunities, resources, and activities and tasks for students to authentically practice and develop handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.H.1b
Evaluation for 5.H.1b
Materials include frequent opportunities, resources, and activities and tasks for students to authentically practice and develop handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level. (S)
1 out of 1 points
The materials include a writing lesson three times a week. In unit 1, lesson 10, for example, the educator gives students the following writing prompt: “Write about what you want to teach your readers about how people trade goods and services to meet their needs.”
Rubric Section 6
Knowledge Coherence
Materials support the development of connected background knowledge and key academic vocabulary within and across grade levels.
Total
91% (29 out of 32 points)
Evaluation for 6.A.1a
The “Program Architecture” organizes instruction around 10 knowledge-building strands, including “Amazing Animals,” “Earth and Life,” “The Human Machine,” “Sky and Space,” “Traveling Through Time,” “Once Upon a Story,” “Inventors and Innovations,” “A World of Wonder,” “Our Place in the World,” and “Mysteries and Detectives.” These thematic units give students opportunities to build knowledge in science, history, and literature. Topics such as animals, earth, and the human body address the science indicator. Historical change, people, and communities through the centuries meet the criteria for history. Traditional literature, such as The Lion and the Mouse, meets the indicator for literature.
The instructional units are concentrated in the areas of history, science, and literature. The scope and sequence identifies units 1, 7, and 9 as history-based units; units 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 as science-based units; and units 4 and 10 as literature-based units. In unit 7, week 3, the topic is “Spectacle Spaces.” Students learn about places people go to be entertained, such as the theater.
Evaluation for 6.A.1b
The materials include a connected scope and sequence across grade levels. Every grade level has 10 units that increase in depth as grade levels progress. For instance, unit 1 is “Our Place in the World.” In pre-K, students focus on the theme “All About Me,” while in grades K and 1, the theme shifts to “My World.” In grades 2 and 3, the theme broadens further under the title “Our Communities.” By grades 4 and 5, students continue to explore “Our Place in the World” but shift to building communities. Students expand their knowledge base from all about themselves to building communities, with this specific unit recurring throughout the material from pre-K–grade 5. All the other units follow this pattern, so students build on their prior knowledge and schema as they grow as readers and learners.
The materials are designed for pre-K–grade 5 students to move through similarly connected units. For example, unit 3 in every grade focuses on animal habitats, lifecycles, and characteristics. In grade 2, students learn about animal adaptations and survival, while in grade 3, they study global biodiversity.
Evaluation for 6.A.1c
The units are designed for students to spend extended time on connected knowledge-building topics and texts. The scope and sequence provides an overview with examples of how instruction progresses over time. The overview uses images and text to explain the structure of a typical instructional week, and each unit includes three weeks of instruction focused on a connected knowledge-building topic.
The units are designed for students to spend extended time on connected knowledge-building topics and texts. Unit 6 “The Human Machine: How My Body Works” gives students three weeks to explore how our body keeps us alive and healthy. Lesson 76 introduces The Long Hallway, which recounts a young girl’s trip to the doctor’s office. Throughout the first week of unit 6, the books and fluency passages present ideas about school and biology, including what happens in our body to the food we eat. In week 2, unit 6 explores the nervous system in Cold, Cold, Cold and covers the passage “Routines Support Your Nerves.” In week 3, texts such as Ease the Boulder of Stress and Ten Extra Seconds use grade-appropriate realistic fiction to explore mental health and living with diabetes.
Evaluation for 6.A.1d
Each unit lasts three weeks, and there is one Essential Question. Throughout the three weeks, students are exposed to many different texts across topics and genres that all connect to the overarching unit theme. The scope and sequence lists the unit titles and text sets.
In unit 4 “Once Upon a Story,” students read texts and have discussions to help them answer the Essential Question “What do legends and folktales teach us about people and cultures around the world?” Students read stories such as How Anansi Brought Stories to the World, two versions of The Lion and the Mouse, John Henry and the Steel Driving Race, The Tale of the Old Man and the Hummingbird, and The Old Man Who Made Trees Bloom. Students also discuss, compare, and connect these texts because they share background knowledge.
Evaluation for 6.A.1e
The materials connect discussion activities to the lesson’s knowledge-building topic. Students discuss how heirlooms preserve family history, analyze illustrations and text evidence to describe characters, and explain their thinking through collaborative oral language activities. Across the curriculum, discussion routines consistently return students to the unit topic by asking them to apply newly learned vocabulary and concepts and to engage in text-based conversations that deepen their background knowledge. In lesson 37, the writing lesson requires students to put themselves in the place of the main character from the book What the Axolotl Doesn’t Know to write about what they would experience if they were the axolotl under the leaf when the diver appears. Both the grammar and writing activities in these lessons use the ideas in the read-aloud comprehension book to keep all activities connected to the unit and to build background knowledge about animals.
The lessons include fluency and comprehension texts that are designed to build student background knowledge and are centered on a topic for each unit. In the educator dashboard, the “Resources” tab for each unit displays all the fluency and comprehension texts used to build background knowledge. For example, in unit 8 “Land and Life,” each text builds background knowledge about land and life on earth. Texts such as Desert Winds at Work, The Ice Cores, and Messages In the Canyon Wall focus on earth science topics such as weathering and erosion.
Evaluation for 6.A.2a
The materials include a vertically aligned knowledge-building framework and scope and sequence that demonstrate how major thematic strands progress across grade levels. The “Program Architecture” intentionally revisits recurring themes such as “Amazing Animals,” progressing from “Animals All Around Us” in pre-K to “How Animals Live” in grade K before expanding to “Adaptations and Survival” and “Global Biodiversity” in later grades. Within lessons, the materials also activate students’ background knowledge by revisiting previously read texts and experiences from the current unit. For example, in grade 1, unit 9, lesson 122, students recall the previous lesson’s anchor text about a wooden spoon passed through generations before making personal connections to family heirlooms and preparing to read the next selection. These routines support knowledge building within the current unit while reflecting the program’s vertically aligned thematic framework.
The materials provide vertical alignment among grade levels along with rationale for unit locations. The materials also provide grade-level academic vocabulary for each unit and grade level.
Evaluation for 6.A.2b
The materials activate or supply background knowledge in daily lessons, but there is no evidence of doing so by making cross-unit connections within a grade level. At the beginning of each unit, the new topic is introduced without reference to prior learning from earlier units in the grade level. For example, when introducing unit 9 “How Humans Built Civilizations,” in lesson 121, the educator says, “We are starting a new unit called ‘Ancient Communities and Civilizations.’ All through this unit, we will think about this question: How did people live and work together long ago?” Then, the educator defines civilization, provides background information on ancient Egypt, and gives two facts about it. There is no educator guidance to activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level.
The materials provide vertical alignment among grade levels along with rationale for unit locations. The materials also provide grade-level academic vocabulary for each unit and grade level. The materials demonstrate cumulative knowledge building within individual units that activate or connect background knowledge across units within the grade level.
Evaluation for 6.A.2c
Each comprehension lesson begins with the educator providing background knowledge connected to the unit theme and the comprehension texts. In unit 6, lesson 81, students learn about the human body and read a poem that teaches them about nerve endings and how the body senses temperature. The educator tells students that the nervous system consists of tiny pathways that all connect to each other and to the spinal cord and brain. The educator also explains that the nervous system sends other messages besides temperature, such as sounds and feelings.
The comprehension lesson in unit 3, lesson 31 includes a read-aloud of the text The Bat Who Could Not Echo, a story about a bat who felt different because his sonar did not work correctly. To provide students with context and activate background knowledge to increase engagement with this text, the educator script gives students the definition of echolocation and describes how and why animals use it. The materials then provide the oral language prompt “Think about one thing a dolphin might use echolocation to do. Turn and talk to your partner.”
Evaluation for 6.A.3a
In lesson 31, students read the story The Bat Who Could Not Echo. Before reading, the students are prompted to answer the Essential Question “How do animals’ features and behaviors help them survive in their environments?” After reading, the educator script asks students questions to engage with the topic and theme: “How does Echo’s challenge cause him to act differently from the other bats? What can we learn from the way Echo responds to challenges?” This also connects to the unit’s Essential Question.
Students explore science, history, nature, and stories to build a rich understanding of how the world works. In unit 4 “Once Upon a Story: Legends and Lore,” students explore the Essential Question “What do legends and folktales teach us about people and cultures around the world?” In week 1, students discover legendary heroes such as Hercules and Beowulf, who set out on great adventures. In lesson 47, students discuss and write about why asking permission and being patient can be more effective than acting without thinking. In week 2, students read legends featuring dragons and other creatures that inspire wonder. In lesson 52, students discuss a remembered story with a partner in which a clever character solves a significant problem. In the final week of unit 4, students learn how storytelling traditions reflect and preserve the values of different cultures. In lesson 59, students connect ideas from the stories they have read throughout the unit to answer the Essential Question.
Evaluation for 6.A.3b
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts with lessons. Differentiation texts all include oral and written responses that students must engage with to demonstrate understanding. In unit 5, week 1, students read a brochure about the Grand Canyon. The students answer comprehension questions orally and then use those responses to construct a written answer. The questions prompt students to repeat the facts they learned, such as how the Grand Canyon was formed. Students also give their opinions in response to questions such as “Why is the Grand Canyon an important natural wonder?”
However, there is no opportunity for students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within units. When a new unit starts, the lesson does not provide guidance for educators on how to connect the previous unit to the current one. There is no mention of prior units in the current units, which does not lend itself to students synthesizing across units.
Evaluation for 6.A.3c
The units end with culminating tasks that require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. In unit 9 “Traveling Through Time: How Humans Built Civilizations,” students read texts related to the unit topic, including The Handprint and You Are the Pharoah’s Cat. The unit checkpoint at the end of unit 9 directs students to write a paragraph explaining the steps early civilizations might have taken to build strong communities, including at least one example from the unit.
On Assess, Write, Apply days, students are tasked with reading a trade book and connecting it to the weekly or unit Essential Question. The educator determines how students will show the connection between the unit and the text, but students could demonstrate it orally or through acting, writing, or arguing for or against a statement from the text.
Evaluation for 6.A.3d
Each unit (15 lessons) ends with a discussion that helps students synthesize all they’ve learned from the texts they’ve read on the same topic. This approach helps students understand a topic more clearly and apply what they have learned to the real world. For example, unit 3 requires students to read many texts about animals. The Essential Question for the unit is “How do animals’ features and behaviors help them survive in their environments?” The discussion helps students recognize what they have learned about many animals with features and behaviors that help them survive in their environments. This enables students to apply a new understanding of animals and their survival based on the unit’s topic and Essential Question.
Each unit has a real-world connection that students should be making as they proceed through the 15 lessons. Educators facilitate discussions about texts students read and oral language prompts that encourage students to connect learning with their own lives. For example, unit 7 is “Inventors and Innovations.” While students practice comprehension strategies, they also consider the Essential Question “How have people used creativity and invention to build and move in new ways over time?” Students read three fiction and three nonfiction texts throughout the unit. Educators prompt students to think beyond the classroom.
Evaluation for 6.A.4a
The materials include a yearlong scope and sequence for building tiers two and three academic vocabulary in the context of intentional knowledge-building units. The materials include visual supports and educator guidance to explicitly introduce academic vocabulary words, help students determine each word’s meaning and whether students use it correctly in and out of context, and practice using the words through structured oral language practice.
In unit 7, lesson 93 during the comprehension portion of the lesson and before engaging with the lesson’s text, educators display academic vocabulary words on the screen that include an illustration of the word. Educator guidance prompts suggest hand gestures and movements for educators to use to help students understand the word’s meaning. Students then learn each word’s part of speech, repeat the words and their meanings, listen to the words used in and out of context, and then practice using the word by discussing their experience with the word with a partner.
Evaluation for 6.A.4b
The comprehension part of each unit’s lesson provides opportunities for students to practice using and applying recently acquired key academic vocabulary and grade-level concepts. The “Teacher Notes” pop-out contains language scaffolds and supports for differentiation. Each unit’s “Differentiation” tab supports educators in differentiating students’ vocabulary development through multilevel text sets with three levels of text complexity (below, at, and above level), all focused on a shared comprehension goal. Educators use these text sets to support vocabulary development, guide students to apply academic vocabulary in written responses, and help students use academic vocabulary with sentence frames. The “Differentiation” tab also provides access to the “Planning” and “Resources” tabs, which offer educators scripted lessons and explicit guidance to further support students based on their instructional level (“developing,” “progressing,” or “proficient”).
The differentiation guide offers students opportunities to practice and apply academic vocabulary using language scaffolds and supports. Additionally, the guide asks educators to read the text using instructional routines to support vocabulary, provide scaffolded vocabulary support, and use sentence frames to scaffold oral and written responses as needed. In unit 3, lesson 33, the comprehension lesson pre-teaches vocabulary using a variety of learning styles to support the content in the read-aloud. The comprehension text, Animal Camouflage, includes specialized vocabulary that the educator script explicitly teaches before reading the book: camouflage, predators, disguise, chromatophores, and texture.
Evaluation for 6.A.4c
Each lesson gives students opportunities to use key academic vocabulary purposefully during the comprehension part. Before reading the lesson text, educators introduce key academic vocabulary, teach the word’s meaning, and guide students to practice using the words through structured oral language activities.
In unit 4, lesson 52, educators complete a read-aloud using a previously read text. The lesson guides educators to use designated pause points to support engagement and comprehension. While reading the next text selection, educators lead a discussion to compare fables and myths, using language such as “Readers compare a fable and a myth to see how each one teaches a different kind of lesson.” Educators read short excerpts from previously read texts and ask students to determine whether the features they hear are from a fable or a myth by pointing up or down. During oral language practice, students work with a partner to explain how a fable and a myth differ. At the end of the lesson, educators tell students they will make up their own myth and ask them to brainstorm after hearing the beginning of the educator’s story. Educators ask students to share their story idea with a partner before they start writing. Finally, educators ask students to read words such as clever, trick, trap, and plan aloud with them and give students the option to use the words when they write their stories.
Evaluation for 6.A.4d
Each lesson includes a visual support for educators to use when introducing academic vocabulary. Educators can project or enlarge an image during instruction and guidance is provided for educators to complete a physical movement to help deepen students’ understanding of key academic vocabulary.
In unit 3, lesson 38, educators display the word navigate along with an image of a sea captain. The materials then guide educators to “Hold one hand flat like a map and trace a path across it with your finger.” Later in the lesson, educators discuss four strategies to determine the meaning of domain vocabulary or “figuring out tricky words.” The strategies include looking up words in the glossary, rereading the words around the academic vocabulary word, “making a picture in your head,” and looking for a smaller root word within the larger word. Students then identify which strategy might help them better understand the meaning by holding up the finger that corresponds to the chosen strategy while the educator reads previously read text from the lesson containing those academic vocabulary words.
Evaluation for 6.B.1a
The materials support instruction for students to ask and generate questions for inquiry. In unit 9, lesson 125, the educator says, “Think about what we have been learning: How did people long ago build civilizations that still shape our world today? Now think about our topic: ancient Egypt. What do you want to find out?” Students then generate their own research questions. The materials direct the educator to “Celebrate all questions as good research thinking.” The educator then introduces the class research question: “How did the ancient Egyptians use the Nile River to build a lasting civilization?” The guidance supports educators in incorporating questioning into instruction.
The material scaffolds instruction on generating questions and inquiry. The educator celebrates all question attempts to build students’ confidence in their question-generating abilities. In unit 9 lesson 130, the educator reminds students that questions begin with words such as who, what, where, when, why, and how. Students again generate their own questions about ancient Rome. They share their questions aloud and the educator celebrates their efforts.
Evaluation for 6.B.1b
The writing lessons associated with research provide an educator script that includes information about a research plan. For example, in unit 9 lesson 125, the students participate in the conversation about the plan. The educator script instructs the educator to repeat the research question, identify the sources to use for information, and specify what to look for in the texts. The educator leads the entire research process until students gain more proficiency in researching effectively.
In lesson 130, the educator facilitates as students generate content-related questions and guides the investigation that follows. Students write about the theme they have learned in the unit: “Think about what you want to find out about ancient Rome. Use a question word—who, what, where, when, why, or how—to ask a focused research question.” Students learn to cite primary and secondary sources and follow an explicit research plan to answer their essential question.
Evaluation for 6.B.1c
The materials provide guidance for students on differentiating between primary and secondary sources. In unit 9, lesson 130, the educator explains that Words of Pericles contains the actual words spoken by Pericles and asks students to identify it as a primary source. The educator then introduces Ideas from Ancient Greece as a text written by an author who studied ancient Greece and asks students to identify it as a secondary source. This educator-directed instruction provides guidance on distinguishing between primary and secondary sources.
The materials do not require students to gather relevant information from a variety of sources or include activities and tasks that require students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. In unit 9, lesson 125 provides educator modeling on identifying relevant information and recording notes. Students gather information from only one shared text rather than multiple sources. Likewise, students respond to educator questions about primary and secondary sources, but they do not independently complete activities requiring them to distinguish between source types.
6.A.1 Connected Knowledge-Building Units and Lessons
6.A.1a
Units are designed to build knowledge based in the fields of science, history, literature, and the arts.
Units are designed to build knowledge based in the fields of science, history, literature, and the arts.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 6.A.1a
Evaluation for 6.A.1a
Units are designed to build knowledge based in the fields of science, history, literature, and the arts.
4 out of 4 points
The instructional units are concentrated in the areas of history, science, and literature. The scope and sequence identifies units 1, 7, and 9 as history-based units; units 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 as science-based units; and units 4 and 10 as literature-based units. In unit 7, week 3, the topic is “Spectacle Spaces.” Students learn about places people go to be entertained, such as the theater.
6.A.1b
Materials provide resources, including a scope and sequence, to demonstrate the approach to knowledge-building within and across grade levels.
Materials provide resources, including a scope and sequence, to demonstrate the approach to knowledge-building within and across grade levels.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 6.A.1b
Evaluation for 6.A.1b
Materials provide resources, including a scope and sequence, to demonstrate the approach to knowledge-building within and across grade levels.
2 out of 2 points
The materials are designed for pre-K–grade 5 students to move through similarly connected units. For example, unit 3 in every grade focuses on animal habitats, lifecycles, and characteristics. In grade 2, students learn about animal adaptations and survival, while in grade 3, they study global biodiversity.
6.A.1c
Units are designed for students to spend extended time (e.g., 3 weeks or more) on connected knowledge-building topics and texts.
Units are designed for students to spend extended time (e.g., 3 weeks or more) on connected knowledge-building topics and texts.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.1c
Evaluation for 6.A.1c
Units are designed for students to spend extended time (e.g., 3 weeks or more) on connected knowledge-building topics and texts.
1 out of 1 points
The units are designed for students to spend extended time on connected knowledge-building topics and texts. Unit 6 “The Human Machine: How My Body Works” gives students three weeks to explore how our body keeps us alive and healthy. Lesson 76 introduces The Long Hallway, which recounts a young girl’s trip to the doctor’s office. Throughout the first week of unit 6, the books and fluency passages present ideas about school and biology, including what happens in our body to the food we eat. In week 2, unit 6 explores the nervous system in Cold, Cold, Cold and covers the passage “Routines Support Your Nerves.” In week 3, texts such as Ease the Boulder of Stress and Ten Extra Seconds use grade-appropriate realistic fiction to explore mental health and living with diabetes.
6.A.1d
Lessons are connected by anchoring texts or text sets designed to intentionally build connected student background knowledge over time.
Lessons are connected by anchoring texts or text sets designed to intentionally build connected student background knowledge over time.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.1d
Evaluation for 6.A.1d
Lessons are connected by anchoring texts or text sets designed to intentionally build connected student background knowledge over time.
1 out of 1 points
In unit 4 “Once Upon a Story,” students read texts and have discussions to help them answer the Essential Question “What do legends and folktales teach us about people and cultures around the world?” Students read stories such as How Anansi Brought Stories to the World, two versions of The Lion and the Mouse, John Henry and the Steel Driving Race, The Tale of the Old Man and the Hummingbird, and The Old Man Who Made Trees Bloom. Students also discuss, compare, and connect these texts because they share background knowledge.
6.A.1e
Grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing activities are connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson.
Grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing activities are connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 6.A.1e
Evaluation for 6.A.1e
Grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing activities are connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson.
4 out of 4 points
The lessons include fluency and comprehension texts that are designed to build student background knowledge and are centered on a topic for each unit. In the educator dashboard, the “Resources” tab for each unit displays all the fluency and comprehension texts used to build background knowledge. For example, in unit 8 “Land and Life,” each text builds background knowledge about land and life on earth. Texts such as Desert Winds at Work, The Ice Cores, and Messages In the Canyon Wall focus on earth science topics such as weathering and erosion.
6.A.2 Context and Student Background Knowledge
6.A.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections to previously learned content from prior grade levels.
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections to previously learned content from prior grade levels.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.2a
Evaluation for 6.A.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections to previously learned content from prior grade levels.
1 out of 1 points
The materials provide vertical alignment among grade levels along with rationale for unit locations. The materials also provide grade-level academic vocabulary for each unit and grade level.
6.A.2b
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level.
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.2b
Evaluation for 6.A.2b
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level.
1 out of 1 points
The materials provide vertical alignment among grade levels along with rationale for unit locations. The materials also provide grade-level academic vocabulary for each unit and grade level. The materials demonstrate cumulative knowledge building within individual units that activate or connect background knowledge across units within the grade level.
6.A.2c
Materials provide students with relevant and targeted context or background knowledge to enhance the student's engagement with the text. (S/T)
Materials provide students with relevant and targeted context or background knowledge to enhance the student's engagement with the text. (S/T)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.2c
Evaluation for 6.A.2c
Materials provide students with relevant and targeted context or background knowledge to enhance the student's engagement with the text. (S/T)
1 out of 1 points
The comprehension lesson in unit 3, lesson 31 includes a read-aloud of the text The Bat Who Could Not Echo, a story about a bat who felt different because his sonar did not work correctly. To provide students with context and activate background knowledge to increase engagement with this text, the educator script gives students the definition of echolocation and describes how and why animals use it. The materials then provide the oral language prompt “Think about one thing a dolphin might use echolocation to do. Turn and talk to your partner.”
6.A.3 Developing Student Comprehension with Connected Topics, Questions, and Tasks
6.A.3a
Questions and tasks require students to engage with big ideas, topics, and themes.
Questions and tasks require students to engage with big ideas, topics, and themes.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.3a
Evaluation for 6.A.3a
Questions and tasks require students to engage with big ideas, topics, and themes.
1 out of 1 points
Students explore science, history, nature, and stories to build a rich understanding of how the world works. In unit 4 “Once Upon a Story: Legends and Lore,” students explore the Essential Question “What do legends and folktales teach us about people and cultures around the world?” In week 1, students discover legendary heroes such as Hercules and Beowulf, who set out on great adventures. In lesson 47, students discuss and write about why asking permission and being patient can be more effective than acting without thinking. In week 2, students read legends featuring dragons and other creatures that inspire wonder. In lesson 52, students discuss a remembered story with a partner in which a clever character solves a significant problem. In the final week of unit 4, students learn how storytelling traditions reflect and preserve the values of different cultures. In lesson 59, students connect ideas from the stories they have read throughout the unit to answer the Essential Question.
6.A.3b
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within and across lessons and units. (S)
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within and across lessons and units. (S)
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 6.A.3b
Evaluation for 6.A.3b
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within and across lessons and units. (S)
1 out of 2 points
However, there is no opportunity for students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within units. When a new unit starts, the lesson does not provide guidance for educators on how to connect the previous unit to the current one. There is no mention of prior units in the current units, which does not lend itself to students synthesizing across units.
6.A.3c
Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. (S)
Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.3c
Evaluation for 6.A.3c
Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. (S)
1 out of 1 points
On Assess, Write, Apply days, students are tasked with reading a trade book and connecting it to the weekly or unit Essential Question. The educator determines how students will show the connection between the unit and the text, but students could demonstrate it orally or through acting, writing, or arguing for or against a statement from the text.
6.A.3d
Materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. (S)
Materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.3d
Evaluation for 6.A.3d
Materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Each unit has a real-world connection that students should be making as they proceed through the 15 lessons. Educators facilitate discussions about texts students read and oral language prompts that encourage students to connect learning with their own lives. For example, unit 7 is “Inventors and Innovations.” While students practice comprehension strategies, they also consider the Essential Question “How have people used creativity and invention to build and move in new ways over time?” Students read three fiction and three nonfiction texts throughout the unit. Educators prompt students to think beyond the classroom.
6.A.4 Key Academic Vocabulary and Grade-Level Concepts
6.A.4a
Materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building.
Materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 6.A.4a
Evaluation for 6.A.4a
Materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building.
2 out of 2 points
In unit 7, lesson 93 during the comprehension portion of the lesson and before engaging with the lesson’s text, educators display academic vocabulary words on the screen that include an illustration of the word. Educator guidance prompts suggest hand gestures and movements for educators to use to help students understand the word’s meaning. Students then learn each word’s part of speech, repeat the words and their meanings, listen to the words used in and out of context, and then practice using the word by discussing their experience with the word with a partner.
6.A.4b
Materials include practice and application opportunities with appropriate content and language scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. (S)
Materials include practice and application opportunities with appropriate content and language scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 6.A.4b
Evaluation for 6.A.4b
Materials include practice and application opportunities with appropriate content and language scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. (S)
2 out of 2 points
The differentiation guide offers students opportunities to practice and apply academic vocabulary using language scaffolds and supports. Additionally, the guide asks educators to read the text using instructional routines to support vocabulary, provide scaffolded vocabulary support, and use sentence frames to scaffold oral and written responses as needed. In unit 3, lesson 33, the comprehension lesson pre-teaches vocabulary using a variety of learning styles to support the content in the read-aloud. The comprehension text, Animal Camouflage, includes specialized vocabulary that the educator script explicitly teaches before reading the book: camouflage, predators, disguise, chromatophores, and texture.
6.A.4c
Materials include tasks designed to engage students in purposeful use of key academic vocabulary. (S)
Materials include tasks designed to engage students in purposeful use of key academic vocabulary. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.4c
Evaluation for 6.A.4c
Materials include tasks designed to engage students in purposeful use of key academic vocabulary. (S)
1 out of 1 points
In unit 4, lesson 52, educators complete a read-aloud using a previously read text. The lesson guides educators to use designated pause points to support engagement and comprehension. While reading the next text selection, educators lead a discussion to compare fables and myths, using language such as “Readers compare a fable and a myth to see how each one teaches a different kind of lesson.” Educators read short excerpts from previously read texts and ask students to determine whether the features they hear are from a fable or a myth by pointing up or down. During oral language practice, students work with a partner to explain how a fable and a myth differ. At the end of the lesson, educators tell students they will make up their own myth and ask them to brainstorm after hearing the beginning of the educator’s story. Educators ask students to share their story idea with a partner before they start writing. Finally, educators ask students to read words such as clever, trick, trap, and plan aloud with them and give students the option to use the words when they write their stories.
6.A.4d
Materials include nonverbal teaching techniques to support students in the acquisition of key academic vocabulary, such as the use of images and visualization. (T)
Materials include nonverbal teaching techniques to support students in the acquisition of key academic vocabulary, such as the use of images and visualization. (T)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.A.4d
Evaluation for 6.A.4d
Materials include nonverbal teaching techniques to support students in the acquisition of key academic vocabulary, such as the use of images and visualization. (T)
1 out of 1 points
In unit 3, lesson 38, educators display the word navigate along with an image of a sea captain. The materials then guide educators to “Hold one hand flat like a map and trace a path across it with your finger.” Later in the lesson, educators discuss four strategies to determine the meaning of domain vocabulary or “figuring out tricky words.” The strategies include looking up words in the glossary, rereading the words around the academic vocabulary word, “making a picture in your head,” and looking for a smaller root word within the larger word. Students then identify which strategy might help them better understand the meaning by holding up the finger that corresponds to the chosen strategy while the educator reads previously read text from the lesson containing those academic vocabulary words.
6.B.1 Recursive Inquiry Process
6.B.1a
Materials support instruction for students to ask and generate questions for inquiry. (S)
Materials support instruction for students to ask and generate questions for inquiry. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.B.1a
Evaluation for 6.B.1a
Materials support instruction for students to ask and generate questions for inquiry. (S)
1 out of 1 points
The material scaffolds instruction on generating questions and inquiry. The educator celebrates all question attempts to build students’ confidence in their question-generating abilities. In unit 9 lesson 130, the educator reminds students that questions begin with words such as who, what, where, when, why, and how. Students again generate their own questions about ancient Rome. They share their questions aloud and the educator celebrates their efforts.
6.B.1b
K-1: Materials support students in identification of relevant sources based on their questions. (S). K-1: Materials support student practice in understanding, organizing, and communicating ideas and information using multiple media in accordance with the purpose of the research. (S)
K-1: Materials support students in identification of relevant sources based on their questions. (S). K-1: Materials support student practice in understanding, organizing, and communicating ideas and information using multiple media in accordance with the purpose of the research. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 6.B.1b
Evaluation for 6.B.1b
K-1: Materials support students in identification of relevant sources based on their questions. (S). K-1: Materials support student practice in understanding, organizing, and communicating ideas and information using multiple media in accordance with the purpose of the research. (S)
2 out of 2 points
In lesson 130, the educator facilitates as students generate content-related questions and guides the investigation that follows. Students write about the theme they have learned in the unit: “Think about what you want to find out about ancient Rome. Use a question word—who, what, where, when, why, or how—to ask a focused research question.” Students learn to cite primary and secondary sources and follow an explicit research plan to answer their essential question.
6.B.1c
2-3: Materials require students to gather relevant information from a variety of sources. (S). 2-3: Materials provide guidance for students on differentiating between primary and secondary sources. (S). 2-3: Materials include activities and tasks which require students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (S)
2-3: Materials require students to gather relevant information from a variety of sources. (S). 2-3: Materials provide guidance for students on differentiating between primary and secondary sources. (S). 2-3: Materials include activities and tasks which require students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (S)
1 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 6.B.1c
Evaluation for 6.B.1c
2-3: Materials require students to gather relevant information from a variety of sources. (S). 2-3: Materials provide guidance for students on differentiating between primary and secondary sources. (S). 2-3: Materials include activities and tasks which require students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (S)
1 out of 3 points
The materials do not require students to gather relevant information from a variety of sources or include activities and tasks that require students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. In unit 9, lesson 125 provides educator modeling on identifying relevant information and recording notes. Students gather information from only one shared text rather than multiple sources. Likewise, students respond to educator questions about primary and secondary sources, but they do not independently complete activities requiring them to distinguish between source types.
Rubric Section 7
Text Quality and Complexity
Materials ensure students spend a majority of their time interacting with increasingly complex grade-level text.
Total
62% (21 out of 34 points)
Evaluation for 7.1a
Limited core texts are used for instruction (comprehension texts) and are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity according to the Text System Guide. This document lists all of the comprehension texts used throughout the materials alongside the Lexile levels. Lexile levels for comprehension texts listed range from 300L–860L. In fact, 48 of the 60 texts are above grade 2 Lexile range. Furthermore, some titles in the Text System Guide do not match the text titles in the lessons.
The grade 3 Lexile is a range of 530L–820L. The “Differentiated Comprehension” document lists the multilevel core texts as beginning level (880L), on level (1000L), and above level (1070L). The same document lists single-level Lexile ranges for core text as 940L–1000L. These ranges do not meet Lexile level ranges for grade 3.
Evaluation for 7.1b
Several comprehension texts contain errors and appear to be unfinished. For example, in unit 1, lessons 3 and 4, The Day That Smells Like Goldfish Water includes an error in which a partial subheading “Lunar New Year Smells Like Tan” was mistakenly placed above an unrelated paragraph before later appearing correctly as “Lunar New Year Smells Like Tangerines and Smoke.” Errors of this nature indicate that the text was not carefully proofread before production.
The materials also omit key text features that are necessary to support comprehension. In unit 8, lesson 113, students read John Wesley Powell Mapped the River, and the educator script instructs students to examine a map of Powell’s route to support their reasoning. However, no map is included in the student or educator materials. When lessons rely on visuals that are not provided, students cannot fully engage with the intended learning task. The texts and accompanying materials, therefore, are not well crafted nor of publishable quality.
Evaluation for 7.1c
The materials include traditional and diverse texts across multiple content areas. For example, unit 4, lessons 51 and 52 include the traditional folktale Lon Po Po, and unit 4, lessons 53 and 54 feature the traditional tale The Empty Pot. These traditional texts are presented alongside literature and informational texts connected to topics across multiple content areas. The materials also include culturally diverse texts such as The Dumpling Wars of Table Seven, which introduces students to a variety of foods and cultural traditions centered on common dishes.
Lessons 46–49 of unit 4 focus on the classic fable The Lion and the Mouse. As the lessons progress, educators help students contrast the core narrative with various multicultural adaptations, including a version from India. These diverse retellings intentionally reflect a wide range of global perspectives, voices, and experiences.
Evaluation for 7.1d
The materials cover topics that interest students, such as weather and animals. Students build knowledge in areas of interest while practicing comprehension skills. Unit 2 “Sky and Space” offers four texts about weather that engage students. Unit 3 “Amazing Animals” features six texts about animals and their adaptations that help them survive.
The comprehension texts and morphology readers present a variety of stories with characters from different cultural backgrounds in familiar, age-appropriate settings. For example, in unit 1, lesson 1, The Dumpling Wars of Table Seven, a group of friends explore their cultural differences through food and realize they have much in common. The texts allow students from different backgrounds to see themselves represented while engaging with familiar narratives.
Evaluation for 7.2a
The materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally. Across the comprehension lessons, students listen to educator read-alouds of grade-level texts over multiple lessons and engage in text-based discussions at designated pause points. For example, in unit 3, lesson 32, students listen to The Star-Nosed Mole’s Bad Day and respond to questions such as, “Based on Pell’s actions, what can we figure out about her personality?” Students discuss their ideas with partners and share responses with the class using evidence from the text. Similarly, in unit 8, lesson 116, students listen to The Shell that Waited and respond to questions including “What details help you understand how massive this quarry is?” and “How is this event changing his feelings, and what decision does he make because of it? How did you know?” These recurring opportunities require students to listen carefully, think critically about the text, respond to comprehension questions, and justify their thinking orally.
The materials do not include opportunities in each lesson for students to justify their thinking about grade-level texts in writing. While some writing lessons connect to previously read texts, written responses requiring students to support their thinking with evidence from the text are not consistently included in every lesson. For example, unit 8, lesson 116 provides multiple opportunities for students to justify their thinking through oral discussion, but students are not asked to produce a written response explaining or supporting their ideas.
Evaluation for 7.2b
In unit 3, lesson 34, students have the opportunity to discuss key details and evidence from the comprehension read-aloud Five Senses You Don’t Have. The educator script includes the discussion questions “Why do you think the author included this specific detail about one drop in a million? How does it help us understand the main idea?” and “Why is this detail important to the main idea about super senses?”
In unit 8, lesson 107, students have the opportunity to discuss cause-and-effect relationships from the comprehension read-aloud The Furnace. The educator script includes the discussion questions “What is the first cause, and what did it set off? How did you know?” and “Turn and tell your partner - what did the humans taking those cousins set off? Trace the chain across the next few sentences.”
Evaluation for 7.2c
The materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts. The Differentiation routine in the materials allows students to engage with an Essential Question at varying levels. Students revisit the lesson, turn and talk, choose a way to share their thinking, and reflect.
The materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text. In unit 3, lesson 34, students listen to Amazing Animal Senses. After reading, the educator presents a line from the text and asks, “How does this detail help us understand the main idea?” and prompts students to analyze how specific details contribute to the text’s central idea. The educator then asks, “Why do you think the author included this specific detail about one drop in a million?” and prompts students to evaluate the author’s purpose for including the detail and discuss their thinking with a partner. Throughout the lesson, students use multiple reading skills, including analyzing and evaluating information in the text.
Evaluation for 7.3a
The material includes teacher guidance to ensure all students can access grade level texts while maintaining rigor. The material provides scripted think-alouds for most lessons. It also includes suggested prompts and questions that can be used throughout the reading of the text and the comprehension component of the lesson. For example, in unit 3, lesson 34 provides suggested pause points for the teacher reading the text “What Counts as Camouflage?” After reading the text, the teacher facilitates the comprehension lesson on using glossaries. The material includes a teacher script that explicitly states that the teacher will find a word in the glossary and make sense of the word. This think-aloud/modeling helps students understand the expectation.
The materials include supports to ensure all students can access grade-level texts. Every lesson includes a vocabulary routine that introduces students to tier three vocabulary words. The materials provide a visual aid and a gesture that the teacher can do for each word. The teacher gives a definition and a short activity to help students understand the word and its meaning. For example, in unit 7, lesson 91, students learn the words oxen, axle, fording, canvas, and wagon train through picture images, gestures, and definitions before they read the text “Letters from the Wagon Trail.”
Evaluation for 7.3b
The materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts through the Decodable Reader Proficient routine. This routine lets students continue practicing the phonics skill and gives them more opportunities to extend their thinking. After reading the week’s decodable reader, students choose from five activities to complete independently. Activities include Write and Share, Act It Out, Talk About the Story, Make a Connection, and What Comes Next. These activities encourage creative learning and allow challenging thinking, since they are already proficient with the phonics skill.
The “Proficient Routine – Essential Question” document gives students who demonstrate proficiency on weekly checkpoints, unit checkpoints, and in-lesson observations an opportunity to extend their learning through evidence-based thinking, discussion, and creative or written responses to the Essential Question. The materials instruct the educator to read the Essential Question with students and prompt them to think about the texts they read during the week. Finally, students share their responses with a partner or small group and reflect on whether their thinking about the Essential Question has changed, grown, or become more specific.
Evaluation for 7.4a
The materials provide a research-based rationale for the program’s approach to comprehension instruction and text analysis. The “Research Base for Ascend” document explains that comprehension instruction emphasizes explicit instruction, knowledge building, and analysis of fiction and nonfiction text structures. The document outlines how comprehension instruction progresses across grade levels and cites research supporting the instructional approach. However, the materials lack qualitative analyses of each core text and do not provide a rationale for each text’s educational purpose or grade-level placement. Instead, the information describes the program’s instructional design rather than the complexity, purpose, or grade-level appropriateness of individual core texts.
The materials do not include qualitative analyses of each core text or state the educational purpose of using the book or how it aligns with the standards of the grade level. The core comprehension texts lack analysis and rationale. For example, the first core text used is The Dumpling Wars of Table Seven. The materials identify the text as fiction, lists an 800L Lexile measure, a word count of 685, and the vocabulary words multicultural, evidence, recipe, ingredients, and continent. However, the materials do not explain why the program selected this text, how its qualitative features support the instructional purpose, or why its complexity is appropriate for grade 3. As a result, the information does not provide educators with sufficient rationale to understand the text’s educational purpose or grade-level placement.
Evaluation for 7.4b
The materials rely solely on Lexile levels to determine complexity, with no qualitative analysis of factors such as theme, structure, or language. Each weekly set includes below-level, at-level, and above-level text. However, the grade 3 Lexile range is 530L–820L. The overview lists the multilevel core texts at beginning level (880L), on level (1000L), and above level (1070L). The overview also lists single-level Lexile ranges for core text as 940L–1000L. These ranges do not meet Lexile level ranges for grade 3 students.
The core decodable texts do not have a complexity level because there is no qualitative analysis. Only a decodability percentage is provided. Core texts in the materials lack a qualitative analysis; therefore, they cannot be reviewed for an appropriate level of complexity for the grade.
Evaluation for 7.5a
The read-alouds are at or above grade level according to Lexile levels. Only one read-aloud is below a grade 3 Lexile level. The Text System Guide lists Asteroid 2024-BX at a Lexile level of 390L. The grade 3 Lexile range is 520L–820L. The read-aloud topics, such as animals, weather, space, and children from around the world, are age appropriate and interest young children. The read-alouds do not contain a variety of structures.
The shared reading fluency passages do not have Lexile levels attached, but they have a variety of sentence structures, phonics skills, and high-frequency words that make them seem to be at grade-level complexity. The passages are age appropriate, as they include fiction and nonfiction texts on engaging topics for students, such as animals, weather, space, and children from around the world. The shared readings do not contain varied structures. They are always written in paragraph form with a basic fiction or nonfiction text structure
Evaluation for 7.5b
The Text System Guide states that students read independently using the trade books and classroom libraries for each grade. The materials do not indicate whether the texts for independent reading span a range of complexity levels, because each classroom library differs. The curriculum does not include a list of trade books or a rationale.
The materials also identify differentiated comprehension texts as an option for independent reading. These texts are organized into below-, on-, and above-level sets for each unit; however, the documented Lexile levels (880L, 1000L, and 1070L) significantly exceed the recommended range for grade 3 independent reading. The differentiated comprehension texts present only short passages, lack illustrations, and do not include a rationale or additional documented measures of text complexity beyond the reported Lexile ranges. While the texts differ in complexity, the documented levels show they are unsuitable for independent reading at grade 3.
Evaluation for 7.5c
The materials do not include a plan for students to independently read self-selected texts. The scope and sequence describes recurring opportunities for independent application through connected reading, fluency practice, comprehension tasks, writing activities, and ongoing assessment routines that support sustained engagement and accountability across units. However, the only texts indicated for independent reading are differentiated comprehension texts and decodable readers, and the educator chooses the text for students. The educator guidance for the differentiated reading routine directs educators to read the texts to support comprehension, vocabulary, and discussion; discuss comprehension questions to monitor understanding; and guide students through written responses.
The materials do not include instruction that teaches students how to select appropriate independent reading texts or develop independent reading habits. Although students read differentiated comprehension texts, decodable readers, and fluency passages independently at various points in the program, these activities remain short, educator-directed assignments rather than sustained independent reading. The materials do not specify a dedicated period for independent reading, and the differentiated comprehension texts consist of only five to eight sentences, with one text provided each week.
7.1 High-Quality Grade-Level Texts
7.1a
Core texts used for instruction are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity.
Core texts used for instruction are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.1a
Evaluation for 7.1a
Core texts used for instruction are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity.
0 out of 1 points
The grade 3 Lexile is a range of 530L–820L. The “Differentiated Comprehension” document lists the multilevel core texts as beginning level (880L), on level (1000L), and above level (1070L). The same document lists single-level Lexile ranges for core text as 940L–1000L. These ranges do not meet Lexile level ranges for grade 3.
7.1b
Texts are well-crafted and are of publishable quality.
Texts are well-crafted and are of publishable quality.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.1b
Evaluation for 7.1b
Texts are well-crafted and are of publishable quality.
0 out of 1 points
The materials also omit key text features that are necessary to support comprehension. In unit 8, lesson 113, students read John Wesley Powell Mapped the River, and the educator script instructs students to examine a map of Powell’s route to support their reasoning. However, no map is included in the student or educator materials. When lessons rely on visuals that are not provided, students cannot fully engage with the intended learning task. The texts and accompanying materials, therefore, are not well crafted nor of publishable quality.
7.1c
Materials include traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts across multiple content areas.
Materials include traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts across multiple content areas.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 7.1c
Evaluation for 7.1c
Materials include traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts across multiple content areas.
4 out of 4 points
Lessons 46–49 of unit 4 focus on the classic fable The Lion and the Mouse. As the lessons progress, educators help students contrast the core narrative with various multicultural adaptations, including a version from India. These diverse retellings intentionally reflect a wide range of global perspectives, voices, and experiences.
7.1d
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. (S)
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.1d
Evaluation for 7.1d
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. (S)
1 out of 1 points
The comprehension texts and morphology readers present a variety of stories with characters from different cultural backgrounds in familiar, age-appropriate settings. For example, in unit 1, lesson 1, The Dumpling Wars of Table Seven, a group of friends explore their cultural differences through food and realize they have much in common. The texts allow students from different backgrounds to see themselves represented while engaging with familiar narratives.
7.2 Interaction with Grade-Level Text
7.2a
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. (S)
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. (S)
4 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 7.2a
Evaluation for 7.2a
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. (S)
4 out of 5 points
The materials do not include opportunities in each lesson for students to justify their thinking about grade-level texts in writing. While some writing lessons connect to previously read texts, written responses requiring students to support their thinking with evidence from the text are not consistently included in every lesson. For example, unit 8, lesson 116 provides multiple opportunities for students to justify their thinking through oral discussion, but students are not asked to produce a written response explaining or supporting their ideas.
7.2b
Materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text (e.g., authors' purpose, structure, language, vocabulary, etc.). (S)
Materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text (e.g., authors' purpose, structure, language, vocabulary, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.2b
Evaluation for 7.2b
Materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text (e.g., authors' purpose, structure, language, vocabulary, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
In unit 8, lesson 107, students have the opportunity to discuss cause-and-effect relationships from the comprehension read-aloud The Furnace. The educator script includes the discussion questions “What is the first cause, and what did it set off? How did you know?” and “Turn and tell your partner - what did the humans taking those cousins set off? Trace the chain across the next few sentences.”
7.2c
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text (e.g., generating questions at various levels of complexity, making, and confirming predictions, inferencing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing). (S)
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text (e.g., generating questions at various levels of complexity, making, and confirming predictions, inferencing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.2c
Evaluation for 7.2c
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text (e.g., generating questions at various levels of complexity, making, and confirming predictions, inferencing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing). (S)
1 out of 1 points
The materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text. In unit 3, lesson 34, students listen to Amazing Animal Senses. After reading, the educator presents a line from the text and asks, “How does this detail help us understand the main idea?” and prompts students to analyze how specific details contribute to the text’s central idea. The educator then asks, “Why do you think the author included this specific detail about one drop in a million?” and prompts students to evaluate the author’s purpose for including the detail and discuss their thinking with a partner. Throughout the lesson, students use multiple reading skills, including analyzing and evaluating information in the text.
7.3 Supporting Access to Grade-Level Text
7.3a
Materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds (e.g., vocabulary support, questioning, think-alouds, sentence frames.). (T/S)
Materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds (e.g., vocabulary support, questioning, think-alouds, sentence frames.). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.3a
Evaluation for 7.3a
Materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds (e.g., vocabulary support, questioning, think-alouds, sentence frames.). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
The materials include supports to ensure all students can access grade-level texts. Every lesson includes a vocabulary routine that introduces students to tier three vocabulary words. The materials provide a visual aid and a gesture that the teacher can do for each word. The teacher gives a definition and a short activity to help students understand the word and its meaning. For example, in unit 7, lesson 91, students learn the words oxen, axle, fording, canvas, and wagon train through picture images, gestures, and definitions before they read the text “Letters from the Wagon Trail.”
7.3b
Materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts.
Materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.3b
Evaluation for 7.3b
Materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts.
1 out of 1 points
The “Proficient Routine – Essential Question” document gives students who demonstrate proficiency on weekly checkpoints, unit checkpoints, and in-lesson observations an opportunity to extend their learning through evidence-based thinking, discussion, and creative or written responses to the Essential Question. The materials instruct the educator to read the Essential Question with students and prompt them to think about the texts they read during the week. Finally, students share their responses with a partner or small group and reflect on whether their thinking about the Essential Question has changed, grown, or become more specific.
7.4 Analysis of Text Complexity
7.4a
Materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement.
Materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement.
2 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 7.4a
Evaluation for 7.4a
Materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement.
2 out of 4 points
The materials do not include qualitative analyses of each core text or state the educational purpose of using the book or how it aligns with the standards of the grade level. The core comprehension texts lack analysis and rationale. For example, the first core text used is The Dumpling Wars of Table Seven. The materials identify the text as fiction, lists an 800L Lexile measure, a word count of 685, and the vocabulary words multicultural, evidence, recipe, ingredients, and continent. However, the materials do not explain why the program selected this text, how its qualitative features support the instructional purpose, or why its complexity is appropriate for grade 3. As a result, the information does not provide educators with sufficient rationale to understand the text’s educational purpose or grade-level placement.
7.4b
Core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to student tasks.
Core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to student tasks.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.4b
Evaluation for 7.4b
Core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to student tasks.
1 out of 2 points
The core decodable texts do not have a complexity level because there is no qualitative analysis. Only a decodability percentage is provided. Core texts in the materials lack a qualitative analysis; therefore, they cannot be reviewed for an appropriate level of complexity for the grade.
7.5 Read-Aloud, Shared Reading, and Independent Reading
7.5a
Texts designated for read-aloud and shared reading are at or above grade-level complexity, age-appropriate, and contain a variety of structures with appropriate scaffolds.
Texts designated for read-aloud and shared reading are at or above grade-level complexity, age-appropriate, and contain a variety of structures with appropriate scaffolds.
4 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 7.5a
Evaluation for 7.5a
Texts designated for read-aloud and shared reading are at or above grade-level complexity, age-appropriate, and contain a variety of structures with appropriate scaffolds.
4 out of 6 points
The shared reading fluency passages do not have Lexile levels attached, but they have a variety of sentence structures, phonics skills, and high-frequency words that make them seem to be at grade-level complexity. The passages are age appropriate, as they include fiction and nonfiction texts on engaging topics for students, such as animals, weather, space, and children from around the world. The shared readings do not contain varied structures. They are always written in paragraph form with a basic fiction or nonfiction text structure
7.5b
Texts designated for independent reading have a range of complexity levels for students to practice reading independently. (S)
Texts designated for independent reading have a range of complexity levels for students to practice reading independently. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.5b
Evaluation for 7.5b
Texts designated for independent reading have a range of complexity levels for students to practice reading independently. (S)
0 out of 1 points
The materials also identify differentiated comprehension texts as an option for independent reading. These texts are organized into below-, on-, and above-level sets for each unit; however, the documented Lexile levels (880L, 1000L, and 1070L) significantly exceed the recommended range for grade 3 independent reading. The differentiated comprehension texts present only short passages, lack illustrations, and do not include a rationale or additional documented measures of text complexity beyond the reported Lexile ranges. While the texts differ in complexity, the documented levels show they are unsuitable for independent reading at grade 3.
7.5c
Materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and read independently for a sustained period, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. (S)
Materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and read independently for a sustained period, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. (S)
0 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 7.5c
Evaluation for 7.5c
Materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and read independently for a sustained period, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. (S)
0 out of 4 points
The materials do not include instruction that teaches students how to select appropriate independent reading texts or develop independent reading habits. Although students read differentiated comprehension texts, decodable readers, and fluency passages independently at various points in the program, these activities remain short, educator-directed assignments rather than sustained independent reading. The materials do not specify a dedicated period for independent reading, and the differentiated comprehension texts consist of only five to eight sentences, with one text provided each week.
Rubric Section 8
Evidence-Based Tasks and Responses
Materials require students to engage in reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence using literary and informational text.
Total
76% (42 out of 55 points)
Evaluation for 8.A.1a
Throughout comprehension instruction, students engage with grade-level literary and informational texts by answering questions that require them to identify relevant details, explain their thinking, and support their responses with textual evidence. Educator-guided questioning and structured response routines consistently prompt students to return to the text as they develop and explain their ideas.
For example, in unit 5, lesson 66, students reread Forty-five Million Years of Light and analyze the theme of the text. Students retell the story, then identify the theme by providing two pieces of evidence from the text to support their interpretations. Similarly, in unit 3, lesson 42, students read The Trench and describe characters by citing evidence from multiple parts of the text. These tasks require students to use textual evidence to demonstrate understanding, justify their thinking, and support their claims.
Evaluation for 8.A.1b
The materials include text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to use evidence when evaluating language, key ideas, details, author’s craft, and text structure. Throughout comprehension instruction, students analyze grade-level literary and informational texts by identifying important details, examining author choices, determining main ideas, and explaining how text features and structures contribute to meaning. Educator-guided questions consistently require students to support their responses with evidence from the text.
For example, in unit 9, lesson 126, students read The Last Sport on the List and respond to questions that require them to share ideas about the text and use evidence to support their responses. Students analyze key ideas and details by identifying information from the text that supports their thinking.
Additionally, in unit 5, lesson 66, students describe the plot of Forty-five Million Years of Light using textual evidence, moving beyond basic comprehension to analyze how details contribute to the story’s overall meaning. These recurring tasks provide students with opportunities to evaluate language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure through evidence-based analysis.
Evaluation for 8.A.1c
The materials include questions and tasks that require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of evidence-based strategies. Throughout comprehension instruction, students discuss key ideas, summarize information, and explain their thinking using evidence from literary and informational texts. Educator questioning and discussion routines require students to connect their responses to details from the text.
For example, in unit 7, lesson 91, students read The Day Bessie Flew and identify the theme of the story. Students support their interpretation of the theme by selecting multiple pieces of evidence from the text and explaining how those details support their thinking. These activities provide students with opportunities to summarize, discuss key ideas, and justify claims using evidence from the text.
Evaluation for 8.A.1d
The materials include questions and tasks designed at multiple levels of cognitive complexity, providing opportunities for students to analyze literary and informational texts. Throughout comprehension instruction, students respond to questions that progress from identifying explicit details to making inferences, analyzing author choices, determining main ideas, and explaining relationships among ideas in a text. Educator-guided questioning routines provide repeated opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex text analysis.
For example, in unit 3, lesson 42, students reread The Trench and respond to questions of varying complexity throughout the lesson. Students analyze key details, make inferences about characters, and discuss themes using evidence from the text. Similarly, in unit 7, lesson 91, students analyze The Day Bessie Flew by identifying its theme and supporting their interpretations with textual evidence. These tasks provide students with consistent opportunities to engage in text analysis through questions that require different levels of cognitive thinking.
Evaluation for 8.A.2a
Instruction models how students analyze and reference evidence from grade-level texts during comprehension discussions and written responses. In lesson 42, The Trench includes an educator script to guide students in describing characters using evidence from multiple parts, after which students complete the evidence on their own.
In unit 3, lesson 42, the educator models how the students can describe the colossal squid using three pieces of evidence from the story. The script guides the educator to make statements such as “Listen to what I’m thinking” and “Watch what I do” as they model how to describe the squid with traits and support their assertions with textual evidence.
Evaluation for 8.A.2b
Comprehension instruction incorporates collaborative discussion routines and evidence-based questioning to deepen understanding of connected texts. In lesson 126, students use academic vocabulary to discuss the story’s theme, citing text evidence.
In unit 5 lesson 66, the educator script provides guidance for teaching students how to locate evidence of the text’s theme. The script engages students in discussions using academic vocabulary (key detail, narrator, theme): “What is the key detail here, and what does it tell us about how the narrator feels at first?” “Turn and tell your partner—what is the theme of the story, and how does this part prove it?”
Evaluation for 8.B.1a
The material includes educator-written mentor texts every five lessons. Every five lessons, students participate in an Assess, Write, Apply day to demonstrate what they can do. Students complete the writing process in one day, supported by educator modeling. For example, in unit 1, lesson 5, the educator script models writing a fictional piece for students to follow. The material uses the acronym SPARK (say who and where, problem or big event, actions, result, keep a clear ending) to cover all the parts. The educator explains the acronym and then gives students time to write their own story using SPARK. For informational pieces, the material uses the acronym TREE (tell your topic, report facts or reasons, explain your examples, end your writing) to address all parts of the writing.
In unit 6, lesson 85 presents a mentor text for students to compose an informational text. In this lesson, the educator creates an informational writing model for each part of the text.
Evaluation for 8.B.1b
Throughout the year, students write for a variety of purposes and genres. The materials prompt students to share their writing in multiple ways, such as partner share, digital book, writing wall, author’s chair, and digital read-aloud.
The materials include many opportunities for students to write narrative texts throughout the year. Each writing lesson includes a prompt that students must write about. For example, prompts ask students to write about opening their front door to a new celebration (unit 1, lesson 5), a hero who faces a challenge (unit 4, lesson 50), or a time they tried something new and found it scary (unit 7, lesson 95).
Evaluation for 8.B.1c
In unit 1, lesson 10, students write an informative essay about goods and services. Later in the year, in unit 5, lesson 70, students write an informational essay about galaxies and nebulae. For each informational text students write throughout the year, they include genre-specific characteristics using the acronym TREE.
Writing instruction gives students opportunities to compose informational texts using topic vocabulary; organized details; and content they gather from reading, discussion, and thematic learning experiences. In lesson 5, after gathering information, students write a structured report with an introduction, supporting details, and a conclusion. The educator encourages them to include genre-specific elements such as headings, subheadings, and labeled diagrams to communicate information effectively to their audience.
Evaluation for 8.B.1d
In unit 4, lesson 60, students compose an informational paragraph and then choose to share with a variety of audiences: partner share, class book, digital transfer, digital read-aloud recording, and more.
According to the scope and sequence, students have 25 opportunities throughout the year to compose argumentative texts. The materials refer to this as opinion writing. Students take their opinion pieces through the writing process eight times throughout the year. In these lessons, students share their writing after publishing the piece. Educators offer choices for students to share their work, and the audience changes depending on the sharing method. Sometimes students share their piece with a partner, and on other days, they participate in an author’s chair to share with the whole class. Students can also read their piece on an app, allowing anyone with access, such as families, to listen to and read their writing.
Evaluation for 8.B.1e
The materials include genre-specific characteristics that students should follow when writing their letter. The materials include educator guidance to explicitly teach the salutation, purpose sentence, and closing. Students are tasked with writing a letter to the principal about something that they think the class needs or would benefit from.
The materials do not include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. According to the scope and sequence, only lesson 150 focuses on writing formal request letters. This lesson is at the very end of the year. Lessons 121 and 123 cover writing addresses, but students do not actually write any correspondence.
Evaluation for 8.B.2a
The materials support students’ coherent use of the elements of the writing process, including planning and drafting, to compose text. For example, in unit 1, lesson 5 provides educator guidance and opportunities for students to plan a narrative using the SPARK strategy. The educator models this strategy, one step at a time, to plan a narrative. As the educator completes each step of the planning process, students plan their own narratives, step-by-step. After planning, students draft their narratives using their plans.
The materials support students’ use of the writing process to compose narrative texts, which includes planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing. Students work through the writing process for narrative texts once every 15 days. During this lesson, the educator models their own piece of writing as they plan and then complete it. For narrative texts, the material uses the SPARK strategy to ensure that all parts of their writing are completed. After students write their pieces, the educator helps guide them in editing and revising by asking them questions such as “Does your problem help your story keep going? Does your story have a beginning, a middle, and an end? Does your story end in a way that feels done?” The educator confers with students if necessary and checks that the grammar skills learned in that unit are used correctly. Finally, students share their writing. The materials provide a variety of ways for students to share their writing, such as with a partner, in the author’s chair, or through audio recording.
Evaluation for 8.B.2b
The materials provide guidance for educators on how to model planning a writing piece. The educator follows the script and plans a piece in front of the students. The script includes prompts the educator can use to help struggling students get started. The materials also offer educator guidance for the drafting phase. Again the educator follows the script and drafts a piece in front of the students. The script goes through each letter of the acronym used for writing, such as TREE or SPARK. The materials help students revise by providing prompts the educator can use for whole-group instruction to help students ensure their writing is effective.
The materials do not provide guidance on modeling, revising, editing, or conferencing. Some lessons include opportunities for students to revise and edit their writing, but students do not receive explicit instruction on how to do this. Instead, the materials suggest that the educator provide time for students to revise and edit and offer prompts to use while the educator circulates and supports students. Furthermore, the materials do not provide opportunities for conferencing or using dedicated time to work with one writer. The materials provide options for the educator to use when sharing, but there is no modeling of how to use them.
Evaluation for 8.B.3a
Students improve sentence clarity and complexity through focused practice with academic vocabulary and grammatical structures. Lesson 216 focuses on subject–verb agreement. The educator script directs students to practice with examples of sentences that lack subject–verb agreement. Students practice with a partner and then create their own examples.
The materials include guidance for educators to provide explicit instruction in sentence-level writing, with a focus on vocabulary. For example, in the grammar lesson in unit 4, lesson 46, the guidance and educator script focus on vocabulary by teaching shades of meaning to support students in selecting precise word choice (knew, believed, suspected, wondered).
Evaluation for 8.B.3b
The materials include guidance for educators to provide systematic, explicit (direct) instruction in writing, starting at the sentence level and building to compositions, aligned with the grade-level TEKS. The scope and sequence indicates that students start with simple sentences and then move on to compound and complex sentences throughout the year. Students gain confidence and control over their writing when they develop skills in a scaffolded progression.
The materials include systematic and explicit instruction in writing aligned with the grade-level TEKS. Educators teach writing every other day, and they teach grammar on the days in between. Every fifth lesson, the educator models the entire writing process, ensuring that students write multiple sentences at a time. Educators receive guidance in teaching narrative, informational, correspondence, research, and opinion writing.
Evaluation for 8.B.3c
The scope and sequence systematically presents sentence-level writing throughout the year, with the complexity increasing across the units. For example, in unit 6, lessons 76 and 78, students construct simple sentences at the sentence level in the grammar lessons. Later, students are introduced to constructing compound sentences in unit 6, lessons 86 and 88. Complex sentences are then introduced for students to construct in unit 7, lessons 101 and 103.
The materials do not include explicit opportunities for students to engage in sentence-level revising and editing. Composition lessons primarily address revising and editing, having students revise and edit larger pieces of writing rather than individual sentences. Subsequent writing lessons do not revisit simple sentences or allow students to write and edit their own. In the Assess, Write, Apply lessons, which occur only every fifth day, the educator sidebar states, “As learners write, monitor for opportunities to...” and lists the skill of the week. The materials do not explicitly tell or remind students to practice that skill. As a result, the materials do not provide systematic and explicit opportunities for sentence-level revising and editing.
Evaluation for 8.B.4a
The materials include opportunities for students to write sentences and extended compositions throughout the year. Students participate in writing lessons every other day and are expected to apply previously taught grammar skills while drafting. Educator guidance occasionally directs educators to monitor whether students are using the current grammar focus correctly in their writing. However, the materials do not provide explicit opportunities for students to practice and apply capitalization and punctuation conventions within connected writing. Students are not routinely reminded to apply these conventions during writing, and educator guidance focuses primarily on grammar skills rather than the broader conventions of academic language. Therefore, opportunities for practice and application in context are limited and do not fully address the grade-level TEKS expectations.
The materials include opportunities for practice in and out of the context of academic language conventions, using correct capitalization and punctuation in sentences and short paragraphs, and according to only some of the grade-level TEKS. The scope and sequence displays conventions taught throughout the year (nouns, pronouns, regular and irregular verbs, subject–verb agreement, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, possessives, simple sentences, coordinating conjunctions, compound sentences, complex sentences, and subordinating conjunctions). A few lessons throughout the scope and sequence provide opportunities for teaching rules of capitalization (titles) and punctuation (commas in addresses, quotation marks, and dialogue). However, many of the grade-level capitalization TEKS, such as capitalization of official titles of people, holidays, geographical names, and places, are not addressed.
Evaluation for 8.B.4b
The materials include systematic opportunities for students to practice and apply grammar, punctuation, and usage in context during the grammar lessons, which occur every other day. Each lesson introduces a targeted skill, provides modeled examples, and guides students to apply the skill in connected writing within the lesson. Students study correctly written examples before practicing the skill by composing sentences that demonstrate the targeted concept. For example, in unit 3, lesson 33, students learn singular and plural possessives by reviewing examples, identifying possessive phrases, and writing sentences that correctly apply the skill. Additional grammar lessons address topics such as plurals, subject–verb agreement, serial commas, compound and complex sentences, commas in addresses, quotation marks, and title capitalization, providing consistent opportunities for students to apply grammar, punctuation, and usage within the instructional context of each lesson.
However, the materials do not include systematic opportunities for students to practice grammar, punctuation, and usage out of context. While educators are prompted to monitor students’ use of grammar skills during the Assess, Write, Apply lessons, these instructional supports do not require students to demonstrate or apply the targeted grammar, punctuation, or usage skills independently in their own writing. For example, in unit 8, lesson 110, educators are instructed to monitor students’ use of complex sentences, but students are not explicitly directed or held accountable for incorporating the skill into their writing. Additionally, the materials do not provide separate, systematic student practice that requires independent application of grammar, punctuation, or usage outside the context of the grammar lesson. Although the scope and sequence references lessons on abbreviations, those lessons are not included in the materials.
8.A.1 Use of Text Evidence
8.A.1a
Materials include text-dependent questions and tasks which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. (S)
Materials include text-dependent questions and tasks which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 8.A.1a
Evaluation for 8.A.1a
Materials include text-dependent questions and tasks which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. (S)
2 out of 2 points
For example, in unit 5, lesson 66, students reread Forty-five Million Years of Light and analyze the theme of the text. Students retell the story, then identify the theme by providing two pieces of evidence from the text to support their interpretations. Similarly, in unit 3, lesson 42, students read The Trench and describe characters by citing evidence from multiple parts of the text. These tasks require students to use textual evidence to demonstrate understanding, justify their thinking, and support their claims.
8.A.1b
Questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. (S)
Questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. (S)
5 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 8.A.1b
Evaluation for 8.A.1b
Questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. (S)
5 out of 5 points
For example, in unit 9, lesson 126, students read The Last Sport on the List and respond to questions that require them to share ideas about the text and use evidence to support their responses. Students analyze key ideas and details by identifying information from the text that supports their thinking.
Additionally, in unit 5, lesson 66, students describe the plot of Forty-five Million Years of Light using textual evidence, moving beyond basic comprehension to analyze how details contribute to the story’s overall meaning. These recurring tasks provide students with opportunities to evaluate language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure through evidence-based analysis.
8.A.1c
Questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. (S)
Questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.A.1c
Evaluation for 8.A.1c
Questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
For example, in unit 7, lesson 91, students read The Day Bessie Flew and identify the theme of the story. Students support their interpretation of the theme by selecting multiple pieces of evidence from the text and explaining how those details support their thinking. These activities provide students with opportunities to summarize, discuss key ideas, and justify claims using evidence from the text.
8.A.1d
Questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. (S)
Questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.A.1d
Evaluation for 8.A.1d
Questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
For example, in unit 3, lesson 42, students reread The Trench and respond to questions of varying complexity throughout the lesson. Students analyze key details, make inferences about characters, and discuss themes using evidence from the text. Similarly, in unit 7, lesson 91, students analyze The Day Bessie Flew by identifying its theme and supporting their interpretations with textual evidence. These tasks provide students with consistent opportunities to engage in text analysis through questions that require different levels of cognitive thinking.
8.A.2 Teacher Guidance for the Use of Text Evidence
8.A.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. (T)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 8.A.2a
Evaluation for 8.A.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. (T)
2 out of 2 points
In unit 3, lesson 42, the educator models how the students can describe the colossal squid using three pieces of evidence from the story. The script guides the educator to make statements such as “Listen to what I’m thinking” and “Watch what I do” as they model how to describe the squid with traits and support their assertions with textual evidence.
8.A.2b
Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. (T)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 8.A.2b
Evaluation for 8.A.2b
Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. (T)
2 out of 2 points
In unit 5 lesson 66, the educator script provides guidance for teaching students how to locate evidence of the text’s theme. The script engages students in discussions using academic vocabulary (key detail, narrator, theme): “What is the key detail here, and what does it tell us about how the narrator feels at first?” “Turn and tell your partner—what is the theme of the story, and how does this part prove it?”
8.B.1 Genre Characteristics and Craft to Compose Multiple Texts
8.B.1a
Materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS.
Materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.B.1a
Evaluation for 8.B.1a
Materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS.
1 out of 1 points
In unit 6, lesson 85 presents a mentor text for students to compose an informational text. In this lesson, the educator creates an informational writing model for each part of the text.
8.B.1b
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 8.B.1b
Evaluation for 8.B.1b
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
The materials include many opportunities for students to write narrative texts throughout the year. Each writing lesson includes a prompt that students must write about. For example, prompts ask students to write about opening their front door to a new celebration (unit 1, lesson 5), a hero who faces a challenge (unit 4, lesson 50), or a time they tried something new and found it scary (unit 7, lesson 95).
8.B.1c
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 8.B.1c
Evaluation for 8.B.1c
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Writing instruction gives students opportunities to compose informational texts using topic vocabulary; organized details; and content they gather from reading, discussion, and thematic learning experiences. In lesson 5, after gathering information, students write a structured report with an introduction, supporting details, and a conclusion. The educator encourages them to include genre-specific elements such as headings, subheadings, and labeled diagrams to communicate information effectively to their audience.
8.B.1d
[3rd grade only] Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
[3rd grade only] Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 8.B.1d
Evaluation for 8.B.1d
[3rd grade only] Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
According to the scope and sequence, students have 25 opportunities throughout the year to compose argumentative texts. The materials refer to this as opinion writing. Students take their opinion pieces through the writing process eight times throughout the year. In these lessons, students share their writing after publishing the piece. Educators offer choices for students to share their work, and the audience changes depending on the sharing method. Sometimes students share their piece with a partner, and on other days, they participate in an author’s chair to share with the whole class. Students can also read their piece on an app, allowing anyone with access, such as families, to listen to and read their writing.
8.B.1e
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.B.1e
Evaluation for 8.B.1e
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
0 out of 1 points
The materials do not include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. According to the scope and sequence, only lesson 150 focuses on writing formal request letters. This lesson is at the very end of the year. Lessons 121 and 123 cover writing addresses, but students do not actually write any correspondence.
8.B.2 Writing Process
8.B.2a
Materials support students' use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions of writing. (S)
Materials support students' use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions of writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 8.B.2a
Evaluation for 8.B.2a
Materials support students' use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions of writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
The materials support students’ use of the writing process to compose narrative texts, which includes planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing. Students work through the writing process for narrative texts once every 15 days. During this lesson, the educator models their own piece of writing as they plan and then complete it. For narrative texts, the material uses the SPARK strategy to ensure that all parts of their writing are completed. After students write their pieces, the educator helps guide them in editing and revising by asking them questions such as “Does your problem help your story keep going? Does your story have a beginning, a middle, and an end? Does your story end in a way that feels done?” The educator confers with students if necessary and checks that the grammar skills learned in that unit are used correctly. Finally, students share their writing. The materials provide a variety of ways for students to share their writing, such as with a partner, in the author’s chair, or through audio recording.
8.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) and to support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) and to support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. (T)
3 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 8.B.2b
Evaluation for 8.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) and to support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. (T)
3 out of 6 points
The materials do not provide guidance on modeling, revising, editing, or conferencing. Some lessons include opportunities for students to revise and edit their writing, but students do not receive explicit instruction on how to do this. Instead, the materials suggest that the educator provide time for students to revise and edit and offer prompts to use while the educator circulates and supports students. Furthermore, the materials do not provide opportunities for conferencing or using dedicated time to work with one writer. The materials provide options for the educator to use when sharing, but there is no modeling of how to use them.
8.B.3 Explicit (Direct) and Systematic Writing Instruction
8.B.3a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. (T)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 8.B.3a
Evaluation for 8.B.3a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. (T)
3 out of 3 points
The materials include guidance for educators to provide explicit instruction in sentence-level writing, with a focus on vocabulary. For example, in the grammar lesson in unit 4, lesson 46, the guidance and educator script focus on vocabulary by teaching shades of meaning to support students in selecting precise word choice (knew, believed, suspected, wondered).
8.B.3b
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence level and building to compositions according to grade-level TEKS. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence level and building to compositions according to grade-level TEKS. (T)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 8.B.3b
Evaluation for 8.B.3b
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence level and building to compositions according to grade-level TEKS. (T)
4 out of 4 points
The materials include systematic and explicit instruction in writing aligned with the grade-level TEKS. Educators teach writing every other day, and they teach grammar on the days in between. Every fifth lesson, the educator models the entire writing process, ensuring that students write multiple sentences at a time. Educators receive guidance in teaching narrative, informational, correspondence, research, and opinion writing.
8.B.3c
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. (S)
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. (S)
4 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 8.B.3c
Evaluation for 8.B.3c
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. (S)
4 out of 6 points
The materials do not include explicit opportunities for students to engage in sentence-level revising and editing. Composition lessons primarily address revising and editing, having students revise and edit larger pieces of writing rather than individual sentences. Subsequent writing lessons do not revisit simple sentences or allow students to write and edit their own. In the Assess, Write, Apply lessons, which occur only every fifth day, the educator sidebar states, “As learners write, monitor for opportunities to...” and lists the skill of the week. The materials do not explicitly tell or remind students to practice that skill. As a result, the materials do not provide systematic and explicit opportunities for sentence-level revising and editing.
8.B.4 Grade-Level Standard English Conventions
8.B.4a
Materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language (e.g., the use of simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement, the appropriate use of different verb tenses, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, and coordinating conjunctions) in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. (S)
Materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language (e.g., the use of simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement, the appropriate use of different verb tenses, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, and coordinating conjunctions) in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. (S)
0 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 8.B.4a
Evaluation for 8.B.4a
Materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language (e.g., the use of simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement, the appropriate use of different verb tenses, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, and coordinating conjunctions) in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. (S)
0 out of 4 points
The materials include opportunities for practice in and out of the context of academic language conventions, using correct capitalization and punctuation in sentences and short paragraphs, and according to only some of the grade-level TEKS. The scope and sequence displays conventions taught throughout the year (nouns, pronouns, regular and irregular verbs, subject–verb agreement, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, possessives, simple sentences, coordinating conjunctions, compound sentences, complex sentences, and subordinating conjunctions). A few lessons throughout the scope and sequence provide opportunities for teaching rules of capitalization (titles) and punctuation (commas in addresses, quotation marks, and dialogue). However, many of the grade-level capitalization TEKS, such as capitalization of official titles of people, holidays, geographical names, and places, are not addressed.
8.B.4b
Materials include systematic opportunities for practice of and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. (S)
Materials include systematic opportunities for practice of and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. (S)
3 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 8.B.4b
Evaluation for 8.B.4b
Materials include systematic opportunities for practice of and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. (S)
3 out of 6 points
However, the materials do not include systematic opportunities for students to practice grammar, punctuation, and usage out of context. While educators are prompted to monitor students’ use of grammar skills during the Assess, Write, Apply lessons, these instructional supports do not require students to demonstrate or apply the targeted grammar, punctuation, or usage skills independently in their own writing. For example, in unit 8, lesson 110, educators are instructed to monitor students’ use of complex sentences, but students are not explicitly directed or held accountable for incorporating the skill into their writing. Additionally, the materials do not provide separate, systematic student practice that requires independent application of grammar, punctuation, or usage outside the context of the grammar lesson. Although the scope and sequence references lessons on abbreviations, those lessons are not included in the materials.