Program Information
- ISBN
- Pending
Fountas & Pinnell Classroom (FPC), Grade 1
Grade 1
IMRA 2026
Publisher: Heinemann, a division of Greenwood Publishing Group LLC
Copyright: 2023
Series includes:
Rubric: Supplemental RLA K–5 (English) (Download Not Available)
* Some programs submit evidence for only part of a standard, while others submit all sections. A 100% score means this program met all the expectations it submitted.
Quality Review
Standards Alignment
Rubric Section
| Grade | TEKS % | ELPS % |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 76.51% | N/A |
Criteria for Quality
Rubric Section 1
Intentional Instructional Design
Materials support educators in effective implementation through intentional supplemental program design.
Total
40% (4 out of 10 points)
Evaluation for 1.1a
The materials do not provide guidance on how the program is used as a supplemental program or for additional instruction and/or practice to support targeted remediation or acceleration. The PDF “Preparing for Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™: An Interactive Action Plan” describes the program as a comprehensive system of classroom-based literacy instruction rather than a supplemental tool.
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 states that the “intended purpose is explicit lessons with materials appropriate for whole-group instruction, individual, partners, or small-group application.” There is no guidance on how the program can be used as supplemental instruction and/or practice, or for targeted remediation or acceleration.
Evaluation for 1.1b
In Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, the “Fitting It All Together” section outlines the distribution of components across a comprehensive three-hour instructional block. The materials do not offer guidance or evidence for implementing the program as a supplemental resource. Instead, the framework explicitly positions it as a core curriculum.
The online digital resources include a 180-day plan that explicitly details daily lesson sequences across various program components. However, educators are not provided with specific guidance, strategies, or instructional pathways on how to effectively integrate or use these materials in a supplemental capacity.
Evaluation for 1.1c
The online resources include a 180-day plan detailing a comprehensive, yearlong instructional sequence that encompasses all eight program components. While the publisher notes that this daily sequence is a suggested model that can be modified at the educator’s discretion, the documentation does not include a rationale for the scope and sequence. Furthermore, while the 180-day plan outlines daily instructional skills, it does not include student expectations.
In Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, the materials include a scope and sequence that outlines the 100 lessons based on early-, middle-, and late-year skills. Although this resource provides a rationale for each phonics lesson, the other components of the materials do not include a rationale for the sequence. Additionally, the materials do not reference student expectations.
Evaluation for 1.1d
The materials provide pacing and daily time requirements within the 180-day plan, which outlines the structural framework for language and literacy opportunities, a readers’ workshop, and a writers’ workshop. The document uses clock icons to illustrate recommended instructional minutes for each individual component and context across the 180-day sequence.
In Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, the “Fitting It All Together” section details a daily schedule by outlining the exact instructional minutes required for each program component: Group Meeting, Interactive Read-Aloud, Shared Reading, Phonics/Spelling/Word Study, Reading Minilesson, Small Group Instruction/Independent Literacy Work, Group Share, and Writers’ Workshop.
Evaluation for 1.1e
The online materials include a 180-day scope and sequence and implementation plan for educators. The plan includes guidance for “making this instructional plan your own” plus “helpful tips” and support for “putting it all together.” The online materials also include a video titled “Unpacking Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study, Grades K–4” that helps educators understand the materials included in the program and how to organize them.
The online materials include an interactive implementation plan that contains four steps to support educators with implementation. The steps include defining a vision and values, setting goals, getting to know the Fountas and Pinnell Classroom system, and planning literacy time. The plan also directs educators to professional development videos to support implementation.
Evaluation for 1.1f
The shared reading materials include a caregiver letter that is available in English, Spanish, and other languages, such as French and Hmong. The letter informs families about how students will engage with books throughout the year, and provides general suggestions for ways families can support literacy at home. However, the letter does not provide specific suggestions for supporting student learning throughout the program.
The Guided Reading materials provide a caregiver letter that explains the program to families in various languages. However, these supports do not provide specific suggestions to support students’ progress.
1.1 Supplemental Program Design
1.1a
Materials include an explanation of the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., additional instruction and/or practice, targeted remediation or acceleration).
Materials include an explanation of the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., additional instruction and/or practice, targeted remediation or acceleration).
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 1.1a
Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include an explanation of the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., additional instruction and/or practice, targeted remediation or acceleration).
0 out of 1 points
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 states that the “intended purpose is explicit lessons with materials appropriate for whole-group instruction, individual, partners, or small-group application.” There is no guidance on how the program can be used as supplemental instruction and/or practice, or for targeted remediation or acceleration.
1.1b
Materials include guidance on how to appropriately use the supplemental program to support an existing core reading and language arts program.
Materials include guidance on how to appropriately use the supplemental program to support an existing core reading and language arts program.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 1.1b
Evaluation for 1.1b
Materials include guidance on how to appropriately use the supplemental program to support an existing core reading and language arts program.
0 out of 1 points
The online digital resources include a 180-day plan that explicitly details daily lesson sequences across various program components. However, educators are not provided with specific guidance, strategies, or instructional pathways on how to effectively integrate or use these materials in a supplemental capacity.
1.1c
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining student expectations, skills taught, and a rationale for the design of the scope and sequence.
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining student expectations, skills taught, and a rationale for the design of the scope and sequence.
1 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 1.1c
Evaluation for 1.1c
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining student expectations, skills taught, and a rationale for the design of the scope and sequence.
1 out of 3 points
In Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, the materials include a scope and sequence that outlines the 100 lessons based on early-, middle-, and late-year skills. Although this resource provides a rationale for each phonics lesson, the other components of the materials do not include a rationale for the sequence. Additionally, the materials do not reference student expectations.
1.1d
Materials include guidance on time requirements (e.g., duration, frequency) and suggested pacing for effective implementation.
Materials include guidance on time requirements (e.g., duration, frequency) and suggested pacing for effective implementation.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1d
Evaluation for 1.1d
Materials include guidance on time requirements (e.g., duration, frequency) and suggested pacing for effective implementation.
2 out of 2 points
In Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, the “Fitting It All Together” section details a daily schedule by outlining the exact instructional minutes required for each program component: Group Meeting, Interactive Read-Aloud, Shared Reading, Phonics/Spelling/Word Study, Reading Minilesson, Small Group Instruction/Independent Literacy Work, Group Share, and Writers’ Workshop.
1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance to support educators with implementing the materials as designed.
Materials include resources and guidance to support educators with implementing the materials as designed.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 1.1e
Evaluation for 1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance to support educators with implementing the materials as designed.
1 out of 1 points
The online materials include an interactive implementation plan that contains four steps to support educators with implementation. The steps include defining a vision and values, setting goals, getting to know the Fountas and Pinnell Classroom system, and planning literacy time. The plan also directs educators to professional development videos to support implementation.
1.1f
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1f
Evaluation for 1.1f
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
0 out of 2 points
The Guided Reading materials provide a caregiver letter that explains the program to families in various languages. However, these supports do not provide specific suggestions to support students’ progress.
Rubric Section 2
Progress Monitoring
Materials support educators in effective implementation through frequent, strategic opportunities to monitor and respond to student progress.
Total
18% (2 out of 11 points)
Evaluation for 2.1a
The grade 1 online materials contain a Phonics and Word Study Assessment Guide, plus formative assessments for each component of word study: letter–sound relationships, spelling patterns, high-frequency words, vocabulary, word structure, and word-solving actions. Each component includes multiple assessments and materials to go along with them. Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 also contains quick, formative observational assessments within each lesson to assess student understanding. However, the materials do not include summative assessments.
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 materials include an assessment section in each read-aloud lesson card. These assessments provide specific prompts to observe students’ reading behaviors and record them on a form. Each lesson includes a formative assessment with specific look-fors to guide administration, but does not include a summative assessment.
Evaluation for 2.1b
The supplemental program includes an “Assessment Overview” in the Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study, Grade 1 component. This overview describes the importance of ongoing observations of student literacy behaviors and explains how and why educators should assess what students know about letters, sounds, and words. The guide includes descriptions of ongoing observations and systematic assessment tasks that educators can use across the six areas of learning of the curriculum. However, it does not include the definition or intended purpose of each assessment.
Within the Fountas & Pinnell Interactive Read-Aloud Collection Guide, Grade 1, a general purpose is to “gain important information by observing children as they participate in Interactive Read-Aloud discussions.” However, the materials do not explicitly identify whether the various assessments are intended to serve a formative or a summative purpose.
Evaluation for 2.1c
In Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, the materials provide guidance for the consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments. In the section titled “How to Use It,” the materials give instructions on whether to administer tests individually or in small groups, list necessary resources, describe student behaviors to observe during testing, and explain how to record responses.
The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1 provides guidance for educators to administer formative assessments, such as observational guiding questions.
Evaluation for 2.1d
Resources in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 identify lessons as falling in the early, middle, or late stage of development. However, the assessment section does not provide explicit guidance for educators about how to ensure that assessments include varying levels of complexity aligned to those developmental stages. For example, the book advises, “Notice whether children are able to recognize high-frequency words with three or more letters,” but does not specify which words to use for the assessment to ensure that it will vary in complexity.
While The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1 materials include some oral assessments, they do not provide a variety of item types or items at varying levels of complexity. For example, an assessment after an umbrella/unit includes a list of questions the educator can ask students while watching them read. However, these questions do not include different item types or items of varying levels of complexity.
Evaluation for 2.2a
The Reading Minilessons; Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study; Interactive Read-Aloud; and Shared Reading components provide general formative assessments through an optional assessment section with teacher prompts. For example, in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, lesson SP 1, the focus of the assessment is to “notice if children are representing word parts and patterns in their writing.” However, the lesson does not offer guidance for interpreting those student responses or student performance.
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 provides assessments for spelling patterns, including resources and information for administering them, but does not offer guidance for scoring. The text states, “Note the results on the individual record,” and provides a sheet to track data, but it does not include guidance on how to score or interpret student performance.
Evaluation for 2.2b
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 includes tracking sheets so educators can note whether students demonstrate specific skills. However, there is no guidance on how to score, track, and/or respond to the data, nor are there resources for how an educator should respond to student performance as identified by scoring skills on a tracking sheet. The materials do not include suggested activities or lessons to respond to students’ needs.
Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 provides an “Assess the Learning” opportunity at the end of each lesson card. However, the assessment is general and does not provide guidance on how to respond to student performance. For example, the assessment encourages educators to “observe children to find evidence they can understand details in the story or notice how the illustrations help to convey the author’s message.” The materials do not provide guidance on how educators should interpret or respond to assessment data. Additionally, they do not suggest targeted activities, lessons, or resources to address identified student needs.
Evaluation for 2.2c
Program materials include an Independent Reading recordkeeping form for educators to use. The form provides spaces to record student names, the day of the week, and comments. The program materials include an independent reading tracking sheet for students to record books they read independently, but this tool does not track all literacy skill growth throughout the year.
The materials do not include information on how students can track their own growth within the program. The materials provide a way for educators to track student data through the “Student Summary Form” in the general resources. However, the form is a general tracking form that is not tied to specific goals or standards.
Evaluation for 2.2d
This guidance is not applicable to the program because the program has a stated purpose of additional instruction and/or practice, not targeted remediation or acceleration.
2.1 Instructional Assessments
2.1a
Materials include appropriate instructional assessments for the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., diagnostic placement assessments for targeted remediation or acceleration).
Materials include appropriate instructional assessments for the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., diagnostic placement assessments for targeted remediation or acceleration).
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.1a
Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include appropriate instructional assessments for the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., diagnostic placement assessments for targeted remediation or acceleration).
1 out of 2 points
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 materials include an assessment section in each read-aloud lesson card. These assessments provide specific prompts to observe students’ reading behaviors and record them on a form. Each lesson includes a formative assessment with specific look-fors to guide administration, but does not include a summative assessment.
2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the instructional assessments included.
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the instructional assessments included.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 2.1b
Evaluation for 2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the instructional assessments included.
0 out of 1 points
Within the Fountas & Pinnell Interactive Read-Aloud Collection Guide, Grade 1, a general purpose is to “gain important information by observing children as they participate in Interactive Read-Aloud discussions.” However, the materials do not explicitly identify whether the various assessments are intended to serve a formative or a summative purpose.
2.1c
For instructional assessments administered by educators, materials include guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
For instructional assessments administered by educators, materials include guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 2.1c
Evaluation for 2.1c
For instructional assessments administered by educators, materials include guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
1 out of 1 points
The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1 provides guidance for educators to administer formative assessments, such as observational guiding questions.
2.1d
Instructional assessments include items at varying levels of complexity.
Instructional assessments include items at varying levels of complexity.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.1d
Evaluation for 2.1d
Instructional assessments include items at varying levels of complexity.
0 out of 2 points
While The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1 materials include some oral assessments, they do not provide a variety of item types or items at varying levels of complexity. For example, an assessment after an umbrella/unit includes a list of questions the educator can ask students while watching them read. However, these questions do not include different item types or items of varying levels of complexity.
2.2 Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring
2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.2a
Evaluation for 2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
0 out of 2 points
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 provides assessments for spelling patterns, including resources and information for administering them, but does not offer guidance for scoring. The text states, “Note the results on the individual record,” and provides a sheet to track data, but it does not include guidance on how to score or interpret student performance.
2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of the supplemental program to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
Materials provide guidance for the use of the supplemental program to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 2.2b
Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of the supplemental program to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
0 out of 1 points
Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 provides an “Assess the Learning” opportunity at the end of each lesson card. However, the assessment is general and does not provide guidance on how to respond to student performance. For example, the assessment encourages educators to “observe children to find evidence they can understand details in the story or notice how the illustrations help to convey the author’s message.” The materials do not provide guidance on how educators should interpret or respond to assessment data. Additionally, they do not suggest targeted activities, lessons, or resources to address identified student needs.
2.2c
Materials include tools for educators to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
Materials include tools for educators to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.2c
Evaluation for 2.2c
Materials include tools for educators to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
0 out of 2 points
The materials do not include information on how students can track their own growth within the program. The materials provide a way for educators to track student data through the “Student Summary Form” in the general resources. However, the form is a general tracking form that is not tied to specific goals or standards.
2.2d
If applicable for the stated purpose of the supplemental program, materials include guidance for entry and exit criteria.
If applicable for the stated purpose of the supplemental program, materials include guidance for entry and exit criteria.
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 2.2d
Evaluation for 2.2d
If applicable for the stated purpose of the supplemental program, materials include guidance for entry and exit criteria.
Not applicable.
Rubric Section 3
Supports for All Learners
Materials support educators in reaching all learners through design focused on engagement, representation, and action/expression for learner variability.
Total
40% (4 out of 10 points)
Evaluation for 3.1a
In Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, each lesson includes a section titled “Consider Your Children.” This section provides general guidance for educators on differentiating instruction. For example, in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, lesson PA 1, the guidance states, “Be sure that children know the names of objects in the pictures and can pronounce them clearly.” These general guidelines do not specify how to provide differentiated instruction for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills.
While the materials do not include explicit guidance for differentiation or activities for students who have not yet reached grade-level proficiency, they do include general guidance. For example, in Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1, guidance for the lesson “Imogene’s Antlers” states, “Consider the strengths and needs of your children and the demands of the text as you introduce and read the text.”
Evaluation for 3.1b
The Reading Minilessons; Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study; Interactive Read-Aloud; and Shared Reading components include an optional “Extend the Lesson” section with suggestions for activities to use with students. However, the section does not distinguish whether it provides guidance for differentiated instruction for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills. For example, in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, lesson PA 1 states, “Repeat the lesson with pictures that represent a greater variety of rhyming words.”
Shared Reading, Grade 1 includes an “Additional Teaching Opportunities During/After Reading” section within each lesson. For example, in the lesson “The Elephant,” the book states, “Introduce or review the text feature term labels.” However, the educator guidance is generic; it does not provide guidance for differentiated instruction or activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills.
Evaluation for 3.1c
The materials do not provide any guidance for students who receive special education supports. However, the materials do prompt teachers to “Consider Your Children” when planning phonics and word study lessons. For example, Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 states in PA2, “Use this activity after children have experienced much shared reading of poems, chants, and songs. Through engagement with shared texts, children will become more sensitive to the sound of patterns of language.”
The Fountas & Pinnell Classroom provides guidance about special features (such as audiobooks) that educators can use to support students before reading, during reading, and after reading. However, there is no guidance on how to adapt materials to meet the individual needs of students who receive supports and services through special education within the program.
Evaluation for 3.2a
The materials provide explicit, direct prompts to support educators. For example, in The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, lesson LA.U1.RML1 notes, “The title tells us what the book is about,” prompting educators to ask, “Why is it a good idea to think about the title before you read?” and to say, “Sometimes the title tells what the book will be about.”
The materials include explicit, direct prompts and guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the skill or skills to be learned. For example, in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 lesson LK 11 “Form Letters with Writing Tools” includes a numbered list with modeled language and prompts that continue as the lesson progresses. Number 2 in the list states, “Demonstrate how it is formed,” and number 4 says, “Now, you try making the letter h in the air in front of you.”
Evaluation for 3.2b
The materials include guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches. In Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, lesson SP2 is titled “Recognize and Use the CVC Pattern.” The “Apply” section of that lesson includes a prompt to “Have children use magnetic letters, letter tiles, or lowercase letter cards.” Similarly, “Share” suggests that educators “add new words to the chart paper and have the class read them together.”
Shared Reading, grade 1 includes educator-facing lesson plans for all lessons in the program. Introductions to lessons presenting new material provide information on Warm-Up: Phonics, Introduce the Text, First Reading, Second Reading, Discussing (Within the Text, Beyond the Text, About the Text), Rereading the Text with Explicit Teaching, Responding to the Meaning of the Text, Independent Reading, Connecting to Other Books, and Assessment. These sections provide educators with details on introducing a concept and modeling through direct instruction. The lessons also include various instructional approaches such as teacher modeling, students partnering to practice a comprehension skill, and students independently applying the skill.
Evaluation for 3.2c
The Fountas & Pinnell Classroom provides educators with information about reading minilessons; shared reading; independent reading practice; and phonics, word study, and spelling practice. In The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, lesson LA.U11.RML1 prompts educators to “Turn and talk about what each nonfiction book could be about,” and the phonics, word study, and spelling lessons facilitate hands-on activities such as card sorts and magnetic letters. In the “Apply” section of lesson SP1 in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, the book states, “Give partners a set of word cards and a two-way sort. Have children read all of the words.” In lesson SP2, the book states, “Have children use magnetic letters, letter tiles, or lowercase letter cards to make words with a variety of CVC spelling patterns.”
The book club materials include guidance for educators on whole-group, small-group, and individual classroom structures to support effective implementation. For example, FPC Book Clubs Collection Guide, Grade 1 guides educators to “introduce the four titles from the text set to the whole class” before reading and to explain that some children may be able to read the text independently. The “After Reading” column states, “When all children in a group have finished reading or listening to the book, bring them together for a discussion.”
Evaluation for 3.3a
The Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 materials include a section before each lesson titled “Working with English Language Learners.” This section provides guidance on using strategies for emergent bilingual students, but does not give differentiated guidance to support two or more levels of language proficiency as defined by the ELPS. For example, in lesson ELC 3, the book prompts educators to “model correct syntax in [their] responses.” However, the materials do not include educator guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency as defined by the ELPS.
The book club materials include discussion cards with a section titled “Goals.” The book states that the intended purpose of the materials is for the educator to “choose or modify goals that match the learning needs of [their] students.” The listed goals include listening and speaking, building deep understanding, and writing about reading. While each overview card lists these goals for each book in the set, the materials do not include educator guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency as defined by the ELPS.
Evaluation for 3.3b
Shared Reading Lessons, Grade 1 does not provide any guidance to support emergent bilingual students. While each lesson’s sidebar features “Supporting English Learners,” the information is general and does not provide guidance to educators for effectively using the materials. For example, in “Coco Steps Out,” the educator is simply reminded to “check that children understand the concepts of bears and winter.”
The implementation guide for Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 provides a general overview for working with emergent bilingual students in the “What Are Some Ways of Working Effectively with English Language Learners” section. The statements and strategies are general and do not offer any educator guidance or tools for effective classroom implementation for the lessons. For example, lesson LSR 6 in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 prompts educators to “Be sure that children understand the names of the pictures in the class consonants book” but neglects to provide resources or assistance for delivering lessons with specific scaffolds to support emergent bilingual students.
Evaluation for 3.3c
This guidance is not applicable because the program is not designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs.
3.1 Differentiation and Scaffolds
3.1a
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills.
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.1a
Evaluation for 3.1a
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills.
0 out of 1 points
While the materials do not include explicit guidance for differentiation or activities for students who have not yet reached grade-level proficiency, they do include general guidance. For example, in Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1, guidance for the lesson “Imogene’s Antlers” states, “Consider the strengths and needs of your children and the demands of the text as you introduce and read the text.”
3.1b
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills.
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.1b
Evaluation for 3.1b
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills.
0 out of 1 points
Shared Reading, Grade 1 includes an “Additional Teaching Opportunities During/After Reading” section within each lesson. For example, in the lesson “The Elephant,” the book states, “Introduce or review the text feature term labels.” However, the educator guidance is generic; it does not provide guidance for differentiated instruction or activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills.
3.1c
Materials include educator guidance for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) for students receiving supports and services through special education.
Materials include educator guidance for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) for students receiving supports and services through special education.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.1c
Evaluation for 3.1c
Materials include educator guidance for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) for students receiving supports and services through special education.
0 out of 1 points
The Fountas & Pinnell Classroom provides guidance about special features (such as audiobooks) that educators can use to support students before reading, during reading, and after reading. However, there is no guidance on how to adapt materials to meet the individual needs of students who receive supports and services through special education within the program.
3.2 Instructional Methods
3.2a
Educator-led supplemental programs include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the skill(s) to be learned.
Educator-led supplemental programs include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the skill(s) to be learned.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.2a
Evaluation for 3.2a
Educator-led supplemental programs include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the skill(s) to be learned.
2 out of 2 points
The materials include explicit, direct prompts and guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the skill or skills to be learned. For example, in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 lesson LK 11 “Form Letters with Writing Tools” includes a numbered list with modeled language and prompts that continue as the lesson progresses. Number 2 in the list states, “Demonstrate how it is formed,” and number 4 says, “Now, you try making the letter h in the air in front of you.”
3.2b
Educator-led supplemental programs include educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
Educator-led supplemental programs include educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.2b
Evaluation for 3.2b
Educator-led supplemental programs include educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
1 out of 1 points
Shared Reading, grade 1 includes educator-facing lesson plans for all lessons in the program. Introductions to lessons presenting new material provide information on Warm-Up: Phonics, Introduce the Text, First Reading, Second Reading, Discussing (Within the Text, Beyond the Text, About the Text), Rereading the Text with Explicit Teaching, Responding to the Meaning of the Text, Independent Reading, Connecting to Other Books, and Assessment. These sections provide educators with details on introducing a concept and modeling through direct instruction. The lessons also include various instructional approaches such as teacher modeling, students partnering to practice a comprehension skill, and students independently applying the skill.
3.2c
Materials include guidance for educators on recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.
Materials include guidance for educators on recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.2c
Evaluation for 3.2c
Materials include guidance for educators on recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.
1 out of 1 points
The book club materials include guidance for educators on whole-group, small-group, and individual classroom structures to support effective implementation. For example, FPC Book Clubs Collection Guide, Grade 1 guides educators to “introduce the four titles from the text set to the whole class” before reading and to explain that some children may be able to read the text independently. The “After Reading” column states, “When all children in a group have finished reading or listening to the book, bring them together for a discussion.”
3.3 Support for Emergent Bilingual Students
3.3a
Materials include educator guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.
Materials include educator guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.3a
Evaluation for 3.3a
Materials include educator guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic language.
0 out of 2 points
The book club materials include discussion cards with a section titled “Goals.” The book states that the intended purpose of the materials is for the educator to “choose or modify goals that match the learning needs of [their] students.” The listed goals include listening and speaking, building deep understanding, and writing about reading. While each overview card lists these goals for each book in the set, the materials do not include educator guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency as defined by the ELPS.
3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support educators in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.
Materials include implementation guidance to support educators in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.3b
Evaluation for 3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support educators in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.
0 out of 1 points
The implementation guide for Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 provides a general overview for working with emergent bilingual students in the “What Are Some Ways of Working Effectively with English Language Learners” section. The statements and strategies are general and do not offer any educator guidance or tools for effective classroom implementation for the lessons. For example, lesson LSR 6 in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 prompts educators to “Be sure that children understand the names of the pictures in the class consonants book” but neglects to provide resources or assistance for delivering lessons with specific scaffolds to support emergent bilingual students.
3.3c
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
Not applicable.
Evaluation for 3.3c
Evaluation for 3.3c
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
Not applicable.
Rubric Section 4
Foundational Skills
Materials support the development of foundational skills through systematic and explicit (direct) instruction and practice.
Total
3% (1 out of 31 points)
Evaluation for 4.1a
The materials include an example of three-cueing in The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, SAS.U1.RML2. The book states, “Read the sentence again and get your mouth ready for the first sound.” In the “Minilesson” section, the educator covers the letters -ead in the word head with a sticky note, leaving only the h visible. The educator then says, “Look at the illustration. What does it have that starts with /h/?” while students view a picture of an elephant. This instructional prompt encourages students to use picture cues and the first letter to identify the word rather than relying on decoding the complete word.
The materials include an example of three-cueing in The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, SAS.U1.RML3. The book states, “Read the sentence again and think about what would make sense, sound right, and look right.” The educator guidance states, “If the children predict something other than the correct word, encourage them to talk about what else would make sense, sound right, and look right.” Later in the lesson, students are prompted to “Turn and talk about what would sound right and make sense” when determining the word plopped. These prompts encourage students to use meaning and sentence structure as word-identification strategies rather than relying primarily on decoding and phonics-based approaches.
Evaluation for 4.2a
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 includes a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills that are appropriate for the program’s stated purpose, but are not aligned to grade‑level TEKS. The sequence progresses from larger units of sound to smaller, more complex skills. The table of contents lists 11 phonological awareness lessons, beginning with lesson 1, “Hear and Say Rhyming Words,” moving through phoneme‑level lessons such as lesson 5, “Change the Beginning Sound to Make a New Word,” and concluding with lesson 11, “Hear and Say Four or More Sounds in a Word in Sequence.” However, the materials do not include lessons that address all of the phonological awareness TEKS, such as demonstrating phonological awareness by recognizing spoken alliteration and producing a series of rhyming words.
Shared Reading, Grade 1 provides individual lessons that include a warm-up for phonological awareness. The materials provide a phonological awareness goal for each individual lesson. For example, the phonological awareness goal of the lesson “Squawk” is to “Blend three or four phonemes in a word.” However, the materials do not include a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills aligned with the grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose, that progresses from basic skills and larger units of sound to more complex skills and smaller units of sound.
Evaluation for 4.2b
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 does include a systematic sequence of phonemic awareness skills that are appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. But these skills are not aligned to grade‑level TEKS. The sequence progresses from basic skills to more complex skills. The table of contents lists 21 letter–sound relationship lessons, beginning with lesson 1, “Understand That Some Letters Represent Consonant Sounds,” moving to lesson 14, “Recognize and Use Long Vowel Sounds in Words with Silent e”, and concluding with lesson 21, “Recognize and Use Consonant Letters That Represent Two or More Different Sounds”. However, there is no phonological awareness lesson that coincides with distinguishing between long and short vowel sounds in one-syllable words.
While some Shared Reading, Grade 1 lessons include phonological awareness activities, the materials do not provide comprehensive instruction aligned to all the first-grade phonemic awareness TEKS. For example, the shared reading lesson “Emily” includes an activity in which the educator orally segments phonemes and guides students to blend the sounds to form one-syllable words, including words with consonant blends. However, the materials do not demonstrate a clearly defined scope and sequence that systematically develops phonemic awareness skills from less complex to more advanced skills, aligned with the grade 1 TEKS. The activities appear isolated within individual lessons rather than organized within a coherent progression that builds mastery of all grade 1 phonemic awareness expectations.
Evaluation for 4.2c
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study, Grade 1 provides direct instruction in phonological awareness. For example, in the lesson “Hear and Say Rhyming Words,” educators start by “telling children that they are going to notice the sounds at the ending parts of words.” Educators then place picture cards in a pocket chart and ask students to name them: “What do you notice about the words shell and bell?” “Yes, they rhyme. Rhyming words, such as shell and bell, have the same sounds at the end.” The materials also provide lessons in phonemic awareness that offer direct instruction, such as the lesson “Recognize Beginning Consonant Sounds and the Letters that Represent Them.” For example, the educator has pictures of a boat and a ball in the letter b bag. They hold up each picture and ask students to say the pictured object’s name. The educator then asks, “What do you notice about the sound at the beginning of boat and ball? The words boat and ball both begin with /b/, so I’m going to put these pictures of the square with the letter b.” However, the lessons do not align with the first-grade TEKS. For example, there are no lessons for producing rhyming words or identifying alliteration.
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 provides instruction when phonological and phonemic awareness skills are introduced. For example, in a phonological awareness lesson on changing the beginning sound to make a new word, the educator models playing a word game using the word not. The educator then models changing the /n/ sound to /h/ and saying the new word, hot. The guidance instructs the educator to continue the lesson by changing the word chair to bear by changing the beginning sound. A sidebar references the page for the instructional procedure “Hear and Say,” and guides educators to use it in the lesson. The lesson continues as the educator changes beginning sounds of word pairs. Throughout the lesson, students share new words while the educator displays picture cards for reference as needed. However, the lessons do not align with the first-grade TEKS. For example, there are no lessons for producing rhyming words or identifying alliteration.
Evaluation for 4.2d
While the materials provide opportunities for students to apply their skills, they do not provide explicit cumulative review or practice of phonological or phonemic awareness. For example, Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, LSR 2, directs educators to “Invite children to place their completed squares on the alphabet wall and say the name of each picture or object until you have completed the entire alphabet. Reinforce the sound or sounds that the letter stands for. (This may take two or three days.)” However, the lesson does not include a cumulative review or practice of phonological or phonemic awareness skills.
The materials do not provide cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with the grade‑level TEKS. Some lessons instruct the educator to “repeat with new focus letters.” For example, in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, PA 11, the book states, “After a few weeks, repeat the lesson with more words containing four or more sounds.” However, the program does not include cumulative practice lessons that revisit previously taught phonological or phonemic awareness skills. Lessons introduce skills in isolation, and there are no structured opportunities for students to apply or review earlier skills alongside newly introduced ones, as required for cumulative practice.
Evaluation for 4.2e
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 provides only tasks that were directly taught. The materials follow a Teach, Apply, Share, Assess structure for each phonics lesson. For example, in the “Teach” section of lesson PA 10, “Blend Onsets with Rimes,” the book prompts educators to “Explain to children that they are going to learn how to put word parts together to say words.” The educator then holds up a picture of a frog and says, “This is a picture of a fr-og. The first part is fr; the last part is -og. Today we’re going to practice blending the two parts together to say the word smoothly: frog.” The “Apply” section then directs students to “Play the following word game with a partner. One child takes a picture from the pile of cards and pronounces the first part and the last part of the word that represents the picture. The partner blends the parts together and says the word smoothly.”
The program includes practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills that have been explicitly taught. For example, in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, PA lesson 7 includes explicit instruction and student practice. It states, “Repeat the example, emphasizing the /a/ sound a bit. Place a picture of a cat in the pocket chart, and have children say the word cat with you. When you say the word cat, you can listen for the middle sound. Say the word slowly. /k/ /a/ /t/. What sound do you hear in the middle? The sound /a/ is the middle sound in the word cat.” Students then practice the skill with the educator. Finally, students practice the skill by doing a two-way picture sort with a partner, sorting words by medial sound.
Evaluation for 4.A.3a
The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing sound–spelling patterns, as outlined in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1. Lessons introduce skills in a predictable progression that moves from consonants and short-vowel patterns to more complex spelling features. However, the sequence does not fully align with the grade-level TEKS. The master lesson guide chart does not provide instruction on vowel teams, a required sound–spelling pattern for this grade level. As a result, although the sequence is systematic, it does not address all grade-level phonics expectations outlined in the TEKS.
The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing sound–spelling patterns, as outlined in “Nine Areas of Learning Across the Year,” with skills becoming increasingly complex. In early grade 1, students “recognize letter patterns,” and by the middle of the year, they “recognize and use phonograms with a VCe pattern.” However, the sequence is not fully aligned to the grade 1 TEKS. For example, the materials do not address spelling words with initial and final consonant blends, digraphs, and trigraphs.
Evaluation for 4.A.3b
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 includes sound–spelling pattern instruction appropriate to the program’s stated purpose. However, the spelling pattern lessons do not provide explicit instruction in decoding and encoding words using sound–spelling patterns. For example, in lesson 7, “Recognize and Use Phonograms: -an,” the educator guides students to examine the -an pattern in presorted words in a pocket chart. Then they ask students what they notice about the sort. The guidance does not include manipulating the sound structure of -an words or breaking the words into individual sounds to support decoding and encoding.
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 includes instruction in letter–sound relationships appropriate to the program’s stated purpose. However, these lessons do not provide explicit instruction in decoding and encoding words using sound–spelling patterns. For example, in lesson 10, the educator guides students to look at words with l blends in a pocket chart and asks, “What is this word?” Later, the lesson prompts the educator to “invite children to read the words with you and listen carefully to the beginning sounds.” The guidance does not include manipulating the sound structure of words with l blends or breaking the words into individual sounds to support decoding and encoding.
Evaluation for 4.A.3c
Shared Reading Lessons, Grade 1 provides isolated decoding and encoding practice but does not include cumulative decoding or encoding practice with previously taught sound–spelling patterns. The “Sound It Out” routine in the lesson, “Woof! Woof!” provides decoding practice only for the single word just and offers the words went and last without requiring students to apply previously taught sound–spelling patterns or cumulative word lists. The “Dictate–Write–Read” activity limits encoding to a single dictated sentence, “The dog ran fast.” The lesson uses text that is not fully decodable and does not align with the phonics sequence, preventing students from engaging in cumulative decoding in connected text.
In the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1, “My Little Dog” includes a “Warm-up Phonics” section and a “Phonics/Letter and Word Work” section. Both activities provide isolated decoding and encoding practice with CVC words such as dog, big, and hug, and a dictated sentence, “My little dog got a big hug.” These activities address only the words in the lesson and do not build cumulatively across previously taught sound–spelling patterns. The text is predictable and contains untaught and irregular patterns, so students cannot apply phonics skills cumulatively to decode words.
Evaluation for 4.A.3d
The Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 materials provide a large collection of Guided Reading lessons that use pattern-based, non-decodable texts containing various sound–spelling patterns not taught in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1. As a result, students encounter and practice reading sound–spelling patterns during Guided Reading before receiving explicit instruction in those patterns during phonics, spelling, and word study lessons.
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1; Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1; and Shared Reading, Grade 1 all provide instruction in sound–spelling patterns. However, the sound–spelling patterns are not developed in a clear progression. For example, Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, SP 1 prompts students to “Recognize letter patterns.” But in the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lesson “Bella’s New Bike”, students break apart words with initial consonant clusters. These materials do not provide a scope and sequence that clearly explains which materials educators should use before introducing certain Guided Reading books.
Evaluation for 4.B.3a
While the materials include eight High-Frequency Word (HFW) lessons that introduce regular and irregular high-frequency words, the lessons do not teach the words in a systematic sequence and are not aligned with the grade-level TEKS. Specifically, the Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 HFW lesson 1 directs educators to “use the words provided in the lesson, or choose other words according to children’s experience and the level of their word knowledge,” but the materials do not establish a defined sequence of high-frequency words for instruction and practice.
The materials do not demonstrate a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with the grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The materials provide 25, 50, and 100 high-frequency word pocket chart cards but do not establish a clear progression of high-frequency word instruction across the grade nor cite a research-based list. For example, the words are grouped into 15 sets without instructional rationale, and many words appear before the educator introduces phonics skills needed to decode them. The materials do not clearly articulate how regular and irregular high-frequency words are introduced, reviewed, and reinforced systematically to support cumulative learning and grade-level mastery.
Evaluation for 4.B.3b
The materials do not include direct instruction in decoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. For example, Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 lesson HFW 1, “Recognize and Use High-Frequency Words with One, Two, or Three Letters,” prompts educators to place the words had, or, did, and was on the board. If students already know these words, educators “choose other one-, two-, and three-letter high-frequency words to practice and reinforce.” In the lesson, educators read the words, form them with magnetic letters, and write them. While students encounter high-frequency words through observation and discussion, the lesson does not explicitly teach the regular sound–spelling correspondences, irregular spellings, or pronunciation–spelling relationships within the words, nor does it model a process for decoding and reading the words to mastery.
Materials include instructional routines for foundational skills, which outline six steps for a high‑frequency word routine for grades K–3. These steps guide educators to introduce a word, say and track the word, find the word in text, write the word in multiple ways, check and rewrite the word, and make connections to other words. However, students do not receive explicit instruction in encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. For example, Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, HFW lesson 2 “Recognize and Use High-frequency Words with One, Two, or Three Letters” prompts educators to present words by reading them. The “Teach” script says, “I’m going to show you some words, and after I go through them, I’m going to ask you to read them quickly.” Then the text directs educators to “Make ten or more high-frequency words with magnetic letters, saying the word each time. Choose from the following: him, as, or, get, her, by, man, did, was, out, are, us, but, our, had, saw, who, too. …Then write each word on a whiteboard and have the children read it.” While the materials offer opportunities for students to encounter high-frequency words, this lesson does not provide explicit instruction in decoding or encoding them and instead relies on rote memorization.
Evaluation for 4.B.3c
The materials do not provide cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list, aligned with the grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The materials include a high-frequency word list. However, the list is not aligned with grade-level skills and is based on each child’s “reading experiences and their level of word knowledge.” Eight lessons in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 teach words in isolation. For example, HFW lesson 1 introduces the words had, or, did, and was. The words are not aligned to any overarching specific phonics grade-level skills and do not include cumulative practice in decoding or encoding high-frequency words.
The materials do not offer cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 HFW lesson 1 includes the section “Connect Learning Across Contexts,” which recommends high-frequency word practice during the Interactive Read-Aloud “Fish Eyes” by Lois Ehlert. But this activity does not use the specific words taught in HFW lesson 1. Instead, the lesson suggests that educators should “Reread a few sentences and have children listen for any easy high-frequency words.” The Shared Leading lesson “My Head” in Words that Sing suggests to “Use highlighter tape to locate one-, two-, and three-letter high-frequency words after reading.” However, the materials do not explicitly state that students engage in cumulative practice that systematically revisits and reinforces previously taught high-frequency words over time. While students encounter high-frequency words through phonics lessons, Interactive Read-Alouds, and Shared Reading, the materials do not consistently provide opportunities to practice decoding and encoding newly introduced and previously taught words in isolation and within decodable connected text.
Evaluation for 4.B.3d
The materials provide opportunities for students to practice high-frequency words through phonics routines, games and activities. However, in these activities, students read and/or spell high-frequency words that have not been introduced through explicit instruction. For example, Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 provides an instructional strategy called “Word to Know.” This strategy prompts students to read, make, and write high-frequency words on a chart, and educators to “show a group of high-frequency words, reading each one while running your pointer finger under it, left to right.” The materials do not provide any guidance on which words to practice.
While the materials provide opportunities for students to practice high-frequency words through eight lessons, they ask students to read and spell high-frequency words without first providing explicit instruction on how to read the words. For example, the high-frequency word lessons in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 include an “Apply” section in which students practice the words introduced in the “Teach” portion of the lesson. In HFW lesson 1 “Recognize and Use High-Frequency Words with One, Two, or Three Letters,” the educator presents the high-frequency words had, or, did, and was, directing students to read them aloud. The educator then builds and writes each word. During the “Apply” section, students use magnetic letters to read, build, and write the same words. While the lesson provides opportunities for students to practice reading and spelling the words, it does not explain the sound–spelling patterns within the words, identify irregular letter–sound correspondences, or model a process for decoding the words before students practice them.
Evaluation for 4.C.3a
The materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing syllable types and principles of syllable division aligned with the grade-level TEKS. The Comprehensive Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Guide includes 14 groups of syllable-related behaviors, beginning with foundational concepts such as understanding that a syllable contains one vowel sound, and progressing to recognizing and using syllable types and syllabication patterns, including open, closed, r-influenced, vowel combination, VCe, and consonant-le syllables, as well as VCCV, VCCCV, and VV patterns. However, the evidence does not demonstrate an intentional, cumulative sequence aligned to grade 1 expectations. Specifically, these behaviors are presented as a broad developmental continuum rather than a grade-specific scope and sequence, and the materials indicate that educators may teach lessons in any order based on their knowledge. Although students engage with a range of syllable types, syllable division patterns, and word analysis skills, the materials do not clearly show how instruction systematically progresses from foundational to more complex syllable concepts or how the sequence supports mastery of grade-level expectations.
Although the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lessons include phonics instruction focused on sorting letters, one- and two-syllable words, and high-frequency words, there is no structured pathway for developing students’ understanding of syllable concepts over time. Specifically, “Maddy’s Loose Tooth,” “Karate Class,” and “Little Lost Spot” lessons focus primarily on isolated phonics features such as “one- and two-syllable words with high picture support and a few easy high-frequency words, and words with easy spelling patterns.” Although some lessons prompt students to “break longer words into syllables” during reading, the materials do not provide systematic instruction on syllable types or a structured approach to syllable-division patterns. Students may encounter multisyllabic words during reading; however, the materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing syllable types and syllable-division principles.
Evaluation for 4.C.3b
The materials do not include explicit instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with the grade-level TEKS. Although lesson 1 in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study, Grade 1 introduces identifying syllables in one- and two-syllable words, it does not provide explicit instruction for students in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words. The lesson directs educators to “say and sort some one- and two-syllable words” by the number of syllables. While students identify, count, and sort syllables, the practice focuses on syllable awareness rather than on applying syllable types or principles of syllable division to decode and encode words. Students engage in identifying and counting syllables but the lesson does not provide explicit modeling, guided practice, or direct instruction in using syllable patterns to decode unfamiliar one-syllable or multisyllabic words or to encode words through spelling.
Although the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lesson card for “Maddy’s Loose Tooth” introduces multisyllabic word practice, the instruction does not include how to apply syllable types or syllable-division principles for decoding and encoding. Specifically, the “Phonics/Letter and Word Work” section includes a brief script that directs teachers to have students segment words into onsets and rimes, such as c/an. However, the materials do not include explanations, modeling, or instruction on syllable types or principles of syllable division. There is no modeling of how to break words into syllables, identification of syllable patterns, or guided application of syllable-based strategies during reading or spelling.
Evaluation for 4.C.3c
Although lesson 1 in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 introduces identifying syllables, the lesson focuses on identifying, counting, and sorting syllables rather than applying syllable types or syllable-division principles to decode and encode words. Specifically, the lesson directs educators to “Draw attention to syllables by having students say some one- and two-syllable words as they clap the syllables.” The educator then says, “Listen to the word hat. Now, listen to the word mother. What do you notice? When you say these words, you can hear the parts, or syllables. Hat has one syllable, and mother has two syllables.” While students identify, count, and sort syllables, the practice remains centered on syllable awareness rather than on the systematic application of syllable types or principles of syllable division for decoding and encoding words. Students have no opportunities to practice reading and spelling words using previously taught patterns, nor do they apply these skills in decodable connected text. The lesson also lacks cumulative review and repeated application of previously taught skills.
Although Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lessons, including “Find the Insect,” introduce decoding the VVC pattern with words such as good, the student practice emphasizes isolated-word reading rather than sustained application of phonics and syllable-based knowledge. Specifically, students have opportunities to read similar words in isolation but the practice remains limited to word-level decoding without corresponding encoding tasks or application within connected decodable text. While students engage in phonics practice connected to the targeted syllable type, the materials do not provide repeated opportunities to apply previously taught skills through structured practice, increased complexity, or a progression from guided to independent application. Furthermore, there is no evidence of cumulative review or spiraling of previously taught syllable patterns, and reading selections are not used as decodable connected text to reinforce phonics and word analysis skills.
Evaluation for 4.C.3d
Lesson 1 in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 provides opportunities for students to engage with syllables through oral word-analysis activities. However, the lesson does not require students to apply previously taught syllable types or syllable-division principles during practice. Specifically, the lesson states, “On the pocket chart, place the pocket-chart cards for fish, play, and boat in one column and the words basket, garden, and picnic in a second column. Say and clap the syllables of the words in each column with the children. How many syllables do the words in the first column have? How many syllables do the words in the second column have?” The materials do not guide students to apply previously taught syllable concepts or a defined syllable-division routine when working with words. Instead, the practice centers on general syllable-awareness activities using educator-selected words, and there is no explicit instruction in syllable types or syllable-division principles.
Student practice does not include only syllable types and syllable-division principles that have been explicitly taught. While the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lessons provide opportunities for students to work with multisyllabic words encountered in texts, the lessons do not require students to apply previously taught syllable types or syllable-division principles during practice. Specifically, the Guided Reading lesson cards address different syllable types and principles of syllable division based on a student’s assigned reading level rather than following a consistent, grade-level sequence of instruction. Some students may encounter skills such as breaking apart a VVC word, as in the lesson “Find the Insect,” but others may only encounter letter matching, as in the lesson “Find My Little Dog.” Although some students engage with multisyllable-word reading, the materials do not ensure that practice is restricted to previously taught syllable types or syllable-division principles. Instead, students encounter syllable patterns within text-based words before they are introduced to those patterns. As a result, student practice does not include only syllable types and syllable-division principles that have been explicitly taught.
Evaluation for 4.D.3a
The Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 materials include a Master Lesson Guide that suggests a progression of word study lessons incorporating morphological elements, such as recognizing and adding -s, -es, and -ing. However, the materials lack an intentional, cumulative sequence for introducing and developing morphemic knowledge aligned to grade-level expectations. Specifically, morphemes are embedded within a broad developmental continuum rather than a clearly defined grade-specific sequence. Although students engage with morphemes through work on recognizing and using -s and -es, the materials do not clearly show how instruction progresses systematically from foundational to more complex morphemes, or how the sequence supports mastery of the grade-level TEKS.
The materials do not demonstrate a systematic sequence for introducing morphemes aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose of additional practice. The materials include “All the Colors of the Earth,” an Interactive Read-Aloud lesson focused on the inflectional morpheme -s. The lesson states, “As you revisit books, point out plural nouns that are made by adding -s. Guide children to listen for the sounds of s at the end of these words.” However, the materials do not present a broader progression of morphological skills across the grade level. For example, the above-mentioned lesson represents a focused introduction and application of a single inflectional ending, with no indication of how other affixes, base words, or morphological structures are systematically introduced or revisited over time.
Evaluation for 4.D.3b
Lesson 4, “Word Structure,” in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 includes opportunities for students to interact with morphemes through forming plural words. However, the instruction does not provide clear, direct teaching of the targeted morphological concept. Specifically, the lesson instructs educators to “Write the word beach on chart paper. Then write the word beaches next to the word beach, and have children read beaches aloud. Ask, ‘What do you notice about these two words?ʼ Explain to students that beaches is plural: ‘I added -es to the end of beach to make beaches.ʼ” The students then apply their learning by matching singular and plural nouns. While the educator prompts students to sort plurals, the instructional routine relies on noticing and applying a stated rule rather than systematically teaching the morphological structure. Although students encounter the inflectional ending -es and base words such as beach, dish, box, and quiz, the materials do not explicitly teach how morphemes function within words through a clear explanation of base-word and suffix relationships, nor do they provide structured modeling that develops conceptual understanding of the rule.
The materials include the Guided Reading lesson “Animals in the City,” in which students encounter words containing the inflectional ending -ing. However, the instruction emphasizes reading and writing words from the text rather than directly teaching morphological structure or meaning. For example, students read and write words using -ing, but the lesson does not explicitly identify the ending as a morpheme or explain how it changes the base word’s meaning. While students engage with morphemes through exposure to inflectional endings such as -ing, the materials do not provide explicit instruction on morphological skills.
Evaluation for 4.D.3c
While Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 lesson 4 provides opportunities for students to engage with morphological skills through forming plural nouns, the practice does not build cumulatively toward mastery of grade-level expectations. Specifically, the lesson instructs educators to “Write the word beach on chart paper. Then write the word beaches next to the word beach, and have children read beaches aloud. Ask, ‘What do you notice about these two words?ʼ Explain to students that beaches is plural: “‘I added -es to the end of beach to make beaches.ʼ Repeat the procedure with a few more words, and guide students to generalize the principle for adding -es.” But this instruction does not include structured opportunities for repeated application across lessons or within connected text. Although students practice adding the inflectional ending -es to base words such as beach, box, and quiz, the materials do not include cumulative practice of morphological skills in isolation or connected text.
The materials include the Guided Reading lesson “Animals in the City,” in which students read and discuss words from the text that contain morphological features. The lesson states, “Students write the word jump on their whiteboards,” and prompts the educator to tell students, “Add the ending -ing to jump. Read the word. Can someone use the word jumping in a sentence? How does the ending -ing change the meaning of the word?” However, the practice remains limited in scope and fails to demonstrate a clear progression in morphological learning over time. For example, the lesson does not revisit previously taught prefixes, suffixes, inflectional endings, or base words through repeated word study activities, nor does it provide structured opportunities for students to apply morphological knowledge beyond the immediate lesson. While students may engage in isolated exposure to words with inflectional endings within the text, the materials do not include cumulative practice of morphological skills in isolation or connected text.
Evaluation for 4.D.3d
In The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1 lesson “Use Your Finger to Help You Learn How to Take Apart New Words,” students examine the word shouted. Students slowly move a card strip across the word to reveal each part. Although the materials provide opportunities for students to engage in morphological analysis during reading, the lesson does not indicate whether these specific word parts were explicitly taught before their use. Instead, students are expected to apply analysis of multiple affixes within connected text without clear evidence of prior explicit instruction or reinforcement.
Guided Reading Collection, Grade 1 includes opportunities for students to read and discuss words containing inflectional endings such as -ed and -ing in the Guided Reading lesson “Animals in the City.” However, the instructional materials do not clearly establish that students learn the morphemes through explicit instruction before applying them. For example, students encounter multiple inflectional endings in the text, but there is no educator guidance to introduce or directly teach specific morphemes in the lesson sequence.
4.1 Non-Negotiable: Prohibition of Three-Cueing
4.1a
Materials do not include the three-cueing method as defined in Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0062. TEC, §28.0062 defines three-cueing as a method of reading instruction for the identification of words in which a student is encouraged to draw on context and sentence structure to read words without sounding the words out or using a phonics-based approach.
Materials do not include the three-cueing method as defined in Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0062. TEC, §28.0062 defines three-cueing as a method of reading instruction for the identification of words in which a student is encouraged to draw on context and sentence structure to read words without sounding the words out or using a phonics-based approach.
Not scored
Evaluation for 4.1a
Evaluation for 4.1a
Materials do not include the three-cueing method as defined in Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0062. TEC, §28.0062 defines three-cueing as a method of reading instruction for the identification of words in which a student is encouraged to draw on context and sentence structure to read words without sounding the words out or using a phonics-based approach.
0 out of 0 points
The materials include an example of three-cueing in The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, SAS.U1.RML3. The book states, “Read the sentence again and think about what would make sense, sound right, and look right.” The educator guidance states, “If the children predict something other than the correct word, encourage them to talk about what else would make sense, sound right, and look right.” Later in the lesson, students are prompted to “Turn and talk about what would sound right and make sense” when determining the word plopped. These prompts encourage students to use meaning and sentence structure as word-identification strategies rather than relying primarily on decoding and phonics-based approaches.
4.2 Phonological and Phonemic Awareness (K-2)
4.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose that progresses from basic skills and larger units of sound to more complex skills and smaller units of sound.
Materials include a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose that progresses from basic skills and larger units of sound to more complex skills and smaller units of sound.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.2a
Evaluation for 4.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose that progresses from basic skills and larger units of sound to more complex skills and smaller units of sound.
0 out of 1 points
Shared Reading, Grade 1 provides individual lessons that include a warm-up for phonological awareness. The materials provide a phonological awareness goal for each individual lesson. For example, the phonological awareness goal of the lesson “Squawk” is to “Blend three or four phonemes in a word.” However, the materials do not include a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills aligned with the grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose, that progresses from basic skills and larger units of sound to more complex skills and smaller units of sound.
4.2b
Materials include a systematic sequence of phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose that progresses from basic skills (e.g., identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes) to more complex skills (e.g., adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes).
Materials include a systematic sequence of phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose that progresses from basic skills (e.g., identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes) to more complex skills (e.g., adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes).
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.2b
Evaluation for 4.2b
Materials include a systematic sequence of phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose that progresses from basic skills (e.g., identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes) to more complex skills (e.g., adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes).
0 out of 1 points
While some Shared Reading, Grade 1 lessons include phonological awareness activities, the materials do not provide comprehensive instruction aligned to all the first-grade phonemic awareness TEKS. For example, the shared reading lesson “Emily” includes an activity in which the educator orally segments phonemes and guides students to blend the sounds to form one-syllable words, including words with consonant blends. However, the materials do not demonstrate a clearly defined scope and sequence that systematically develops phonemic awareness skills from less complex to more advanced skills, aligned with the grade 1 TEKS. The activities appear isolated within individual lessons rather than organized within a coherent progression that builds mastery of all grade 1 phonemic awareness expectations.
4.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.2c
Evaluation for 4.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 provides instruction when phonological and phonemic awareness skills are introduced. For example, in a phonological awareness lesson on changing the beginning sound to make a new word, the educator models playing a word game using the word not. The educator then models changing the /n/ sound to /h/ and saying the new word, hot. The guidance instructs the educator to continue the lesson by changing the word chair to bear by changing the beginning sound. A sidebar references the page for the instructional procedure “Hear and Say,” and guides educators to use it in the lesson. The lesson continues as the educator changes beginning sounds of word pairs. Throughout the lesson, students share new words while the educator displays picture cards for reference as needed. However, the lessons do not align with the first-grade TEKS. For example, there are no lessons for producing rhyming words or identifying alliteration.
4.2d
Materials include cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.2d
Evaluation for 4.2d
Materials include cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
The materials do not provide cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with the grade‑level TEKS. Some lessons instruct the educator to “repeat with new focus letters.” For example, in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, PA 11, the book states, “After a few weeks, repeat the lesson with more words containing four or more sounds.” However, the program does not include cumulative practice lessons that revisit previously taught phonological or phonemic awareness skills. Lessons introduce skills in isolation, and there are no structured opportunities for students to apply or review earlier skills alongside newly introduced ones, as required for cumulative practice.
4.2e
Student practice includes only phonological and phonemic awareness skills that have been explicitly taught.
Student practice includes only phonological and phonemic awareness skills that have been explicitly taught.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.2e
Evaluation for 4.2e
Student practice includes only phonological and phonemic awareness skills that have been explicitly taught.
1 out of 1 points
The program includes practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills that have been explicitly taught. For example, in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, PA lesson 7 includes explicit instruction and student practice. It states, “Repeat the example, emphasizing the /a/ sound a bit. Place a picture of a cat in the pocket chart, and have children say the word cat with you. When you say the word cat, you can listen for the middle sound. Say the word slowly. /k/ /a/ /t/. What sound do you hear in the middle? The sound /a/ is the middle sound in the word cat.” Students then practice the skill with the educator. Finally, students practice the skill by doing a two-way picture sort with a partner, sorting words by medial sound.
4.A.3 Sound-Spelling Patterns
4.A.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.A.3a
Evaluation for 4.A.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing sound–spelling patterns, as outlined in “Nine Areas of Learning Across the Year,” with skills becoming increasingly complex. In early grade 1, students “recognize letter patterns,” and by the middle of the year, they “recognize and use phonograms with a VCe pattern.” However, the sequence is not fully aligned to the grade 1 TEKS. For example, the materials do not address spelling words with initial and final consonant blends, digraphs, and trigraphs.
4.A.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.A.3b
Evaluation for 4.A.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 2 points
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 includes instruction in letter–sound relationships appropriate to the program’s stated purpose. However, these lessons do not provide explicit instruction in decoding and encoding words using sound–spelling patterns. For example, in lesson 10, the educator guides students to look at words with l blends in a pocket chart and asks, “What is this word?” Later, the lesson prompts the educator to “invite children to read the words with you and listen carefully to the beginning sounds.” The guidance does not include manipulating the sound structure of words with l blends or breaking the words into individual sounds to support decoding and encoding.
4.A.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.
0 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 4.A.3c
Evaluation for 4.A.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.
0 out of 3 points
In the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1, “My Little Dog” includes a “Warm-up Phonics” section and a “Phonics/Letter and Word Work” section. Both activities provide isolated decoding and encoding practice with CVC words such as dog, big, and hug, and a dictated sentence, “My little dog got a big hug.” These activities address only the words in the lesson and do not build cumulatively across previously taught sound–spelling patterns. The text is predictable and contains untaught and irregular patterns, so students cannot apply phonics skills cumulatively to decode words.
4.A.3d
Student practice includes only sound-spelling patterns that have been explicitly taught.
Student practice includes only sound-spelling patterns that have been explicitly taught.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.A.3d
Evaluation for 4.A.3d
Student practice includes only sound-spelling patterns that have been explicitly taught.
0 out of 1 points
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1; Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1; and Shared Reading, Grade 1 all provide instruction in sound–spelling patterns. However, the sound–spelling patterns are not developed in a clear progression. For example, Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, SP 1 prompts students to “Recognize letter patterns.” But in the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lesson “Bella’s New Bike”, students break apart words with initial consonant clusters. These materials do not provide a scope and sequence that clearly explains which materials educators should use before introducing certain Guided Reading books.
4.B.3 High-Frequency Words (English Reading Language Arts)
4.B.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.B.3a
Evaluation for 4.B.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
The materials do not demonstrate a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with the grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The materials provide 25, 50, and 100 high-frequency word pocket chart cards but do not establish a clear progression of high-frequency word instruction across the grade nor cite a research-based list. For example, the words are grouped into 15 sets without instructional rationale, and many words appear before the educator introduces phonics skills needed to decode them. The materials do not clearly articulate how regular and irregular high-frequency words are introduced, reviewed, and reinforced systematically to support cumulative learning and grade-level mastery.
4.B.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.B.3b
Evaluation for 4.B.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 2 points
Materials include instructional routines for foundational skills, which outline six steps for a high‑frequency word routine for grades K–3. These steps guide educators to introduce a word, say and track the word, find the word in text, write the word in multiple ways, check and rewrite the word, and make connections to other words. However, students do not receive explicit instruction in encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. For example, Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, HFW lesson 2 “Recognize and Use High-frequency Words with One, Two, or Three Letters” prompts educators to present words by reading them. The “Teach” script says, “I’m going to show you some words, and after I go through them, I’m going to ask you to read them quickly.” Then the text directs educators to “Make ten or more high-frequency words with magnetic letters, saying the word each time. Choose from the following: him, as, or, get, her, by, man, did, was, out, are, us, but, our, had, saw, who, too. …Then write each word on a whiteboard and have the children read it.” While the materials offer opportunities for students to encounter high-frequency words, this lesson does not provide explicit instruction in decoding or encoding them and instead relies on rote memorization.
4.B.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level skills as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level skills as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.
0 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 4.B.3c
Evaluation for 4.B.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level skills as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.
0 out of 3 points
The materials do not offer cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 HFW lesson 1 includes the section “Connect Learning Across Contexts,” which recommends high-frequency word practice during the Interactive Read-Aloud “Fish Eyes” by Lois Ehlert. But this activity does not use the specific words taught in HFW lesson 1. Instead, the lesson suggests that educators should “Reread a few sentences and have children listen for any easy high-frequency words.” The Shared Leading lesson “My Head” in Words that Sing suggests to “Use highlighter tape to locate one-, two-, and three-letter high-frequency words after reading.” However, the materials do not explicitly state that students engage in cumulative practice that systematically revisits and reinforces previously taught high-frequency words over time. While students encounter high-frequency words through phonics lessons, Interactive Read-Alouds, and Shared Reading, the materials do not consistently provide opportunities to practice decoding and encoding newly introduced and previously taught words in isolation and within decodable connected text.
4.B.3d
Student practice includes only regular and irregular high-frequency words that have been explicitly taught.
Student practice includes only regular and irregular high-frequency words that have been explicitly taught.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.B.3d
Evaluation for 4.B.3d
Student practice includes only regular and irregular high-frequency words that have been explicitly taught.
0 out of 1 points
While the materials provide opportunities for students to practice high-frequency words through eight lessons, they ask students to read and spell high-frequency words without first providing explicit instruction on how to read the words. For example, the high-frequency word lessons in Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 include an “Apply” section in which students practice the words introduced in the “Teach” portion of the lesson. In HFW lesson 1 “Recognize and Use High-Frequency Words with One, Two, or Three Letters,” the educator presents the high-frequency words had, or, did, and was, directing students to read them aloud. The educator then builds and writes each word. During the “Apply” section, students use magnetic letters to read, build, and write the same words. While the lesson provides opportunities for students to practice reading and spelling the words, it does not explain the sound–spelling patterns within the words, identify irregular letter–sound correspondences, or model a process for decoding the words before students practice them.
4.C.3 One-Syllable and Multisyllabic Words
4.C.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing syllable types and syllable division principles in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing syllable types and syllable division principles in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.C.3a
Evaluation for 4.C.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing syllable types and syllable division principles in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Although the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lessons include phonics instruction focused on sorting letters, one- and two-syllable words, and high-frequency words, there is no structured pathway for developing students’ understanding of syllable concepts over time. Specifically, “Maddy’s Loose Tooth,” “Karate Class,” and “Little Lost Spot” lessons focus primarily on isolated phonics features such as “one- and two-syllable words with high picture support and a few easy high-frequency words, and words with easy spelling patterns.” Although some lessons prompt students to “break longer words into syllables” during reading, the materials do not provide systematic instruction on syllable types or a structured approach to syllable-division patterns. Students may encounter multisyllabic words during reading; however, the materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing syllable types and syllable-division principles.
4.C.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.C.3b
Evaluation for 4.C.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 2 points
Although the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lesson card for “Maddy’s Loose Tooth” introduces multisyllabic word practice, the instruction does not include how to apply syllable types or syllable-division principles for decoding and encoding. Specifically, the “Phonics/Letter and Word Work” section includes a brief script that directs teachers to have students segment words into onsets and rimes, such as c/an. However, the materials do not include explanations, modeling, or instruction on syllable types or principles of syllable division. There is no modeling of how to break words into syllables, identification of syllable patterns, or guided application of syllable-based strategies during reading or spelling.
4.C.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.
0 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 4.C.3c
Evaluation for 4.C.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.
0 out of 3 points
Although Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lessons, including “Find the Insect,” introduce decoding the VVC pattern with words such as good, the student practice emphasizes isolated-word reading rather than sustained application of phonics and syllable-based knowledge. Specifically, students have opportunities to read similar words in isolation but the practice remains limited to word-level decoding without corresponding encoding tasks or application within connected decodable text. While students engage in phonics practice connected to the targeted syllable type, the materials do not provide repeated opportunities to apply previously taught skills through structured practice, increased complexity, or a progression from guided to independent application. Furthermore, there is no evidence of cumulative review or spiraling of previously taught syllable patterns, and reading selections are not used as decodable connected text to reinforce phonics and word analysis skills.
4.C.3d
Student practice includes only syllable types and syllable division principles that have been explicitly taught.
Student practice includes only syllable types and syllable division principles that have been explicitly taught.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.C.3d
Evaluation for 4.C.3d
Student practice includes only syllable types and syllable division principles that have been explicitly taught.
0 out of 1 points
Student practice does not include only syllable types and syllable-division principles that have been explicitly taught. While the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lessons provide opportunities for students to work with multisyllabic words encountered in texts, the lessons do not require students to apply previously taught syllable types or syllable-division principles during practice. Specifically, the Guided Reading lesson cards address different syllable types and principles of syllable division based on a student’s assigned reading level rather than following a consistent, grade-level sequence of instruction. Some students may encounter skills such as breaking apart a VVC word, as in the lesson “Find the Insect,” but others may only encounter letter matching, as in the lesson “Find My Little Dog.” Although some students engage with multisyllable-word reading, the materials do not ensure that practice is restricted to previously taught syllable types or syllable-division principles. Instead, students encounter syllable patterns within text-based words before they are introduced to those patterns. As a result, student practice does not include only syllable types and syllable-division principles that have been explicitly taught.
4.D.3 Morphemes (1-5)
4.D.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing morphemes in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing morphemes in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.D.3a
Evaluation for 4.D.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing morphemes in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
The materials do not demonstrate a systematic sequence for introducing morphemes aligned with grade-level TEKS, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose of additional practice. The materials include “All the Colors of the Earth,” an Interactive Read-Aloud lesson focused on the inflectional morpheme -s. The lesson states, “As you revisit books, point out plural nouns that are made by adding -s. Guide children to listen for the sounds of s at the end of these words.” However, the materials do not present a broader progression of morphological skills across the grade level. For example, the above-mentioned lesson represents a focused introduction and application of a single inflectional ending, with no indication of how other affixes, base words, or morphological structures are systematically introduced or revisited over time.
4.D.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.D.3b
Evaluation for 4.D.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
The materials include the Guided Reading lesson “Animals in the City,” in which students encounter words containing the inflectional ending -ing. However, the instruction emphasizes reading and writing words from the text rather than directly teaching morphological structure or meaning. For example, students read and write words using -ing, but the lesson does not explicitly identify the ending as a morpheme or explain how it changes the base word’s meaning. While students engage with morphemes through exposure to inflectional endings such as -ing, the materials do not provide explicit instruction on morphological skills.
4.D.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice of morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text, to develop automaticity.
Materials include cumulative student practice of morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text, to develop automaticity.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.D.3c
Evaluation for 4.D.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice of morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text, to develop automaticity.
0 out of 2 points
The materials include the Guided Reading lesson “Animals in the City,” in which students read and discuss words from the text that contain morphological features. The lesson states, “Students write the word jump on their whiteboards,” and prompts the educator to tell students, “Add the ending -ing to jump. Read the word. Can someone use the word jumping in a sentence? How does the ending -ing change the meaning of the word?” However, the practice remains limited in scope and fails to demonstrate a clear progression in morphological learning over time. For example, the lesson does not revisit previously taught prefixes, suffixes, inflectional endings, or base words through repeated word study activities, nor does it provide structured opportunities for students to apply morphological knowledge beyond the immediate lesson. While students may engage in isolated exposure to words with inflectional endings within the text, the materials do not include cumulative practice of morphological skills in isolation or connected text.
4.D.3d
Student practice includes only morphemes that have been explicitly taught.
Student practice includes only morphemes that have been explicitly taught.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.D.3d
Evaluation for 4.D.3d
Student practice includes only morphemes that have been explicitly taught.
0 out of 1 points
Guided Reading Collection, Grade 1 includes opportunities for students to read and discuss words containing inflectional endings such as -ed and -ing in the Guided Reading lesson “Animals in the City.” However, the instructional materials do not clearly establish that students learn the morphemes through explicit instruction before applying them. For example, students encounter multiple inflectional endings in the text, but there is no educator guidance to introduce or directly teach specific morphemes in the lesson sequence.
Rubric Section 5
Vocabulary
Materials support the development of vocabulary by teaching specific words and word-learning strategies.
Total
0% (0 out of 10 points)
Evaluation for 5.1a
The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1 identifies “Academic Language/Important Vocabulary” for each lesson. The vocabulary instruction primarily focuses on identifying words that students need to know, but lacks guidance on how to teach them in lessons. For example, Umbrella 2, “Solving Words” prompts educators to “discuss how to figure out what words mean by using context or looking at the illustrations.” While this guidance encourages the use of context clues, the materials do not include explicit instruction for teaching specific vocabulary.
The Interactive Read-Aloud materials include some instruction on specific vocabulary and use various strategies to teach meaning, but they lack explicit instruction. For example, “First Day Jitters” includes instruction on specific vocabulary and uses two strategies for teaching word meanings. The lesson introduces the word jitters in the “Introduce the Text” section. Then the educator provides the student-friendly definition: “If you have the jitters, you feel very nervous about something.” Later, the educator is prompted to revisit a page to discuss the word trudge, providing a student‑friendly definition and having students “trudge around the classroom together.” These prompts offer instruction in word meaning. However, the words are not explicitly taught in context, as they are learned only during guided discourse.
Evaluation for 5.1b
The Interactive Read-Aloud lesson “A Cool Summer Tail” features the tier 2 vocabulary words panting, puffing, and huffing. However, the lesson does not provide explicit instruction to teach the meaning of these words. For example, the “Reread and Revisit the Text” section “Vocabulary” instructs the educator to revisit a page and tell students that the red fox keeps cool by panting, puffing, and huffing. The lesson then directs the educator to ask students to pant, puff, and huff along with them, modeling the actions as needed. Although students have the opportunity to act out the words, the materials do not include explicit instruction to define the words, explain their meanings, or connect them to other texts.
The Guided Reading lesson “Clever Mother Raccoon” does not include explicit instruction for selected tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary. In the lesson overview, “Vocabulary and Language Development” prompts educators to choose “a few words that are new to students but easy to understand in context, such as clever and kits.” Before the story begins, the introduction prompts the educator to say, “Do you see the logo with the little pictures of Mother Raccoon and her kits? A kit is a baby raccoon. The title of today’s book is Clever Mother Raccoon. What does the word clever mean? To be clever, you not only have to be smart, but you must also think quickly.” While the word clever is connected to the text, the lesson does not extend students’ understanding through explicit vocabulary instruction beyond a brief, student-friendly definition.
Evaluation for 5.1c
The Interactive Read-Aloud lessons expose students to domain-specific vocabulary such as author and illustrator. For example, in the Interactive Read-Aloud “Elizabeth’s School,” the lesson card suggests that educators “use some academic language to talk about features such as author and illustrator.” The lesson also introduces the vocabulary words uniform and stiff, which are discussed as they appear in the text. Although these words are introduced and revisited through teacher-led discussion and text-based questions, students have limited opportunities to actively use the vocabulary themselves. Similarly, the words author and illustrator reappear in the Interactive Read-Aloud Learning and Working Together: School book set and the “Discuss the Text” section. However, these opportunities are educator directed and do not include repeated student practice using the vocabulary across multiple contexts.
While vocabulary words are introduced in Guided Reading lessons, the materials do not include repeated opportunities for students to practice using specific vocabulary in multiple contexts. For example, while the Guided Reading lesson “In the Arctic” states, “The Arctic is a cold place,” and asks, “What kind of animal can live in the Arctic?” and “Would you like to visit the Arctic?”, students do not have multiple contexts in which to practice using the word arctic. Other texts do not include or discuss the word.
Evaluation for 5.2a
Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1, lesson 3 provides limited instruction in morphemic analysis. For example, the educator states, “I’ll say a word, and you say the plural. Say the word cat to the class. Cat means ‘one cat’. What about more than one cat? How do you say a plural for cat? Cats.” The educator delivers most of the instruction and leads students through a call-and-response activity to change singular nouns to plurals. Afterward, students complete a two-way sort: “Students read the words and use the sort to match singular and plural nouns. Then have them use the second two-way sort to write four or five of their word pairs.” However, students do not independently analyze word structure or apply morphemic analysis to determine word meaning.
The materials do not provide explicit instruction on using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with the grade-level TEKS. In the Guided Reading lesson “Bear’s Flowers,” under “Phonics/Letter and Word Work,” the educator guides students to build the base word plant, read it, and then add -ed to form planted. The lesson states, “Have students tell the letters to pull down to build the base word plant. Invite them to read it. Add -ed. Read the word with students. ‘Planted. We added the suffix -ed to the end of a base word.’” After reading the story, the educator prompts students to construct additional -ed words and reminds them that the ending signals past tense. Although the materials provide opportunities to learn about inflectional endings, the lessons focus on word-building and spelling patterns rather than explicitly supporting students in using morphemic analysis to determine word meanings.
Evaluation for 5.2b
The materials provide limited opportunities for students to practice morphemic analysis to determine the meanings of newly acquired words. For example, the Interactive Read-Aloud lesson “Mice and Beans” includes two educator prompts to revisit a page and say, “The workers assemble Catalina’s present. Look at the illustration and think about what the workers are doing. What do you think the word assemble means? The mice assembled, or put together, a swing set, too.” While the materials provide the word assembled, they do not provide opportunities for students to practice morphemic analysis. They discuss the word assembled, but provide no instruction on the -ed ending and how it changes the word’s meaning, and students have no opportunities for practice. Therefore, the activity is not aligned with the grade-level TEKS, which require students to identify the meanings of words with the affixes -s, -ed, and -ing.
Lesson 4 of Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 teaches students to form plural nouns by adding the inflectional ending -es. For example, the materials direct educators to “Write the word beach,” and ask, What is this word? What would I do to the word beach to make it plural? I’d add -es to the end of beach to make beaches.” After the direct instruction, students sort words into singular and plural categories. Although the lesson provides guided practice with the inflectional ending -es, students do not practice using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning. Instead, the lesson focuses on identifying and forming plural nouns, without asking students to analyze how the morpheme changes meaning beyond the definition of “more than one” or apply that knowledge to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Evaluation for 5.2c
The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1 includes the lesson “Use the Information from the Sentence or the Book to Understand the Meaning of the Word.” The rationale states, “Children learn how to derive the meanings of words within connected text when you teach them how to search illustrations or use sentence and story context.” During the lesson, the educator shows a book and reads two pages, then asks, “What do you think the word hover means? Why do you think that? The word hover means to stay in one place in the air. What on these two pages helped you understand the meaning of the word hover?” The “Teach” section leads students through illustrations and sentences to find clues about the word’s meaning. However, the lesson does not provide explicit, direct instruction and instead uses guided discussion to address the objective.
The materials do not include explicit instruction on using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS and the program’s stated purpose. For example, in the Interactive Read-Aloud lessons, the lesson card for “A Birthday Present for Tia” includes a “Reread and Revisit the Text” section. The educator prompts students to determine the meaning of the phrase qué pasó using context clues and illustrations. The script directs teachers to “Revisit pages with Spanish words for clues to their meanings in the text or illustration.” For example, students return to a page and use the surrounding text and illustration to infer the meaning of qué pasó. Although the lesson includes teacher-guided questioning, it does not provide explicit instruction on contextual analysis, explain how to use context clues, or model the strategy through a think-aloud. The materials include a limited script that does not provide explicit instructions. Furthermore, the lesson does not include a gradual release of responsibility in which students are explicitly taught the strategy, practice it with support, and then apply it independently.
Evaluation for 5.2d
In the Interactive Read-Aloud lesson “Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge,” the vocabulary goal is to “Notice and acquire understanding of new vocabulary from the story (organ, precious, gently).” For example, in the “Reread and Revisit the Text” section, the educator rereads part of page 3 and says, “Mrs. Jordan plays the organ. Look at the illustration. What do you think an organ is? What other musical instrument does it look like?” Then the educator reads another page and says, “Mr. Drysdale says a memory is something as precious as gold. What does Wilfrid find that is as precious as gold to him? What do you think the word precious means? If something is precious, it has great value or is greatly loved.” Although the lesson includes a discussion of vocabulary words, it does not provide opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with the grade-level TEKS.
In The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, lesson RML 8 provides instruction on using contextual analysis to determine word meanings. However, the materials do not include opportunities for students to practice the skill beyond an educator-led discussion. For example, students contribute to the educator’s identification of context clues for unfamiliar words in “The Cactus Hotel” and “Captain Brock, Firefighter.” The lessons prompt educators to “Invite children to practice using context clues with a partner”: “Show Captain Brock, Firefighter...” “Turn and talk about what you think the word gear means, and why you think that.” The materials do not include opportunities for students to independently practice using contextual analysis to determine word meanings in alignment with the grade-level TEKS.
5.1 Teaching Specific Words
5.1a
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on specific vocabulary using multiple strategies for teaching word meaning (e.g., student-friendly definitions, synonyms and antonyms, examples and non-examples, categorization and classification, images).
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on specific vocabulary using multiple strategies for teaching word meaning (e.g., student-friendly definitions, synonyms and antonyms, examples and non-examples, categorization and classification, images).
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.1a
Evaluation for 5.1a
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on specific vocabulary using multiple strategies for teaching word meaning (e.g., student-friendly definitions, synonyms and antonyms, examples and non-examples, categorization and classification, images).
0 out of 2 points
The Interactive Read-Aloud materials include some instruction on specific vocabulary and use various strategies to teach meaning, but they lack explicit instruction. For example, “First Day Jitters” includes instruction on specific vocabulary and uses two strategies for teaching word meanings. The lesson introduces the word jitters in the “Introduce the Text” section. Then the educator provides the student-friendly definition: “If you have the jitters, you feel very nervous about something.” Later, the educator is prompted to revisit a page to discuss the word trudge, providing a student‑friendly definition and having students “trudge around the classroom together.” These prompts offer instruction in word meaning. However, the words are not explicitly taught in context, as they are learned only during guided discourse.
5.1b
Specific vocabulary selected for explicit (direct) instruction includes high-utility tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary.
Specific vocabulary selected for explicit (direct) instruction includes high-utility tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.1b
Evaluation for 5.1b
Specific vocabulary selected for explicit (direct) instruction includes high-utility tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary.
0 out of 2 points
The Guided Reading lesson “Clever Mother Raccoon” does not include explicit instruction for selected tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary. In the lesson overview, “Vocabulary and Language Development” prompts educators to choose “a few words that are new to students but easy to understand in context, such as clever and kits.” Before the story begins, the introduction prompts the educator to say, “Do you see the logo with the little pictures of Mother Raccoon and her kits? A kit is a baby raccoon. The title of today’s book is Clever Mother Raccoon. What does the word clever mean? To be clever, you not only have to be smart, but you must also think quickly.” While the word clever is connected to the text, the lesson does not extend students’ understanding through explicit vocabulary instruction beyond a brief, student-friendly definition.
5.1c
Materials include repeated opportunities for students to practice using specific vocabulary in multiple contexts.
Materials include repeated opportunities for students to practice using specific vocabulary in multiple contexts.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.1c
Evaluation for 5.1c
Materials include repeated opportunities for students to practice using specific vocabulary in multiple contexts.
0 out of 2 points
While vocabulary words are introduced in Guided Reading lessons, the materials do not include repeated opportunities for students to practice using specific vocabulary in multiple contexts. For example, while the Guided Reading lesson “In the Arctic” states, “The Arctic is a cold place,” and asks, “What kind of animal can live in the Arctic?” and “Would you like to visit the Arctic?”, students do not have multiple contexts in which to practice using the word arctic. Other texts do not include or discuss the word.
5.2 Teaching Word-Learning Strategies
5.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.2a
Evaluation for 5.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
The materials do not provide explicit instruction on using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with the grade-level TEKS. In the Guided Reading lesson “Bear’s Flowers,” under “Phonics/Letter and Word Work,” the educator guides students to build the base word plant, read it, and then add -ed to form planted. The lesson states, “Have students tell the letters to pull down to build the base word plant. Invite them to read it. Add -ed. Read the word with students. ‘Planted. We added the suffix -ed to the end of a base word.’” After reading the story, the educator prompts students to construct additional -ed words and reminds them that the ending signals past tense. Although the materials provide opportunities to learn about inflectional endings, the lessons focus on word-building and spelling patterns rather than explicitly supporting students in using morphemic analysis to determine word meanings.
5.2b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.2b
Evaluation for 5.2b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Lesson 4 of Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, Grade 1 teaches students to form plural nouns by adding the inflectional ending -es. For example, the materials direct educators to “Write the word beach,” and ask, What is this word? What would I do to the word beach to make it plural? I’d add -es to the end of beach to make beaches.” After the direct instruction, students sort words into singular and plural categories. Although the lesson provides guided practice with the inflectional ending -es, students do not practice using morphemic analysis to determine word meaning. Instead, the lesson focuses on identifying and forming plural nouns, without asking students to analyze how the morpheme changes meaning beyond the definition of “more than one” or apply that knowledge to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
5.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.2c
Evaluation for 5.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
The materials do not include explicit instruction on using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS and the program’s stated purpose. For example, in the Interactive Read-Aloud lessons, the lesson card for “A Birthday Present for Tia” includes a “Reread and Revisit the Text” section. The educator prompts students to determine the meaning of the phrase qué pasó using context clues and illustrations. The script directs teachers to “Revisit pages with Spanish words for clues to their meanings in the text or illustration.” For example, students return to a page and use the surrounding text and illustration to infer the meaning of qué pasó. Although the lesson includes teacher-guided questioning, it does not provide explicit instruction on contextual analysis, explain how to use context clues, or model the strategy through a think-aloud. The materials include a limited script that does not provide explicit instructions. Furthermore, the lesson does not include a gradual release of responsibility in which students are explicitly taught the strategy, practice it with support, and then apply it independently.
5.2d
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.2d
Evaluation for 5.2d
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
In The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, lesson RML 8 provides instruction on using contextual analysis to determine word meanings. However, the materials do not include opportunities for students to practice the skill beyond an educator-led discussion. For example, students contribute to the educator’s identification of context clues for unfamiliar words in “The Cactus Hotel” and “Captain Brock, Firefighter.” The lessons prompt educators to “Invite children to practice using context clues with a partner”: “Show Captain Brock, Firefighter...” “Turn and talk about what you think the word gear means, and why you think that.” The materials do not include opportunities for students to independently practice using contextual analysis to determine word meanings in alignment with the grade-level TEKS.
Rubric Section 6
Fluency
Materials support the development of reading fluency (i.e., rate, accuracy, prosody) with grade-level texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Total
57% (4 out of 7 points)
Evaluation for 6.1a
In the Shared Reading materials, “Lots of Snow” provides explicit teacher modeling of fluent reading. The script directs the educator to “model reading phrases with expression” and to use an excited voice when reading “Rosa cried, ‘Look at all the snow!’” The text also guides the educator to “slightly exaggerate” the problem-solving parts and show surprise at the ending, modeling appropriate prosody. The lesson models accuracy and rate by directing the educator to “point crisply under each word” and, when appropriate, slide the pointer under each line to demonstrate smooth, fluent phrasing. During rereads, the teacher continues to model fluent reading by emphasizing phrasing and stressing connective words such as so, but, and and. Students then practice fluency by joining in to read the bold red print with appropriate expression.
In The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, lesson RML 8 provides explicit modeling of fluent reading. The lesson rationale states, “Teaching children to integrate all dimensions of fluency, including appropriate rate, phrasing, pausing, stress, and intonation, will help their oral reading sound smooth.” The lesson directs the educator to read pages from the “Chicken Licken” story at an appropriate rate, with pauses, expression, and stress. The educator then asks, “What did you notice about my voice as I read? I made my voice sound like Chicken Licken. I made my voice get a little louder when I saw the exclamation points and go down when I saw a period. … This made my reading sound smooth.” The educator continues modeling these aspects of fluent reading throughout the remainder of the story before inviting students to practice reading with the same rate, accuracy, and prosody.
Evaluation for 6.1b
In The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, lesson SAS.U3.RML2, students have opportunities to practice fluent reading with sentences. For example, the “Summarize and Apply” section prompts the educator to “Summarize the learning and remind children to make their voices go up when they see a question mark.” Although the lesson reinforces expressive reading at the sentence level, it does not provide opportunities for students to practice fluency with word lists or connected texts.
The materials do not include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with word lists or connected texts. Although the materials contain word lists such as the Phonograms and 100 High-Frequency Words lists, poetry, and connected texts, they do not incorporate these resources into explicit fluency lessons that provide structured practice across all three text types. For example, in The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, “Umbrella 3: Maintaining Fluency” includes opportunities for students to echo read, reread with partners, and participate in choral reading after teacher modeling. However, the lessons do not provide dedicated fluency practice using targeted word lists or connected texts to develop fluency skills.
Evaluation for 6.1c
The materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with various grade-level texts as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. Sing a Song of Poetry provides a collection of grade-level poems designed to develop fluent, phrased reading. The stated goal is to “provide the opportunity to participate in fluent, phrased reading,” and students are encouraged to reread poems using appropriate phrasing, pauses, stress, and intonation to build fluency. The Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 provides further opportunities for students to practice fluency with a wide variety of grade-level texts representing multiple genres including fiction, nonfiction, traditional literature, biography, and informational texts. Together, the poetry and Guided Reading components provide repeated opportunities for students to practice reading fluently across a diverse range of grade 1 texts.
The Independent Reading Collection offers students a wide variety of grade‑level books across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and folk tales, such as Bees, Ballet Stars, Dog’s New Coat, and The Princess and the Pea. The materials state, “During independent reading, children also practice applying to their own reading what they have learned through minilessons.” Each book gives students repeated opportunities to practice fluency, which consists of rate, accuracy, and prosody, across a broad range of grade‑appropriate texts at students’ independent reading levels.
Evaluation for 6.1d
The Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 provides “200 original fiction and nonfiction texts that span levels A through M, with lessons that accompany each text.” The collection includes a broad range of texts that increase in complexity across Guided Reading levels and represent multiple genres including fiction, nonfiction, biography, traditional literature, realistic fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and informational texts. In addition, Sing a Song of Poetry offers a diverse collection of grade-level poems that expose students to various poetic forms, language structures, and levels of text complexity while supporting fluent reading. Together, the Guided Reading and poetry components provide students with access to a wide variety of increasingly complex texts across multiple genres, supporting the development of reading proficiency through varied literary and informational experiences.
In the Fountas and Pinnell Classroom components, students engage with texts that vary in complexity of content, language, and components. The Shared Reading lessons include 65 original Big Books across multiple genres, exposing students to a range of literary and informational texts. These texts introduce increasingly complex vocabulary, ideas, and text structures as students move through the sequence of materials. The program also provides matching Small Books for independent reading and audio recordings to support fluency and access to the texts. Together, these resources ensure that students engage with a variety of high-quality texts at different levels of complexity, aligned with the program’s stated purpose.
Evaluation for 6.1e
While the materials include an “Interactive Read-Aloud Recordkeeping Form” for tracking students’ behaviors during Interactive Read-Alouds, they do not include guidance for educators to provide feedback on students’ reading fluency, including rate, accuracy, and prosody. The observation form prompts educators to “Record behaviors such as responding, joining in when reading, making comments, using some of the language of the book, asking questions, and retelling the story.” These observations support monitoring student engagement and comprehension during interactive reading. But they do not direct educators to observe or document specific fluency behaviors such as reading rate, accuracy, phrasing, expression, or prosody. The materials also do not provide guidance for using fluency observations to deliver targeted feedback that helps students improve their oral reading. As a result, the materials do not include sufficient guidance for educators to provide feedback on reading fluency based on student performance.
The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1 materials provide nine specific lessons under the “Maintaining Fluency” Umbrella. While each of these lessons provides educator modeling followed by student practice and assessment, the materials do not include guidance for educators to provide feedback to students on reading fluency, including rate, accuracy, and prosody. For example, in the reading minilesson “Read the Talk the Way the Character Said It,” the educator states the purpose of the lesson, provides examples of fluent reading to students by pausing to point out the way their voice changes, then provides opportunities for students to practice doing the same. In the “Assessment” portion of the lesson, questions such as Do they reflect punctuation in their voices when they read aloud? enable the educator to analyze students’ fluency. However, there is no guidance on how to provide feedback to students.
6.1 Fluency
6.1a
Materials include modeling of fluent reading (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).
Materials include modeling of fluent reading (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1a
Evaluation for 6.1a
Materials include modeling of fluent reading (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).
1 out of 1 points
In The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, lesson RML 8 provides explicit modeling of fluent reading. The lesson rationale states, “Teaching children to integrate all dimensions of fluency, including appropriate rate, phrasing, pausing, stress, and intonation, will help their oral reading sound smooth.” The lesson directs the educator to read pages from the “Chicken Licken” story at an appropriate rate, with pauses, expression, and stress. The educator then asks, “What did you notice about my voice as I read? I made my voice sound like Chicken Licken. I made my voice get a little louder when I saw the exclamation points and go down when I saw a period. … This made my reading sound smooth.” The educator continues modeling these aspects of fluent reading throughout the remainder of the story before inviting students to practice reading with the same rate, accuracy, and prosody.
6.1b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with word lists, phrases/sentences, and connected texts.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with word lists, phrases/sentences, and connected texts.
1 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 6.1b
Evaluation for 6.1b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with word lists, phrases/sentences, and connected texts.
1 out of 3 points
The materials do not include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with word lists or connected texts. Although the materials contain word lists such as the Phonograms and 100 High-Frequency Words lists, poetry, and connected texts, they do not incorporate these resources into explicit fluency lessons that provide structured practice across all three text types. For example, in The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1, “Umbrella 3: Maintaining Fluency” includes opportunities for students to echo read, reread with partners, and participate in choral reading after teacher modeling. However, the lessons do not provide dedicated fluency practice using targeted word lists or connected texts to develop fluency skills.
6.1c
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with a variety of grade-level texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with a variety of grade-level texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1c
Evaluation for 6.1c
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading fluency with a variety of grade-level texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
1 out of 1 points
The Independent Reading Collection offers students a wide variety of grade‑level books across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and folk tales, such as Bees, Ballet Stars, Dog’s New Coat, and The Princess and the Pea. The materials state, “During independent reading, children also practice applying to their own reading what they have learned through minilessons.” Each book gives students repeated opportunities to practice fluency, which consists of rate, accuracy, and prosody, across a broad range of grade‑appropriate texts at students’ independent reading levels.
6.1d
Materials include a variety of texts at different levels of complexity.
Materials include a variety of texts at different levels of complexity.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1d
Evaluation for 6.1d
Materials include a variety of texts at different levels of complexity.
1 out of 1 points
In the Fountas and Pinnell Classroom components, students engage with texts that vary in complexity of content, language, and components. The Shared Reading lessons include 65 original Big Books across multiple genres, exposing students to a range of literary and informational texts. These texts introduce increasingly complex vocabulary, ideas, and text structures as students move through the sequence of materials. The program also provides matching Small Books for independent reading and audio recordings to support fluency and access to the texts. Together, these resources ensure that students engage with a variety of high-quality texts at different levels of complexity, aligned with the program’s stated purpose.
6.1e
Materials include guidance for educators to provide feedback to students on reading fluency (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).
Materials include guidance for educators to provide feedback to students on reading fluency (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1e
Evaluation for 6.1e
Materials include guidance for educators to provide feedback to students on reading fluency (including rate, accuracy, and prosody).
0 out of 1 points
The Reading Minilessons Book, Grade 1 materials provide nine specific lessons under the “Maintaining Fluency” Umbrella. While each of these lessons provides educator modeling followed by student practice and assessment, the materials do not include guidance for educators to provide feedback to students on reading fluency, including rate, accuracy, and prosody. For example, in the reading minilesson “Read the Talk the Way the Character Said It,” the educator states the purpose of the lesson, provides examples of fluent reading to students by pausing to point out the way their voice changes, then provides opportunities for students to practice doing the same. In the “Assessment” portion of the lesson, questions such as Do they reflect punctuation in their voices when they read aloud? enable the educator to analyze students’ fluency. However, there is no guidance on how to provide feedback to students.
Rubric Section 7
Handwriting
Materials support the development of handwriting skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Not applicable for this program.
Rubric Section 8
Reading Comprehension
Materials support the development of reading comprehension skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Total
62% (8 out of 13 points)
Evaluation for 8.1a
The FPC Independent Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 includes a classroom collection of “engaging texts of varying genres and levels of complexity so that all children will be able to find books they can and want to read” comprising 150 titles. Each book was “carefully selected to ensure that the collection is appropriate and engaging for first graders and represents a diverse range of experiences, topics, perspectives, and cultures.” The titles include genres such as animal fantasy, expository, fantasy, narrative, realistic, fable, biography, folktale, and procedural; examples include Pete the Cat: Pete’s Big Lunch by James Dean, There Is a Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems, and Clementine by Sara Pennypacker.
The Shared Reading grade 1 materials include opportunities to activate and build students’ background knowledge before and during reading to support comprehension. Before they read Ripples of the Sea, students engage in discussions that connect the text to their existing knowledge while introducing key concepts and vocabulary needed for understanding. Students discuss the word ripple. The lesson also builds background knowledge by prompting students to read informational text about whales. Additional English learner supports direct educators to monitor students’ understanding of key vocabulary, including swoosh, swish, and smack, ensuring that students have the background knowledge necessary to engage with and comprehend the texts.
Evaluation for 8.1b
The Shared Reading grade 1 materials include various high-quality texts at different levels of complexity that represent multiple literary and informational genres. Students engage with authentic published texts through reading, discussion, and writing as they analyze ideas, text structures, and authors’ craft. Examples include Animal Surprises, an informational text that presents the unique body parts that help animals survive, and Ripples in the Sea, which increases literary complexity by blending fiction and nonfiction elements. Across the collection, students encounter texts that vary in genre, vocabulary, syntax, text structure, and knowledge demands, providing meaningful opportunities to engage with high-quality texts at different levels of complexity.
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 materials provide students with opportunities to engage with high-quality texts that represent a range of genres, settings, themes, and text structures. Through educator-led discussions, close analysis, and writing activities, students examine authors’ craft, character development, and theme while responding to increasingly complex texts. For example, Chester’s Way builds background knowledge by explaining, “This book is called Chester’s Way. Kevin Henkes is the author and illustrator. This means he wrote the words and drew the illustrations. This is another book about friendship, like The Magic Rabbit.” Across the collection, students encounter texts that vary in setting, themes, vocabulary, text structures, and knowledge demands, providing meaningful opportunities to analyze, discuss, and write about high-quality literary texts in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
Evaluation for 8.1c
The Shared Reading grade 1 materials include texts with content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students’ diverse cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. The lessons intentionally incorporate traditional literature from multiple cultures, providing students with opportunities to explore values, customs, and ways of thinking from around the world while making connections to their own experiences. For example, The Creaky House: A Tale from Europe introduces a European folk tale that teaches “Sometimes things are not as bad as they seem.” Three Billy Goats Gruff: A Tale from Norway introduces students to Norway and prompts them to examine the theme that “Sometimes it’s easier to stand up to a bully when you stand together.” Together, these texts provide authentic opportunities for students to engage with stories that broaden their understanding of different backgrounds, traditions, and perspectives while fostering respect for cultural diversity.
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 materials include texts that are relevant, engaging, and authentically reflective of students’ diverse backgrounds, cultures, languages, and family experiences. The lessons provide meaningful opportunities for students to explore various cultural perspectives while making personal connections to themes that are familiar and significant to their own lives. For example, Papa and Me portrays a bilingual father and son as students who examine language, belonging, and intergenerational relationships through authentic Spanish vocabulary and cultural experiences. My Name Yoon tells the story of a little girl who has moved to the United States from Korea. Together these texts provide authentic representations of diverse cultures, languages, and family experiences while fostering empathy, personal connections, and an appreciation for multiple perspectives.
Evaluation for 8.2a
The Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 materials consistently activate and supply students’ background knowledge during the text introduction portion of each Guided Reading lesson. For example, before reading “The Baby Groundhogs,” the teacher facilitates an interactive discussion about what students already know about groundhogs to activate prior knowledge of the new text. The lesson also encourages students to recall information from the companion text, Wild Babies! By intentionally eliciting students’ prior experiences and supplying essential context before reading, the materials prepare students to better comprehend the text and support meaningful engagement throughout the lesson.
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 lessons activate students’ background knowledge through educator-led discussions that connect upcoming texts to students’ personal experiences and prior understanding. For example, before students read Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes, the lesson card explicitly supports the activation of background knowledge through its “Goals” and “Messages” sections. Students make connections among content, topics, and themes across fiction texts, comparing and contrasting the book with other Henkes titles. These tasks encourage students to draw on prior experiences with familiar characters, emotions, and story structures. Themes of bravery, fear, and sibling relationships connect to common childhood experiences, helping students relate personally to the text before and during reading. By intentionally connecting students’ prior knowledge and experiences to the text before reading, the materials strengthen comprehension and prepare students for deeper engagement with the text.
Evaluation for 8.2b
The Shared Reading grade 1 lessons do not provide instructional support for introducing vocabulary words prior to reading. For example, the goal of the lesson “The Big Mix-Up” is to “acquire new vocabulary from listening and use it in discussion.” However, educators do not discuss specific words before students read the book. During the story’s introduction, the educator reviews high-frequency words that will be used throughout the story, asks students to make a prediction based on the cover, and tells students that they will read to find out why Fox’s friends did not invite him to the party. The educator does not pre-teach specific vocabulary words before delivering the lessons. The materials do not provide sufficient guidance for pre-teaching unfamiliar words before students encounter them in the text.
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 lessons do not consistently pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary before students engage with the text. For example, the “Amazing Grace” lesson identifies vocabulary such as audition and amazing in the “Introduce the Text” section. However, the lesson does not include instructional guidance for explicitly introducing or teaching these words before the read-aloud. While the class reads the book, the educator tells students, “An audition is a time to try out for a part in a play. You show others how well you can act, talk, or sing like the character you want to be,” offering no further discussion of the word audition. Afterward, the “Vocabulary” section of the lesson prompts the educator to say, “Grace is an amazing girl, and this is an amazing book. What does the word amazing mean? What other words do you know that mean amazing? Why do you think Grace is amazing?”
Evaluation for 8.2c
One of the stated goals of the Interactive Read-Aloud lesson “How to Hide a Butterfly” is “Use new vocabulary from the book in discussion,” but the lesson does not identify or discuss specific words before students read the book. The “Vocabulary” section of the lesson prompts the educator to reread a page and say, “Because the world is hostile, all creatures need protection. Protection keeps you safe. If you need protection in a hostile world, does that mean hostile means something good or bad? What do you think the word hostile means?” The lesson does not provide teacher modeling or direct instruction on how students can use surrounding words, phrases, or sentences to infer their meanings. Instead, students encounter the vocabulary without explicit strategies for contextual analysis, limiting opportunities to develop this grade-level vocabulary skill.
In the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 Guided Reading lesson “Play Time,” the text’s introduction directs the educator to provide definitions for vocabulary such as giggle, rather than modeling how students can use context clues to determine word meanings independently. While the materials provide direct explanations and opportunities for word study, they do not include explicit instruction or guided practice in using surrounding text to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.
Evaluation for 8.2d
The Interactive Read-Aloud lesson “Rainbow Fish to the Rescue” includes extension activities such as independent writing and art in the “Respond to the Text” section. However, the materials do not include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts, aligned with the grade-level TEKS. For example, after rereading a page, the educator is prompted to say, “It says Rainbow Fish remembered how lonely he was when all the fish ignored him. What do you think ignored means? When Rainbow Fish was ignored, he was lonely. What do you think lonely means?” While these tasks extend students’ comprehension and response to the text, they do not provide opportunities for students to practice determining the meanings of unfamiliar words by analyzing surrounding words, phrases, or sentences.
In the Shared Reading lesson “The Garden Helper,” the materials do not include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with the grade-level TEKS. Instead, the lesson relies on educator-provided definitions and graphic features to explain vocabulary, such as directly defining beetles, mantis, slugs, and grubs. Because students are given meanings rather than prompted to infer them from the text, the lesson does not provide practice in contextual analysis.
Evaluation for 8.3a
The Independent Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 lesson “A Bus Called Heaven” includes conferring prompts that address literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension under the headings “Thinking Within the Text,” “Thinking Beyond the Text,” and “Thinking About the Text.” However, the materials provide only general guidance on selecting questions based on students’ progress through the text and do not include a systematic sequence or explicit instruction in the comprehension skills needed to answer them.
The Interactive Read-Aloud lesson card for Bootsie Barker Bites includes discussion questions that address literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension, but presents the questions as a mixed list without a systematic instructional progression. The lesson moves between comprehension levels without explicit teacher guidance on modeling or teaching how students should apply each comprehension skill. For example, during the reading, the guidance states, “Stop a few times to invite thinking and a brief conversation. Children may turn and talk in pairs or threes.” Then the lesson directs the teacher to tell students to look at a page of the book and prompts, “Look carefully at each girl. What do you know so far about these two characters?” “How does the girl feel about the wonderful surprise? How can you tell?”
Evaluation for 8.3b
The Independent Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 provides students with opportunities to practice literal, inferential, and evaluative reading comprehension skills across various grade-level literary and informational texts, including fiction, poetry, drama, and informational selections. Each text includes a conferring card with questions organized as “Thinking Within the Text,” “Thinking Beyond the Text,” and “Thinking About the Text,” requiring students to recall explicit details, make inferences, and evaluate or analyze the text. For example, the conferring card for Aaron has a Lazy Day engages students in comprehension practice at multiple levels, supporting grade-level comprehension across diverse text types.
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 materials provide opportunities for students to practice reading comprehension skills across multiple levels, including literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension, through engagement with grade-level texts. In the lesson “The Relatives Came,” students engage with a literary text and respond to questions throughout the lesson that require them to analyze story events, characters, and the author’s purpose. Students practice literal comprehension by answering questions found in the text, such as “What are the children doing with each other?” Students also develop inferential comprehension by responding to questions such as “How does the author’s language help imagine the author’s long journey by car?” and “Some of this story might have happened a long time ago. What could happen today?” In the “Reread and Revisit the Text” section, students continue to build comprehension by analyzing illustrations, discussing word meanings in context, and examining how text features contribute to meaning. These opportunities provide students with practice applying comprehension skills at literal, inferential, and evaluative levels while engaging with a grade-level literary text.
8.1 High-Quality Texts
8.1a
[English reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational). [Spanish reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex authentic or transadapted Spanish texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational).
[English reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational). [Spanish reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex authentic or transadapted Spanish texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational).
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 8.1a
Evaluation for 8.1a
[English reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational).
[Spanish reading language arts] Materials include opportunities for students to read high-quality, grade-level, complex authentic or transadapted Spanish texts as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, in a variety of text types (e.g., literary, informational).
3 out of 3 points
The Shared Reading grade 1 materials include opportunities to activate and build students’ background knowledge before and during reading to support comprehension. Before they read Ripples of the Sea, students engage in discussions that connect the text to their existing knowledge while introducing key concepts and vocabulary needed for understanding. Students discuss the word ripple. The lesson also builds background knowledge by prompting students to read informational text about whales. Additional English learner supports direct educators to monitor students’ understanding of key vocabulary, including swoosh, swish, and smack, ensuring that students have the background knowledge necessary to engage with and comprehend the texts.
8.1b
Materials include a variety of high-quality texts at different levels of complexity.
Materials include a variety of high-quality texts at different levels of complexity.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.1b
Evaluation for 8.1b
Materials include a variety of high-quality texts at different levels of complexity.
1 out of 1 points
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 materials provide students with opportunities to engage with high-quality texts that represent a range of genres, settings, themes, and text structures. Through educator-led discussions, close analysis, and writing activities, students examine authors’ craft, character development, and theme while responding to increasingly complex texts. For example, Chester’s Way builds background knowledge by explaining, “This book is called Chester’s Way. Kevin Henkes is the author and illustrator. This means he wrote the words and drew the illustrations. This is another book about friendship, like The Magic Rabbit.” Across the collection, students encounter texts that vary in setting, themes, vocabulary, text structures, and knowledge demands, providing meaningful opportunities to analyze, discuss, and write about high-quality literary texts in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
8.1c
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.1c
Evaluation for 8.1c
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences.
1 out of 1 points
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 materials include texts that are relevant, engaging, and authentically reflective of students’ diverse backgrounds, cultures, languages, and family experiences. The lessons provide meaningful opportunities for students to explore various cultural perspectives while making personal connections to themes that are familiar and significant to their own lives. For example, Papa and Me portrays a bilingual father and son as students who examine language, belonging, and intergenerational relationships through authentic Spanish vocabulary and cultural experiences. My Name Yoon tells the story of a little girl who has moved to the United States from Korea. Together these texts provide authentic representations of diverse cultures, languages, and family experiences while fostering empathy, personal connections, and an appreciation for multiple perspectives.
8.2 Background Knowledge and Vocabulary
8.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge.
Materials activate or supply background knowledge.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.2a
Evaluation for 8.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge.
1 out of 1 points
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 lessons activate students’ background knowledge through educator-led discussions that connect upcoming texts to students’ personal experiences and prior understanding. For example, before students read Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes, the lesson card explicitly supports the activation of background knowledge through its “Goals” and “Messages” sections. Students make connections among content, topics, and themes across fiction texts, comparing and contrasting the book with other Henkes titles. These tasks encourage students to draw on prior experiences with familiar characters, emotions, and story structures. Themes of bravery, fear, and sibling relationships connect to common childhood experiences, helping students relate personally to the text before and during reading. By intentionally connecting students’ prior knowledge and experiences to the text before reading, the materials strengthen comprehension and prepare students for deeper engagement with the text.
8.2b
Materials include pre-teaching of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts.
Materials include pre-teaching of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.2b
Evaluation for 8.2b
Materials include pre-teaching of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts.
0 out of 1 points
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 lessons do not consistently pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary before students engage with the text. For example, the “Amazing Grace” lesson identifies vocabulary such as audition and amazing in the “Introduce the Text” section. However, the lesson does not include instructional guidance for explicitly introducing or teaching these words before the read-aloud. While the class reads the book, the educator tells students, “An audition is a time to try out for a part in a play. You show others how well you can act, talk, or sing like the character you want to be,” offering no further discussion of the word audition. Afterward, the “Vocabulary” section of the lesson prompts the educator to say, “Grace is an amazing girl, and this is an amazing book. What does the word amazing mean? What other words do you know that mean amazing? Why do you think Grace is amazing?”
8.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using contextual analysis to determine the word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using contextual analysis to determine the word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.2c
Evaluation for 8.2c
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on using contextual analysis to determine the word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
In the Guided Reading Collection Guide, Grade 1 Guided Reading lesson “Play Time,” the text’s introduction directs the educator to provide definitions for vocabulary such as giggle, rather than modeling how students can use context clues to determine word meanings independently. While the materials provide direct explanations and opportunities for word study, they do not include explicit instruction or guided practice in using surrounding text to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.
8.2d
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 8.2d
Evaluation for 8.2d
Materials include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 1 points
In the Shared Reading lesson “The Garden Helper,” the materials do not include opportunities for students to practice using contextual analysis to determine word meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts in alignment with the grade-level TEKS. Instead, the lesson relies on educator-provided definitions and graphic features to explain vocabulary, such as directly defining beetles, mantis, slugs, and grubs. Because students are given meanings rather than prompted to infer them from the text, the lesson does not provide practice in contextual analysis.
8.3 Comprehension Skills
8.3a
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) instruction on reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) instruction on reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 8.3a
Evaluation for 8.3a
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) instruction on reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
0 out of 2 points
The Interactive Read-Aloud lesson card for Bootsie Barker Bites includes discussion questions that address literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension, but presents the questions as a mixed list without a systematic instructional progression. The lesson moves between comprehension levels without explicit teacher guidance on modeling or teaching how students should apply each comprehension skill. For example, during the reading, the guidance states, “Stop a few times to invite thinking and a brief conversation. Children may turn and talk in pairs or threes.” Then the lesson directs the teacher to tell students to look at a page of the book and prompts, “Look carefully at each girl. What do you know so far about these two characters?” “How does the girl feel about the wonderful surprise? How can you tell?”
8.3b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) with a variety of grade-level texts in alignment with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) with a variety of grade-level texts in alignment with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 8.3b
Evaluation for 8.3b
Materials include opportunities for students to practice reading comprehension skills at multiple levels (i.e., literal, inferential, evaluative) with a variety of grade-level texts in alignment with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
2 out of 2 points
The Interactive Read-Aloud, Grade 1 materials provide opportunities for students to practice reading comprehension skills across multiple levels, including literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension, through engagement with grade-level texts. In the lesson “The Relatives Came,” students engage with a literary text and respond to questions throughout the lesson that require them to analyze story events, characters, and the author’s purpose. Students practice literal comprehension by answering questions found in the text, such as “What are the children doing with each other?” Students also develop inferential comprehension by responding to questions such as “How does the author’s language help imagine the author’s long journey by car?” and “Some of this story might have happened a long time ago. What could happen today?” In the “Reread and Revisit the Text” section, students continue to build comprehension by analyzing illustrations, discussing word meanings in context, and examining how text features contribute to meaning. These opportunities provide students with practice applying comprehension skills at literal, inferential, and evaluative levels while engaging with a grade-level literary text.
Rubric Section 9
Writing
Materials support the development of writing skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.
Not applicable for this program.