Flying Start to Literacy: Phonics

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

The Teacher Resource Book includes a scope and sequence outlining the concepts taught in Flying Start to Literacy: Phonics Stage Three. Each unit outlines the skills and content it addresses, including the phonics focus, high-utility words, and decodable text. For example, the sequence in module 7 progresses systematically from the /f/ sound made with ph as in phone, to the /w/ sound made with wh as in whale, and the /e/ sound made with ea as in bread. However, the materials do not include the TEKS and ELPS taught in the course.

The Teacher Resource Book includes a scope and sequence outlining the concepts taught in Flying Start to Literacy: Phonics Stage Three. Each unit outlines the skills and content it addresses, including the phonics focus, high-utility words, and decodable text. For example, the sequence in module 6 progresses systematically from the /ow/ sound made with ow as in cow and ou as in cloud, to the r-controlled /ar/ vowel sound made with ar as in car. The module continues with the /oy/ diphthong made with oy as in boy and oi as in coin. The materials do not include the TEKS or ELPS that align with the content taught throughout the course.

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

The materials include a suggested daily pacing guide and weekly calendar that guides implementation. For example, in the Stage Three Teacher Resource Book, the “Planning Your Instruction” section outlines four 30-minute instructional blocks dedicated to specific skill areas such as oral language and phonics. However, the materials do not include at least two instructional calendars to accommodate different instructional schedules.

The materials include suggested pacing to support effective implementation and guidance for structuring a weekly literacy block. For example, in the Stage Three Teacher Resource Book, the “Planning Your Literacy Instruction” section includes a table that outlines how to divide each part of a unit into 30-minute instructional blocks. However, the materials do not include at least two instructional calendars to accommodate different instructional schedules.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book explains the rationale for the unit order and how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course. For example, the materials explain the systematic progression of instruction, from common consonant and vowel sounds to less common letter–sound correspondences.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book explains the rationale for the unit order and how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course. For example, each unit provides explicit instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, morphology, and high-utility words. The materials also include 20 decodable texts that align with and reinforce the letter–sound correspondences and high-utility words throughout the program.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization. The “Activities in Each Unit” section provides a concise description of each activity's instructional intent, giving educators a preview of key skills, objectives, and routines before engaging with individual lessons. For example, the “Oral Language Development” section directs educators to extend oral language awareness through rhythm, rhyme, syllable clapping, and varied oral reading expression, including attention to loud and soft, and fast and slow delivery. The section instructs educators to repeat the chant many times, focusing on rhyme, syllables, and beginning sounds. Also, the “Phonological Awareness” section explains that activities develop auditory attention to the sounds of the letters the unit introduced. Students learn to identify beginning, middle, and final sounds, change sounds to create new words, and identify syllables.

The materials include protocols and guidance to support the internalization of units and lessons. For example, in the Stage Three Teacher Resource Book, unit previews provide visuals of required instructional materials and callout boxes with additional instructional details to support lesson preparation. The Stage Three “Assessment” section helps educators understand the relationship between lesson concepts, such as r-controlled vowel sounds, digraphs, trigraphs, and formative and summative assessments. The materials also include guidance on administering assessment tools and visual examples of assessment instruments to support educator internalization and implementation.

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

The materials do not include resources or guidance specifically designed for instructional leaders. The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book provides some implementation directions for educators, such as in “Assessment Record 3,” which instructs the educator to have students listen to the phonological activity and record their responses. The materials do not provide corresponding tools or guidance to support instructional leaders in coaching or supporting educator implementation.

The materials do not include resources for instructional leaders to support educators with implementing the materials as designed. For example, in the Stage Three Teacher Resource Book, the “Teacher Resources” section includes materials for educators, such as unit-specific rhymes across all modules. The materials do not include implementation supports, guidance, or resources specifically designed for instructional leaders.

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.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes comprehensive unit overviews that provide educators with the background content knowledge necessary to teach the concepts in each unit. The “Program Content Section Overview” provides educators with background knowledge for the unit concepts, while the “Scope and Sequence” section outlines the progression of instruction across the program. The materials do not include the academic vocabulary necessary to teach the concepts in each unit.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes comprehensive unit overviews that provide educators with the background content knowledge needed to teach the concepts in each unit. The “Program Content Section Overview” explains the instructional focus and provides the educator with foundational background knowledge about the concepts the unit addresses. The “Scope and Sequence” section illustrates how instruction is organized and progresses across the program. However, the unit overviews do not provide the academic vocabulary educators need to teach the concepts in each unit effectively.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes supports for families in English for each unit, with suggestions for supporting their students’ progress. For example, the “Reading Decodable Text” section states that students can take the decodable books home for further practice.

Also, the materials suggest that students take the practice sentences home to read to their families. The materials do not include supports for families in Spanish for each unit.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes comprehensive, structured, and detailed lesson plans with daily objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the lesson’s content and language standards. In module 6, unit 4, the “Phonological Awareness, Hear It” section includes oral language development and phonological awareness. The educator asks students to say a word, such as adore, ignore, and before, and segment it into syllables. During the lesson, educators assess students by “reviewing multisyllabic words and demonstrating their understanding by removing a syllable, and saying what is left.” Module 6, unit 1 includes questions to promote use of language throughout the lesson plan under “Oral Language Development.” The materials also state, “Sing the rhyme and have everyone join in. Emphasize the words with the letters ow and ou making the /ow/ vowel diphthong.” The lesson plan includes questions to check for understanding. For example, in module 6, unit 1, the “Remove a Syllable” section states, “Say a multisyllabic word. Ask students to repeat the word, remove the last syllable, and say the new word.” Each lesson ends with an activity to assess mastery of the lesson objective in the “Hear and Write” section. For example, one activity states, “Say: I am going to read a sentence to you. Listen to the words in the sentence as I read them. Think about the sounds you hear in each word and the letters that make these sounds. Read the decodable sentence: ‘Dolphins and elephants are animals.’ Repeat each word slowly and then have students write the sentence. Check for accuracy.” The materials include a list of necessary materials needed throughout the lesson plan.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes comprehensive, structured, and detailed lesson plans that include tasks to promote mastery of the lesson materials, necessary materials, and instructional assessments. For example, module 7, unit 1 includes tasks to assess student mastery of the lesson objective, which is to identify and connect the consonant digraph ph with the /f/ sound. The “Write Words” section states, “Write a sentence on the whiteboard that has words with the consonant digraph ph making the /f/ sound. Have students circle the words that have the consonant digraph ph making the /f/ sound. Have students write their own sentence with at least two words with the consonant digraph ph making the /f/ sound.” The materials do not include information showing alignment to the TEKS or the ELPS.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book does not include a lesson overview that identifies the educator and student materials needed to effectively deliver the lesson. Instead, the lesson materials are embedded in each unit. For example, the materials in module 7, unit 1, include word-picture cards in the “Phonics Write It” section and the decodable text “Little Cub is Hungry” in the “Consolidated Learning” section. The materials provide suggested timing for each activity. The “Planning Your Literacy Instruction” section provides a suggested time for each content block. For example, the suggested time for “Block 1 Language” is 30 minutes, including whole group, oral language, vocabulary, and alphabet components.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes guidance and recommendations for the suggested timing of lesson components. The “Planning Your Literacy Instruction” section includes guidance for the suggested timing of each unit and its components. For example, “Each teaching unit in Stage Three of Flying Start to Literacy: Phonics should take about 120 minutes to complete. Each unit can be taught across four blocks, each taking approximately 30 minutes. If needed, include an additional 30-minute block to review any content students missed, provide extra instruction, or complete additional consolidation activities.” The materials also include the educator and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson, but embeds the materials within the sequence of instruction, rather than listing them in the lesson overview. For example, in module 7, unit 1, the “Words with ph” section includes a materials list.

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

The Stage Three materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice in the “Consolidate Learning” section of each lesson. The “Activities in Each Teaching Unit” section states that in the “Consolidate Learning” section of the lesson sequence, educators should “use the activities provided to consolidate learning in pairs, small groups, or individually. Practicing new knowledge and skills will help students develop accuracy and automaticity when reading and writing.” For example, in the module 7, unit 9 lesson guide, “Consolidate Learning” section, the “Read It” subheading provides two options for students to further practice their learning. The section states, “To practice reading words with the split digraph o–e making the /u/ sound, have students read the module 7, unit 9 practice sentences and the decodable text, ‘Hiking With Max.’”

The Teacher Resource Book includes guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice in the “Further Consolidation” section. The section states, “activities can be used as extension activities and for cooperative learning,” and lists five activities with specific guidance for each. For example, the detailed instructions for the “Say It, Write It, Read It” activity state, “Have students take turns saying a sentence that has one or more words that include the letter–sound correspondence the lesson is focused on. Students then write their sentences and share them with the group.”

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.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes a variety of instructional assessments, including diagnostic assessments that vary in types of tasks and questions. For example, assessment tasks include “r-controlled vowel sound, consonant digraphs, and trigraphs.” In addition, in module 7, unit 3, the “Phonological Awareness, Hear It” section includes questions such as, “Ask students to repeat the rime, add a sound to the beginning to create a word, and then say the word.” The materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit level, including summative assessments that vary in the types of tasks and questions. Each review assesses students’ knowledge of the module’s content. For example, at the end of module 7, the educator uses the “Review Record” to conduct an individual review of the module, including reading, morphology, and dictation. During the dictation activity, the educator says a word and asks the students to write it. In addition, the materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the lesson level, including formative assessments that vary in the types of tasks and questions. For example, in the module 7, unit 9, “Consolidate Learning” section, the educator reads the decodable sentence, “I have some gloves,” and checks for accuracy as students write the sentence.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes a variety of unit-level instructional assessments, including summative assessments that vary in the types of tasks and questions. For example, the module 6 review assesses each phonics focus and high-utility word from the module by having students “hear it, read it, write it, and see it/say it.” Each lesson concludes with an activity that assesses students’ knowledge of both encoding and decoding the lesson’s phonics focus. For example, in module 6, unit 9, the “Consolidate Learning” section assesses students’ ability to encode through the “Hear and Write” activity and to decode through the “Read It” activity.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes definitions and intended purposes for the types of instructional assessments included. For example, the materials state that the program builds assessments into it, organizes students for learning, and monitors student progress. In addition, the materials include Stage Three writing assessments that provide examples of the assessment types used to monitor student learning and progress.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book states the intended purpose of each assessment tool. The “Assessment Overview” section explains that data from both formal and informal assessments can inform further instruction for individuals or groups of students. The module review states that reviews identify students who are ready to progress and alert educators to content that needs further teaching, practice, and consolidation. The Stage Three assessment explains that the assessment establishes what students know and identifies gaps in phonological awareness, letter–sound correspondences, high-utility words, and reading and writing words.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes educator guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments. The Stage Three assessment provides specific details about the necessary materials and how to arrange the educator and student for the assessment. For example, the materials state, “This assessment is designed to be conducted individually, with the educator and one student at a time sitting side by side. It has five assessment tasks, each assessing distinct skills and knowledge. You will need the assessment task sheets (two) and the assessment records (five) to conduct the assessment.”

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book provides specific guidance for each of the five assessment tasks. For example, task 2 directs educators to show students the “Reading Words” task sheet and to use “Assessment Record 2,” while task 4 instructs educators to provide a blank piece of paper and a pencil, with no task sheet required. In addition, each assessment record supports accuracy by pre-printing the expected correct answer for each item, such as yes, au-to-mo-bile, read, bridge, and boil alongside a dedicated check column and a total score field out of five.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book assessments are aligned with the TEKS and the objectives of the lesson or unit. For example, in module 7, unit 3, the “Phonological Awareness, Hear It” section asks students to repeat the rhyme, add a sound to the beginning to create a word, and then say the word. This sequence aligns the diagnostic assessment to the lesson objective. Also in module 7, in the unit 9, “Consolidate Learning” section, students write the decodable sentence, “I have some gloves,” aligning the formative assessment with the lesson objective. In addition, at the end of module 7, the “Review Record” aligns the summative assessment with the module’s objectives. The tool assesses students’ knowledge of the skills taught in the module, including reading, morphology, and dictation.


The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book assessments are aligned with the TEKS and the objectives of the lesson or unit. For example, in module 6, unit 2, the “Phonological Awareness, Hear It” section asks students to say a compound word and segment it into separate words, such as goodbye. Also in module 6, the unit 2, “Consolidate Learning” section asks students to write the decodable sentence, “It is a good cookbook,” aligning the formative assessment with the lesson objective. In addition, at the end of module 7, the “Review Record” aligns the summative assessment with the module’s objectives. The tool assesses students’ knowledge of the skills taught in the module, including dictation.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity. For example, the Stage Three assessment requires students to demonstrate phonological awareness, read words, read high-utility words, write words, and apply morphology skills.

The assessments include tasks across phonological awareness, reading words, high-utility words, writing, and morphology. For example, Stage Three: Assessment record 1 assesses phonological awareness through oral tasks such as rhyming, syllable segmentation, sound removal, sound addition, and sound substitution. The Module 6 Review assesses reading through word-level tasks organized by vowel digraphs, r-controlled vowels, and diphthongs. While these tasks vary in skill focus, the materials do not identify alignment to the TEKS, and assessment items do not demonstrate varying levels of complexity.

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

The materials include instructional assessments and scoring information to guide the interpretation of student performance. For example, the Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes scoring guidance to ensure accurate assessment of student responses. “Assessment Record 2” instructs the educator to record whether the student reads each word correctly, document any attempts if the student does not read each word correctly, and provide an analysis of the student’s response.

The materials include tools for educators to track student progress and growth. For example, in the Stage Three Teacher Resource Book, “Assessment Record 1: Phonological Awareness” requires the educator to record student responses to phonological awareness tasks such as manipulating sounds in spoken words, for example removing the /b/ sound from bread.

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

In the Stage Three Teacher Resource Book, the “Assessment Overview” section explains that assessment data can inform further instruction for individuals or groups of students. The materials do not include guidance on using tasks and activities to respond to trends in student assessment performance.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book states that students may have additional time to practice applying their knowledge and skills through small groups or one-on-one instruction with the educator. The materials do not include guidance on using tasks and activities to respond to trends in student assessment performance.

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

The materials include tools to help educators track student progress and growth. For example, in the Stage Three: Assessment record 1 Phonological awareness instructs the educator to record student responses to phonological awareness tasks such as manipulating sounds in spoken words, for example removing the /b/ sound from bread.

The materials do not include student-facing recording documents or self-monitoring tools to help students track their own progress and growth.

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

The materials include guidance for differentiated instruction for students who have not yet reached proficiency on grade-level content and skills. The materials include an “Assessment Overview” section that states, “students can be given extra time to practice applying their knowledge and skills. This intervention can be done in small groups or one-on-one with the teacher.”

In Stage Three, “Students who demonstrate that they need further assistance can be assessed individually, and a Review record of each student’s results completed. These students can then be taught individually or in small groups, at their point of need.” The materials include examples of reteaching and intervention structures that educators can also use for additional student support in small groups or one-on-one instruction.

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)

The materials include pre-teaching and embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text. For example, the “Overview of the Program Content” section states that high-utility words need to be taught explicitly and recommends using sound–letter charts to support instruction. The materials include the high-utility word want. The materials direct educators to draw a sound–letter chart and have students tap the four sounds in the word, /w/ /o/ /n/ /t/. Students then place a dot in a box to represent each sound and write the letters that represent each sound. The materials state that students have opportunities to practice newly learned high-utility words and to read practice sentences containing those words.

The materials include pre-teaching and embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text. The materials embed a vocabulary segment in the “Oral Language Development” section of every unit that directs educators to explain the meaning of unfamiliar words from the rhyme using student-friendly language and concrete examples. The materials include supports that address unfamiliar references embedded in the rhyme texts, as well as single-word definitions. For example, module 7, unit 9 directs educators to explain that soars means “to sail or hover high in the air.” The materials embed supports for vocabulary and references in text across all units in Stage Three.

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

The materials do not include educator guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, or extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills. The materials include consolidation activities for students not engaged in catch-up work. For example, in the “Assessment Overview” section, the “Module Review” subsection states, “Students not involved in catch-up work can continue with the range of consolidation activities provided.”

The materials do not include educator guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, or extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills. The “Planning Considerations” section directs educators to “move on to the next unit when most students are able to apply new content accurately.” The materials provide the same assignments for all students and do not include adjustments based on varying student needs or proficiency levels.

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

The Stage Three materials include guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the concepts to be learned. For example, in module 6, unit 7, the “Write Words” section provides the guidance, “Write a sentence on the whiteboard that has words with the letters ear and eer making the r-controlled /ear/ vowel sound. For example, ‘The engineer was fearless as she steered clear of the building.’ Have students circle the words that have the letters ear and eer making the r-controlled /ear/ vowel sound. Have students write these words and two or more others.”

The materials include direct prompts and guidance to support modeling and explaining the concepts to be learned. The materials include scripted, direct instruction language in each section of every unit in the Stage Three Teacher Resource Book. For example, guidance in module 5, unit 1 directs educators to point to the letters ai in the word snail on the word-picture card and explain that the two vowels ai make the long /ā/ vowel sound. Educators repeat the sequence with the letters ay in the word play, generate lists of words with the target letter–sound correspondences, and model writing a sentence using words with ai and ay. The materials include goals that frame what each section models and explains. In addition, the materials include morphology guidance directing educators to model how suffixes change the meaning of a base word.

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

The Stage Three materials include educator guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation, using a variety of instructional approaches, including scaffolded instruction. For example, in the Teacher Resource Book, module 6, unit 7, the “High-Utility Words” section includes guidance just below the sound–letter chart. The guidance states, “Support students as they learn the word: say the letter names in the word; arm tap the word; and air write the word. Have students practice writing the words several times. Check for accuracy.”

The materials include guidance and recommendations for educators on effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches. In the Stage Three Teacher Resource Book the activities in each section describe the variety of instructional approaches each unit uses. For example, guidance in module 6, unit 4 directs educators to use whole-group instruction during oral language development and phonological awareness; explicit whole-group teaching during phonics instruction; and small-group, partner, or individual practice during consolidation. The “Consolidate Learning” section directs educators to use activities in pairs, small groups, or individually.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book supports multiple types of practice and includes guidance for educators and recommended structures to support effective implementation. For example, module 6, unit 9, guides the educator to identify and connect the long /oo/ vowel sound to the letters ew, ue, and oo. The educator says, “The letters ew in the word stew make the long /oo/ vowel sound.” The educator points to the letters ue and oo in the words blue and moon on the word-picture cards. The educator says that the letters ue and oo in these words also make the long /oo/ vowel sound. During the “Writing Words” section the educator writes a sentence on the board that uses one or more words with the sounds /ew/, /eu/, and /oo/, such as “The new blue statue looked smooth.” The students circle words with the ew, ue, or oo long /oo/ vowel sound and write these words along with two or more other words.

The Stage Three materials support multiple types of practice. For example, module 7, unit 1 includes guided and independent practice in the “Oral Language Development” section. The materials direct educators to, “Sing the rhyme and have everyone join in. Emphasize words with the consonant digraph ph making the /f/ sound. Clap the syllables as you sing.” Additionally, students participate in independent practice in the “Consolidate Learning” section's “Hear and Write” activity. The activity directs educators to, “Say: I am going to read a sentence to you. Listen to the words in the sentence as I read them. Think about the sounds you hear in each word and the letters that make these sounds. Read the decodable sentence: ‘Dolphins and elephants are animals.’ Repeat each word slowly and then have students write the sentence. Check for accuracy.”

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book does not include guidance for educators on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency (as defined by the ELPS), which are designed to engage students in using increasingly academic language.

Materials include activities in “Say it” to help increase oral language awareness, rhythm, rhyme, and vocabulary for all students. The “Practice Sentences” activities contain words with letter–sound correspondence and high-utility words the students have learned. However, these do not include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency, as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards.

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

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book does not include implementation guidance to support educators in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes Word-Picture cards that support word correspondence to an image. Rhymes are also provided; however, no implementation guidance exists to support educators in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.

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.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book does not include embedded guidance for educators to support EB students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book provides “Oral Language Development Vocabulary” activities where teachers receive guidance to support students in the meaning of unfamiliar words. Each module also includes decodable books to work on fluency and comprehension. However, materials do not include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students.

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

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

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

The materials include a systematic phonics progression in the “Scope and Sequence” that moves students from explicit instruction in targeted phonics patterns to increasingly complex application in connected text. The materials introduce each phonics pattern through direct instruction and then provide structured opportunities for students to apply the skill in both word reading and connected text. For example, module 6 introduces the /ow/ phonics focus and then provides opportunities for students to apply this knowledge while decoding words and reading the informational decodable text, “How to Look After Frogs.” The materials include explicit instruction in the /ow/ phonics pattern before students practice it in isolated words and connected sentences, ensuring students master the skill before applying it in reading.

The Stage Three materials include systematic and sequenced instruction in sound–symbol correspondence skills. The materials build instruction on previously taught concepts by introducing increasingly complex vowel patterns, r-controlled vowels, diphthongs, and advanced grapheme representations. For example, module 6 systematically teaches vowel teams and r-controlled vowel patterns, and supports instruction through high-utility words and decodable texts that reinforce these skills. For example, module 7 extends learning by introducing multiple spellings for familiar sounds, increasing the complexity of sound–symbol correspondence instruction. The materials teach each phonics pattern in a deliberate and sequenced order and practice through informational and fiction decodable books that align directly with the targeted sound–symbol correspondences. The materials also include high-utility words throughout instruction and review units provide cumulative opportunities for students to revisit and apply previously taught skills.

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

The materials include explicit and ongoing phonics practice, both in isolation and through decodable texts. For example, module 7, unit 5, teaches the /ch/ sound spelled tch in isolation through the “Phonics Write It” section. In this activity, students connect the letters tch to the /ch/ sound, generate and write words ending in tch after a short vowel, and apply suffixes such as -ing, -es, -ed, -y, and -ier to a base word. The “Consolidate Learning, Read It” section directs students to module 7, unit 5 practice sentences and the decodable text “Plants That Harm Animals.” In addition, the materials include ongoing review practice in isolation that provides structured review of prior learning before beginning new instruction. For example, students begin a unit by writing words on the whiteboard for each previously taught correspondence, including /f/ spelled ph; /w/ spelled wh; /j/ spelled ge, gi, gy, and dge; and /s/ spelled ce, ci, and cy. The Stage Three “Scope and Sequence” confirms this ongoing instructional design across modules, including dedicated review units at the end of modules 6 and 7 that consolidate all phonics focuses from each module. For example, the module 6 review text, “A Very Smart Bird,” and the module 7 review text, “Prince Ephram Is Lost!” each incorporate all correspondences from their respective modules.

The materials include explicit and ongoing phonics practice, both in isolation and through decodable texts. The materials include dedicated phonics sections that connect letter combinations to their sounds and extend practice into connected text. For example, in module 6, unit 3, the “Phonics Write It” section explicitly teaches the r-controlled /ar/ vowel sound in isolation. The materials direct students to connect the letters ar to the sound, generate and write words containing ar, and create compound words using a base word. The materials include a “Consolidate Learning, Read It” section that extends this practice into connected decodable reading. For example, in the same unit, the “Read It” section directs students to module 6 practice sentences and the decodable text “At Our Farm.” In addition, the materials include structured review activities that provide intentional ongoing practice with previously taught correspondences before beginning new instruction. For example, the module 6, unit 3 review opens by directing students to write words on the whiteboard for the /ow/ diphthong, spelled ow and ou, and the short /oo/ sound, spelled oo, from previous units. The materials also include a sequence of module 7 decodable books, each targeting one correspondence in teaching order. The final book, “Prince Ephram Is Lost!” draws on all module 7 correspondences. The Stage Three “Scope and Sequence” includes review units at the end of both module 6 and 7 that consolidate all phonics focuses from each module through decodable texts.

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

The Stage Three materials include explicit phonics instruction with educator modeling. For example, module 6, unit 2 introduces two new high-utility words. The educator states, “We are going to learn two new words.” The educator writes the words and says, “I can hear the sounds /w/ /er/.” The educator then draws a sound–letter chart. “I will put a dot in a box for each sound that I hear. Then I will write the letter or letters that represent each sound.”

The Stage Three materials’ daily lessons include explicit phonics instruction with educator modeling. For example, in the module 7, unit 1, “Phonics” section, the “Words with or” subsection guides the educator to, “Point to the letters or in the word worm on the word-picture card. Circle the letters or. Say: Together, the letters or make the /er/ sound when they come after the letter w.” Next, the materials instruct the educator to write a list of words that have the letters or making the /er/ sound.

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

The Stage Three daily lessons include opportunities for explicit guided instruction and immediate feedback, but do not include corrective feedback. Module 6, Unit 2 provides explicit guided instruction. The educator writes a sentence that uses words with oo to make the short /oo/ vowel sound. The educator directs students to circle words with that sound. Students write those words and additional words that have the same vowel sound. The “Check for Accuracy” section indicates the educator monitors student responses and provides feedback during the lesson. The materials do not include guidance for what educators should do when students make errors.

The materials include daily lessons that provide opportunities for explicit, guided phonics instruction throughout Stage Three. For example, in module 6, unit 9, the “Further Consolidation” section directs the educator to say, “I am going to read a sentence. Listen to the words in the sentence and think about the sounds you hear in each word and the letters that make the sounds.” The educator then reads the sentence, “It is true that I grew and grew.” The materials continue by directing students to read the sentence while the educator checks for accuracy. However, the materials do not include guidance for providing corrective feedback during this activity.

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

The materials include opportunities for students to practice phonics skills through collaborative learning and independent practice throughout Stage Three. Module 6 provides practice sentences, which are cut-apart decodable sentence strips containing words with previously taught letter–sound correspondences and high-utility words. The guidance for this activity directs students to read the sentences to a partner or small group and instructs educators to write the sentences on the board for the whole class to practice reading together. The materials also include multiple independent practice opportunities, including directing students to cut the sentences into individual strips and practice reading them on their own, and instructing educators to send the sentence strips home for additional independent reading practice.

The materials include a “Further Consolidation” section that provides a variety of collaborative and independent phonics practice activities throughout Stage Three. For example, the “Word Race” activity directs students to work in pairs to write a list of words using the lesson’s target letter–sound correspondence, then share their lists and record the words on a class chart. In addition, the “Sound Hunt” activity directs students to work in small groups to browse books to find pictures that represent words with the lesson’s target letter–sound correspondence and then share their findings with the class. The materials also include multiple independent practice opportunities. For example, the “Word Wall” activity directs individual students to choose a word containing the target letter–sound correspondence, write it on a card, and draw a matching picture. The materials further include the “Say It, Write It, Read It” activity that directs students to independently write a sentence containing one or more words with the target letter–sound correspondence, then share it with the group.

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

The materials include intentional phonics practice. For example, in the “Consolidate Learning” section, the “Read It” activity provides students with opportunities to decode words using previously learned sounds. In addition, module 6, unit 9 states, “To practice reading words with the letters ew, ue, and oo, making the long /ōō/ vowel sound, have students read the Module 6, Unit 9 Practice Sentences and the decodable text “Monsoon.”

The materials include intentional cumulative phonics review. For example, the materials include a “Teaching Notes” section in each decodable book that provides guidance for reviewing previously taught phonics skills and high-utility words before students read the text. The materials also include the decodable “Little Cub Is Hungry,” in which the “Before Reading” section lists the module’s high-utility words and directs educators to, “Write and say the newly introduced high-utility word friend. Review other high-utility words in the book as needed.”

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

The materials include phonics practice opportunities that include only skills that have been explicitly taught. For example, in the module 6, unit 2, “Consolidate Learning” section, the “Hear and Write” activity directs students to listen to and write a decodable sentence that applies the previously taught oo spelling pattern representing the short /oo/ vowel sound. The materials also include prompts that guide students to attend to the sounds in each word and connect those sounds to corresponding letters before writing the sentence. Additionally, the materials include further practice through the practice sentences and the decodable text.

The materials include phonics practice opportunities that include only skills that have been explicitly taught. For example, module 7, unit 1 directs educators to have students practice decoding the consonant digraph ph representing the /f/ sound by reading the decodable, “Teaching Their Young.” Additionally, the materials include opportunities within the decodable for students to practice the focus skill and high-utility words from the current lesson, as well as previously taught phonics skills, including ou representing the /ow/ sound, r-controlled vowels representing the /er/ sound, and the long /ōō/ sound.

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

The materials include decodable texts that incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills. The materials include a Stage Three “Scope and Sequence” that shows each unit’s decodable text targets newly taught phonics correspondences while also incorporating previously taught skills. For example, the module 6, unit 3 informational text, “At Our Farm,” targets the r-controlled vowel /ar/ spelled ar and includes words such as farm, barn, far, part, parts, start, bars, star, and hard, drawing on correspondences taught earlier in the module. The materials also include the module 6 review text, “A Very Smart Bird,” which incorporates phonics patterns from across the module, including words such as smart, bird, herd, soon, food, air, clear, ground, look, storm, far, enjoyed, and now.

The materials include decodable texts that incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills. The materials include decodable texts that provide practice with the phonics skill of the current lesson as well as previously taught skills. For example, the module 7, unit 8 decodable, “The Dance of the Blue Crane,” focuses on the /e/ sound spelled ea and also includes previously taught phonics skills such as the /j/ sound spelled dge, the /s/ sound spelled c before e, and the /w/ sound spelled wh.

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

The materials include an instructional focus with opportunities for phonics practice in isolation and in decodable, connected text. For example, in module 7, unit 3, students learn that dge makes the /j/ sound, as does g before e, i, and y. The materials also include a “Further Consolidation” activity in which students practice the target phonics skill in isolation by selecting word cards and reading words containing the target letter–sound correspondence. Additionally, the materials include a practice sentence, “I went over the bridge in the gym,” which provides opportunities for students to apply the target letter–sound correspondence in connected text.

The materials include lessons with an instructional focus that provides opportunities for phonics practice in isolation and in decodable connected text. In the “Further Consolidation” section “Word Wall” activity, individual students choose a word containing the target correspondence, write it on a card, and draw a matching picture, providing focused practice at the isolated-word level. The materials also include the “Say It, Write It, Read It” activity, which directs students to say a sentence containing one or more words with the target correspondence, then write it.

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

The materials include a variety of developmentally appropriate assessment tools. For example, in the “Phonological Awareness” task students listen to a pair of words to determine if they rhyme; segment words into syllables orally; and remove, add, or change sounds to make new words. The materials also include a “Writing” task that requires students to spell words. Additionally, the materials include a “Morphology” task that gives students a base word and asks them to generate as many words as possible from it.

The materials include a variety of developmentally appropriate assessment tools that measure student progress. For example, in the Stage Three assessment, the “Reading Words” task directs students to read 15 decodable words drawn from the major phonics patterns taught across Stage Three, providing a structured measure of decoding at an advanced level. The task includes multisyllabic words such as yawing, upstairs, fearful, cooking, glues, brown, angel, flew, firstly, core, icy, dolphins, gloves, and worst. The materials also include the Stage Three assessment “High-Utility Words” task, which directs students to read 28 high-utility words taught across Stage Three, providing a second distinct measure of high-utility word knowledge. The words include their, away, could, would, should, many, live, know, gold, food, who, people, again, young, mother, friend, because, across, does, asked, through, school, every, and want.

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

The materials include progress monitoring tools that systematically and accurately measure students’ acquisition of grade-level phonics skills. Each module review assesses skills in a structured sequence, beginning with phonological awareness and progressing to reading, writing, and high-utility word knowledge. For example, the module 6 review assesses phonological awareness by measuring students’ ability to segment words into syllables, remove a syllable, add a sound to create a new word, and isolate and change a sound to form a new word. The materials also include tasks that measure students’ ability to decode and encode words aligned to the module’s phonics focus, as well as a “See It, Say It” section that assesses high-utility word knowledge.

The materials include progress monitoring tools that systematically and accurately measure students’ acquisition of grade-level phonics skills. The materials include a Stage Three assessment summary that organizes five distinct assessment tasks into a single cumulative record, covering phonological awareness, reading words, high-utility words, writing, and morphology. For example, “Assessment Record 5” directs the educator to have students generate as many words as possible from the base word work. The educator records student responses and awards up to five points based on the number of related words students generate, providing a measure of students’ morphological awareness. Possible responses include workbook, working, works, worker, workshop, rework, network, workday, artwork, earthwork, and homework. Additionally, the Stage Three assessment summary consolidates scores from all five assessment tasks into a single student record sheet with a comments column for each task.

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

The materials include assessment opportunities throughout the school year that align with progress-monitoring tools. For example, the materials recommend administering stage assessments at the end of each stage to determine whether students are ready to progress to the next stage of the program. In addition, the “Assessment Overview” section states that educators may use a comprehensive stage assessment either to place a student within the program or to assess the student’s readiness to move to the next stage. Additionally, the materials include guidance on administering the assessments individually, identifying content that requires further instruction and consolidation, and recording detailed student results in the assessment summary.

The materials include assessment opportunities throughout the school year that align with progress-monitoring tools. For example, in the Stage Three assessment, the “Reading Words” task directs students to read 15 decodable words representing the major phonics patterns, including multisyllabic words such as yawning, upstairs, fearful, cooking, glues, brown, angel, flew, firstly, core, icy, dolphins, gloves, and worst. The Stage Three assessment also includes the “High-Utility Words” task, which directs students to read 28 high-utility words taught throughout Stage Three, including their, away, could, would, should, many, live, know, gold, food, who, people, again, young, mother, friend, because, across, does, asked, through, school, every, and want.

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

The materials include data-management tools for tracking individual student progress, supporting instructional decision-making and accelerating instruction. For example, the module 6 “Review Record” tracks individual student performance in segmenting syllables, adding sounds, changing sounds, high-utility words, reading unusual vowel combinations, reading vowel digraphs, reading r-controlled vowels, reading diphthongs, and dictation. The materials also include a check column and scored sections for each skill, allowing educators to record individual student responses and monitor performance by skill area. Additionally, the “Reading” section directs educators to present words organized by phonics category and record whether students read each word correctly, providing a detailed record of students’ mastery of specific letter–sound correspondences. The scored sections include a comprehensive profile of individual student performances. For example, high-utility words is scored out of 16 points; segmenting syllables, adding sounds, and changing sounds are each out of 3 points; vowel digraphs out of 6 points; dictation out of 10 points; and unusual vowel combinations, r-controlled vowels, and diphthongs each out of 4 points.

The materials include data-management tools for tracking individual student progress, supporting instructional decision-making and accelerating instruction. For example, each module includes a “Review Record,” allowing educators to document individual student performance in specific phonological awareness and phonics skills. The module 6 “Review Record” contains nine tables tracking student performance across different skill areas. Additionally, the materials include a dictation table that lists words for students to write, includes a column for recording whether each response is correct, and includes a scoring section where educators record the total number of correctly spelled words.

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

The materials do not include data-management tools to track whole-class student progress and analyze patterns and instructional needs. For example, the materials include a “Review Record” for each module, in which educators document individual students’ performance on specific phonological awareness and phonics skills. These review records are designed for individual student documentation and do not include data-management tools for tracking whole-class student progress.

The materials include an individual student assessment system that supports instructional planning for reteaching, but do not include data-management tools for tracking whole-class student progress. For example, the materials include a Stage Three assessment summary that consolidates scores from five assessment tasks, totaling 68 points, for a single student and includes name, age, and date fields. The materials also include guidance that uses the assessment summary, which provides information to help teachers plan for small-group or individual reteaching. However, no parallel tool exists for tracking or analyzing assessment patterns and needs across the entire class..

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

The materials do not include specific guidance for determining the frequency of progress monitoring based on students’ strengths and needs. For example, the “Assessment Overview” section explains how module reviews identify students who are ready to progress to the next module and those who need additional support, and directs educators to assess struggling students individually using a “Review Record.” However, the materials do not include guidance on how often educators should administer progress-monitoring assessments based on students’ individual performance levels, strengths, or instructional needs.

The materials do not include specific guidance for determining the frequency of progress monitoring based on students’ strengths and needs. For example, the materials include stage assessments to measure student progress at fixed points in the program. However, the materials do not include guidance on adjusting the frequency of progress monitoring based on individual student performance, strengths, or instructional needs. All students are assessed at the same predetermined intervals.

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

The Stage Three materials include guidance on accelerating learning based on progress-monitoring data to reach mastery of specific concepts. For example, the “Assessment Overview” section states that, “students who demonstrate that they need further assistance can be assessed individually.” The materials “further explain that these students can then be taught individually or in a small group at their point of need. In addition, the review process can alert the educator to content that needs further teaching, practice, and consolidation.” This guidance supports educators in using assessment data to provide targeted instruction and additional support to help students master specific phonics skills.

The materials include guidance on accelerating learning based on progress-monitoring data to reach mastery of specific concepts across Stage Three. Assessment records identify discrete skill gaps in phonological awareness and direct educators to use the data to plan targeted instruction. For example, Stage Three “Assessment Record 1” assesses students on five distinct phonological awareness skills: rhyming words, segmenting into syllables, removing a sound, adding a sound, and changing a sound. The record includes a check column and total score out of five, providing skill-by-skill data that identifies exactly which phonological awareness concepts each student has not yet mastered. The Stage Three “Assessment Overview” section further states that the assessment summary is designed to provide information to help educators plan for any small group or individual reteaching required. The section also includes a discontinue rule directing educators to stop the assessment process if the student misses five or more answers, providing an explicit data-based decision point that allows educators to immediately identify students needing targeted instruction to accelerate learning toward mastery.

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

The materials include explicit instructional guidance on developing oral language and oracy through a variety of methods. For example, in the Teacher Resource Book, in module 6, unit 6, the lesson begins with the educator explicitly modeling how to segment the word unfair into un and fair and repair into re and pair while students listen, providing opportunities to develop oral language skills. Students then repeat and segment the words during guided practice, reinforcing oral production and phonological awareness. The lesson progresses as the educator models removing a syllable from millionaire to form the new word million, while students listen, followed by independent oral production of the new word. The lesson continues as the educator models adding a beginning sound to the rime air to form the words fair and pair. Students independently repeat the words, providing additional oral language practice. Finally, the educator models changing the initial sound /p/ in pair to the consonant blend /st/ to form stair, and students independently produce the new word.

The materials include systematic instructional guidance on developing oral language and oracy through a variety of methods. For example, in the Teacher Resource Book, in module 6, unit 8, the lesson begins with students singing the rhyme “Little Boy Blue” with the educator while listening for the /oy/ sound, providing a structured opportunity to develop oral language and oracy skills. Students then say words containing the /oy/ sound, practicing the target sound orally. The lesson systematically progresses as the educator models removing a syllable from royal to leave the word al and from enjoy to reveal the new word joy, while students listen and analyze the changes. The educator then presents words such as toil, soil, and joy, and students independently identify the two words that rhyme, providing additional practice with oral language. Finally, the lesson progresses to phoneme manipulation as the educator models changing the beginning sound /p/ in point to /j/ to form joint and changing the beginning sound /s/ in soil to /b/ to form boil while students listen. Students repeat the new words after the educator.

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

The Stage Three materials include opportunities for students to engage in academic communication for different purposes and audiences. For example, in the Teacher Resource Book, “Further Consolidation: What Am I?” section, a student silently reads a word card and provides two descriptive clues about the word’s meaning while classmates listen and identify the word being described. For example, when describing the word bridge, students provide clues such as that it helps people go over things and that people can cross it. Additionally, in the “Further Consolidation: Say It, Write It, Read It” section, students take turns creating original sentences that include one or more words with the target letter–sound correspondence, then write and share their sentences with the group.

The Stage Three materials include opportunities for students to engage in social communication for different purposes and audiences. For example, in the Teacher Resource Book, “Further Consolidation: Word Race” section, students work with a partner to create a list of words that include the target letter–sound correspondence within a designated time limit, then share their lists aloud and contribute words to a class chart. In the “Further Consolidation: Sound Hunt” section, students collaborate in small groups to browse books, locate pictures representing words with the target letter–sound correspondence, and share their findings with group members before recording the words on a chart.

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

The Stage Three materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion, and share information and ideas. For example, in the module 7 decodable text, “Hiking With Max,” the educator notes guide the educator to establish a purpose for listening before reading by stating, “You can read all the words in this book.” During reading, students actively listen and respond to educator prompts by locating and writing words that include the o_e spelling pattern. After reading, the “Comprehension” section includes literal, inferential, and evaluative questions, such as “Where does Max sleep when he goes on overnight hikes?” “Why does Max like hiking?” and “Does everyone like hiking? If you went hiking, do you think you would like it? Why?”

The Stage Three materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion, and share information and ideas. For example, in the module 6 decodable text, “The Dance of the Blue Crane,” the educator notes guide the educator to establish a purpose for listening before reading by stating, “You can read all the words in this book.” During reading, students actively listen and respond to educator prompts by locating words with the letters ea and sorting them into two groups based on whether they represent the /ē/ or /ĕ/ sound. After reading, the “Comprehension” section includes literal, inferential, and evaluative questions, such as “What was the blue crane good at?” “Why didn’t the white cranes want to be friends with the blue crane?” and “How do you think the white cranes should have acted when the blue crane first came to the lake? Why?”

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

This guidance is not applicable to grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten.

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

This guidance is not applicable to grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten.

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

This guidance is not applicable to grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten.

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

This guidance is not applicable to grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 because it only applies to kindergarten.

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

The materials systematically introduce letter–sound relationships in an order that allows for application to basic decoding and encoding in Stage Three, with a focus on less common letter sounds. Module 6 begins with the /ow/ sound spelled ow and ou, then progresses through r-controlled vowel sounds, including /ar/ as in car, /or/ as in corn, and /er/ spelled er, ur, and ir. The module continues into diphthongs such as /oy/ spelled oy and oi, and closes with the long /ōō/ sound spelled ew, ue, and oo. Module 7 builds on this progression by introducing additional less common spellings, such as /f/ spelled ph; /j/ spelled g as in giraffe, gym, and dge; and /s/ spelled with c before e, i, and y. Each module ends with a review unit revisiting all phonics focuses taught.

The materials explicitly introduce letter–sound relationships in an order that allows for application to basic decoding and encoding. In the “Phonics” section of each lesson, the first activity provides a script in which the educator explicitly introduces each letter–sound relationship, enabling its application to basic decoding. For example, in the module 6, unit 5 lesson, the “Words with er, ur, and ir” section states, “Point to the letters er in the word fern on the word-picture card. Say: In the word fern, there is a vowel e and a consonant r. Together, the letters er make the /er/ sound. Write a list of words on the whiteboard that have the letters er making the r-controlled /er/ vowel sound.” The “Write Words” section of each lesson provides a script in which the educator explicitly introduces letter–sound relationships that can be applied to encoding. For example, the module 6, unit 5 lesson states, “Write a sentence on the whiteboard that has words with the letters er, ur, and ir making the r-controlled /er/ vowel sound. For example, Her first bird would chirp in church. Have students circle the words that have the letters er, ur, and ir making the r-controlled vowel sound. Have students write these words and two or more others.”

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

The materials do not include educator guidance for providing direct instruction focused on connecting phonemes to letters within words, with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors or misconceptions. For example, in module 7, unit 2, the last sentence of the “Write Words” section states, “Check for accuracy.” There is no further guidance for feedback.

The materials do not include educator guidance for providing direct instruction focused on connecting phonemes to letters within words, with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors or misconceptions. For example, in module 7, unit 2, the last paragraph in the “See It, Say It” section states, “Support students as they learn the word: say the letter names in the word; and air write the word. Have students say the letters in the word. Check for accuracy.” There is no further guidance for feedback.

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

The materials include a variety of activities and resources to help students develop and practice their understanding of how to apply letter–sound correspondence to decode one-syllable and multisyllable words in decodable connected text. For example, the “Write Words” activity states, “Write a sentence on the whiteboard that has words with the letters aw and au making the /or/ sound. For example, ‘When it’s dawn in August, the lawn looks awful.’ Have students circle the words that have the letters aw and au making the /or/ sound.” In the “Consolidate Learning” section of each lesson the “Read It activity” includes practice opportunities. For example, “To practice reading words in decodable text with the letters aw and au making the /or/ sound, have students read the Module 7, Unit 6 practice sentence.” In the “Little Cub is Hungry” decodable text “Teaching Notes” section, the “Before Reading: Phonic Review” activity states, “Point to the letters wh in the words when and why. Say: Two letters can make one sound. This is called a digraph. The letters w and h together make the /w/ sound. Have students say the sound.” After that, students practice decodable one-syllable and multisyllabic words in connected text.

In module 6, unit 6, the materials develop and practice letter–sound correspondence for decoding multisyllable words in isolation, then extend this learning to decodable connected text. In “Segment into Syllables” students segment multisyllabic words containing the r-controlled /air/ sound, such as unfair, fairy, repair, and dairy, developing their understanding of how the letter–sound correspondence functions across syllables. In “Morphology: Compound Words” students build additional multisyllable words by adding air to base words to form airport, airsick, airflow, aircraft, airplane, and airline, giving them further practice applying the sound across longer words. The materials extend this practice into connected text through the decodable book, “Big Stan and Hairy Tim.” Before reading, students “blend the sounds in words with the phonic focus,” with the educator script modeling, “Say each sound and blend them together. For example: /p/ /air/ pair, /h/ /air/ hair.” This modeling develops students’ understanding of the sound in context. During reading, the materials “encourage students to decode words such as hairy, fair, and stairs, where the letters air make the /air/ sound,” applying the skill with practice to the multisyllable word hairy. After reading, the materials prompt a cumulative review by asking students to “locate and write these words: hairy, fair, pair,” reinforcing the letter–sound correspondence across both isolated words and decodable connected text.

In module 6, unit 7, the materials develop and practice letter–sound correspondence for decoding one-syllable words in isolation, then extend this learning to decodable connected text. In “Words with ear and eer” the educator points to the letters in the word ear and builds a class list of words that share the r-controlled /ear/ sound, such as dear, hear, and deer, thereby developing students’ understanding of letter–sound correspondence. Students then apply this knowledge in the “Write Words” activity by writing a sentence with the target sound and circling matching words on the whiteboard, giving them practice in isolation. The materials extend this practice into connected text through the decodable book, “Snakes That Hunt,” which the Stage Three “Scope and Sequence” designates as the paired decodable for the ear and eer phonics focus in module 6. Before reading, students “blend the sounds in words with the phonic focus,” with the educator script modeling, “Say each sound and blend them together. For example: /f/ /ear/ fear, /h/ /ear/ hear.” This modeling develops students’ understanding of the sound in context. During reading, the materials “encourage students to decode words such as ears, fear, and near, where the letters ear make the /ear/ sound,” applying the skill with practice. After reading, the materials prompt a cumulative review by asking students to “locate and write these words: hearing, near, fear,” reinforcing letter–sound correspondence across both isolated words and decodable connected text.

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

The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonological awareness activities aligned with grade-level TEKS, beginning with larger units of sound and gradually transitioning to smaller ones. The “Phonological Awareness” section of each lesson begins with larger units of sound and progresses into smaller units. For example, the module 6, unit 7 lesson begins with “Segment into Syllables” where students “repeat the word and then segment it into syllables.” After breaking words into syllables, the lesson moves on to the “Remove a Syllable” activity where students “repeat the word, remove a syllable, and say the new word.” Next, students “add a sound to the beginning to create a word, and then say the word” in the “Add a Sound” activity. Finally, the “Change a Sound” activity states, “Have students repeat a word after you. Ask them to change the first sound(s) and then say the new word. Demonstrate this task first. Word: cheer; change sound: /ch/ to /sh/; new word: sheer.”

The materials include a systematic progression toward smaller, more complex units of sound, culminating in the final units of the stage. In module 7, unit 9, students blend and segment individual phonemes in words like glove and dove, and change a sound to form a new word, such as turning come into some. The material asks students to use the base word love to generate multiple derived words by adding various prefixes and suffixes, such as forming unlove, loved, lovely, loveliness, lovelier, and loveliest.

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

The materials do not include direct instruction for teaching phonological awareness skills with recommended feedback for students based on common errors or misconceptions. The materials include only general instructions for phonological awareness and do not address specific errors or misconceptions. The materials also do not provide guidance on correcting mistakes students make during phoneme identification or blending. For example, in module 7, unit 1, the “Blend Sounds” activity states, “Say the sounds in a word. Ask students to repeat the sounds, blend the sounds, and then say the word: phone /f/ /ō/ /n/.”

The materials do not include direct instruction for teaching phonological awareness skills with recommended feedback for students based on common errors or misconceptions. The materials provide only general instructions for phonological awareness and do not address specific errors or misconceptions. The materials do not offer guidance on how to correct mistakes students make during phoneme identification or blending. For example, in module 7, unit 9, the “Segment Into Sounds” activity states, “Say a word. Ask students to repeat the word and then segment it into sounds: love /l/ /u/ /v/.”

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

The materials include a variety of activities and resources to help students develop and practice phonological awareness skills aligned with grade-level TEKS. The “Phonological Awareness” section of each lesson includes activities for students to develop and practice phonological awareness skills, such as blending sounds, segmenting sounds, and changing a sound to make a new word. For example, the module 7, unit 9 lesson includes a “Blend Sounds” activity where students “repeat the sounds, blend the sounds, and then say the word.” After blending sounds, students use the “Segment into Sounds” activity to segment words such as “love /l/ /u/ /v/ and glove /g/ /l/ /u/ /v/.” Finally, the “Change a Sound” activity states, “Have students repeat a word after you. Ask them to change a sound(s) and then say the new word. Demonstrate this task first. Word: love; change sound: /l/ to /d/; new word: dove.”

The materials include activities and resources to help students reinforce phonological awareness skills through cumulative review. The module 7 review revisits phonological awareness skills students developed and practiced across the module, including segmenting words into syllables, removing a syllable, adding a sound to a rime, and changing a sound to form a new word. For example, students segment giraffe into gir–affe and automobile into au–to–mo–bile, remove the syllable ing from watching to say watch, add /g/ /l/ to the rime ove to form glove, and change the /t/ sound in pheasant to /p/ /l/ to say pleasant. The module 7 “Review Record” provides a structured individual review tool that assesses the same cumulative set of phonological awareness skills, allowing educators to track student mastery across the module.

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)

The 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. For example, in module 7, unit 2, students identify beginning sounds in spoken words while also developing awareness through removing syllables, adding a sound, and changing sounds in words. The module 7, unit 7 materials include blending sounds and saying the word, as well as practicing blending syllables, removing syllables, and changing a vowel sound. In module 7, unit 9, students segment words into sounds, then practice blending and changing sounds.

The 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. For example, in module 6, unit 1, students learn the /ow/ sound to blend syllables, remove syllables, identify rhyming words, and change sounds in words. In module 7, unit 9, students use o_e to segment into sounds, blend sounds, and change sounds.

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

The materials include direct instruction for teaching phonemic awareness, but do not have recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. A note in a lesson states, “the letters tch usually occur at the end of a word and are preceded by a short vowel.” This note provides an explicit reminder for educators to share with students, but the material does not include feedback for the students.

The materials do not include direct instruction for teaching phonemic awareness with recommended explanatory feedback for students based on common errors and misconceptions. For example, in module 4, unit 7, the “Change a Sound” activity states, “Have students repeat a word after you. Ask them to change the first sound(s) and then say the new word. Demonstrate this task first.”

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

The materials include direct guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle to support students in the transition from oral language activities to basic encoding. The materials do not include decoding in this transition. For example, in module 6, unit 4, the educator models each step of the process through a think-aloud. The educator segments the spoken word into phonemes, represents each sound in a sound–letter chart, and maps each phoneme to its corresponding letters. Students begin with the spoken word, analyze the sounds, and then connect those sounds to letters in print. Students practice writing the word several times after analyzing its sounds. Students do not read the word after writing it, so the material does not include decoding in the transition from oral language activities.

The materials include direct guidance for connecting phonemic awareness skills to the alphabetic principle to support students in the transition from oral language activities to basic encoding. The materials do not include decoding in this transition. For example, in module 6, unit 5, the educator models each step of the process through a think-aloud. The educator segments the spoken word into phonemes, represents each sound in a sound–letter chart, and maps each phoneme to its corresponding letters. Students begin with the spoken word, analyze the sounds, and then connect those sounds to letters in print. Students practice writing the word several times after analyzing its sounds. Students do not read the word after writing it, so the material does not include decoding in the transition from oral language activities.

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

The materials include a variety of activities and resources to help students develop and practice phonemic awareness skills. In module 6, unit 1, students develop phonemic awareness skills by blending syllables to form words such as flower and mountain, removing the last syllable from words such as growling to say growl, identifying rhyming words, and changing a sound to form new words, such as turning count into mount. In module 6, unit 5, the materials continue to develop and practice phoneme-level skills by having students segment multisyllabic words like birthday into birth day and hammer into ham, identify rhyming words, and add a sound to a rime to form words like bird and girl. The materials include sound–letter charts with tokens that serve as a manipulative tool across units, where students place a token in a box for each sound they hear.

The materials include a variety of activities and resources for students to reinforce phonemic awareness skills through cumulative review. The “Review” section of each module uses activities to reinforce phonemic awareness skills from the entire module. The activities include having students segment into syllables, add a sound, remove a syllable, and change a sound. For example, in the module 6 review, “Phonological Awareness” section, the “Segment into Syllables” activity states, “Say: I will say a word. Listen, then say the syllables in the word, and then the whole word. For example, if I say ‘unfair,’ you would say ‘un-fair, unfair.’ Word: disappear; syllables: dis-a-ppear.”

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

The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound–spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS. The “Scope and Sequence” shows the order in which the materials introduce letter–sound relationships. The module 6 “Phonics Teaching Units” table outlines which sound–spelling patterns each unit introduces. For example, unit 1 introduces “/ow/ made with ow as in cow and ou as in cloud.” Unit 2 introduces the “short /oo/ sound made with oo as in book.”

The materials demonstrate a systematic sequence at the individual lesson level, with each unit building cumulatively on prior instruction. For example, in module 6, unit 1, students learn the /ow/ vowel diphthong made with ow and ou. Unit 2 introduces the short oo vowel sound, and the “Review” section directs educators to revisit the /ow/ diphthong before introducing the new pattern. Unit 3 progresses to the r-controlled ar sound, and its “Review” section references both prior units. In Unit 4 students learn the r-controlled sounds made with or, ore, and our, and Unit 5 introduces the r-controlled er sounds made with er, ur, and ir. Each review section cumulatively revisits every sound–spelling pattern taught since unit 1.

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

The materials include educator guidance to provide direct instruction for grade-level sound–spelling patterns. For example, in the Teacher Resource Book, “Activities in Each Teaching Unit” section, the “Phonological Awareness” call-out box states, “Develop phonological awareness through auditory activities that focus on the sound of the letters introduced in the unit. Students learn to hear the beginning, middle, and final sounds in words, how to change the sounds in words to create new words, and how to identify syllables in words.” Additionally, the “Phonics” call-out box states, “Encourage students to connect a sound to a letter(s) and to write words that have the letter(s) making the sound the lesson is focusing on.”

The materials include educator guidance to deliver direct instruction on additional grade-level sound–spelling patterns. In module 6, unit 6, the educator guide directs educators to point to the letters air in the word chair on the word-picture card and explain that the letters air make the r-controlled air sound. Educators then generate a list of words on the whiteboard with the same spelling, including chair, hair, pair, and fairy. The material instructs educators to write a sentence using words with the letters air making the r-controlled air sound, modeling how to identify the pattern within connected text. A note further explains to educators that the letters air making the r-controlled air sound form a trigraph.

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)

The Stage Three Teacher Resource Book includes a variety of activities and resources to help students develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound–spelling patterns. For example, in module 6, unit 3, students develop grade-level sound–spelling patterns by practicing the r-controlled /ar/ vowel sound in words such as car and yarn. Students practice the taught sound–spelling pattern by writing a sentence containing /ar/ words, such as “A shark went to a party in the yard.” Students reinforce the /ar/ vowel spelling pattern by reading decodable books and practice sentences.

The materials include a variety of activities and resources to help students develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound–spelling patterns through cumulative review. In module 6, unit 5, students develop grade-level sound–spelling patterns in the “Words with er, ur, and ir” section of the lesson. In the “Consolidate Learning” section, students practice grade-level sound–spelling patterns. The module 6 review reinforces the previously taught grade-level sound–spelling patterns.

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

The materials include activities and resources to help students decode and encode words using taught sound–spelling patterns. The module 6 decodable books present connected texts organized around a specific phonics focus per unit. For example, “At Our Farm” includes words with the r-controlled ar vowel sound, including farm, barn, and hard, within a narrative about a boy helping on his family’s dairy farm. Later titles, such as “Snakes That Hunt” and “The Snake Games,” extend this pattern to r-controlled vowel combinations and diphthongs in both informational and narrative texts. Students also encode words in isolation through the “Further Consolidation” activities. In the “Word Race” activity pairs of students write a list of words that include the taught letter–sound correspondence within a set time limit, then share their lists on a class chart. In the “Word Wall” activity students choose a word with the taught correspondence, write it on a card, and illustrate it before displaying the card in the classroom.

The materials include a variety of activities and resources to support students in decoding and encoding words that include taught sound–spelling patterns in isolation. The decodable books include a “Teaching Notes” section with “Before Reading” activities to support students in decoding words in isolation. For example, in the Stage Three decodable text, “The Snake Games,” the “Decodable Words with Phonics Focus” activity states, “Ask students to blend the sounds in words with the phonic focus. Say: Say each sound and blend them together. For example: /n/ /oy/ /z/ noise, /b/ /oy/ boy.” Each module review includes encoding words in isolation in the “Write It” activity. For example, in the module 6 review, “Dictation” section, the “Write It” activity states, “Say each of the following words, put it in a sentence that students can relate to, and then repeat the word. For example, say: chair. You can sit on a chair. Chair. Then ask students to write the word.”

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

Module 6, unit 4 includes how the materials deliver new high-frequency words alongside instruction on r-controlled vowel patterns. The unit’s goal states that students review high-utility words they already learned in module 6, including so, their, were, head, and away. Students learn the new words could, would, and should. The educator script instructs students to listen to the sounds in each word, connect those sounds to letters using a sound–letter chart, and then write and practice the new words for accuracy. These activities mirror the instructional routine in Stage 1 and Stage 2, where the materials explicitly taught high-frequency words and tied them to sound–letter knowledge, rather than having students memorize by sight alone. The “Consolidate Learning” section then has students read and write a dictated sentence containing the target r-controlled pattern.

The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. Module 6 begins by introducing both regular and irregular high-frequency words in the “High-Utility Words” section of the lesson. For example, in module 6, unit 1, the “See It, Say It” activity states, “Say: We are going to learn two new words. Show the words so and their, and say them slowly. Write the word so and say: I can hear the sounds /s/ /ō/. Draw a sound–letter chart to show the sounds in the word. Say: I will put a dot in a box for each sound that I hear. Then I will write the letter or letters that represent each sound. Point out the letter–sound correspondence that students already know: s making /s/. Support students as they learn the word: say the letter names in the word; arm tap the word; and air write the word. Have students practice writing the word several times. Check for accuracy. Repeat the teaching sequence for the word their /th/ /air/ (th-eir).” Later in the module, the materials introduce more complex regular and irregular high-frequency words. For example, in module 6, unit 9, the “See It, Say It” activity states, “Review the high-utility words already learned: so, their, were, head, away, could, would, should, many, live, know, gold, food, and who. Say: We are going to learn two new words. Show the words people and again, and say them slowly. Write the word people and say: I can hear the sounds /p/ /ē/ /p/ /l/. Draw a sound–letter chart to show the sounds in the word. Say: I will put a dot in a box for each sound that I hear. Then I will write the letter or letters that represent each sound. Point out the letter–sound correspondence that students already know: p making /p/. Support students as they learn the word: say the letter names in the word; arm tap the word; and air write the word. Have students practice writing the word several times. Check for accuracy. Repeat the teaching sequence for the word again /a/ /g/ /e/ /n/ (a-g-ai-n).”

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

The materials include explicit educator guidance for decoding and encoding regular high-frequency words. In module 6, unit 5, the “High-Utility Words” section introduces live, a regular word that follows the silent-e pattern taught in the unit. The educator script has students say the word slowly, segment it into sounds, and use a sound–letter chart to connect sounds to letters. Students then write and repeat the word for accuracy. The “Consolidate Learning” section then has students decode words with the er, ur, and ir r-controlled patterns through the decodable text “Caves,” providing explicit decoding practice with regular words in connected text.

The materials include educator guidance for providing direct instruction in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. In module 7, unit 8, students learn the irregular high-frequency word school. The educator states, “We are going to learn a new word.” The educator shows the word school, says it slowly, writes it, and says, “I can hear the sounds /s/ /k/ /oo/ /l/.” The educator draws a sound–letter chart and places a dot in each box to represent each sound. The educator supports students as they learn the word, and then students practice writing the word. The “Phonics” section includes regular high-frequency words. In the “Words with or” section the educator shows the letter–sound picture card and circles the /er/ sound. The educator says, “Together, the letters or make the /er/ sound when they come after the letter w. Students then find the words that make the /er/ sound and “write their own sentence with at least two words with the letters or making the /er/ sound.”

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

The materials include a variety of activities and resources for students to practice and reinforce their skills in decoding regular high-frequency words through cumulative review. Students practice skills to decode regular high-frequency words in the practice sentences included with each unit. For example, the module 7, unit 3 practice sentences include the regular high-frequency words I, to, the, on, and there. Students reinforce their skills in decoding regular high-frequency words through cumulative review in the decodable books included with each unit. For example, the module 7, unit 3 decodable text, “Bridges,” includes the regular high-frequency words over, can, this, and it. Additionally, the materials include a variety of activities and resources for students to develop and practice skills for encoding regular high-frequency words, such as the “See It, Say It” section of each lesson. For example, the module 7, unit 3 lesson states, “Review the high-utility words already learned: young, mother, and friend. Say: We are going to learn two new words. Show the words over and because, and say them slowly. Write the word over and say: I can hear the sounds /ō/ /v/ /er/. Draw a sound–letter chart to show the sounds in the word. Say: I will put a dot in a box for each sound that I hear. Then I will write the letter or letters that represent each sound. Point out the letter–sound correspondence that students already know: v making /v/ and er making /er/. Support students as they learn the word: say the letter names in the word; arm tap the word; and air write the word. Have students practice writing the word several times. Check for accuracy.” Students practice skills to encode regular high-frequency words in the “Consolidate Learning” section of each lesson through the “Hear and Write” activity. For example, the module 7, unit 3 lesson states, “Say: I am going to read a sentence to you. Listen to the words in the sentence as I read them. Think about the sounds you hear in each word and the letters that make these sounds. Read the decodable sentence: ‘A huge gem was on the bridge.’ Repeat each word slowly and then have students write the sentence. Check for accuracy.” The materials do not include opportunities for students to reinforce their skills in encoding regular high-frequency words through cumulative review.

The materials include a variety of activities and resources for students to practice and reinforce their skills in decoding irregular high-frequency words through cumulative review. Students practice skills to decode irregular high-frequency words in the practice sentences included with each unit. For example, the module 6, unit 9 practice sentences include the irregular high-frequency words could and again. Students reinforce their skills in decoding irregular high-frequency words through cumulative review in the decodable books included with each unit. For example, the module 6, unit 9 decodable text, “Monsoon,” includes the irregular high-frequency words some, come, and again. Additionally, the materials include a variety of activities and resources to help students develop the skills to encode irregular high-frequency words. Students develop skills to encode irregular high-frequency words in the “See It, Say It” section of each lesson. For example, the module 7, unit 9 lesson states, “Review the high-utility words already learned: so, their, were, head, away, could, would, should, many, live, know, gold, food, and who. Say: We are going to learn two new words. Show the words people and again, and say them slowly. Write the word people and say: I can hear the sounds /p/ /ē/ /p/ /l/. Draw a sound–letter chart to show the sounds in the word. Say: I will put a dot in a box for each sound that I hear. Then I will write the letter or letters that represent each sound. Point out the letter–sound correspondence that students already know: p making /p/. Support students as they learn the word: say the letter names in the word; arm tap the word; and air write the word. Have students practice writing the word several times. Check for accuracy.” The materials do not include opportunities for students to reinforce skills to encode irregular high-frequency words through cumulative review.

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

The materials include a variety of activities and resources, such as memory-building strategies, for students to read and write high-frequency words in isolation and in connected text. The materials include a routine in the “See It, Say It” section of each lesson. Students learn about the new high-frequency word, listen to the sounds, and see the sounds represented by dots on the corresponding letters. Educators “say the letter names in the word; arm tap the word; and air write the word.” Students read these high-frequency words in isolation during the module review and before reading decodable texts that contain the words. In the “Consolidate Learning” section the educator reads students a sentence containing the words.

The materials include resources for students to read and write high-frequency words within connected text. The module 7 decodable books embed words including mother, young, friend, over, because, school, and every across multiple titles, including “Teaching Their Young,” “A New Friend,” and “Prince Ephram Is Lost!” This continuity gives students repeated connected-text reading practice as these words resurface from book to book. Connected-text writing practice appears throughout module 7 in the “Consolidate Learning” sections. In unit 8 the educator reads the sentence, “I got my bread ready,” aloud and students listen for the sounds and letters in each word before writing the full sentence themselves.

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

The materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS. The “Scope and Sequence” does not explicitly identify grade-level syllable types or provide TEKS alignment for introducing syllable types. The materials use multisyllabic words throughout the curriculum, but do not explicitly teach syllable division aside from clapping syllables in rhymes and segmenting/removing sounds. Additionally, the module review includes activities where students segment words into syllables and remove syllables.

The materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS. The materials include some opportunities for reading and writing multisyllabic words, but do not address syllable division patterns. For example, in module 7, unit 1, the “Segment into Syllables” activity states, “Say a word. Ask students to repeat the word and segment it into syllables: typhoon, ty-phoon.” There is no evidence of segmenting using syllable division principles, or of segmenting syllables outside of phonological awareness activities.

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

The materials do not include educator guidance to provide direct instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words. The “Oral Language Development” section of each lesson vaguely addresses syllables when the educator sings a rhyme and claps syllables as they sing. There is no evidence of explicit instruction of syllable types to apply to decoding or encoding. For example, in module 6, unit 7, the “Say It” activity states, “Sing the rhyme and have everyone join in. Emphasize the words with the letters ear making the r-controlled /ear/ vowel sound. Clap the syllables as you sing. Alternatively, tap each syllable or use finger clicks.”

The materials do not include educator guidance to provide direct instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words. In some lessons the “Phonological Awareness” section guides students to segment words into syllables. There is no guidance for how students can understand where to segment words into syllables. For example, in module 7, unit 1, the “Segment into Syllables” activity states, “Say a word. Ask students to repeat the word and then segment it into syllables: typhoon → ty-phoon.”

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

The materials do not include a variety of activities or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce skills to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words through cumulative review. The materials provide practice sentences for students to decode, offering an opportunity to apply word-reading skills in connected text. However, the materials do not explicitly identify the syllable types, syllable division principles, or previously taught skills that students apply when decoding the words. The materials do not demonstrate opportunities for students to encode words or engage in cumulative review of one-syllable or multisyllabic words.

The materials do not include a variety of activities or resources for students to develop and practice skills to encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words through cumulative review. Each lesson includes a “See It, Say It” activity in which students develop skills for encoding words. For example, the module 6, unit 5 lesson states, “Review the words already learned: so, their, were, head, away, could, would, and should. Say: We are going to learn two new words. Show the words many and live, and say them slowly. Write the word many and say: I can hear the sounds /m/ /e/ /n/ /ē/. Draw a sound–letter chart to show the sounds in the word. Say: I will put a dot in a box for each sound that I hear. Then I will write the letter or letters that represent each sound.” The materials do not include a variety of activities or resources for students to reinforce skills to encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words through cumulative review.

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

The materials do not include a variety of activities 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 and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction. The practice sentences do not demonstrate that students are applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words. The materials also do not identify related isolation activities, such as word lists, or demonstrate that the connected texts build on previously taught syllable skills. For example, in module 6, unit 9, under “Oral Language Development,” in the “Say It” section, the materials direct the educator to “sing the rhyme and have everyone join in. Emphasize the letters oo making the /ōō/ long vowel sound. Clap the syllables as you sing. Alternatively, tap each syllable or use finger clicks.” However, this activity focuses on singing a rhyme, identifying a vowel sound, and clapping syllables.

The materials do not include a variety of activities 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 and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction. Although the materials include decodable books that provide students with opportunities to apply previously taught phonics skills in connected text, the materials do not demonstrate that students are specifically using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode one-syllable or multisyllabic words.

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

The materials in module 7 introduce morphemes in a systematic sequence across all nine units. Simple inflectional suffixes appear first, such as in unit 6 when students add -ing, -s, and -er to the base word draw to form drawing, draws, and drawer. The materials then progress to more complex derivational suffixes, such as in unit 7 when students add -able to work to form workable. The materials introduce prefixes such as mis- and re- in unit 4 alongside the suffix -ment, and use the base word place to form misplace, replace, and placement.

The materials in module 7 continue to build morphological complexity in the later units. In unit 9 students add the prefix un- and the suffixes -ed, -ly, -liness, -ier, and -iest to the base word love, forming words such as unlove, loved, lovely, loveliness, lovelier, and loveliest. The materials introduce comparative and superlative suffixes only after simpler suffix patterns are well established. The module review reinforces this cumulative growth by having students generate as many new words as they can from the base word match.

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

The materials include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction for supporting recognition of common morphemes and using their meanings. In module 7, unit 2, the educator uses “wheel as a base word to make compound words.” The “meaning of the base word wheel” changes when “words are added to make compound words.” Module 7, unit 3 has the educator “use danger as a base word and add prefixes and suffixes to show how its meaning changes.” Module 7, unit 9 has the educator “use love as a base word and add prefixes and suffixes to show how its meaning changes.” The materials do not include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction on using the meanings of common morphemes to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension.

The materials include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction to support recognition of common morphemes and their meanings. In module 6, unit 6, the educator uses “air as a base word to make compound words.” Then the educator talks “about the meaning of the base word air and how it changes when words are added to it to make compound words.” In module 6, unit 7, the educator uses “fear as a base word and adds suffixes to show how its meaning changes.” The materials do not provide opportunities for students to practice decoding, encoding, or reading the morphemes they are learning. The materials do not include educator guidance to provide explicit instruction on using the meanings of common morphemes to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension.

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)

In Stage Three, module 7, the materials develop grade-level morphological skills through a consistent, educator-modeled instructional pattern that repeats across four consecutive units, each explicitly tied to changes in meaning. In unit 6 educators use draw as a base word to build the words drawing, draws, and drawer. In unit 7 students use the base word work to generate working, worked, worker, and workable. In unit 8 students use the base word head to generate heading, heads, header, and headed. Unit 9 uses the base word love to introduce both a prefix and multiple suffixes, and students generate the words unlove, loved, lovely, loveliness, lovelier, and loveliest. Unit 9 states that its purpose is to teach students “to recognize prefixes and suffixes, and to add these to a base word to change its meaning.” The materials do not include a variety of activities or resources to help students reinforce grade-level morphological skills through cumulative review.

The module 7 review provides independent practice of the morphological skills that students built across the module, but the materials do not reinforce previously taught morphemes through cumulative review. In the module review “Morphology” section students independently use match as a base word “to make as many new words as they can.” Students generate forms such as matches, matched, matching, matchbox, mismatch, mismatched, rematch, matchstick, and outmatch. The materials do not include a variety of activities or resources to help students reinforce grade-level morphological skills through cumulative review.

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

The materials do not include a variety of activities or resources for students to encode and decode words with morphemes in isolation. The materials provide various morphology activities in each lesson that focus on words in isolation. Each activity is educator-centered and does not provide students with an opportunity to encode or decode words using morphemes. For example, in module 7, unit 1, the “Morphology: Compound Words” section states, “Use phone as a base word to make compound words. Talk about the meaning of the base word phone and how it changes when words are added to make compound words: mega + phone = megaphone.”

The materials do not include a variety of activities or resources for students to decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction. The materials provide examples of educator modeling, but do not demonstrate that students decode and encode words with morphemes in isolation and in decodable text that builds on previous instruction. In the module 6 review students use the base word book to generate related words, which reinforces morphological skills. However, the module review does not demonstrate students’ application of their knowledge of morphemes to decode or encode words in sentences or connected text.