Fundations Level 3 Texas

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).

Fundations Level 3 states that the program is a supplemental foundational literacy resource intended for 30 minutes per day within tier one general education English Language Arts (ELA) instruction. It also supports small-group intervention through optional materials, indicating its use for both whole-class instruction and targeted student needs. The program provides systematic, explicit instruction in foundational skills, including phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, spelling, and handwriting. The materials also direct educators to pair the program with a comprehensive tier one literacy program to support reading comprehension and overall literacy development.

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 states that the program is a supplemental, structured literacy curriculum grounded in the science of reading and designed to provide direct, systematic, explicit, sequential, and cumulative instruction in foundational literacy skills. The materials identify the instructional focus as decoding, encoding, handwriting, phonics, fluency, and word study to build a foundation for reading and spelling. While the program addresses foundational skills as part of tier one instruction, it is intended to be used alongside a comprehensive language arts program to support full literacy development, including comprehension and vocabulary.

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.

Fundations Level 3 provides guidance on using the program as supplemental support within a core English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) curriculum and as an intervention within a multitiered system of supports (MTSS) framework. The materials explain that Fundations replaces the foundational skills component of tier one instruction, and educators deliver a daily 30-minute whole-class lesson featuring explicit instruction and structured learning activities. The program complements a comprehensive ELA curriculum that continues to address comprehension, vocabulary, and writing.

Fundations Level 3 provides guidance on using the program as supplemental support within a comprehensive ELAR curriculum. The materials describe Fundations as deliverable through digital or hands-on instruction and designate the 30-minute standard lesson for whole-class tier one instruction. The materials also recommend using the targeted intervention and the Fundations Level 3 Learning Community in the FUN HUB alongside the standard lesson and a comprehensive language arts program to support students who need additional literacy support.

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

The materials include a clear scope and sequence that outlines student expectations, skills taught, pacing, and the rationale for instructional design. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 organizes skills into 14 units, with pacing guidance and end-of-level expectations, such as students’ ability to identify syllable types, spell vowel teams, and recognize schwa sounds. The program explains that its scope and sequence is sequential and cumulative, allowing students to build increasingly complex skills while reviewing previously taught concepts to support mastery and success.

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 provides instructions for units 1–14, including pacing guidance and student expectations, and outlines the literacy skills taught, such as phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and sound mastery. While the scope and sequence organizes skills and pacing, the “Principles of Instruction” section explains the rationale. It describes instruction as sequential and cumulative, supporting mastery from simple to complex skills and built-in review across levels. The materials reinforce this rationale throughout the manual, including explanations of how explicit instruction supports student understanding.

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

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 provides clear guidance on time requirements and suggested pacing. For example, it directs the educator to deliver the standard Fundations lesson daily for 30 minutes as part of tier one whole-class ELAR instruction, with an additional 20-minute targeted practice block for intervention and reinforcement. The “Fundations Scope and Sequence” further supports pacing by organizing the 14 units and providing suggested timeframes.

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 states that the educator should use the intervention resources for 30 minutes per day, five days a week, for small-group targeted intervention, while also delivering the standard Fundations lesson daily for 30 minutes. The materials provide pacing guidance in the “Fundations Scope and Sequence,” with units 1–14 organized into instructional timeframes of one to three weeks. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 recommends that educators extend units when students have not yet demonstrated mastery.

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

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 provides step-by-step guidance for preparing learning activities, including reviewing activity overviews, using Activity Cue Cards, and practicing procedures. It also offers corrective feedback, differentiation strategies, and supports for multilingual learners.

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 provides implementation support through lesson-preparation guidance, instructional routines, differentiation strategies, assessment guidance, and access to FUN HUB resources, including video demonstrations, printable materials, and educator examples. The materials also include targeted intervention supports, such as the Fundations Level 3 Learning Community and intervention guidelines, which provide structured small-group and individualized instruction aligned with whole-class literacy instruction to support struggling learners.

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

The materials include comprehensive family supports in both English and Spanish to strengthen home-to-school connections and reinforce literacy instruction. The Home Support Pack 3 includes parent letters for each unit that explain skills and offer specific at-home practice suggestions, such as supporting vocabulary development, oral language, handwriting, and foundational literacy skills. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 also includes “Home Support” sections within each unit that guide educators on which materials to send home and how families can support student learning through consistent practice and reinforcement.

The materials include family supports in both English and Spanish to reinforce literacy learning at home. The Home Support Pack 3 offers family letters for each unit that explain the skills students are learning and provide structured activities for home practice, such as identifying schwa sounds, practicing homophones, reading and writing words, proofreading sentences, and practicing cursive handwriting. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 also provides guidance for educators on preparing and sending home support materials, demonstrating a clear connection between classroom instruction and family engagement.

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).

Fundations Level 3 includes comprehensive screening, diagnostics, progress monitoring, and formative assessments to monitor student literacy growth and guide instructional decisions throughout the program. The materials offer multiple assessment formats, including progress monitoring, formative assessments, observational data, unit assessments, and universal screeners, all aligned with foundational literacy skills such as sound-symbol correspondence, schwa patterns, decoding, spelling, and fluency. Additionally, the Phonemic Awareness Assessment Pathway Charts outline the purpose, frequency, and skills assessed in the program, while the “Observe and Assess” sections support ongoing evaluation of student proficiency and targeted instructional interventions.

Fundations Level 3 includes instructional assessments that monitor student mastery and inform instructional decisions within the supplemental literacy program. Progress-monitoring tools, including Check-Ups, Fluency Kits, observational assessments, and biweekly unit tests, align with the curriculum scope and sequence and assess foundational literacy skills through encoding and decoding activities. Additionally, the materials provide guidance for remediation when students do not meet the 80 percent mastery expectation, including tools such as the Unit Test Tracker and diagnostic recommendations to support targeted intervention and data-driven instruction.

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

Fundations Level 3 clearly defines progress monitoring, formative assessments, and observational data to help educators track growth and target advanced literacy skills, such as schwa identification and complex spelling patterns. Across unit overviews, the curriculum explains that formative tasks measure specific skill mastery, while progress monitoring provides flexible, ongoing data tailored to individual student needs. By integrating these metrics with digital management tools and daily instructional callouts, the program establishes a comprehensive, purpose-driven framework for data-based decision-making.

Fundations Level 3 explicitly defines formative assessments in the preface as ongoing, informal measures designed to gauge student mastery and directly inform real-time teaching decisions. Across units, the materials clarify that these assessments are purpose-driven and evaluate complex, targeted skills such as consonant-le syllable division, double-vowel teams, and suffix rules. By integrating structured encoding and decoding tasks with continuous observational data from daily dictations and drills, the program provides educators with a transparent framework for tracking progress and adjusting instruction accordingly.

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

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 ensures consistent and accurate administration by providing clear preparation steps, explicit dictation lists, and ongoing error-analysis protocols. For instance, the materials outline a four-step preparation process, including directing students to the appropriate Student Notebook section and providing exact words such as eagle, lighting, and shriek for standard dictation. Furthermore, the manual pairs these standardized unit tests with daily “Observe and Assess” guidelines that train educators to analyze spelling and decoding errors systematically, ensuring that data remains reliable and comparable across all classrooms. It also includes a tracker for students to monitor their own growth and for self-reflection.

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 ensures consistent, accurate administration with clear, bulleted instructions, dictation protocols, and scoring guidance. During unit tests, the materials provide step-by-step guidance for educators, from directing students to the correct Student Notebook section to instructing them to actively monitor independent writing. By standardizing dictation of targeted sounds and assessment of structural concepts, such as having students scoop sentences into phrases, the curriculum establishes an equitable testing environment that enables teams to collect reliable performance data. It also includes a tracker that students can use to monitor their own growth and reflect.

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

The level 3 curriculum guarantees that its instructional assessments span varying levels of complexity by grounding them in a strictly sequential, cumulative framework. As outlined in the Preface, the programs are explicitly designed to track student mastery across a scope and sequence in which skills build directly upon one another, requiring students to master prerequisite building blocks in level 2 before advancing to level 3. A chart of assessment types provides information on what each assessment does, when it should be given, and its intensity.

The Assessment Pathways in the Appendix illustrate this progression in cognitive demand. Because the units build logically over the year, the corresponding unit tests and formative checks naturally scale upward in rigor. Rather than evaluating isolated mechanics, the assessment items shift from intermediate phonetic recognition to highly complex reading and writing tasks, requiring students to integrate advanced decoding, multisyllabic encoding, morphological analysis, and text fluency as the year progresses.

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

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 provides detailed scoring rubrics and data-interpretation guidelines anchored to an 80 percent mastery benchmark. The manual outlines granular point allocations for specific assessment categories, including individual points for sound identification, phonetically regular words, structural markings, and high-frequency trick words, and offers guidance on scoring correct spelling options. To guide next-step instructional decisions, it instructs educators to extend unit pacing if the class average falls below 80 percent or to deploy targeted intervention guides whenever an individual student drops below the 80 percent threshold.

Fundations Level 3 provides structured scoring and interpretation guidance through physical progress-monitoring charts and automated digital data tracking. The FUN HUB online platform automatically scores student responses against an 80 percent mastery threshold and provides diagnostic alerts for high rates of self-correction. Together, these tools enable educators to visually map growth trajectories and instantly flag students who lack independence and need targeted intervention.

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

The FUN HUB Unit Test Tracker for grade 3 provides a digital dashboard that automatically charts cumulative student performance trends and highlights any scores below the 80 percent mastery threshold, triggering immediate instructional adjustments. If a whole-class trend falls short of this benchmark, it directs educators to pause pacing and deploy specialized reteach lesson plans from the Fundations Level 3 Learning Community for two to five days before retesting. For individual struggling third graders, the system guides educators to apply targeted tier one differentiation, provide extra practice, and use error analysis to inform flexible small-group or intervention placement.

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 embeds a data-driven decision-making protocol in each unit test section to guide educators in responding to student performance trends. If a class-wide trend shows that fewer than 80 percent of students demonstrate mastery, the manual instructs educators to pause pacing and extend the unit’s instructional time. For individual student performance gaps below the 80 percent threshold, the manual outlines immediate remediation paths, including conducting one-on-one error analyses, addressing untested writing elements such as legibility and punctuation, or using FUN HUB intervention guidelines to adjust strategies based on progress-monitoring data.

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

The materials include multiple tools for educators to track student progress and growth, including tier two progress reports, attendance logs, assessment scoring sections, student record charts, and graphing tools for foundational literacy skills, such as word identification, nonsense word fluency, phoneme segmentation, and oral reading fluency. These resources support ongoing monitoring of student performance, documentation of interventions, and data-driven instructional decision-making throughout the school year. They also provide a tracker for students to monitor their own progress and for self-reflection.

The materials include Unit Test Trackers, individual student records, data collection sheets, educator guidance, progress-monitoring charts, and assessment reporting tools available through the FUN HUB and the Level 3 Progress Monitoring Manual. These resources support ongoing monitoring of student performance, documentation of mastery over time, and data-driven instructional decision-making. The program also offers trackers to help students track their own progress and support self-reflection.

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

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.

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

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3, unit introductions, and daily lessons offer differentiated instructional guidance and targeted support for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills. The materials include scaffolded activities, hands-on practice with letter tiles and other manipulatives, targeted practice through the FUN HUB and the Student Practice Book, and opportunities for small-group, center, and independent instruction. The materials also recommend a 20- to 30-minute targeted practice block and unit-specific differentiation strategies, such as using Student Notebooks as references during contraction practice, to help students close learning gaps and achieve mastery.

The materials provide differentiated instructional guidance, corrective feedback, and targeted support for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills. Daily lessons and unit overviews offer educators specific scaffolds, including guided questioning, manipulatives, visual supports, reteaching opportunities, and hands-on activities with letter tiles, magnetic tiles, Student Notebooks, and dry-erase writing tablets. The materials also include corrective feedback and differentiation strategies that help students demonstrate understanding by applying skills, helping educators address learning gaps, and supporting mastery of foundational literacy concepts.

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.

The materials provide differentiated instructional guidance and targeted support for students who have not yet reached proficiency, including hands-on practice, guided questioning, reteaching, and additional practice opportunities. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 includes “Targeted Practice” and “Differentiated Instruction” sections to help educators tailor instruction to individual student needs. For students ready for a challenge, the materials offer enrichment activities, such as constructing sentences using both contractions and their separate word forms to deepen understanding of language structures. These differentiation supports occur regularly throughout the program and align directly with the skills being taught.

The materials provide differentiated instructional guidance and support for students who have not yet reached proficiency through additional practice, reteaching, and targeted skill development. The “Students Ready for a Challenge” sections offer enrichment opportunities that require students to explain and apply phonics and spelling rules, such as the y and Suffix Rule, pluralization, and consonant doubling. These activities encourage students to deepen their understanding and internalize foundational literacy concepts. Differentiation is provided regularly throughout the program and directly aligns with the skills being taught.

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

The materials provide general differentiation and intervention supports but do not include SDI tailored to students receiving special education services. While the Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 offers corrective feedback, guided practice, and intervention recommendations, these supports are broadly applicable to struggling learners and are not linked to specific disabilities or individualized accommodations. Examples such as practicing cursive formation with verbal cues, drawing syllable lines, and building syllables with letter boards provide additional support but do not offer prescribed instructional responses for students with identified disabilities. As a result, the materials offer general instructional guidance rather than embedded, specially designed instruction in the lessons and units.

The materials provide general intervention recommendations but do not include specially designed instruction tailored to students receiving special education services. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 notes that students with language-based learning disabilities may benefit from explicit, cumulative, and multimodal instruction and recommends increasing instructional intensity through daily lessons, small-group or one-on-one instruction, and the Fundations Level 3 Learning Community lessons. However, these recommendations focus on program delivery and intensity rather than specific adaptations to content, methodology, accommodations, or modifications aligned to individual disabilities. As a result, the guidance is broad and applicable across settings but does not provide embedded, specially designed instruction within the curriculum and daily lessons.

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.

Unit introductions, daily lessons, learning activities, and Activity Cue Cards provide scripted language, instructional explanations, and step-by-step teaching procedures. These resources guide educators through lesson delivery by identifying key concepts, providing educator prompts, and outlining instructional routines that support direct explanation and modeling of new skills.

The materials also provide specific guidance for modeling foundational literacy concepts. For example, the materials explain the differences between blends and digraphs and provide prompts for modeling sounds using sound cards. Guidance in the lessons supports educators in explaining concepts such as glued sounds, base words, and suffixes while demonstrating how sounds and spelling patterns work within words. These instructional supports help educators make literacy skills explicit for students during instruction.

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

The materials include educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation in unit introductions, learning activity overviews, Activity Cue Cards, and daily lessons. These resources provide explicit educator prompts, lesson objectives, student outcomes, learning plans, and step-by-step procedures for implementing instruction. Guidance supports lesson facilitation with activities, such as drills, dictation, concept introductions, word study, story time, Student Notebook work, and review routines, thus helping educators deliver instruction consistently across lessons.

The materials also incorporate a variety of instructional approaches to support student learning and engagement. Lessons include educator modeling, guided practice, questioning techniques, corrective feedback, choral and echo responses, discussion-based learning, phoneme manipulation, word building, blending, and segmenting activities, and student-led practice. The materials further support instruction through visual supports, auditory repetition, kinesthetic routines such as tapping and skywriting, and hands-on manipulation of sounds, letters, and phonics patterns. These approaches give students multiple opportunities to engage with and apply literacy skills.

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

The “Small Group Instruction Guidelines” direct educators to use assessment data to form and adjust groups based on students’ reading abilities, instructional needs, and levels of support, while providing recommendations for educator-led instruction, guided practice, partner work, and independent learning. The materials also include recommended time allocations, targeted practice opportunities, and explicit guidance on educator actions before, during, and after instruction.

Unit introductions include recommendations for centers, targeted small-group instruction, and independent practice that align directly with the skills the educator is teaching, such as sound patterns, word structures, and the application of skills in connected text. The materials identify whole-group instruction as the primary delivery model and recommend small-group intervention, FUN HUB activities, and independent practice opportunities to reinforce learning.

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

The “Linguistic Accommodations for Multilingual Learners” resource includes differentiated supports for beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high proficiency levels, including gestures, verbal cues, sentence stems, visuals, modeling, word banks, and extended wait time. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 further supports implementation in the “Multilingual Learners Engagement,” “Multilingual Learners Connections,” and “Multilingual Learners Notes” sections, which provide guidance and instructional strategies to support multilingual learners during lessons.

The “Multilingual Learners Connections” and “Multilingual Learners Engagement” sections provide unit-specific guidance for previewing vocabulary, clarifying language concepts, providing structured practice opportunities, and supporting students’ understanding of English spelling conventions. The materials differentiate support by proficiency level, allowing educators to scaffold instruction and increase students’ use of academic language as proficiency develops. These supports help students engage with grade-level content while building vocabulary, oral language, reading, and writing skills through increasingly complex language expectations.

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

The materials provide guidance for supporting multilingual learners through embedded lesson resources but do not include an implementation guide for state-approved bilingual or ESL programs. The “Linguistic Accommodations for Multilingual Learners” resource includes differentiated supports for varying levels of English proficiency, such as visuals, modeling, sentence stems, word banks, and extended wait time. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 further supports educators through the “Multilingual Learners Engagement,” “Multilingual Learners Connections,” and “Multilingual Learners Notes” sections, which provide instructional strategies and accommodations within lessons.

The materials provide lesson-level supports for multilingual learners, but they do not provide an implementation guide for state-approved bilingual or ESL programs. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 includes instructional notes, engagement suggestions, and language-support strategies that help educators scaffold instruction for students at different English proficiency levels. These embedded resources support classroom instruction and language development, but they do not provide comprehensive guidance for implementing the materials in bilingual or ESL program models.

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

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

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

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

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

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonological awareness skills.

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

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonemic awareness skills.

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

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonological or phonemic awareness skills.

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

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonological or phonemic awareness skills.

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

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list phonological or phonemic awareness skills.

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

The grade 3 “Fundations Scope and Sequence” shows a structured progression from simpler to more complex multisyllabic sound–spelling patterns, beginning with a review of CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words in unit 1, week 1, day 1. Instruction then moves to schwa patterns in unit 5, week 1, day 1; followed by r-controlled vowels in unit 9, week 1, day 1; vowel teams in unit 3, week 1, day 1; and multisyllabic sound–spelling patterns in unit 3, week 1, day 2. This progression demonstrates a clear instructional sequence that builds from basic word structures to more complex spelling patterns across units.

Targeted instruction within specific lessons and units reinforces this sequence. For example, in unit 6, week 3, day 3, students learn the open-syllable exception with the letter i and the schwa vowel in the word confidence, then apply this sound–spelling pattern to multisyllabic words such as hospital, candidate, qualify, substitute, festival, and continent. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 appendix further supports this progression in “Recommendations for Next Steps,” which identifies review skills by unit. For example, unit 4 recommends reviewing the ve spelling pattern; unit 5 focuses on schwa in closed syllables; unit 9 reinforces r-controlled syllables and suffixes, such as -ward and -or; and unit 14 reviews glued sounds, such as -ture and -tu, along with letter combinations ci and ti.

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.

The learning activity overviews guide educators to explicitly model multisyllabic spelling by segmenting words into syllables, using syllable frames, tapping one syllable at a time, and providing targeted corrective feedback before students read and check their completed words. For example, in unit 10, week 1, days 2 and 3, students explicitly learn multiple spellings for the long /ā/ sound a-e, ai, ay, eigh, ei, and ea, use the Spelling Options Poster to select appropriate graphemes, and decode and encode words such as play, pray, neigh, may, vein, break, eight, and aid. Unit 1, week 2, day 2 provides additional explicit instruction, with educators modeling glued sounds and guiding students to tap and blend words such as brand, cram, cramp, and plan to strengthen decoding and encoding skills.

In unit 5, week 1, educators explicitly introduce the schwa sound by modeling syllable division, identifying accented and unaccented syllables, and teaching students to decode and encode words such as travel, wagon, and salad using syllable frames, tracing, and oral spelling. Unit 7 dictation lessons provide additional explicit instruction, with students analyzing base words, suffixes, and syllable patterns while encoding words; in Unit 11, educators model how to decode and spell contractions such as doesn’t, shouldn’t, aren’t, and what’s. In the lessons, educators use guided modeling, tapping, syllable analysis, and corrective feedback to strengthen students’ decoding and encoding of increasingly complex sound–spelling patterns.

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.

The program begins with a review of previously taught skills in unit 1, including blending and spelling CVCC, CCVC, and CVCCC words, and reinforces these skills through a cumulative scope and sequence, Student Practice Book activities, and connected text. For example, in the Student Practice Book, unit 9, week 3, students read, mark, and analyze words such as swarm, sideward, artwork, shopper, and onward, identify syllable types and suffixes, and sort words by the /or/ and /ər/ sounds in the “Spotlight on Skills” activity. Additional cumulative practice is provided in “Adventures of Dev and Tess,” “Take Your Pick,” and “Junior Word Detective,” where students decode and encode previously taught sound–spelling patterns in both isolated words and connected text to build automaticity and fluency.


In unit 5, week 2, day 4, students review previously taught spelling patterns by writing dictated words, exploring spelling options, scooping syllables, circling suffixes, and marking schwas to reinforce word structure and encoding skills. The Student Practice Book and connected texts, such as “Adventures of Dave and Tess,” provide additional cumulative practice with students applying previously taught reading and writing patterns. In the unit 9, week 3 “Show and Spell” activity, students apply the 1-1-1 Doubling Rule to words, such as blur → blurring, and then read words, such as stirred, worried, and onward, in phrases and connected text, building accuracy, automaticity, and fluency through repeated application of previously taught sound–spelling patterns.

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

The Appendix directs educators to reinforce previously taught concepts through the Student Practice Book, FUN HUB activities, decodable Fundations Readers, small-group instruction, and at-home practice, ensuring that students apply only already taught sound–spelling patterns. For example, in the Student Practice Book, unit 9, week 2, students identify the correct spelling for the /ər/ sound using er, ir, ur, ar, or or in words such as harbor, survive, curve, dollar, confirm, and nerve, reinforcing previously taught spelling options. The unit 2 review lessons provide additional reinforcement, with students revisiting suffixes such as -s and -es by building and reading words such as brags, fixes, and bosses, ensuring practice is limited to sound–spelling patterns educators have already explicitly taught.


After each unit assessment, resources such as the “Unit 5 Resource Page” and “Recommendations for Next Steps” connect the assessment to the cumulative review by identifying taught spelling patterns and providing guidance for reinforcing skills before introducing new concepts. For example, in the Student Practice Book, unit 9, week 1, students identify previously taught syllable types and suffixes while analyzing words, such as charm, forget, disturb, interact, and parked, as well as nonsense words, such as dertite, blork, and plorve. Other activities, such as “Take Your Pick” and “Show and Spell,” provide additional reinforcement, with students applying only previously taught spelling options for the /ər/ sound and the drop-the-e spelling rule when adding -ing, thus ensuring practice is limited to explicitly taught sound–spelling patterns.

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

The grade 3 “Fundations Scope and Sequence” systematically reviews previously taught trick words across the program, including should, have, and again in units 2 and 3, brother and carry in unit 5, and years and tomorrow in unit 7. Although it identifies them as “trick words” rather than “regular” or “irregular” words, it includes both types of words and reinforces the concepts throughout the year. The program builds automaticity through cumulative review rather than introducing large sets of new high-frequency words. The “Fundations Level 3 TEKS Supplement” indicates that students review previously learned regular and irregular high-frequency words from research-based lists and apply them in increasingly complex grade-level texts, supporting continued fluency, accurate spelling, and automatic word recognition.


According to the Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3, the program drew the trick words from the Fry list and The American Heritage Word Frequency Book. The Appendix and Student Notebook recommend that educators continually review previously taught trick words, with students practicing both regular and irregular words in connected reading and writing activities. The daily lessons provide a systematic review that increases in complexity throughout the year. For example, unit 1 reviews words such as should and have, while unit 6 revisits animal and many through dictation and review activities. Students also revisit words, such as know, now, which, again, from, brother, and carry, as they apply new phonics, syllable, and spelling concepts, reinforcing automatic recognition, accurate spelling, and fluent reading.

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.

In Texas Supplemental Resources Level 3, educators follow a structured trick word routine that includes introducing the word, identifying regular and irregular spelling patterns, modeling skywriting, and guiding students to say, spell, and write each word with eyes open and closed to strengthen automatic recognition and spelling. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 provides explicit routines for decoding and encoding high-frequency words. In the learning activity overview, educators dictate trick words and sound-alike words, provide sentence context when needed, guide students in finger-writing and Student Notebook practice, and have students reread dictated sentences with appropriate phrasing. Students also reference the “Trick Word” and “Sound-Alike Word” sections in their Student Notebooks to reinforce accurate spelling, meaning, and automatic word recognition.


In Fundations Level 3, educators explicitly teach trick words through dictation, multimodal spelling routines, sentence writing, and proofreading activities that reinforce automatic recognition and accurate spelling in connected text. For example, in unit 2, week 1, day 4, students practice spelling the trick words want, again, large, and says by finger tracing, writing on dry-erase writing tablets, and applying the words in dictated sentences. Similarly, in unit 2, week 3, day 3, students review words including number, Monday, would, and again before writing dictated sentences and rereading them with phrase scooping for fluency. These scripted routines give students repeated opportunities to decode and encode regular and irregular high-frequency words in meaningful contexts.

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.

Students apply previously taught high-frequency words in isolation, sentence-level activities, and connected text to build automaticity and fluency. For example, the Student Practice Book, unit 2, week 3 Let’s Pair Up activity requires students to read sentences and select the correct homophone while applying previously taught trick words. In “Exploring the World of Words,” students extend learning by writing original sentences using previously introduced words. Connected-text activities, such as the unit 4, week 2 “Adventures of Dev and Tess” activity, offer additional cumulative practice, where students apply regular and irregular high-frequency words in authentic reading contexts to strengthen decoding, encoding, and fluency-level skills, as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose, both in isolation and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.

Students apply previously taught trick words and sound-alike words in dictation, sentence writing, and connected text to build automaticity and accurate word recognition. For example, in the Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3, unit 4, week 1, day 5, students practice sound-alike words, such as male, banned, mist, and witch, and trick words, including something, young, people, and daughter, through dictation, contextual sentences, and proofreading. In the Student Practice Book, unit 1, week 2, students distinguish between homophone pairs, such as write/right, know/no, and which/witch, by selecting the correct word to complete sentences and writing it in context. In unit 2, week 2, the “Adventures of Dev and Tess” activity provides additional cumulative practice, with students rereading connected text, scooping phrases for fluency, and responding in writing using previously taught high-frequency words.

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

The Appendix directs educators to reinforce previously taught trick words in the Student Practice Book, FUN HUB activities, Fundations Readers, small-group instruction, and at-home practice, ensuring students repeatedly apply only the high-frequency words taught. The appendix includes all level 1 and level 2 trick words, providing a cumulative review of previously taught words, such as again, often, enough, beautiful, picture, together, Thursday, and world. The Student Practice Book, unit 12, week 1 “Spotlight on Skills” activity requires students to read previously taught words and write original sentences using trick words, such as together, learn, and ocean. Level 3 builds on Levels 1 and 2, ensuring educators explicitly introduce all high-frequency words before students review and apply them in reading and writing.


Student practice includes only regular and irregular high-frequency words that educators have explicitly taught. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 provides a list of previously taught high-frequency words and recommendations for next steps to reinforce previously learned skills before introducing new concepts. For example, the “Unit 4 Resource Page” directs educators to review trick words such as school and something and to select additional previously taught words from the Appendix for dictation and review. Students continue practicing only explicitly taught high-frequency words through oral rehearsal, finger writing, dictated spelling, and sentence writing. In the Student Practice Book, unit 2, week 3, students reread a story, identify trick words, and use four of those words to write what happens next, providing cumulative decoding and encoding practice using only previously taught high-frequency words.

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

The level 3 “Fundations Scope and Sequence” progresses from reviewing closed syllables in unit 1 and introducing VCe syllables in unit 3 to multisyllabic words with open syllables in unit 6, final stable syllables in unit 8, r-controlled syllables in unit 9, and vowel team syllables in unit 10. Instruction builds cumulatively as students apply syllabic division principles to increasingly complex multisyllabic words. Students use syllable frames and explicit word-analysis routines to identify syllable types, divide words, and decode and encode words containing all six syllable types, thereby supporting mastery of grade-level TEKS.


In Fundations Level 3, students review and apply all six syllable types through increasingly complex multisyllabic words. For example, unit 8 reviews final stable (consonant-le) syllables while unit 10 focuses on vowel team syllables, including vowel digraphs and diphthongs. Students learn to identify, divide, mark, and decode these syllable patterns in connected words. Instruction builds cumulatively as students apply syllable division principles to words containing multiple syllable types, including open, closed, VCe, r-controlled, vowel team, and consonant-le syllables. Through repeated practice in analyzing, dividing, reading, and spelling multisyllabic words, students develop automaticity with increasingly complex word structures, aligned with the grade-level TEKS.

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.

In unit 1, week 2, day 4, students decode and classify one-syllable words by identifying closed syllables and closed-syllable exceptions. Students then encode dictated words by tapping phonemes, orally spelling, writing, and marking word features such as blends, trigraphs, and syllable type. Words include draft, most, colt, chomp, find, pink, gust, dent, shift, and twitch. This lesson demonstrates explicit instruction in both reading and spelling one-syllable words through structured decoding and encoding routines.


Materials also provide explicit instruction in decoding and encoding multisyllabic words. In unit 3, week 1, students identify syllable types, build two-syllable words such as napkin, and apply syllable division principles to decode and encode multisyllabic words, including mistake, sunfish, reptile, fireman, and lifelong. Students read, build, divide, and spell multisyllabic words using syllable frames and educator modeling to support accurate word analysis. Additional practice with words such as volume, lifetime, complex, submit, and exhale reinforces decoding and encoding across syllable types and structural patterns, supporting the systematic development of word-level accuracy with increasingly complex words.

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.

In unit 1, week 2, day 4, students decode and encode one-syllable words through dictation, oral segmentation, tapping, spelling, and marking word features, such as blends, trigraphs, and closed and closed-exception syllables. Students practice both review and current words, including gust, dent, shift, chuck, solve, slash, hind, swamp, molt, sprang, grant, and twitch. In unit 2, week 3, day 4, students extend decoding and encoding to multisyllabic words in the Suffix Shuffle activity by identifying suffixes, building and writing words, underlining base words, and analyzing spelling patterns in words such as stepping, freshen, humming, thankless, reddish, shipment, lagged, justly, active, soggy, tubful, and colder.


Connected-text practice regularly occurs in decodable passages and sentence-level writing. In the unit 2, week 1 “Under Construction” activity, students decode one-syllable and multisyllabic words in isolation and use them to compose original sentences. In unit 2, week 2 “Adventures of Dev and Tess,” students read connected text and demonstrate comprehension by summarizing characters, setting, and events in writing. Let’s Pair Up provides additional cumulative practice as students select and apply words in isolation and sentence contexts, including write, right, know, no, and which in unit 1, week 2, and multisyllabic words such as stationery and stationary in unit 14, week 1.

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

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 appendix offers guidance for extending instruction in the Student Practice Book, FUN HUB activities, and Fundations Readers, all of which align with previously taught skills. Students engage in independent, small-group, and at-home practice that reinforces previously introduced syllable types and principles of syllable division through reading, spelling, and word-analysis activities aligned with current instruction. This design ensures that students practice only skills educators explicitly taught, providing cumulative reinforcement aligned with the grade-level TEKS. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 and Student Practice Book require students to apply only previously taught syllable concepts. For example, in unit 8, week 1, day 1, students review the consonant-le syllable type through explicit educator modeling before applying the skill independently. In the Student Practice Book, unit 8, week 2 “Junior Detective” activity, students identify words containing consonant-le syllables, scoop the syllables, circle suffixes when appropriate, and mark the syllable type. Likewise, in the unit 3, week 1 “Mark Current Concepts” activity, students read words such as prune, fuse, and vase and identify VCe syllables, a pattern explicitly introduced in unit 3. These activities provide cumulative practice with only the syllable types and division principles already taught, reinforcing previously learned concepts without introducing new ones.


Following each unit test, the Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 provides recommendations for next steps and additional practice resources aligned to the skills taught in the unit. For example, the “Unit 3 Resource Page” includes review words, such as text, gust, and band, along with multisyllabic words, such as shifting, bending, swinging, and filling. Educators reinforce these previously taught skills through Fluency Kit drills, word-marking activities, and FUN HUB practice. The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 and Student Practice Book limit practice to previously introduced syllable concepts. For example, the unit 8, week 3, day 5 “Word Talk” activity has students identify stable final syllables, consonant-le syllables, vowel sounds, and suffixes in review words that educators already taught. In the Student Practice Book, unit 8, week 3, “Mark Current Concepts,” students read words, scoop syllables, circle suffixes, and identify syllable types, including the consonant-le exception. In unit 6, week 2, “Mark Current Concepts,” students analyze words, such as across, zebra, amended, and livable, by identifying closed syllables, closed-syllable exceptions, vowel-consonant-e syllables, suffixes, and schwa patterns. Because earlier units explicitly introduced each concept, the activities provide cumulative practice that reinforces previously taught syllable types and syllable-division principles without introducing new concepts.

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

The “Fundations Scope and Sequence” reviews previously taught suffixes in unit 2, including -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -ive, -able, -en, -er, -est, -ish, -y, -ful, -less, -ness, -ly, -ty, and -ment. In the “Bonus Unit,” students expand their morphological knowledge by learning prefixes, such as on-, dis-, un-, en-, em-, ex-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, mis-, non-, sub-, trans-, de-, e-, pre-, pro-, and re-. The scope and sequence show a systematic, cumulative progression of morphology instruction. Students review previously learned inflectional endings before applying increasingly complex prefixes, suffixes, base words, and Greek and Latin roots in decoding, spelling, vocabulary, and word analysis activities. By the end of level 3, students are expected to read and spell words containing common Latin suffixes, including -ous, -al, -ent, -an, -ward, and -or, in addition to previously learned suffixes. The progression continues with unit 8, where students add suffixes to words with final stable syllables, and unit 14, which introduces additional derivational suffixes, such as -al, -an, -ent, and -ous, demonstrating a logical progression from the review of foundational morphemes to more advanced morphological analysis aligned with the grade-level TEKS.


Fundations Level 3 includes a systematic sequence for introducing morphemes, aligned with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate to the program’s stated purpose. For example, the Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3, unit 2, Introduction reviews previously taught suffixes and reinforces the classification of suffixes as “vowel” or “consonant.” Students practice forming plurals with -s and -es, recognize irregular plurals, and apply the different pronunciations of -ed and -s. Instruction explicitly teaches students to identify the base word before adding a suffix for both reading and spelling while introducing the 1-1-1 Doubling Rule and explaining when to double consonants before adding vowel suffixes. Unit 7 extends morphology instruction by explicitly teaching the y and Suffix Rule; students learn to change a final y to i before adding a suffix when the y follows a consonant in an open syllable, while also learning the exception that y remains unchanged when the suffix begins with i. Students apply these rules when reading and spelling words, form plurals of words ending in y by changing y to i and adding -es, and learn that words ending in o in open syllables form plurals by adding -es. The “TEKS Correlations” resource further demonstrates a systematic sequence for morphology instruction aligned with the grade-level TEKS. Beginning in unit 2, students decode and encode words with a wide range of suffixes, including -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -est, -en, -ish, -able, -ive, -y, -ful, -ment, -less, -ness, -ly, -ty, -er, -ous, -al, -ent, -an, -ward, and -or while learning how these morphemes change the meaning of base words. Units 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, and 12 systematically teach spelling rules for adding suffixes to changing base words across all six syllable types. The program progresses from reviewing foundational suffixes in unit 2 to studying prefixes and root words in the “Bonus Unit,” then to more complex suffixes, such as -ward and -or, in unit 9, and to additional advanced suffixes in unit 14. This progression demonstrates a logical sequence from foundational to increasingly complex morphological concepts, supporting students’ decoding, spelling, vocabulary, and word analysis skills.

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.

In the Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3, “Bonus Unit,” week 1, day 1 lesson, the educator explicitly reviews suffixes using the base word connect and then models how to add suffixes to the end of a base word to form connects, connected, and connecting. The educator then explicitly introduces prefixes and explains that prefixes are added to the beginning of a base word to change meaning. Using disconnect, the educator models how to identify the prefix dis-, explains that it means “not” or “opposite of,” and demonstrates how it changes the meaning of connect. Students examine additional examples, such as dislike, dishonest, and disorganize, to reinforce the explicitly taught meaning of prefixes. The lesson continues with an explicit, educator-led introduction to additional prefixes, including en-, ex-, mis-, non-, trans-, and un-, reinforcing morphological structure and meaning through direct instruction.

In unit 7, week 1, day 1, educators explicitly teach the y and Suffix Rule by modeling how the final y changes to i before adding a suffix. The educator demonstrates this rule using examples such as empty → emptied, emptiness, and cry → cried while also showing when the y remains unchanged in crying. In unit 7, week 2, day 1, the educator provides additional explicit instruction in forming plurals for words ending in y, such as baby → babies, reinforcing the rule through direct modeling of spelling changes.

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.

In isolation, students engage in repeated morphological analysis through structured word study activities. In the Student Practice Book, unit 2, week 2, “Mark Current Concepts” activity, students identify suffixes by underlining the base word and circling suffixes in words, such as bolted, snatched, and sniffable. In unit 7, week 1, day 3, students apply the y-to-i spelling rule during the “Word of the Day” and dictation activities by segmenting multisyllabic words, writing “base word + suffix = word,” and marking structural features, such as base words and suffixes. Practice words include tidying, holiness, tiniest, angrier, laziness, and babying, along with review words, such as included, foggy, salad, preshrunk, rewind, and swapped. In unit 8, week 1, “Show and Spell,” students apply suffix-additions and silent e rules by reading isolated words, adding -ing, and writing the resulting forms.

In connected text, students apply morphological knowledge while reading and writing. In unit 2, week 2, “Adventures of Dev and Tess,” students read connected text containing words such as running, planned, and ripped and then respond to comprehension prompts. Unit 7, week 1 sentence dictation activities require students to write and proofread sentences, such as “The chopper landed by the foggy path” and “Is the shaggy dog scratching his itch?” followed by rereading for fluency. Students identify base words and suffixes within sentences by underlining base words and circling suffixes. The Student Practice Book, “Bonus Unit,” week 1 provides additional cumulative practice, where students read sentences containing morphologically complex words, such as insisted, retake, predict, and protect, and then use them in original writing. These repeated opportunities across isolated and connected texts support cumulative review and automatic application of morphological patterns.

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

The Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 appendix recommends additional practice through the Student Practice Book, FUN HUB activities, and Fundations Readers, providing students with ongoing opportunities to reinforce previously taught prefixes, suffixes, and base words during independent work, small-group instruction, and at-home practice. This cumulative design is reflected throughout the program. In unit 2, week 2, and in the “Bonus Unit,” week 2, students build new words by combining familiar base words with previously taught suffixes and prefixes, such as -ed, -ing, -er, -ful, -ly, -less, -ment, -ness, en-, re-, un-, dis-, and mis-. Likewise, in the Student Practice Book, unit 2, week 2 “Word Puzzles” activity, students create new words by adding reviewed suffixes, such as -ed, -ful, -ing, -ly, -er, and -less, ensuring that practice is limited to explicitly taught morphemes and builds automaticity in alignment with the grade-level TEKS.


After each unit assessment, the Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 provides recommendations for next steps, including Fluency Practice Templates, Word Play activities, Echo/Find practice, Student Practice Book pages, and dictation sentences that reinforce previously taught prefixes, suffixes, roots, and multisyllabic word structures. For example, after the “Bonus Unit,” review words such as inconsistent, discredit, and subcontract provide continued practice with previously taught prefixes and roots. The program regularly reinforces cumulative review. In unit 4, week 1, day 2, “Word of the Day,” students analyze words such as thicker, welder, stashes, dullest, flinging, and lungs by identifying base words and the previously taught suffixes -s, -es, -ing, -er, and -est. Likewise, in the Student Practice Book, unit 10, week 3, “Word Puzzles,” students create new words by adding reviewed suffixes, such as -ed, -ful, -ing, -ly, -er, -less, -es, -ish, -ment, and -ness, ensuring that practice is limited to explicitly taught morphemes while building automaticity in alignment with the grade-level TEKS.

Evaluation for 7.1a
Materials include explicit (direct) and systematic handwriting instruction (e.g., sequenced from lowercase letters to uppercase letters) in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The “Cursive Teacher’s Guide for Levels 2 and 3” scope and sequence introduces cursive handwriting in a logical progression, beginning with lowercase letters and then transitioning to uppercase letters. Unit 1 introduces the lowercase cursive letters l, e, h, b, f, and k; unit 2 introduces i, j, p, r, s, t, u, and w; unit 3 introduces c, a, and o; unit 4 introduces d, g, and q; unit 5 introduces n, m, v, and y; and unit 6 introduces z and x. Uppercase cursive instruction begins in unit 7 with A, O, C, G, and E; unit 8 introduces F, T, B, P, R, and L; unit 9 introduces H, K, N, M, D, and W; unit 10 introduces U, V, Y, and Z; unit 11 introduces Q and X; and unit 12 introduces S, I, and J. This sequence provides a systematic progression from lowercase to uppercase cursive letters and supports continued practice through daily dictation and Student Notebooks.

In the “Cursive Teacher’s Guide for Levels 2 and 3,” handwriting instruction begins with the “1-2-3 Right—Let’s Write!” routine, which establishes the correct sitting position, paper placement, and pencil grip before students begin writing. The guide uses the Large Letter Formation Grid, with sky, plane, grass, and worm lines, to teach students where letters begin and how to form them. Letter group names correspond to where the stroke begins on the grid. A systematic sequence based on common formation patterns introduces lowercase cursive letters, including loop letters, up/down letters, two o’clock letters, and hump letters, followed by uppercase cursive letters organized as skyline round letters, skyline dip letters, plane line letters, skyline down letters, and grass line letters. As students master letter formation, instruction progresses to writing connected words and sentences using the letters they have learned.

Evaluation for 7.1b
Materials include frequent opportunities for students to develop and refine handwriting skills through guided practice and independent practice in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The materials offer frequent opportunities for students to develop handwriting skills through guided practice aligned with a gradual-release model. Throughout Fundations Level 3, educators explicitly model cursive letter formation using the Large Letter Formation Grid and consistent verbalizations, then guide students through scaffolded practice. For example, in the Fundations Teacher’s Manual 3 learning activity overview for cursive letter formation, lessons begin with stretching and gross-motor movements, followed by skywriting, a review of proper posture, paper placement, wrist position, and pencil grip, guided practice on dry-erase writing tablets, and tracing on letter formation worksheets, before students independently form letters from memory. Educators monitor performance, provide corrective feedback, and prompt students to identify their best-formed letters, reinforcing accurate letter formation and handwriting fluency.

Daily instruction provides frequent opportunities for independent practice. For example, in unit 2, week 3, day 4, educators review handwriting habits before modeling cursive connectives. Students then engage in guided tracing and verbal practice before independently writing connectives and completing dictated sounds and words. The “Cursive Teacher’s Guide for Levels 2 and 3” further extends practice by having students trace modeled letter groups while naming each letter aloud, then write the letters and words from memory. Students continue refining handwriting skills through dictation, handwriting worksheets, practice in Student Notebooks, and authentic writing activities. For example, in the Student Practice Book, the “Dear Student” directions instruct students to complete written responses in cursive after they encounter cursive instruction. In unit 1, week 2, students read an “Adventures of Dev and Tess” story before independently writing about the characters, setting, and main events, providing authentic opportunities to apply cursive handwriting while responding to text.

Evaluation for 7.1c
Materials include guidance for educators to provide feedback to students to develop and refine their handwriting skills (e.g., writing position, writing grip, letter spacing, size, slant, directionality) in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

In the Wilson Cursive Writing Kit, the “Principles of Instruction” section instructs educators to reinforce correct letter formation during sound dictation by prompting students to write only previously taught cursive letters and using consistent verbal cues to correct and reinforce proper formation. As students progress from writing individual letters to dictated words and sentences, educators continue to provide corrective guidance on letter formation and smooth connections, including explicit attention to bridge letters, such as b and w, to reinforce the connecting bridge stroke.

The materials also guide educators to provide explicit feedback on handwriting habits during daily instruction. Through the “1-2-3 Right—Let’s Write!” routine, educators monitor and reinforce proper posture, paper placement, hand position, and pencil grip before and during writing activities. The guidance explains the appropriate paper slant for both right- and left-handed students and directs educators to model and reinforce these habits throughout instruction, helping students develop automatic, legible handwriting. Through ongoing monitoring, verbal cues, corrective guidance, and reinforcement during daily handwriting instruction, the materials provide educators in helping students develop and refine handwriting skills, including letter formation, writing position, paper placement, and pencil grip.