Handwriting 2026 Texas, Grade K

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).

In the grade K Teacher Edition, the “Efficacy” section identifies the supplemental program’s stated purpose. The section states, “The act of handwriting supports the brains of developing readers. As students practice forming letters, they learn to recognize the letters when they read.” The section also outlines the program’s short- and long-term goals. In the short term, the program aims to help students write automatically, efficiently, and legibly. Long-term goals include helping students apply their handwriting skills to communicate their thoughts and ideas and to build connections within learning communities.

Additionally, the grade K Teacher Edition “Getting Started” page explains that the program helps students improve their ability to write letters, words, numerals, and sentences. Educators introduce strategies to make students’ handwriting easier to read. Furthermore, the materials explain that explicit, systematic handwriting instruction, combined with continued practice, helps students become stronger readers, writers, and communicators.

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.

Grade K materials clearly guide educators on how to integrate handwriting instruction into a core reading and language arts program. In the Teacher Edition, the “Sequence of Instruction” section outlines the most effective approach to using this supplemental program, namely the three-step process “Model,” “Practice,” and “Evaluate.”

The grade K Teacher Edition “Program Components” page provides instructional overviews that show how educators can deliver explicit, effective handwriting instruction in 15 minutes per day. To support instructional efficiency, the Teacher Edition includes practical tips for quick modeling, guided practice, and evaluation. This flexible design allows educators to incorporate the curriculum throughout the school day, including during brief five- to 10-minute instructional periods.

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 grade K Teacher Edition includes a “Correlation to TEKS” section with a TEKS correlation table that outlines student expectations down to the breakout level. The section also identifies the specific Teacher Edition and Student Workbook pages in which each breakout standard is addressed.

Grade K materials in the Teacher Edition include a scope and sequence document that provides educators with page numbers for the skills taught throughout the program. For example, if educators want to work on the skill of “joining,” the document includes both student-facing and educator-facing pages for that skill.

The introduction of the materials in the Teacher Edition includes a rationale for the scope and sequence design in the “Groupings, Patterns, and Progress” section. This section explains that letters of the alphabet are presented in groups that “share common strokes, formation patterns, and visual attributes.”

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

In the grade K Teacher Edition, the “Fast, Efficient Instruction” section guides the program’s time requirements. Educators can implement the program in 15 minutes per day. The Teacher Edition provides explicit instruction and practice opportunities for implementation throughout the day, and the lessons enable flexible implementation within the daily plan. The Teacher Edition also divides lessons into a consistent three-part format: “Model,” “Practice,” and “Evaluate.”

The My ZB Portal includes a grade 3 pacing guide designed for 36 weeks of instruction, and provides guidance for five days per week. The guide outlines the educator and student pages used each day and describes the whole-class, educator-led instruction for daily lessons. The guide also directs educators to additional resources, such as associated animated letter models, videos, and games for each lesson. In addition, the materials provide related differentiation activities and indicate whether home practice is available.

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

The grade K Teacher Edition “Program Components” pages support effective program implementation by providing educators with visual examples of the materials, including student and educator guides. These examples identify and explain the sections on each page and describe how educators and students should use the materials during instruction. Each section of the sample page is highlighted and labeled to clarify its purpose for educators. For example, the section “Strategies for Improving Handwriting as a Whole Class” directs educators to the “Teacher Tips” feature on the sample page. Additionally, the “Your Components at a Glance” page provides further implementation support by listing each program component, briefly describing its purpose and benefits, and indicating where educators can find the resources.

Throughout the grade K Teacher Edition, educators can find implementation guidance for the program. The materials introduce educators to the program’s key resources, including the Teacher Edition, Student Edition, and Practice Masters, and explain each component's intended use. For example, the Teacher Edition includes research-based instruction, streamlined three-step lessons, and supplemental supports such as differentiation tips. The Practice Masters resource provides additional opportunities for student practice through reproducible pages that educators can use for small-group instruction, learning centers, or homework assignments.

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

Grade K Practice Masters includes family supports, such as printable pages for educators to send home so students can practice handwriting with their families. Some of these pages include “Notes to Families” that offer guidance and tips for supporting student learning at home. Additionally, these family support materials are available in both English and Spanish.

The grade K Teacher Edition includes a “School–Home Connection” initiative to encourage family involvement in support of students’ handwriting development at home. The materials highlight the importance of family support and identify available practice materials and digital resources for use outside the classroom. For instance, the materials state, “Adults can use the codes to help reinforce correct letter formation as students practice.” Finally, “School–Home Connection” supports educators and is available only in English. However, it is not a family-facing resource.

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).

The grade K Teacher Edition includes an appropriate daily formative assessment that supports the supplemental program’s stated purpose. The last step in every lesson cycle is “Evaluate.” This section instructs the educator to have students pause to evaluate their work. For example, in unit 1, the materials direct educators to verify whether students use a single continuous movement to form letters. This process ensures that students learn proper letter formation, in support of their overall handwriting development. The materials include “Teacher Tips” that ensure students practice writing vertical lines in a variety of ways, and educators use direct language to teach these movements, such as “pull down straight” or “push up straight.”

The grade K Teacher Edition also includes a summative assessment to help educators evaluate students’ progress at the end of the school year or after students complete the program. The posttest is at the end of unit 4 and is a cumulative tool that measures students’ mastery of all uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers up to 20. The materials also guide educators as they interpret results and determine whether students need more practice or have achieved mastery.

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

The grade K Teacher Edition includes the definition and intended purpose of one type of instructional assessment for the program. In the “Evaluation” section, self-evaluation is presented as a method for students to identify their strengths and weaknesses as they become independent learners. The self-evaluation process has five steps: “Question,” “Compare,” “Evaluate,” “Diagnose,” and “Improve.” By using these steps, the educator helps students learn to critique and improve their handwriting. To begin the self-evaluation, students ask themselves questions such as, “Do my letters rest on the baseline?” Next, students compare their work with a model and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, students and educators diagnose the causes of difficulties and discuss possible corrections. These actions lead to improved writing.

Additional information in the grade K Teacher Edition, found in the unit 1 “Evaluate” section of the pretest, explains the purpose of instructional assessments for the program. This page states that the purpose of the pretest is to evaluate fine motor skills, shape and letter knowledge, and handwriting proficiency. This tool helps educators identify existing habits and early writing patterns to plan future lessons effectively. Furthermore, the program directs educators to observe how students draw and form letters and numerals during the pretest.

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

The grade K Teacher Edition includes explicit instructions for the administration of pretests and posttests. The materials provide directions for educators as they guide students through the assessment's three steps: “Model,” “Practice,” and “Evaluate.” An educator script helps ensure consistent and accurate administration of the instructional assessment. For example, in step 1, “Model,” the educator tells students they will learn to write numerals and the letters of the alphabet. During the “Practice” step, the educator asks students to complete the student pages, where they draw a picture, draw the shapes they know, and write the letters they know. In the last step, educators observe students as they write and note whether they are writing in all uppercase letters.

In addition, the grade K Teacher Edition “Evaluation” section provides guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration with the use of the “Keys to Legibility.” Students and educators use these in each lesson, and to assess their writing afterward. The materials explain how to compare posttest writing to pretest writing, and how to use a four-point rubric to evaluate students’ writing. The rubric also assesses the “Keys to Legibility,” including shape, size, spacing, and slant.

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

The grade K Teacher Edition assessments provided in the program include items at varying levels of complexity, and the “Groupings, Patterns, and Progress” page outlines the systematic sequence embedded in the Handwriting program. The program groups manuscript letters by stroke type and teaches them in a developmentally appropriate sequence in which rigor increases as the program progresses. Students also evaluate their own writing during each lesson as the lessons progress from writing strokes to letters, then to words, sentences, and paragraphs.

At the end of each unit, the grade K program materials include assessments that increase in complexity as students progress through the instructional cycle. For example, in the unit 2 “Evaluation” section, students write individual letters; in unit 3, they write phrases without capital letters; and in unit 4, they write complete sentences. All unit assessments provide students with a manuscript model of the required writing. The posttest for the grade K program requires students to write their name, the letters they know, and their address. As students’ skills develop, the materials become more complex with each unit.

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

The grade K Teacher Edition includes the “Keys to Legibility” resource, which provides educators with additional guidance for the evaluation and scoring of student performance. The pages offer tips for all four keys to legibility. For example, the Teacher Edition states, “Spacing describes the space between the letters, words, and sentences.” The tip also suggests that educators model this concept for students.

Also in grade K, the Teacher Edition includes scoring information and guidance for the interpretation of student performance. For instance, the “Manuscript Evaluation Rubric” in the Teacher Edition guides the educator’s evaluation of students’ handwriting for correct shape, size, spacing, and slant with the use of a four-point scale. The rubric has four rating categories: “Proficient,” “Satisfactory,” “Developing,” and “Emergent.” The rubric provides further guidance and describes the criteria for each rating. For example, under the category of shape, the rubric classifies students as “Proficient” when “all of the letters are the Zaner-Bloser style.” The rubric classifies students as “Satisfactory” when “most of the letters are in the Zaner-Bloser style.” The Teacher Edition’s “Evaluation” section provides additional guidance and states: “Use the criteria listed to determine the students’ level of handwriting proficiency on a particular assignment.” The guide provides feedback that students can easily understand. For example, “The A needs a sharper point.”

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

The grade K Teacher Edition provides guidance on how to use the supplemental program to address student performance trends. The “Evaluation” section provides guidance for students identified as needing improvement. The guidance states, “To improve letterforms, have the student practice writing the letter both in isolation and within words and sentences.” It also directs educators to provide additional basic instruction and practice, then to look for tips on the page with the initial teaching steps. In addition, the material guides educators to give specific feedback to students on their handwriting, such as, “Make sure your D is sitting on the baseline.”

The grade K Teacher Edition also provides guidance in the “Corrective Strategies for Manuscript Letters” section, which offers suggestions for how to give corrective feedback to students. Educators can provide constructive feedback as they evaluate and discuss performance assessments with students. For example, an educator can mark three dots that represent the beginning, middle, and end of the letter and have students use the dots as a guide to form the letters correctly. These corrective strategies also include visual examples of potential difficulties a student might encounter, along with an example and a non-example for problem areas, as well as possible feedback from the educator.

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.

Grade K materials include a “Record of Student’s Handwriting Skills” resource. Educators use this record to track students’ progress as they work through the program. The tool lists all essential skills taught in the program and allows the educator or student to check whether a skill needs improvement or demonstrates mastery. The directions for the “Record of Student’s Handwriting Skills” instruct the educator to make a copy for each student and to mark whether the student needs more work or has mastered the skill. Educators should review the list throughout the year and check for mastery when the student demonstrates it.

In addition to the “Record of Student’s Handwriting Skills” checklist, the grade K Teacher Edition provides students with a way to practice and track their progress and growth online. In the My ZB Portal, students access the “Zaner-Bloser Handwriting” tool. Students can practice proper letter formation and review basic strokes, after which they can capture a digital image of their work and revisit it later in their “Handwriting Portfolio.” This portfolio helps students track their progress as they evaluate their growth. Students earn achievements as they complete “free-write” and trace activities and save snapshots to their portfolios.

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.

In grade K, the Teacher Edition provides educators with guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills. Throughout the program, educators have multiple opportunities to find activities and guidance to reinforce skills students have not yet mastered. In the “Corrective Strategies for Manuscript Letters” section, the materials direct educators to use specific instructional strategies to address letter-formation errors for students who have not yet reached proficiency. The guide includes corrective strategies, such as “Have students first write the pull-down straight stroke, then place dots to indicate where the stroke to the right should end.” This guidance helps educators use simple corrective statements to assist struggling students and address common handwriting issues.

Furthermore, the grade K Teacher Edition offers “Teacher Tips” that address students who struggle. Each tip provides guidance or an activity to target a skill students might be struggling with. One of the “Teacher Tips” in unit 4 emphasizes the importance of students writing letters and words automatically. It suggests that educators ask students to demonstrate correct letter formation by closing their eyes and using sky-writing to form letters. Another “Teacher Tip” in unit 3 emphasizes the importance of regular handwriting practice. Finally, if a student struggles with straight letters, the “Teacher Tip” in unit 2 suggests the use of oversized chalk or a marker to practice vertical strokes on the board, ensuring students form straight lines.

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.

Grade K Teacher Edition lessons include “Writing in the Content Areas” callouts that educators can use to differentiate instruction for students who have already met grade-level handwriting skills. The “Writing in the Content Areas” callouts provide educator-facing guidance and recommendations for extension tasks that integrate handwriting practice with brainstorming and oral sentence construction. This structure allows proficient students to apply skills in varied contexts throughout the supplemental program. In unit 2, the materials offer specific directions for advanced learners, and educators challenge students to write creative sentences using words that begin with target letters. Another “Writing in the Content Areas” callout in unit 2 integrates handwriting practice with brainstorming and oral sentence construction. To model this task, educators list places such as Vermont and Wyoming on the board, then use maps as visual aids to provide background knowledge for the group. Students write the name of a chosen location to build automaticity in letter formation. These activities extend the daily lesson presented to all students.

In addition to the opportunities in the daily lessons through “Writing in the Content Areas,” the grade K Teacher Edition suggests assigning “Handwriting Activity Cards” to provide differentiation and opportunities for students to practice skills independently. For example, card 8 allows students to trace outlined letters with glue using dried pasta. Students use tweezers to pick up the pasta. Card 5 has students trace letters or numerals in sand. Students use these cards in centers, small groups, or independently for extra practice or enrichment.

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

The grade K Teacher Edition provides specific guidance for educators to help support students who receive special education services. First, the materials include a section titled “When Should I Call the Occupational Therapist?” that highlights ways the educator and the therapist can work together to support struggling students. For example, “An occupational therapist can help identify and treat underlying problems, facilitate development of handwriting skills, and help devise accommodations to enable the student to participate in classroom activities successfully.” The second page provides a checklist of scenarios to help the educator assess instructional effects and decide whether to consult with the occupational therapist. The checklist directs the educator to document interventions and outcomes. One scenario describes that after opportunities to refine pencil control, the student continues to demonstrate poor pencil control. The checklist identifies this outcome as an indicator that consultation with an occupational therapist may be appropriate.

In addition to the checklist used for therapist consults, the grade K Teacher Edition provides an “Occupational Therapist Tip” resource. These tips, found on the lesson pages throughout the Teacher Edition, help educators support students who receive special education services. For example, the program recommends specific tools for students with visual–perceptual difficulties. In unit 2, educators ensure that these students use a consistent style of lined paper across all subject areas. This consistency supports the development of legible handwriting throughout the supplemental program. The Teacher Edition also provides tips for students who need
multisensory practice. In unit 4, an “Occupational Therapist Tip” recommends that educators have students write in sand to form circles, lines, and letters. Students then compare their work to a model to achieve correct letter formation. This activity focuses on proper stroke sequencing in handwriting. The tips provide practical strategies for use with students who receive special education services.

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.

The grade K Teacher Edition provides guidance and prompts for educators to support them as they model and explain handwriting skills through a “Model,” “Practice, “Evaluate” lesson cycle. Each section of the lesson cycle includes explicit prompts to support educators. For example, in unit 2, the materials include scripted language for writing the uppercase L. These instructions tell educators exactly what to say as they demonstrate physical letter formation, including specific cues like “pull down straight, slide right” to guide student understanding. The materials provide explicit directions for educators to model letter formation and guide student practice with new letters. Finally, the guidance prompts educators to use the provided questions to support students’ self-evaluation. Each lesson has similar prompts throughout the lesson cycle.

The grade K Teacher Edition also provides educators with additional “Teacher Tips” to guide them as they model and explain the skills taught. Each specialized tip aligns with the skill taught on the page. The materials also provide ideas for whole-class or individual work to help students learn the new skill, including ways to review specific techniques and to recognize and overcome misconceptions. For example, in unit 2, the “Teacher Tips” guide educators to have students regularly practice vertical and diagonal strokes. This guidance explains that young writers need multiple practice opportunities. These “Teacher Tips” included throughout the grade K Handwriting program provide additional guidance for educators as they review techniques, address misconceptions, and model handwriting skills.

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 grade K Teacher Edition outlines a variety of instructional approaches for effective delivery and facilitation. One approach the program offers to help educators is through “Teacher Tips” that can be found throughout many of the lessons in the program. For example, one tip in unit 4 directs educators to give students masking tape and assign them a numeral (one to 10) to form on the floor with the tape. Students then walk the numbers for kinesthetic review. Another tip in unit 1 explains that students can practice writing backward circle strokes in centers or at their desks in a variety of ways, such as on large paper, at an easel, or in sand or finger paint.

Virtual tools available in the My ZB Portal or via a QR code offer another way to support effective delivery of instruction, such as the Animated Letter Model available on the online portal. Educators can use this tool to model letter formation for students. The materials also include Practice Master sheets for students to practice skills, with a QR code that students can use to access a digital tutor for the practice skill.

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

The grade K Teacher Edition “Fast, Efficient Instruction” section provides guidance and recommendations for the implementation of the program through whole-group, independent, and at-home practice. The “Program Components” section notes that the Practice Masters sheets “can be used in small groups, centers, or for homework.” Each lesson design includes whole-group instruction in the “Model” section. Students complete the practice portion independently, then meet with the educator to self-evaluate their work.

In addition, activity cards included with the grade K materials support the program’s implementation as educators assign these activities to students to supplement the program. Educators assign the cards to small groups, for independent work, or during center time.

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 grade K Teacher Edition includes guidance for educators on how to provide linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency, as well as how to engage students in the use of increasingly academic vocabulary. Most lessons include “Emergent Bilingual Students” sidebars as additional guidance. For example, unit 1 sidebars provide tips for handwriting skills such as horizontal lines, a feature educators use as students review English letters and numerals. Educators also invite students to share characters from their native language that contain horizontal lines. Another example in unit 2 has the educator explain that some English words sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. The materials provide several words for the educator to model, such as ant and aunt. In unit 3, the “Emergent Bilingual Students” section provides guidance to help emergent bilingual (EB) students associate the sounds of written numerals with their amounts. In this task, students hold up their fingers when the educator says a number, and count objects after they see a numeral written on a card.

The “Emergent Bilingual Students” sidebars appear throughout the lessons in the grade K Teacher Edition. These sidebars provide guidance for the implementation of linguistic accommodations across multiple subjects, including vocabulary, compound words, cognates, capitalization of proper nouns, and digraphs. These tips encourage students to use more academic language. However, they do not include guidance for educators on how to provide linguistic accommodations differentiated by language proficiency levels.

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 instructional pages in the grade K Teacher Edition include specialized tips that guide instruction on the lesson’s skills. The “Emergent Bilingual Students” sidebars offer ways to reinforce English language learning skills, such as reading, writing, and speaking. These sidebars also include ideas to help students from diverse cultural backgrounds understand lesson concepts. For example, in unit 1, the materials provide a tip for using students’ native language to associate similar sounds.

Additionally, tips for educators working with EB students appear in most lessons throughout the grade K Teacher Edition to help accommodate EB students’ assignments. The implementation guidance is found within the “Program Components” section to support educators in effective integration of the materials into state-approved bilingual and ESL programs. The materials explain that differentiated instruction is supported through green sidebars embedded throughout the lesson plans, which offer targeted assistance for EB students. These sidebars provide specific linguistic accommodations designed to help educators make the handwriting curriculum accessible to all students and to provide the necessary facilitation guidance for successful implementation in various bilingual and ESL settings.

The grade K Teacher Edition includes a “Handwriting Instruction and Emergent Bilingual Students” section that provides educators with information, such as “skills acquired under one language can support learning skills in a second language system.” The materials also state, “Handwriting performance in one language directly connects with handwriting performance in another language.” The page also includes information about Zaner-Bloser La escritura as parallel instruction to the English program.

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 does not apply because the program is not designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs.

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.

In grade K, the Teacher Edition provides explicit, systematic handwriting instruction. The materials align with the grade-level TEKS and support the program’s stated purpose. Lessons follow a three-step sequence of “Model,” “Practice,” and “Evaluate,” and the program provides explicit instruction for forming the lowercase l. Educators model how to form the letter with appropriate directionality. The Teacher Edition provides concise explanations and facilitation support for modeling this skill. This direct instruction helps students understand the physical aspects of letter formation in handwriting. Additionally, the Teacher Edition organizes instruction in a systematic sequence. The program teaches the lowercase l before the uppercase L, in alignment with the developmental sequence of handwriting strokes.

In addition, the grade K Teacher Edition provides explicit, systematic handwriting instruction in alignment with grade-level TEKS. The materials follow a “Model,” “Practice,” and “Evaluate” sequence throughout each lesson, a structure that offers a direct approach to teaching handwriting skills. First, the lesson objective is stated clearly, such as one objective in unit 2 that reads, “Practice writing U.” In the first step, “Model,” the educator explains the skill and uses various modeling techniques, including guidelines on the board to demonstrate correct letter formation. The Teacher Edition also directs the educator to use the Animated Letter Model and sky-writing to model letter formation. After the educator completes the “Model” section, the next step in the lesson cycle is “Practice,” in which students complete the practice assignment independently. The final step involves students self-evaluating their work. During this step, the educator guides the evaluation by asking questions such as, “Is the curve of your U round?”

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.

In grade K, the Teacher Edition and student materials provide opportunities to develop and refine skills through guided and independent practice. The supplemental program includes resources such as the My ZB Portal, Handwriting Quest, and Digital Tutor to support student interaction. During the “Develop” stage, students learn target skills such as letter formation, directionality, and spacing. Educators use scaffolds, questions, and cues to support skill acquisition. These methods include tracing, copying, and multisensory tasks such as sky-writing. Educators also narrate the steps of letter formation during choral practice. This approach provides students with multiple opportunities to develop their handwriting skills.

Additionally, students transition to independent practice in the student workbook to build automaticity. During a lesson in unit 3, educators prompt students to evaluate their work and identify their “best numeral.” The materials include a Practice Masters resource for home use to reinforce and refine handwriting skills.

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 grade K, the Teacher Edition guides educators as they deliver corrective feedback. The materials also include reteach strategies for literacy skills based on student performance. At the end of the guide, the program provides corrective strategies for manuscript letter formation. This resource features visual comparisons of correct and incorrect letter forms that educators use to identify and address common student errors. These tools serve as adjusting feedback and quick reteach strategies for handwriting. This organization supports students as they refine legibility within the supplemental program.

In the “Evaluate” section of each lesson, the materials include criteria for legibility. The Teacher Edition provides criteria for printed letters and numerals, including guidance on letter formation, size, and alignment. The materials identify targeted look-fors for educators to use during instruction, and educators guide students through a self-evaluation process to develop skills. For example, in a unit 3 lesson on the letter Z, students receive specific prompts in which they check whether the top and bottom strokes are the same length, and whether the strokes are written directly above and below each other. This guidance helps educators provide feedback to students.