Benchmark Phonics Intervention, Level 2 Texas Edition

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention is a supplemental program with a clearly stated purpose: targeted remediation. Each level of the program includes a program structure resource that states, “Phonics Intervention provides intensive phonics and phonological awareness instruction for students who are two or more years below grade-level expectations.”

The Program Guide includes a “Program Structure” section that states, “Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention is designed to be used alongside any core English language arts (ELA) program” to provide targeted, research-based tier-three “intervention for students who need additional instruction in foundational literacy skills.”

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention is a supplemental program designed to provide targeted remediation. The materials state that “explicit, systematic, and multimodal” instruction aligns with the Individuals with Disabilities Act’s (IDEA’s) definition of specially designed instruction (SDI).

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes guidance on how to appropriately use the materials to support an existing core reading and language arts program, in which educators administer a comprehensive phonics survey to “identify gaps in students’ foundational phonics skills.” The materials provide educators with additional steps for students who demonstrate multiple decoding difficulties, including the administration of a Phonological Awareness Assessment to determine whether weaknesses in prerequisite skills are contributing factors. Educators then use this assessment data to plan targeted small-group instruction implemented in addition to an existing core reading and language arts project.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook. This handbook explains how educators can use program phonics assessments, such as the Quick Phonics Assessment (QPA) and Quick Spelling Assessment (QSA), to place students into appropriate intervention levels and identify a suitable starting unit. Educators administer this instruction to support an existing core reading and language arts program.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a scope and sequence that outlines student expectations and the skills taught. The Program Guide includes the scope and sequence, in which each unit lists phonological awareness, a focus skill, high-frequency words, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS).

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a rationale for the design of the program’s scope and sequence in the “Phonics Intervention Routines” videos. These videos explain each routine and describe the research to support every lesson component. Lessons are intentionally structured so components build on one another and increase in complexity, beginning with rereading text for fluency and concluding with students applying the lesson focus skill with writing and dictation.

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

The Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention Program Guide includes guidance on the time requirements and suggested pacing for effective implementation. The Program Guide includes the “High-Impact Instruction Walk-Through of Teacher’s Guides” section that specifies expectations for lesson structure and instructional flow. The materials state, “Each daily lesson is divided into three distinct sections: ‘Warm-Up Review and Repetition,’ ‘Multimodal Mini-Lessons,’ and ‘Apply to Reading and Writing.’” In addition, the materials structure each lesson to last 20–30 minutes and provide a time allocation for each subsection.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes guidance on the time requirements and suggested pacing for effective implementation in the Intensive Phonological Awareness: Phonological & Phonemic Awareness Routines & Activities document. In the document, a “Next Steps” section dictates how much time educators and students should spend on phonological awareness and offers a weekly planning chart. This chart outlines Monday through Friday instruction and recommends planning five to ten minutes per day for focused phonological awareness activities.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes resources and guidance to support educators with the implementation of the materials as designed. The materials include a “Foundational Skills Assessment” video tutorial that guides educators on the administration and use of student assessments. There are four sections in the tutorial: “Overview,” “Getting Started,” “Views/Reports,” and “Recommended Placements.” The tutorial details the assessment administration and how to interpret assessment results.


Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes resources and guidance to support educators in the implementation of daily lessons. In the Teacher’s Guide, each lesson provides approximate timing for each lesson component: five minutes for “Warm-Up Review and Repetition,” five minutes for the “Multimodal Mini-Lesson,” 10 minutes for the “Vocabulary Booster,” and 10 minutes for “Apply to Reading and Writing.” Lessons also outline precise educator and student actions, such as prompting educators to ask students to listen to a sound and explain that “the letter i stands for the /i/ sound,” followed by guided student practice.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention materials include supports for families in both English and Spanish that offer guidance on how to reinforce student progress at home. These resources include Home–School Connection Letters in English and Spanish for each of the 30 units, which explain the unit’s focus and suggest ways families can help. For example, the unit 1 English letter encourages families to read a text from the Student Reading Collection with their student, complete activities in the Student Book, and support their child as they practice reading and writing decodable and high‑frequency words at home.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention materials include supports for families in both English and Spanish, which offer guidance on how to reinforce student progress at home. The materials contain a resource library with a section for the Home–School Letters and Activities PDF. This area contains the Home–School Connection Letters in English. However, there are no activities present. Activities are on the back cover of each Student Book for each lesson.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes appropriate instructional assessments for targeted remediation. The level 2 materials include a comprehensive set of assessments that place students in one of four instructional levels, with accompanying starting points for each level. The Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook states that educators “can use district core ELA assessments to identify students who need additional support.” Educators can “then use Phonics Intervention assessments such as the Quick Phonics Assessment (QPA) and Quick Spelling Assessment (QSA) to identify specific areas of need.”

The Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook includes the “Progress Monitoring: One-Minute Oral Reading Fluency Assessment Rubric.” This rubric directs educators to score students on a 1–4 rating scale across the categories of Phrasing and Fluency, Intonation, and Comprehension. The section titled “Rubric Score Key” provides the following guidance: “1 and 2: Student has not achieved an appropriate level of fluency for the level of passage, 3: Fluent reading is being refined at the Phonics Intervention level of the passage, 4: Fluent reading has been achieved for the Phonics Intervention level at which the passage is written.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention materials include definitions and the intended purposes of the instructional assessments. The Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook includes guidance on assessment administration, types of assessments, and the purposes of a variety of tests in the program, including phonics, spelling, phonological and phonemic awareness, fluency, and high-frequency words. The handbook includes explicit guidance, such as, “This phonics survey … is organized around related categories of phonics skills and aids in determining which skills students have and have not mastered.”

The materials include the purpose of progress monitoring assessments. The program’s Phonics and Intervention Program Guide states, “The One-Minute Oral Reading Fluency Quick Checks are used to evaluate students’ reading rate.” Additionally, the materials recommend that educators “formally assess students’ reading fluency in the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes guidance to ensure the consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments. For instance, in the Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook, the “One-Minute Oral Reading Fluency Quick Checks” include tools for the educator to compare each student’s performance to the “Hasbrouck and Tindal norms at 50th percentile, for the grade level and time of year.” Educators are advised in the handbook to assess students’ oral reading fluency multiple times throughout the school year.

In the Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook, there are directions to administer four assessments: QPA, QSA, Phonological Awareness Assessment, and Fluency Assessment. Guidance is clear to ensure consistent administration, such as telling the educator, “Say to the student: I’m going to ask you to tell me the names (sounds) of some letters so that I can find out which ones you already know and which ones you still need to learn. I want you to try to do your best. We’ll stop if they get too hard. Do you have any questions?”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes instructional assessment items at varying levels of complexity, including the Phonological Awareness Assessment in the Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook. This assessment has 18 sections, such as “Word Awareness” and “Rhyme Identification,” and each section has items at varying levels of complexity. For example, in the “Word Awareness” section, the student has to repeat a sentence spoken by the educator and state the number of words in the sentence. Additionally, the sentences increase in word length and vary in complexity, ranging from two to six words.

Each unit has a Cumulative Assessment that increases in complexity as students progress through the units, in alignment with the program’s scope and sequence of skills. The “Dictation” subsection of the Cumulative Assessment for unit 1, lesson 10, includes the words man, hat, sad, and the sentence “Dad can see the cat.” The same section in unit 10, lesson 10, of the Cumulative Assessment includes the words shop, past, crash, and the sentence “I wish this could be my ring.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes instructional assessments and scoring information to guide the interpretation of student performance. For example, the QPA provides guidance to help educators accurately score and interpret student performance data. The “Interpreting QPA Results” section explains that skill sets are ordered by difficulty, which allows educators to determine which skill sets students have mastered and which specific phonics and decoding skills they still need to learn. The section also includes detailed examples that show how to use scores, observations (such as confidence and response rate), and stopping points to make instructional decisions.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes instructional assessments and scoring information to guide the interpretation of student performance. The Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook provides detailed instructions in the “Introduction” section for the administration and scoring of the QSA. These checks use a rubric to measure students’ spelling development. Educators are advised to use this assessment to determine if students need more practice with encoding before they move on to more complex phonics skills. The handbook also states that the QSA helps educators adjust the program’s starting point. In addition, the program includes a rubric to help educators determine where to place the student. The rubric states, “If the student scores 20 or more correct in the skill sets 1–2, move on to the next skill set. If the student scores over half correct in skill sets 3–12, move on to the next skill set.” The rubric also tells the educator to “stop the assessment when the student correctly spells less than half of the items, or scores more than half but struggles through the word sets and/or displays frustration.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes guidance on how to use the program to address trends in student performance on assessments. The Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook provides detailed instructions in its “Introduction” section on the different assessments that can be given to place students “into one of 4 levels of the program.” These include the QPA, QSA, Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Assessment, One-Minute Oral Fluency Assessment, High-Frequency Word Screeners, and Progress Monitoring Assessments. These assessments help the educator determine each student’s most appropriate starting point in the Benchmark Phonics Intervention program. Level 2 materials also include when to assess students, a chart that details the steps the educator should take based on the data collected from the assessments, one-minute fluency assessments, and a rating rubric.

In the Teacher’s Guide, unit 3, lesson 5, educators are directed to use tools such as the Student Observation Form and other assessment notes to identify specific phonics and high-frequency word skills that require additional support in upcoming lessons 6–10. The program includes explicit guidance for educators on how to respond to students’ performance trends, such as whether to move students to the next unit or continue targeted lessons based on their demonstrated proficiency. The guidance says, “If students are showing basic proficiency in reading and writing words with short a, then progress to unit 4.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes tools for educators to track student progress and growth, such as The Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook included data-recording sheets. These recording sheets track data for several literacy skills, including high-frequency words, print concepts, letter names, letter sounds, and handwriting. These tools support educators as they track student progress and growth.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes tools for students to track their progress and growth. The Benchmark Assessment and Screener Handbook includes student record forms to track individual progress across beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year assessments, as well as class record forms to monitor skill development across the group. These tools help students track their progress and growth.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes tools for educators and students to track student progress and growth. The program includes the Benchmark Universe dashboard, which allows educators to view student data, assign lessons, and interact with students. Educators and students can also interact using the Reading Log tool, where information is sorted based on class, type (independent vs. assigned), status, and timeframe. Educators can access student reviews, approve them, or ask students to revise them, and send comments back to students. The student Reading Log allows educators and students to track student reading progress.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes guidance for entry and exit criteria. In the “Placement and Assessment” section of the Phonics Program Guide, there is guidance on student placement, progress monitoring, and exit strategies. The monitoring and exit area contains four reference points: monitor mastery, cumulative review, pacing adjustment, and repetition, as well as Student Observation Forms.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes guidance on entry and exit criteria to support student remediation. The materials include diagnostic tools, such as the QPA and the QSA, to identify students who need targeted intervention and to determine appropriate entry points. These assessments help educators pinpoint specific gaps in phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling skills to guide instruction.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills. The Benchmark Advance Teacher’s Guide includes an “Additional Supports” section with routines that target specific skills. These routines include Vocabulary Picture Cards where students name each picture, read the sentence on the back, and then build the corresponding word with Letter Cards to reinforce decoding. There are also letter songs to review letter formation and sounds, handwriting practice pages, and lessons from the Phonological Awareness Kit for more intensive instruction. Educators are also directed to use the Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) Overview to ensure appropriate support for students with special needs throughout the unit.

In Benchmark Advance Teacher’s Guide, the unit 16, lesson 1, “Corrective Feedback” subsection states, “For students who mispronounce sounds, model the sound and have students repeat. For students who need support with letter formation, provide a model and have students trace and repeat. For students who misread a high-frequency word, say the word. Have students repeat, trace, and spell, then repeat again. Point out any irregular spelling patterns in the word.”

Fluency Instruction Routines can be found in the Benchmark Advance Teacher Resources. The Fluency Instruction Routines provide educators with guidance to help students build accuracy, automaticity, and prosody by encouraging educators to administer the comprehensive phonics survey and/or the Phonological Awareness Assessment, depending on student needs. Specifically, there is guidance and explicit instructions for educators to incorporate a repeated reading routine into weekly independent and small-group work.

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

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

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes guidance for educators to provide specially designed instruction (SDI) to students who receive supports and services through special education. For example, the Phonics and Intervention Program Guide includes a section titled “Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities,” which highlights multiple opportunities for the integration of SDI. In addition, SDI instruction occurs within the Phonics Intervention to support student access to content. For example, when students experience difficulty with sound–spelling correspondences, the guide provides targeted lessons and activity recommendations designed to address disabilities that impact oral language, decoding, and writing skills.

Each lesson contains an “Additional Supports” section, and lesson 9 of every unit specifically includes an audio accommodation. In unit 16, lesson 9, educators are directed to have students listen to the e-book Five Kittens to “frontload words and content,” and to use the e-book after the lesson for additional practice and to build fluency.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit prompts and guidance to support the educator as they model and explain the skills to be learned. The walk-through of the Teacher’s Guide details clear routines. For example, the “Vocabulary Booster” section directs educators to “display the photos on the other side of the Read-Aloud Card as you read,” and to “use the prompts to highlight the words materials, enormous, species, and generate and check for understanding.” Additional structured support is provided in lessons like unit 10, lesson 1, where educators are guided to “display the Sound–Spelling Cards for digraphs th, sh, and ng. Explain that the letters th together stand for the first sound in that.” Educators are also instructed to model writing the letters and saying the sounds as they write.


The unit 11, lesson 6, “Review High-Frequency Words” section uses the Say, Spell, Read, Write routine to review the high-frequency words once, upon, hurt, and that. Educators are instructed to use the following script: “What sounds do you hear in upon? Which letter should you write for each sound? Which two little words do you see inside upon?” In unit 16, lesson 1, the “Blend Words” section provides direct modeling guidance: “Model how to blend words with long i spelled (i_e)” and “point to each letter,” which clearly outlines educator actions. The materials further demonstrate explicit modeling by directing educators to model blending the sounds in the words hid and hide.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes educator guidance for effective delivery and facilitation with the use of multiple instructional approaches. The Teacher’s Guide provides daily lessons that incorporate explicit instruction, modeling, guided practice, corrective feedback, and cumulative review to support skill development. Lessons also include structured questioning and comprehension checks to guide instruction and student understanding throughout the lesson cycle.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation with the use of a variety of instructional approaches. For example, the Benchmark Advance Teacher’s Guide contains scripted lessons and student questions labeled by skill and instructional approach. Unit 29, lesson 1, includes educator guidance such as, “Prompt students to answer each question with a partner before you call on volunteers to answer the question. What sound does the crow make? Use what you know about variant vowel /ô/ to find the word that answers the question. (caw) (Phonics) Where is the mole that Cub hears? Find the sentence that answers the question. (Text Evidence) How might listening for sounds help a fox survive? (Higher-Order Thinking).”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes guidance for educators on recommended structures to support effective implementation. For instance, the Phonics and Intervention Program Guide includes a section titled “Program Structure: Intensive Tier 3 Phonics.” The overview states that educators “can integrate daily small-group or one-on-one sessions to reinforce phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, and high-frequency word recognition introduced in the core curriculum.”

The materials provide clear guidance on instructional groupings that incorporate whole-group, partner, and independent structures to support instruction. In unit 4, lesson 3, the “Apply to Reading and Writing” section directs educators to use partner and independent practice, such as having students “point to and read those words to a partner” and “have students write a sentence and read their sentence to a partner.” The lesson also includes whole-group routines, like “have students whisper-read each sentence. Then ask them to chorally read it.” Unit 16, lesson 10, also includes whole-group routines with these directions. Additionally, educators are prompted to “circulate and listen in as students individually read their sentences.”

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

The materials include educator guidance on how to provide linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency (as defined by the ELPS), which are designed to encourage students to use increasingly more academic language differentiated by levels of language proficiency. For example, in the Benchmark Intervention Program Guide, the document titled “Supporting Multilingual Learners Through ELPS Linguistic Accommodations” provides guidance to educators on linguistic accommodations across the materials aligned to the ELPS.

The materials provide educator guidance for linguistic accommodations aligned to the ELPS, and differentiated by students’ levels of English language proficiency. Materials include educator guidance on how to provide linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency (as defined by the ELPS), which are designed to encourage students to use increasingly more academic language differentiated by levels of language proficiency. In the Benchmark Intervention Program Guide, the document titled “Supporting Multilingual Learners Through ELPS Linguistic Accommodations” provides guidance to educators on linguistic accommodations across the materials, aligned to the ELPS.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes guidance to support educators in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. In the Phonics and Intervention Program Guide, the document titled “Implementing Benchmark Phonics Intervention Texas Edition in Texas Bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) Programs.” This document provides specific guidance for educators in bilingual and ESL programs. For example, educators are guided to “build on students’ home-language knowledge while explicitly teaching English sounds, spelling patterns, vocabulary, and language structures.”

The materials provide specific guidance for use in bilingual and ESL programs, including strategies that build on students’ home-language knowledge while developing English phonics, vocabulary, and language skills.

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

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

Evaluation for 4.1a
Materials do not include the three-cueing method as defined in Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0062. TEC, §28.0062 defines three-cueing as a method of reading instruction for the identification of words in which a student is encouraged to draw on context and sentence structure to read words without sounding the words out or using a phonics-based approach.

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

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills, aligned with grade-level TEKS, that progresses from basic skills and larger units of sound to more complex skills and smaller units of sound. The Program Guide outlines this progression in the sections “4 Levels to Support All Students” and “Scope and Sequence,” which detail skills by level, unit, and lesson. For example, lessons in unit 1 focus on recognizing and producing rhyme, while lessons in unit 30 advance to more complex skills, such as adding phonemes to initial and final positions.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills, aligned with grade-level TEKS, that progress from basic skills and larger units of sound to more complex skills and smaller units of sound. In unit 1, lesson 1, the section “Build Phonemic Awareness: Differentiated Oral Blending” directs educators to “say the following sounds (onset and rime) for students to blend- /m/ /ap/, /t/ /ap/.” The lesson then increases in complexity as students blend sounds “phoneme by phoneme,” and educators are instructed to “use hand motions, such as tapping or moving your hands from right to left, as you say and mark each sound- /m/ /a/ /p/.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence of phonemic awareness skills that progresses from basic to more complex skills, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 3, lesson 2, “Build Phonemic Awareness,” students blend by onset-rime and then sound by sound, such as /r/ /im/ and then /f/ /r/ /o/ /g/. The lesson includes explicit direct instruction, guidance for immediate feedback, and guidance for corrective feedback.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence of phonemic awareness skills that progresses from basic to more complex skills, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 1, lesson 2, students practice blending onset and rime as the Teacher’s Guide instructs educators to “say the following sounds (onset and rime) for students to blend.” The lesson then advances to phoneme-by-phoneme blending with guidance to “use hand motions then swipe your hand left to right as you string together the sounds.” By unit 19, lesson 2, instruction moves to more complex word patterns, such as blends. Students apply these strategies to words like foam, goes, and hope, following the same process to “say and mark each sound” and blend them together.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness skills, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 2, lesson 3, the section “Build Phonemic Awareness: Differentiated Oral Blending (Syllable and Onset-Rime)” instructs educators to “say each word. Have students say the first sound they hear in the word and then the rest of the word.” Guidance for corrective feedback is embedded as educators are instructed to “orally stretch the initial sound or emphasize it with a hand motion, and have students repeat.”

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness skills, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 11, lesson 5, “Sort Words,” educator guidance clearly explains how the skill is taught. The educator is given directions to “display each word, and guide students to read it. Place the sorting cards ch, tch, and wh in a pocket chart.” A provided visual shows how the cards should be placed, then educators “model how to sort the word when under the wh category card. Have student partners sort the remaining words at their seats. When they are finished, have students tell you how to sort the words in the pocket chart. Then have students chorally read the words in each column of the sort. Ask students what they notice about the words in each group.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. For example, the materials include Phonics Cards 1–5 and High-Frequency Word Cards 1–23 in the Quick Review Cumulative Routine. Specifically, educators are prompted to “chorally respond. Display one Phonics Card at a time. Have students chorally say the sound. Mix and repeat. When completed, mix the cards and repeat. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the High-Frequency Word Cards. Extend practice: Call out a sound without showing the card, and have students write the letter or letters that make that sound. Have students say the sound as they write it.”

In Benchmark Advance Teacher Resources, “Intensive Phonological Awareness,” the materials provide sample assessments for each of the 18 phonological routines that students will complete at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. Specifically, for segment sounds, the assessment states, “Directions: Say the word. Have students tell you all the sounds in the word. (Note: The number of sounds in the words increases throughout the assessment, thereby increasing the complexity as students work through the assessment.)” The words included in the assessment are sat, bag, up, is, mop, rugs, stop, chest, plant, and stomp.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes only those phonological and phonemic awareness skills that have already been explicitly taught. In unit 6, lesson 2, the phonemic awareness activity consists of two types of blending: onset-rime and sound by sound. Specifically, educators are instructed to “say the following sounds (onset and rime) for students to blend. For corrective feedback, hold up one fist for each part, then touch fists as you model blending the sounds. Have students repeat. /l/ /ap/, /fl/ /ap/, /l/ /id/, /sl/ /id/, /l/ /ok/, /kl/ /ok/, /l/ /uk/, /pl/ /uk/. Progress to these sounds (phoneme by phoneme). Use hand motions, such as tapping or moving your hands from right to left as you say and mark each sound. Then swipe your hand from right to left as you string together the sounds. /p/ /a/ /n/, /p/ /l/ /a/ /n/, /p/ /l/ /a/ /n/ /z/, /l/ /i/ /k/, /k/ /l/ /i/ /k/, /s/ /l/ /i/ /k/.”

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes only those phonological and phonemic awareness skills that have already been explicitly taught. Additionally, the unit assessments only include assessment of skills that have already been taught. For example, the unit 1, lesson 10, decoding portion of the assessment includes the skills taught in unit 1: sad, ham, wag, and fan. The unit 3 assessment contains all skills taught in units 1–3: sad, ham, wag, fan, bit, lick, him, kits, map, box, dot, and log.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence for the introduction of sound–spelling patterns aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The Program Guide highlights key sections, such as “Four Levels to Support All Students” and “Scope and Sequence,” with the latter clearly outlining progression across all levels. For example, level 1 begins with lessons that focus on short vowels, while level 4 advances to more complex skills such as vowel–r syllables. This progression demonstrates a systematic approach for the introduction of sound–spelling patterns.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence for the introduction of sound–spelling patterns aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In units 1–5, the “Multimodal Mini-Lessons” introduce short vowels while the lesson activities provide practice with those phonemes and corresponding graphemes. The sequence then progresses in unit 6 to include the more complex spelling pattern of beginning l-blends. In unit 6, the lesson directs educators to “have students listen to the sounds on the Articulation Video for l-blends,” “display the Sound–Spelling Card l-blends,” and explain that “when the letter l follows another consonant, the sounds for both consonants are often blended together.” Next, educators “model how to blend words with l-blends spelled bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, and sl and then ask students to practice.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction in decoding and encoding words with the use of sound–spelling patterns, in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 18, lesson 1, in the “Blend Words” and “Model” sections, the educator is directed to “model how to blend words with long a spelled ai and ay.” Encoding occurs in the “Introduce, Write” section, in which the educator is directed to “have students write the letters ai and ay several times on paper or dry-erase board. Prompt them to say the /ā/ sound each time they write the letters.”

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction in decoding and encoding words with the use of sound–spelling patterns, in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 8, lesson 3, “Multimodal Mini-Lessons: Blend,” the educator is directed to “use the modified lesson 2 blending words to apply the skill. Pause before each word to whisper-blend it before having students read it together aloud.” Encoding occurs in the “Write” section, in which the educator is directed to “have students write the letters sm several times on paper or a dry-erase board. Prompt them to say the /sm/ sound each time they write the letters. Repeat for the other s-blends.” In unit 15, lesson 2, the materials include explicit instruction in both decoding and encoding sound–spelling patterns by directly teaching the soft c (/s/) and soft g (/j/) spelling patterns. Students write and say the target graphemes (ce, ci, ge, gi, -dge). The materials also provide structured word blending and reading practice with target-pattern words, and extend practice into connected text, including educator-directed corrective feedback to reinforce the sound–spelling relationships.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding words with the use of sound–spelling patterns, both in isolation and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity. This is in alignment with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. For instance, in unit 14, lesson 2, “Multimodal Mini-Lessons,” the lesson begins with explicit decoding and the introduction of the short u sound. Students say the long o letter and sound and repeat as necessary. Students progress to reading words that contain the long o sound, then in the “Blend Words” section students move to reading long o words in sentences. Finally, under “Apply to Reading and Writing,” students practice using the long o sound in context with the decodable text “Home with Mom and Dad.”

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding words with the use of sound–spelling patterns, both in isolation and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity. This is in alignment with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. For example, in unit 15, lesson 2, the materials provide extensive word-list practice with current and previously learned patterns. In these activities, students write target graphemes while associating them with sounds, including connected-text reading with words that contain the target spellings. Students revisit previously taught texts for fluency development, and integrate high-frequency word review through reading, spelling, and writing routines.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes only those sound–spelling patterns that have already been explicitly taught. Lessons begin with explicit instruction and practice of targeted sound–spellings and word patterns, allowing students to build accuracy at the word level. Instruction advances structured practice with short phrases and complete sentences, giving students opportunities to apply decoding skills in increasingly meaningful contexts. For example, in unit 18, lesson 1, the lesson begins with a review of taught sounds, an introduction to the new long /a/ sound in the letter patterns a, ai, and ay in isolation, and then practice with the new sound within words and sentences.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes only those sound–spelling patterns that have already been explicitly taught. In unit 3, lesson 1, the “Multimodal Mini-Lesson” first teaches the /o/ sound by directing educators to “have students listen to the sound on the Articulation Video,” display the “Sound–Spelling Cards Oo,” and explain that “the letter Oo stands for the /o/ sound.” After this explicit instruction, students practice the taught pattern by writing “the letter Oo several times” as they say “the /o/ sound.” Then, students blend words with the /o/ sound, such as hop and pop, as the educator points “to each letter as students say the sound.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence for the introduction of regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The Scope and Sequence document identifies which high-frequency words are taught in each lesson and unit. In the first few units, students begin with regular high-frequency words, such as see, go, and she, while later units introduce irregular high-frequency words, such as was, out, and who, along with regular high-frequency words. At the end of grade 1, students are taught more difficult regular and irregular high-frequency words, including eight, answer, any, and below.

Units 1–3 are a review of high-frequency words learned in the level 1 materials, and new high-frequency words are introduced in unit 4. Each unit thereafter adds four to five new words at a time. The high-frequency words are introduced at the beginning of each unit, practiced throughout lessons 1–9, and assessed in lesson 10. For example, the “High-Frequency Words” cumulative assessment, located in the Student Edition, unit 16, lesson 10, assesses accuracy and automaticity of words learned in units 11–16.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list, in alignment with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 14, lesson 2, the educator guides students to orally segment the word and identify known and unknown parts. For instance, educators are directed to “display the High-Frequency Word Cards. Point to and say each word, having students repeat after you. Guide students to orally segment the word. Discuss known and unknown word parts.” The lesson provides explicit analysis of find: “Which sounds do you hear in find? (/f/ /ĭ/ /n/ /d/)”; “Notice that the letters n and d form a final consonant blend”; and “Which other words have we learned that end with -nd? (e.g., send, band, hand, sand).” For encoding, the educator is instructed to “spell the word as you point to each letter. Then have students chorally spell it with you.”

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list, in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 1, lesson 2, the Benchmark Advance Teacher’s Guide teaches words such as the, see, go, and she. Educators use an instructional routine that has students “repeat after you,” “orally segment the word,” “spell the word as you point to each letter,” “chorally read the word,” and “write the word as they spell it aloud.” These steps support decoding by helping students connect sounds to letters and recognize known and unknown word parts, while also supporting encoding as students spell and write each word. The grade 1 materials provide additional decoding and encoding support through “High-Frequency Word” videos. For example, the unit 1 video explains that “the word the can sound two ways,” and explicitly teaches the two sounds. Educators then move to encoding by saying, “Let’s spell the word the.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list, aligned with grade-level skills as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. Students practice both in isolation and in decodable connected text to develop automaticity. In unit 20, lesson 4, “Multimodal Mini-Lessons: Review High-Frequency Words,” students review the words all, people, where, and, and draw, which were introduced in unit 20, lesson 2. The educator displays High-Frequency Word Cards one at a time, says each word, and students repeat. Next, students chorally spell the high-frequency words along with the educator, then chorally read each word along with the educator. Finally, students make their own flashcards by writing each high-frequency word on one side of an index card and a class-created sentence on the other side. In the “Apply to Reading and Writing” section, students read the decodable text, “Game Time,” in which they practice reading the words all, people, where, and draw, along with previously taught high-frequency words. The section “Additional Supports: High-Frequency Word Sentences in Writer’s Notebook” states, “Students write one sentence for each high-frequency word in a section of a writer’s notebook.” Educators are prompted to “then have students read their sentences from the beginning of the year to a partner. This will increase the amount of times they see the word in context.”

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list, aligned with grade-level skills as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. Students practice both in isolation and in decodable connected text to develop automaticity. In unit 8, lesson 4, “Multimodal Mini-Lessons: Review High-Frequency Words,” students practice decoding and encoding the high-frequency words was, there, then, and out with the use of the Say, Spell, Read, Write routine. Students practice decoding in isolation as they repeat each letter and chorally read the words along with the educator. Students practice encoding in isolation as they write each word on one side of a notecard. On the other side, they co-create a sentence using the word for students to write. Students then practice decoding words with the use of flashcards, reading them both in isolation and in context. In lesson 5, the “Review Letters and Word Cards” section, students practice decoding high-frequency words as the educator displays High-Frequency Word Cards 1–14 one at a time. Students chorally say each sound and word, then practice encoding as they trace and spell each word. Students continue to practice their decoding skills by reading the decodable text “The Frog.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes only those regular and irregular high-frequency words that have already been explicitly taught. In unit 14, lesson 2, new high-frequency words are introduced. Specifically, educators use the Say, Spell, Read, Write routine to introduce the high-frequency words find, how, over, and under. Then, in lessons 4 and 6, the words from lesson 2 are reviewed. In the lesson 2 Say, Spell, Read, Write routine, students review the high-frequency words find, how, over, and under. Finally, during lesson 10 of the cumulative review, students read aloud the new high-frequency words, in addition to words from units 9–13.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention Level 2 includes only those regular and irregular high-frequency words that have already been explicitly taught. For instance, in unit 10, lessons 1–10 begin with the section “Warm-up Review and Repetition: Reread to Build Fluency.” In this section, students review prior skills and high-frequency words as they reread the decodable text introduced in the previous lesson. Lesson 2 introduces the new high-frequency words in the section “Introduction to High-Frequency Words: Say, Spell, Write.” In the “Additional Supports: Multimodal Routine: Read, Build, Write” section, students use the High-Frequency Word Cards and Letter Cards to practice reading and writing the newly introduced cards along with those already learned. In the Review and Letter Cards for lessons 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10, students practice through choral reading, repetition, writing, and tracing. Lessons 4 and 6 use the Say, Spell, Read, Write strategy in the “Review High-Frequency Words” section. Additional support is provided by having students write the words and sentences using each word in their Writer’s Notebook. In lesson 8, “Additional Supports: Trace, Read, Build, Write,” students practice high-frequency words with the use of High-Frequency Word Cards and Letter Cards. Unit 10, lesson 10 ends with a cumulative assessment to measure students’ accuracy and automaticity as they read the new and past words.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence for the introduction of syllable types and syllable division principles, in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The Scope and Sequence document for the grade identifies when each syllable type is taught throughout the program. Students begin the year learning short vowel sounds in CVC words, move into vowel teams and VCe words in the middle of the year, and end the year by learning to segment multisyllabic words. This progression shows a systematic sequence from basic syllable patterns to more complex syllable patterns.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence for the introduction of syllable types and principles of syllable division, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. Benchmark Advance Teacher Resources include a PDF titled “Multisyllabic Word Division for Reading and Writing Big Words,” which provides a guide for educators to better understand syllable types, division patterns, and generalizations. Example lesson scripts are provided for dividing words when reading and writing. Other resources included are the charts Sample Multisyllabic Words by Syllable Type, Common Syllable Types, and Tips for Dividing Syllables that may be displayed or placed in student notebooks.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The unit 18 “Multisyllabic Word Division Resources” include explicit instruction in decoding and encoding multisyllabic words through direct teaching of syllables, syllable types, syllable division patterns, prefixes, suffixes, and base words. The materials provide a structured “Reading Big Words” strategy, model lessons for dividing multisyllabic words for both reading and writing, and weekly spelling and dictation opportunities that support students in applying these skills when encoding words. These components align with grade 1 TEKS expectations for the development of foundational decoding and encoding skills as students transition from one-syllable to multisyllabic words.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 6, lesson 2, students practice segmenting and blending words using onset-rime, as the educator says the sounds and models blending by holding up “one fist for each part,” then touching the fists together. In unit 6, lesson 3, students build words with Letter Cards after the educator models how to build words with l-blends. Students move through increasingly complex word sequences, such as clip, flip, and slip, which connects decoding practice from the onset-rime activity to encoding words with beginning blends. In unit 18, lesson 3 includes explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable words through educator modeling, sound–spelling instruction, blending routines, word-building, and spelling activities that focus on long a spellings (a, ai, ay). Students decode words in isolation and connected text, encode words through letter manipulation and spelling tasks, and apply phonics knowledge in cumulative sentences.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words, aligned with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. Students practice both in isolation and in decodable connected text to develop automaticity. For example, in unit 17, lesson 6, section “Build Phonemic Awareness: Oral Segmentation (Syllable and Initial Sound),” students practice decoding both one-syllable and multisyllabic words such as use, mute, perfume, and concrete. Students continue to practice one-syllable words in the sections “Multimodal Mini-Lessons” and “Apply to Reading and Writing.” In addition, in the “Review High-Frequency Words” and “Apply to Reading and Writing: Cumulative Sentences” sections, students practice encoding one-syllable words such as small, long, off, and house.

In unit 4, lesson 9, the “Build Phonemic Awareness: Oral Segmentation (Syllable and Onset-Rime)” section, students practice decoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words such as sip and snowman. Students are tasked with both encoding and decoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words as they read and answer questions about the decodable text “Sam.” In unit 17, lesson 6 includes cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words aligned with grade-level TEKS. Students practice reading and spelling words with previously taught long e (e_e) and long u (u_e) patterns in isolation through blending lines, word lists, Letter Card activities, and spelling tasks. Students segment and analyze multisyllabic words such as athlete, concrete, perfume, contribute, and distribute.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes only those syllable types and syllable division principles that have already been explicitly taught. In unit 13, lesson 3, the “Focus on VCe Syllables” section explicitly introduces the vowel–consonant–e (VCe) syllable type. Educators guide students to practice words such as cape, cute, and kite. During instruction, educators explain, “A syllable is a word or word part with one vowel sound. A vowel–consonant–e syllable ends in a silent final e. The vowel and the e work together as a team to say the vowel’s name.” Students then practice reading and spelling words that contain the newly taught VCe syllable pattern.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes continued practice with the use of only previously taught syllable types. In unit 16, lesson 6, students revisit syllable division as they clap and count syllables in words such as line, porcupine, inside, and time. Because these activities reinforce syllable types and syllable division principles introduced in earlier lessons, students practice only previously taught patterns rather than applying unfamiliar syllable types.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence for the introduction of morphemes, aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. Program materials include a resource titled “Phonics Intervention Correlated to Grade 1 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills” that breaks down each TEKS strand by student expectation. Each strand also lists where it is taught in both the Teacher’s Guide and the Student Book. For example, the TEK 1.2Biv, using knowledge of base words to decode common compound words and contractions, is first taught in unit 1, lesson 6, and last taught in unit 21, lesson 6. The skill is also taught in units 5, 13, 16, and 18–19 during lesson 6 and unit 4, lesson 8.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes a systematic sequence for the introduction of morphemes, aligned with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The materials provide instruction on morphemes through lessons at the end of grade 1 that build toward understanding word parts and meanings. At the end of grade 1, students learn suffixes such as -ing,- ment, and -ness, which align with the TEKS.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction on morphological skills, in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 22, lesson 7 includes explicit instruction on morphological skills through direct teaching of the inflectional ending -ing. The lesson explains that -ing is an inflectional ending added to verbs to indicate that an action is happening now. The lesson models how to break a word into a base word and a suffix (look + -ing), and explicitly discusses how the suffix changes the word’s meaning. Students then apply the skill by adding -ing to base words such as go and glow, and use the resulting words in sentences. This provides direct instruction and application of morphology aligned with grade-level TEKS.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes explicit instruction on morphological skills, in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. In unit 18, lesson 3, the lesson section “Focus on: Inflectional Endings -ed” provides guidance to ensure explicit, guided instruction. For example, “Base words, beg and look, are verbs, or action words in the present tense. If we want to change the verbs to the past tense, we have to add the inflectional ending -ed. By adding the ending -ed, we change the tense of the verb from present tense to past tense. Use the word beg. When we add -ed, it changes to begged.” In unit 23, lesson 6, the suffix -s and -es are taught. The materials specifically tell educators to say, “Look at the word chores. The word chores is a plural noun. We add -s to the end of chore to make it plural. Chores means more than one chore. Most plural nouns are formed by adding -s.” The educator also says, “Most plural nouns are formed by adding -s. However, -es is added to nouns that end in ch, tch, sh, x, s, or z. Look at the word boxes. The word boxes is a plural noun. The word box ends with x. To make the word plural, we add -es.”

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes cumulative student practice of morphological skills, in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. Students practice both in isolation and in connected text to develop automaticity. In unit 26, lesson 6, section “Multimodal Mini-Lessons: Review: Blend Words,” “Word List,” students review adding the morpheme -s to words such as coins, boys, and stores. Students practice this skill again in connected text in the section “Apply to Reading and Writing: Cumulative Sentences.”

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes cumulative student practice of morphological skills, in alignment with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. Students practice both in isolation and in connected text to develop automaticity. In unit 22, lesson 7, students practice with morphological skills in both isolation and connected text. In the “Focus On: Inflectional Ending -ed” section, students analyze the word looking by identifying the base word look and the suffix -ing. Students then apply the suffix to additional words (go/going, glow/glowing). To practice in connected text, students also read and discuss the sentence “She is looking at the stars,” and generate oral sentences with the use of inflected forms.

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

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes only those morphemes that have already been explicitly taught. In unit 16, lesson 8, students practice with only those morphemes that have already been explicitly taught. After direct instruction on contractions and how they are formed (e.g., I’m = I + am), students practice only contractions (it’s, I’ll, you’d, we’ll) in isolation and in sentence-level application. No untaught morphological elements are included in the practice activities.

Benchmark Advance Phonics Intervention includes only those morphemes that have already been explicitly taught. Unit 22, lesson 7 provides direct instruction on the inflectional suffix -ing, including its meaning and function, and models how to analyze the word looking into the base word look and the suffix -ing. Subsequent student practice is limited to words that contain the taught suffix (looking, going, glowing), in both isolation and connected text, which ensures that students practice only the morpheme that has been explicitly introduced and modeled.