Orbit Texas Edition

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include a Scope and Sequence document that provides a clear, comprehensive overview of the concepts taught across the course, organized by unit and lesson. Each unit identifies a specific unit focus and module focus that outlines the phonics, morphology, handwriting, and vocabulary concepts taught. The Scope and Sequence previews the skills taught in each unit, such as decoding and encoding words with prefixes and suffixes.

The materials include a “TEKS and ELPS Alignment” table that lists the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), and corresponding Orbit lesson. For example, unit 1, lesson 2 addresses TEKS 3.2a (ii, v, and vi) and ELPS 1F, 2E, 3B, 3C, 3H, and 5D.

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

The materials include a comparative summary table in the Orbit Pacing Guide that clearly distinguishes the structural differences across the three instructional calendar options (165, 180, and 210 days). For example, the table identifies the number of instructional weeks (33, 36, and 42, respectively), the placement of benchmark assessments (Beginning of Program [BOP], Middle of Program [MOP], and End of Program [EOP]), the number of review weeks, and the availability of optional extension unit weeks.

The Orbit Pacing Guide outlines the instructional weeks and units. The pacing calendars identify the program’s beginning, middle, and end segments within the schedule, along with the number of weeks within each segment.

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

In the “Introduction” section of the Orbit Teacher Guide, Texas Edition, under “Rationale for Unit Order,” the materials explain that Orbit Texas Edition is “intentionally sequenced to support cumulative, connected learning across the course by moving from foundational and more transparent language structures to increasingly complex and abstract ones. Early units emphasize phonics patterns and high-utility word structures to establish accurate, automatic decoding, which serves as the foundation for all subsequent word analysis and comprehension.”

The materials include a rationale that explains the sequence and organization of instruction. For example, Orbit Texas Edition includes a dedicated “Rationale for Unit Order” page that describes an intentional progression from foundational, transparent language structures to increasingly complex and abstract concepts. The materials explain how the three core instructional strands—phonics and decoding, morphology, and vocabulary—are coordinated and built upon across units. The rationale also emphasizes cumulative learning, noting that the program revisits and integrates previously taught concepts with new learning so skills are connected and reinforced over time.

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

The materials include supports that help educators internalize each unit and lesson. For example, at the beginning of each unit and lesson, a “What You Need to Know” section provides educators with background knowledge, instructional goals, information about online tools, support for all students (including those from diverse backgrounds and those who need targeted instruction), and “Home Connection” letters for caregivers to support learning at home. The materials also include “Curricular Crossover” notes as an internalization tool to support lesson implementation across content areas. For example, in unit 2, lesson 1, the materials guide educators to have students identify high-frequency words, known as heart words in Orbit Texas Edition materials, in other texts throughout the week and keep the words posted in the classroom to support student recognition and retention.

The materials include guidance that supports educator content knowledge and lesson preparation. For example, the “What You Need to Know” section provides essential background knowledge, instructional goals, and information to help educators anticipate student misconceptions. Before a lesson on multisyllabic closed-syllable words, the section includes a detailed explanation of closed syllables and outlines the process for reading multisyllabic words, helping educators prepare for effective instruction.

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

Orbit provides a fidelity checklist, a structured observation tool designed to support and monitor educator implementation of lessons as designed. The fidelity checklist allows administrators and coaches to record whether each look-for was observed fully, partially, or not at all, while also capturing evidence and notes. For example, the fidelity checklist includes indicators such as whether the educator uses scripted phonics routines and correct academic language for morphology. The fidelity checklist also captures logistical information, including lesson pacing, group size, and whether a full or partial lesson was observed, giving leaders context to support targeted coaching and feedback after classroom observations.

The materials include resources for instructional leaders to support educators in implementing the materials. For example, the “Leading Fidelity Walk-Throughs” section of the Administrator and Literacy Leader Support Guide includes checklists for each of the three types of lessons that may be observed within a unit.

Evaluation for 1.2a
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.

In unit 9, lesson 1, “Morphology: Bound Base vs. Free Base Words,” the materials provide background content knowledge, including definitions of bound base and free base words in morphology. The materials also provide background knowledge about root words and Latin words for educators. The course includes objectives, student materials, and educator materials to support instruction. Academic vocabulary words appear in bold throughout the lesson for instructional support and emphasis.

The materials provide the background content knowledge necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the “What You Need to Know” section. For example, it provides a detailed description of the Latin root part to prepare educators for upcoming lessons on roots and word origins.

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

The materials include family resources in both English and Spanish to support learning at home. For example, the “Welcome to Orbit” and “Bienvenidos a Orbit” letters give caregivers information about the skills and concepts students learn in each unit, along with activities and recommendations for supporting instruction at home. In unit 2, the materials explain the concept of a closed syllable by defining it, describing its features, and including examples of closed-syllable words. The materials also provide caregivers with activities to help students read longer words, such as underlining vowels and drawing lines between consonants to identify syllable patterns.

The materials include supports for families in Spanish, with suggestions for supporting their students’ progress through “Conexión con el Hogar.” For example, the unit 1 “Home Connection” letter contains a section titled “Practica en Casa” with four activity options that provide families with activity suggestions to support their student.

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

Each lesson is supported by comprehensive, structured, and detailed materials, including daily objectives, questions, tasks, required materials, and instructional assessments aligned with the lesson’s content and language standards (the TEKS and ELPS). Lessons include a “Lesson Overview” that identifies the TEKS and ELPS, states student-facing objectives, and lists the educator and student materials needed for instruction. The lesson plans provide detailed instructional tasks designed to promote mastery of the lesson objective and include “Quick Check” sections to assess student understanding. For example, in unit 8, lesson 5, the stated objective is for students to accurately decode and encode multisyllabic words with Vowel-Consonant-e (VCe) syllables. To assess mastery of this objective, students are asked to write four compound words and circle the VCe syllable in each word.

The materials include comprehensive, structured, and detailed lesson plans with daily objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments aligned to the TEKS and ELPS. For example, unit 9, lesson 2, “Vocabulary: Shades of Meaning: Positive and Negative Connotations,” includes objectives such as defining connotations as the positive and negative feelings words can carry and recognizing how differences in word connotation can affect an interpretation of a message. The lesson identifies the instructional materials needed, including the online Teacher Dashboard, Orbit Student Workbook: Book 1, InferCabulary digital vocabulary interface, and Reading Arcade skill-building games. Students participate in learning tasks such as classifying words by connotation, and the lesson provides educator guidance questions to support learning. For example, the educator reads the sentence, “Her curious nature has led to some exciting discoveries,” and asks students whether the sentence sounds positive, negative, or neutral. The lesson also includes a Quick Check assessment in which students identify words with positive and negative connotations. Formative assessments are built directly into the lesson through a Quick Check that includes an educator script and answer key, allowing educators to measure student mastery of lesson objectives before moving forward. The aligned TEKS and ELPS are identified in the “Lesson Overview” section.

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

The instructional materials include a lesson overview that identifies the educator and student materials needed to deliver the lesson effectively, along with suggested timing for lesson components. For example, in unit 19, lesson 5, “Morphology: MorphStory: Meter and Struct,” the materials list educator materials as Orbit Online, Teacher Dashboard, and a blank copy of Orbit Student Workbook: Book 3. Student materials include Orbit Student Workbook: Book 3, InferCabulary, Reading Arcade, a printed copy of the Quick Check, and a pencil. The materials also provide suggested timing, including 30 minutes for InferCabulary and 15–20 minutes for Reading Arcade. Additionally, the “Timing in the Orbit Instructional Block” section outlines recommended time allocations for each lesson component to support consistent lesson delivery.

The materials include structured overview pages that explicitly identify the materials required for instruction in each lesson. For example, in unit 6, lesson 1, in the “Phonics Lesson on Contractions and Possessives” section, the educator materials include Orbit Online and the Teacher Dashboard. Student materials include the SyllaBoards Kit, Orbit Student Workbook: Book 1, Quick Check, a pencil, InferCabulary, Reading Arcade, and the “Home Connection” letter for unit 6. The materials also include “Timing in the Orbit Instructional Block,” which provides guidance for lesson implementation by outlining suggested time allocations for each lesson component. For example, unit 8, lesson 1 specifies instructional time for components such as “Word Observatory” for 2 minutes, the “VCe Syllables” animation for 5.5 minutes, “Review and I Do” for 3 minutes, and the “Decodable Passage Teacher Read” for 5 minutes.

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

The materials include guidance on using lesson materials effectively for extended practice. For example, in the Orbit Teacher Guide: Book 1, “Small Group Activities,” the “Add the Suffix” activity extends the lesson on how “adding a suffix changes a word’s meaning or part of speech.” In the extended lesson, students illustrate or act out the new word with the suffix.

The materials include caregiver guidance for supporting learning at home in the “Welcome to Orbit” and “Bienvenidos a Orbit” letters. For example, in unit 24, students learn to capture the main idea of a passage in one clear sentence. Caregivers are guided to support this skill at home by having students read or watch a page from a book, short story, or scene. Caregivers then ask guiding questions such as “Who or what was it mainly about?” and “What was most important?” The caregivers then support students in combining their responses into one clear sentence to express the main idea.

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include guidance on selecting resources that align with a student’s performance, whether they need review and additional practice or require extensions and enrichment activities. For example, in the Orbit Teacher Guide: Book 1, Reading Arcade, “Components of Orbit” section, the materials provide an overview of student performance data available through the Reading Arcade and state, “These reporting tools provide meaningful insights into student growth and guide small group instruction, reteaching, and enrichment.”

Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions.

The materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson levels as well as short formative assessments designed to help educators monitor how well students understand key skills taught in each unit. The diagnostic assessment includes “Sight Word Survey” sections that measure a student’s automatic recognition of high-frequency words via one-on-one paper assessments. A Quick Check formative assessment is included at the end of each lesson to measure student understanding in a variety of ways. For example, in unit 3, lesson 3, the Quick Check section requires students to build new words using morpheme puzzles, each including a free base and a suffix. Summative assessments appear at the lesson level in lesson 5 of each unit. For example, in unit 1, lesson 5, the “What You Need to Know” section states that the lesson contains two summative assessment activities: spelling and dictation, and a decodable oral reading procedure. The program also incorporates diverse task types, including self-assessments, semantic matching activities, and tiered comprehension questions that require students to locate evidence, synthesize information, and make personal inferences.


The materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson levels, varying in the types of tasks and questions. For example, the “Orbit Reading Arcade Game Mapping” document shows that the Reading Arcade serves as both a practice and an assessment platform. Built-in formative assessments occur at the unit level, progress monitoring occurs at the end of each module, and program assessments measure mastery at the beginning of the program (BOP), middle of the program (MOP), and end of the program (EOP). Within each unit, five games address phonics, morphology, and vocabulary skills. Each game uses a distinct question type, providing variation at both the unit and lesson levels. Across the 25 documented units, game question formats include sorting tasks, such as “Real vs. Nonsense” and “Syllable Type Sort”; spelling and encoding tasks, such as “Spell the Missing Syllable”; identification and selection tasks, such as “Heart Word ID”; unscrambling tasks, such as “Unscramble Morphemes” and “Greek Detective”; matching tasks, such as “Match the Morpheme Family” and “VCe Reading Match”; categorization tasks, such as “Free Base Sort” and “Suffix Sort”; sentence-level tasks, such as “Sorting Complete Sentences” and “Fragments and Conjunction Sort”; and meaning-based tasks, such as “Literal or Figurative” and “Word Moods.”

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials outline the definitions of its comprehensive assessment system through the recommended assessment timeline and flowcharts, as well as the assessment section in the Orbit Teacher Guide introduction. For example, the materials define diagnostic assessments as tools that “help identify students’ prior knowledge, decoding strengths, and specific instructional needs.” The materials embed diagnostic assessments throughout instruction, using them to adjust pacing, groupings, and strategies based on student understanding. Summative assessments “measure student mastery at the end of a program or instructional cycle.” The materials include Quick Check sections, which help educators monitor students’ understanding of key skills taught in each unit through short formative assessments. The materials also include Sight Word Survey sections, which measure students’ automatic recognition of high-frequency words through one-on-one paper assessments.

In the “Assessment Glossary,” under “Diagnostic Assessments” and the “Purpose” subheading, the materials include the definition and intended purpose of the assessment types by stating, “If students are not meeting proficiency goals based on program assessment data, it may be helpful to dig deeper into their strengths and needs by administering a diagnostic assessment. These assessments help identify students’ prior knowledge, decoding strengths, and specific instructional needs.”

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

To ensure consistent and accurate assessments, the materials provide scripted educator language, SAY prompts, and explicit step-by-step instructional sequences that standardize delivery across classrooms. For example, in unit 3, lesson 3, numbered lesson sections, click-to-display directions, and references to established routines ensure all educators administer the Quick Check the same way. An answer key with defined correct responses further supports uniform implementation across examiners.

The materials include educator guidance to ensure consistent administration of instructional assessments, with step-by-step procedures for assessment administration. The “Diagnostic Decoding Surveys” packet provides specific guidelines for both administering and scoring assessments. For example, the packet states, “When you are ready to begin a survey, place the appropriate student page in front of the students, have the appropriate recording form in front of the assessor, and follow the appropriate sample script.”

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

The grade 3 materials include diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments aligned with the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson. For example, the “Program Assessments” in the Reading Arcade platform provide explicit TEKS alignment for every game across all three assessment types: BOP Baseline, MOP Mid-Interval, and EOP Summative. Each assessment includes a “TEKS Alignment” column that maps individual games to specific standards. The assessment document also connects each assessment to the objectives of the Orbit program. The BOP measures students’ familiarity with concepts taught in Orbit lessons, the MOP gauges mastery of skills taught in units 1–13, and the EOP measures mastery across the entire program.

The Reading Arcade Student Tracker provides specific phonics, morphology, and vocabulary skills addressed in each of the 25 units and 3 alternate units. The unit-by-unit skill descriptions demonstrate that the program’s assessments are grounded in and aligned with the instructional objectives students work toward throughout the program, connecting assessment to course- and unit-level objectives across the full scope of instruction.

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

The materials include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity. For example, in the “Orbit Student Reflection Ticket,” students construct responses to prompts such as “Today, I learned...” and “Something I did well today is...,” which prompt them to reflect on their learning and recognize their growth. In addition, the materials include items that require students to apply phonics concepts. For example, students play the “Locate the Schwa” game in unit 2, game 1, “Game Mapping,” where they read a word and choose the syllable that contains the schwa sound.

The materials include instructional assessments with TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity. For example, the comprehension assessment items range from literal, right-there questions that measure basic retrieval to “Think and Search” tasks that integrate information across a passage, as well as complex “Text and Me” questions that require advanced inferencing by connecting textual evidence with prior knowledge and personal experiences. In addition, unit 17, lesson 3 includes comprehension questions at varying levels of complexity in the “Step Outside: Why Nature Is Good for Everyone” second reading activity. Questions begin at a lower level of complexity with “What are the three reasons the author gives for why nature is beneficial?” Then, students answer more complex questions, such as “What could happen if people don’t spend time in nature?”

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

Educator materials for instructional assessment and scoring information include answer keys, standardized scoring procedures for assessments such as dictation and oral reading, and automated scoring within the Reading Arcade. Additionally, performance dashboards, color-coded indicators, and detailed reports help educators analyze results, identify skill gaps, and make informed instructional decisions.

In addition, the Proficiency Teacher Report Guide explains how educators can interpret student performance on assessments and reflect on their levels of understanding. For example, the “Proficiency Report for Teachers and Students” document’s “Overview” section states that “The Proficiency Report provides a clear, visual way to understand how students are progressing through their Really Great Reading program over time. It helps educators and school administrators see patterns in student performance, identify strengths and areas for growth, and make instructional decisions.”

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

The materials include instructional guidance on using the included tasks and activities to respond to students’ assessment performance trends. For example, in the Introduction section of the Orbit Teacher Guide: Book 1, students who score below 50 percent (6/12) on the “InferCabulary Expedition” pretest are recommended to have the assignment copied and reassigned the following week. The materials direct students who score below 83 percent on the posttest to participate in the “Practice the Think-Aloud Process” small-group activity. The materials also allow educators to reassign the posttest and provide additional small-group support to students who need further instruction.

The materials provide guidance on using the included tasks and activities to respond to students’ performance trends on assessments. For example, after the spelling and dictation activity in unit 1, lesson 5, the materials include the following guidance: “For students who struggle decoding words from this passage or reading with fluency, provide small group instruction in multisyllabic word reading and/or fluency (see the Phonics Small Group Activities in the Appendix).” The materials direct educators to provide additional instruction and practice before having students reread the passage to improve their words correct per minute (WCPM) rate and reading accuracy.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include tools that help both educators and students track progress and growth. Educators use the Reading Arcade Teacher Dashboard to access reports such as skills analysis, unit reports, and item analysis, along with resources such as “Quick Check” tracking sheets and the small-group planner to monitor student performance and guide instruction. Students monitor their own growth through decodable oral reading-tracking charts and vocabulary self-assessments.

In the Orbit Teacher Guide, the “Phonics Procedures Appendix” provides educators with structured observation and tracking tools embedded directly within instructional routines. The “Decodable Oral Reading Passage Procedure” includes a dedicated “Teacher Observation/Support” section that directs educators to observe students for accurate reading, pacing, and intonation during partner reading. In addition, in the unit 9, lesson 4, “Self-Assessment Review” section, students revisit and reflect on a self-assessment they completed earlier in the unit to track their progress. For example, “For the next three, share your thoughts on the words we studied. ‘I like the word __________. I do not like the word __________. I am still confused about the word __________.’”

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

The materials include differentiation supports embedded throughout Orbit Teacher Guide: Books 1–3. For example, in Orbit Teacher Guide: Book 1, unit 1, lesson 3, at the end of activity 3, “Partner Phrase Reading,” the materials include a “Suggestions for Differentiation” box that provides specific support for students who have not yet reached proficiency. The materials include activity 1 under the “Support for Differentiation” subheading within the box, which states, “Students can find words in the phrases containing the phonics concepts with which they need more practice and circle or underline the target phonics concepts in those words. For example, students find and circle all the digraphs.”

The materials include scaffolded error-correction procedures for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level phonics content. In the Orbit Teacher Guide: Book 1, unit 2, lesson 3, part 3, the materials include a “Partner Phrase Reading” activity with a positive error-correction protocol that provides a peer-based, multistep support system. The materials include guidance for the checker to identify the number of misread phrases and point to misread words without saying the word, allowing the reader an opportunity to self-correct. The materials include an escalation sequence if the reader continues to struggle: the checker assists by using a “touch and say” routine, the reader independently uses “touch and say,” and the reader then reads the phrase correctly before moving on. The materials include a partner-rotation structure that supports fluency development by letting each student hear a partner read phrases aloud before reading them independently.

Evaluation for 3.1b
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic language). (T/S)

The materials include pre-teaching and embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references. For example, in unit 10, lesson 2, the materials include an educator introduction of unfamiliar words with student-friendly definitions and descriptive context for each word. The materials include vocabulary support for words such as pine marten and badger, use physical descriptions and relatable comparisons, and define words with a concrete example sentence. The materials include educator prompts with connection questions to activate prior knowledge before reading begins. The materials include explicit pre-teaching of unfamiliar literary references through a display of folktales that introduce the genre and its conventions. Educator guidance explains the defining features of a folktale, including its moral structure and character types, and defines the trickster tale subgenre. The materials include a “What Do You Already Know?” display that prompts educators to facilitate discussion connecting the text to familiar trickster characters such as Anansi the Spider and Coyote, supporting student understanding of cultural and literary references.

The materials include educator guidance for previewing vocabulary students need to understand the text. These materials include visuals, definitions, and opportunities for students to make personal connections to vocabulary during in-class discussions. For example, in unit 6, lesson 2, the materials include a section to preview vocabulary before reading activity 4, “Snacks Around the World.” Guidance under activity 4 includes the subtitle “Click to Display Words to Preview,” which prompts educators to introduce the word plantain. The materials include educator directions stating, “Click to add the word plantain. Say: A plantain is a fruit that looks like a banana. It is usually bigger, firmer, and less sweet than a banana. Unlike bananas, plantains are not eaten raw. People cook them by frying, baking, or boiling. Say plantain with me: plantain.”

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction, as well as enrichment and extension activities for students who are proficient in grade-level content and skills. For example, via the Supply Room HQ digital resource hub for Orbit Teacher Guide: Book 2, “Small-Group Activities,” after students read each Challenge Word accurately, they use the word correctly in an oral sentence; identify a word with a matching syllable; identify an antonym, synonym, or words with other shades of meaning; break the word into morphemes; and build a definition.

The materials include small-group activity educator guides that provide structured, educator-led routines and targeted practice opportunities to support differentiated instruction in small-group settings and help educators respond to student needs. These materials are located in the Supply Room HQ digital hub under the “Differentiation and Small Group” category that corresponds to the same-numbered Orbit Teacher Guide book (1, 2, or 3). The materials include extension activities within the small-group phonics activities. For example, in Orbit Teacher Guide: Book 1, “Small-Group Activities,” the first phonics activity is “Multisyllabic Word Reading Procedure.” This activity includes an “Extensions” section with guidance stating, “After students have read each Challenge Word accurately, have them use the word correctly in an oral sentence; come up with a word with a matching syllable; come up with an antonym, synonym, or words with other shades of meaning; break the word into morphemes; and build a definition.”

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

The materials include explicit prompts and guidance to help educators model and explain concepts and skills. For example, in unit 1, lesson 3, scripted educator prompts direct educators to explain lesson objectives related to closed syllables, multisyllabic word reading, spelling, and fluency. During partner phrase reading, the materials provide step-by-step modeling guidance for decoding words by identifying vowels, dividing words into syllables, and using a “touch and say” routine to read one syllable at a time. The lesson also includes guidance for implementing the reader/checker structure, modeling fluent reading, and providing corrective feedback.

In unit 18, lesson 2, before reading “Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance,” the educator is directed to say, “Today, we are going to read the true story of an explorer named Ernest Shackleton.” The materials also direct the educator to explain unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary by saying, “Before I begin reading, let’s preview some words that may be new to you.” In addition, the educator is guided to explain leadership by stating, “Leadership is the state of being a leader.” The lesson concludes by guiding the educator to read the passage aloud and model fluent reading with expression.

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

The materials include educator guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery. In unit 1, lesson 1, the “Read Real Closed Syllable Words” activity follows a gradual-release structure. Scripted “say” prompts direct the educator to model each step of the multisyllabic word-reading procedure while students follow along on their SyllaBoards. During independent practice, educators circulate, monitor student work, identify misconceptions, and provide feedback before reviewing responses with the class.

The materials incorporate a variety of instructional approaches to support learning. For example, the “Word Hunt” activity uses a partner structure in which students take turns reading words aloud while a peer checks for accuracy. In unit 1, lesson 3, the “Split It!” activity directs educators to model phoneme-grapheme connections through “Whale Talk,” state each phoneme and corresponding grapheme, and pause for student application. The materials also guide educators to either maintain a high level of support or release students to spell syllables independently based on student readiness. A five-step positive error-correction protocol guides educators in responding to student errors.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials support multiple types of practice and include guidance for educators and recommended instructional structures to support effective implementation. For example, in unit 12, lesson 2, students engage in independent practice by using a word bank, semantic links, and word classes to complete a cloze activity. The educator then reviews responses with the whole group using provided prompts such as “How did you know the missing word was _________?” and “What words helped you decide?” The materials also provide redirection questions to guide students who need additional support. Students further engage in collaborative practice by working with partners to identify missing words in a passage and create a right-there question. Additional independent practice opportunities are provided through InferCabulary and Reading Arcade activities.

The materials also provide guidance for implementing whole-group, small-group, partner, and individual learning structures. For example, in unit 10, lesson 4, the educator first models the cloze procedure with the whole group using scripted guidance. The lesson then transitions students to a small-group structure, where they work together to complete the remaining blanks in the passage. The materials include scripts that guide participation, discussion, turn-taking, and respectful communication, supporting effective facilitation of collaborative learning activities.

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

The “ELPS Alignment” section provides differentiated supports for students at the Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced High proficiency levels across listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These supports help educators scaffold instruction through sentence stems, visual supports, structured language opportunities, and academic vocabulary development, enabling students to use increasingly sophisticated academic language during phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension instruction.

The materials also provide lesson-level guidance that supports academic language development. For example, in unit 2, lesson 2, “Introduction to Semantic Word Relationships,” the materials support students in developing understanding of unfamiliar words through visual supports and explicit connections among words and concepts. Students use listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills to discuss and apply vocabulary, helping them build academic language and deepen comprehension.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include implementation guidance to help educators use the program effectively with emergent bilingual (EB) students in state-approved bilingual/English as a second language (ESL) settings. In “Support for Spanish-Speaking ELs in the Reading Playground,” the materials describe a Spanish-language support feature that delivers English game directions in Spanish to support student access to digital skill activities. The guidance explains that the feature supports students with beginning or intermediate English proficiency whose comprehension of English instructions may limit participation in learning tasks and affect the accuracy of assessment data. Educators receive explicit instructions for accessing the feature through the Reading Playground Teacher Dashboard, activating and managing student support, and identifying which students have the feature enabled.

The materials further provide implementation recommendations to guide educator decision-making. The guidance specifies that Spanish language support should be activated only for students whose English proficiency level requires linguistic assistance to access task directions. Additional educator-facing guidance appears in lesson materials, where educators are prompted to model task steps for multilingual learners to ensure student performance reflects content understanding rather than language barriers. These supports provide structured direction for implementing the program in ESL contexts while maintaining access to grade-level content.

Evaluation for 3.3c
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.

Embedded guidance supports educators in helping EB students develop academic vocabulary, increase comprehension, build background knowledge, and make cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse. For example, in unit 1, lesson 5, an educator-facing sidebar located next to the “Read Aloud or Have Students Read Independently” section provides specific instructional supports, including modeling the activity for emergent bilingual students, pairing lower-proficiency students with higher-proficiency peers, and allowing native language interaction when shared between students. The guidance also adjusts expectations based on proficiency level, such as allowing beginning-level students to provide one-word written responses instead of complete sentences for selected questions.

The materials further embed support for academic vocabulary and comprehension through student tasks and program resources. In unit 5, lesson 3, a four-square graphic organizer guides students to define the prefix pre-, explain how it changes a base word, generate examples, and write sentences, supporting academic vocabulary development through structured writing. In unit 4, students use a passage workbook to underline text evidence, respond to comprehension questions, and connect text to personal experiences in writing, reinforcing comprehension and background knowledge. In addition, the “ELPS Alignment” table in Orbit Teacher Guide: Book 2 provides guidance for vocabulary and cross-linguistic supports such as bilingual glossaries, picture dictionaries, and word banks for beginning proficiency students, further reinforcing language development across instructional contexts.

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

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

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

The materials include systematic instruction in sound-symbol correspondence skills, using a gradual release model (I Do, We Do, You Do), for decoding and encoding. For example, unit 1, lesson 1 begins with an “I Do” activity in which the educator models the “Closed Syllable” animation. The lesson then transitions to a “We Do” activity in activity 5, where students read real closed syllable words under educator guidance using the Multisyllabic Word Reading procedure. Toward the end of activity 5, the lesson progresses to the “You Do” stage, where students independently apply the word-reading procedure.

The materials also sequence phonics instruction from simple to increasingly complex concepts. Early lessons introduce foundational skills, such as closed and open syllables. For example, unit 2, lesson 1 focuses on decoding and encoding multisyllabic closed syllable words with a schwa in both isolation and connected text. Later lessons build on these skills by introducing more advanced concepts. For example, module 6, unit 22, lesson 1 focuses on decoding and encoding multisyllabic words with the Latin endings -tion, -sion, and -ture in isolation and connected text. Other units continue this systematic progression by extending previously taught routines to more complex phonics patterns. For example, unit 16, lesson 1 applies the same structured word-analysis routine introduced in unit 1 to r-controlled vowels, vowel teams, and diphthongs. In unit 16, lesson 1, section 6, the “I Do” models the procedure using the word cartoonist by identifying the suffix, marking vowel spellings, placing SyllaBoards, and blending syllables. The “We Do” guides students through the same routine using the words resounding and ointment, which include prefixes, suffixes, and vowel team spellings. The “You Do” then releases students to independently apply the procedure to the words brawny, profoundly, and misunderstood.

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

The materials include sound–symbol correspondences by encoding multisyllabic words and sentences through spelling and dictation activities. For example, “Word Observatory” and “Word Hunt” activities engage students in analyzing word lists for targeted phonics patterns, while “Read Real Words” uses SyllaBoards to support syllable-by-syllable decoding. The materials then provide unit-based decodable passages aligned to the targeted sound–symbol correspondences and syllable patterns taught during instruction. For example, through educator-led instruction, guided practice, and structured partner reading, students reread passages multiple times throughout the unit to strengthen decoding accuracy, build fluency, and monitor their progress over time.

Students reread each decodable passage multiple times throughout the unit through educator-led instruction and structured partner reading. The materials also provide ongoing opportunities to practice phonics skills in isolation through “Word Hunt” activities. For example, unit 4, lesson 1, activity 7 directs partners to take turns reading lists of words aloud while a partner monitors accuracy, marks correct and incorrect responses, and reviews the words with the class.

The materials also provide ongoing opportunities to apply phonics skills in connected text through “Decodable Passage Practice” sections. For example, unit 1, lesson 3, activity 7 directs students to reread the decodable passage “Grill Master Jr.” with a partner after educator modeling earlier in the week, focusing on accurate word reading while building fluency.

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

Orbit Teacher Guide: Book 2 extends explicit phonics instruction with educator modeling of spelling (encoding) skills. In unit 10, lesson 4, the “Phonics Warm-Up” section includes scripted language for the educator to model spelling the word candies using the “Spell It Right” vowel suffix rules. The educator models counting syllables using “Whale Talk,” identifying the base word candy, and reasoning through which spelling rule applies before writing the word. The script includes precise, word-for-word think-aloud language, such as recognizing that candies requires the “change the y to i” rule rather than simply adding an s to the base word.

In unit 18, lesson 2, the educator models how to read the high-frequency word circle by using phonetic knowledge. For example, the educator says, “I see two vowel spellings in this word, ir and the e in the Consonant-le syllable (underline each), and they are separate vowel spellings, so I know this word has two syllables. Because I see a Consonant-le syllable, I know that the /c-l-e/ is a whole syllable on its own, and I’ll draw my line before it to represent two syllables that can be read as /ser/ /kuhl/, circle.”

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 daily lessons include opportunities for explicit guided instruction, with guidance on immediate and corrective feedback. The materials include immediate feedback throughout lessons; for example, students participate in frequent oral responses, collaborative activities, and reading aloud, providing educators with ongoing opportunities to monitor understanding and respond to student needs. The materials include corrective feedback by emphasizing “Positive Error Corrections,” guiding educators to first acknowledge what students have read or understood correctly before addressing errors. Educator resources also identify common misconceptions and guide educators in explaining correct responses, clarifying misunderstandings, and discussing multiple acceptable answers when appropriate.

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include opportunities for corrective and immediate feedback, with guidance. For example, the materials include immediate feedback under the Quick Check sections embedded throughout the lesson. The materials include corrective feedback under “Positive Error Correction for Reading Multisyllabic Words,” in unit 2, lesson 1, activity 6, at the end of the “You Do” section. The following guidance is included: “If a student misreads a multisyllabic word, provide positive error correction: 1. Identify which syllables the student read correctly. 2. Prompt the student to use the “touch and say” routine to reread the incorrect syllable. Then, have the student read the whole word. 3. If necessary, guide the student to ask the vowel questions for multisyllabic words. ‘How many vowel letters are in the word? Are the letters together or apart? How many syllables are there?’” The guided script continues through six steps, providing corrective feedback based on the specific errors the student makes.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include daily lessons that give students a variety of opportunities to practice phonics skills through collaborative learning. For example, in unit 8, lesson 2, during the “Phonics Warm-Up,” the educator models how to identify and read the word became by underlining vowels, identifying syllable types, and segmenting the word into syllables. The educator then writes the words square and palace on the board and groups students into pairs or desk groups. The materials then asks students to work collaboratively with their partner(s) to read each word, identify the VCe syllable, underline the vowels, segment the syllables, star the VCe syllable, circle any vowels spelling schwa, and read the word correctly. The materials include collaborative learning opportunities as students mark up words on the board and independently show their work on paper by underlining vowels, segmenting syllables, starring the VCe syllable, and circling vowels spelling schwa. As an additional independent practice opportunity, the materials direct students to use InferCabulary and the Reading Arcade digital resources to practice identifying and reading words with VCe syllable patterns.

The materials include opportunities for independent practice during each daily lesson through the “You Do” portion of instruction, as well as additional independent practice through the Reading Arcade and InferCabulary digital activities. For example, in unit 2, lesson 1, students independently apply the Multisyllabic Word Reading procedure using SyllaBoards. The materials direct educators to display each word, allow students time to complete the reading procedure independently, provide abbreviated guidance as needed, and reinforce independent practice to support skill transfer. The materials also include additional independent practice through the digital resources. For example, unit 2, lesson 5, activity 5 directs educators to schedule at least 30 minutes of InferCabulary practice and 15–20 minutes of Reading Arcade practice throughout the week. The materials recommend distributing InferCabulary practice across at least three sessions and provide optional on-screen timers to support independent work.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include consistent phonics practice activities throughout the curriculum. In unit 10, lesson 5, a Knowledge Checkpoint combines a warm-up activity, spelling and dictation, decodable passage fluency, and a Quick Check. The materials build intentional cumulative review across units. For example, the Orbit Teacher Guide for unit 14, lesson 1 states directly that the unit reviews the common vowel teams taught in grade 2 before introducing less common spellings. In the lesson, students build a long-vowel spellings chart that requires recalling open-syllable spellings taught in unit 4 and VCe syllable spellings taught in unit 8 before adding the new vowel-team spelling for each vowel sound. This activity requires students to apply syllable knowledge from earlier units rather than reviewing only new content.

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include intentional cumulative phonics review and practice activities throughout the curriculum. For example, in unit 7, lesson 5, students revisit previously taught spelling patterns, suffixes, and “Spell It Right Rules” throughout a series of Four-Square activities that require them to apply morphology and orthographic knowledge to create, spell, and define new words. During guided instruction, students review suffixes while applying previously learned spelling conventions. Students then independently complete additional Four-Square activities and a Quick Check that require them to use their accumulated knowledge of bases, suffixes, spelling rules, and word meanings. Ongoing practice in InferCabulary and the Reading Arcade further reinforces previously taught concepts.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include practice opportunities that focus only on explicitly taught phonics skills. For example, in unit 1, lesson 4, during the “I Do” activity, the educator reminds students of previously taught concepts by stating, “We have learned that some words have different numbers of syllables and morphemes, but they can also have the same number of syllables and morphemes.” The educator further explains, “We will determine if a word has the same number or a different number of syllables and morphemes.” The educator models how to analyze the word unpack by identifying vowels, dividing the word into syllables, and recognizing the prefix un- and the free base pack. The educator says, “These are two morphemes.” During the “We Do” portion, students analyze the words plants and unwilling with educator guidance by identifying vowels, syllables, prefixes, suffixes, and free bases. During the “You Do” portion, students independently practice analyzing additional words in their workbooks using the same skills taught and modeled during the lesson, such as unbuttoning, drums, and misfit.

The materials build decodability directly into the design of each phonics unit’s “Decodable Oral Reading Passage.” Words within each passage are aligned to phonics concepts covered in current Texas grade 3 standards, the unit’s target skill, or high-frequency words from the Dolch Pre-Primer through grade 3 word lists. “Point and Say” lists identify common irregular words that do not require decoding instructions and are marked in gray. “Taught Heart Words” from the current unit are underlined to support recognition of previously taught high-frequency words. For example, in unit 1, lesson 1, the educator script introduces the passage “Grill Master Jr.” by explaining that it includes “closed syllable words like the words we’ve been practicing.” Before students read independently, the educator reviews the “Words to Preview” and “Point and Say” lists aloud with the class, addressing any unfamiliar words beyond the unit’s taught phonics content to support accurate passage reading.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 decodable texts incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills. For example, in unit 6, lesson 3, part 7, “Decodable Passage Practice,” students work in pairs to read the passage “Healthy and Tasty?” Students work with a partner to identify four contractions in the passage and write them in their workbook. During the lesson, the materials direct students to use “previously taught decoding strategies by underlining vowels and segmenting syllables in words they struggle to read before asking a partner for help.” The materials extend the lesson by allowing students to look for additional contractions in the passage, such as aren’t, let’s, and don’t.

In addition, each unit’s decodable passage aligns to current sound–symbol correspondences while including previously taught syllable types and orthographic patterns. For example, the unit 4 decodable passage, “Potato Vending Machine,” includes the focus skill for the unit, as well as skills from the previous units such as digraphs, trigraphs, blends, compound words, multisyllabic closed syllable words with schwa, and multisyllabic open syllable words with schwa.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 lessons include an instructional focus with opportunities for practice in isolation and decodable, connected text. In unit 8, lesson 3, students practice the targeted VCe syllable pattern in isolation by segmenting and spelling multisyllabic words. Through guided spelling routines, students identify syllables, analyze vowel patterns, apply decoding and encoding strategies, and use the “touch and say” routine to reinforce accurate word reading. Students extend this isolated practice through “Sentence Dictation Practice,” applying the targeted phonics concept while writing complete sentences. The lesson then transitions to practice in decodable, connected text through partner reading of the decodable passage “The Latest Snack Craze,” which contains numerous examples of words with the VCe pattern. Students apply their phonics knowledge while reading the passage, identify additional target-concept words within the text, and discuss their findings with peers.

The materials include examples of instructional focus with opportunities for practice in isolation and in decodable, connected text. For example, unit 4, lesson 5 includes a Quick Check covering isolation. Students read three words and circle the one with an open syllable. They then write a dictated sentence and circle every word in it containing an open syllable. The lesson also includes “Decodable Passage Fluency” and “Comprehension” activities covering the connected text point. Students reread the “Potato Vending Machine” passage with a partner. The same instructional design in unit 4, lesson 5, is found in unit 1, lesson 5, pairing isolated practice with connected text practice for a different target skill—open syllables instead of closed syllables.

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

The materials include opportunities for student self-assessment within the vocabulary and morphology strands. For example, each Orbit Student Workbook includes a “Morphology Self-Assessment” that allows students to reflect on their understanding of word structure and morphological concepts. The materials also include a “Word Knowledge Self-Assessment” in every module that students complete before and after vocabulary instruction to monitor their growth in understanding and applying targeted vocabulary.

The materials include a variety of developmentally appropriate assessment tools to measure student learning and determine next instructional steps. For example, the materials include daily Quick Checks, which are “brief paper-and-pencil tasks aligned to each day’s lesson” and are scored using included checklists. The materials also include Reading Playground games, which are used as weekly formative assessments in phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, and encoding. Additionally, the materials include “Decodable Passage Warm Reads,” which are administered in lesson 5 of each unit to monitor fluency and decoding accuracy.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials provide tools that monitor progress systematically and accurately measure students’ acquisition of grade-level phonics skills. Formative assessments appear at the end of each lesson in Quick Check sections, allowing educators to track student progress and inform small-group instruction. The Quick Check Tracker provides a clear view of student growth in specific phonics skills over time, helping educators identify patterns of mastery and areas needing support. In addition, the program includes progress-monitoring tools that systematically measure students’ acquisition of grade-level phonics skills, including daily Quick Check sections and skill tracking reports.

The materials include progress-monitoring tools that accurately measure students’ acquisition of grade-level phonics skills. For example, the materials provide a variety of TEKS-aligned assessments to ensure accurate progress monitoring of each student’s knowledge. The materials also include the “Determining Progress Monitoring Frequency” document in the Supply Room HQ digital hub, which provides detailed guidance for progress monitoring. For example, the “Overview of Really Great Reading’s Progress Monitoring Tools” table lists each progress-monitoring tool available in the materials along with the benchmark indicators for each. The materials also include the “MTSS Progress Monitoring Plan: Tier Placement and Monitoring Frequency” table, which provides criteria for placing students in each tier.

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

The materials include assessment opportunities throughout the school year that align with progress-monitoring tools. For example, the materials include daily Quick Checks, which are administered daily to verify mastery of the skills taught that day. The materials also include Reading Arcade games, which occur weekly and provide a composite score to monitor unit-level progress. Additionally, the materials include the “Oral Decoding Progress Monitoring Check-In,” which occurs every three to four units to measure decoding accuracy on targeted word lists. Weekly spelling tests and Orbit Student Workbook observations also monitor phonics application and skill mastery. The materials also include a tiered progress-monitoring plan based on student performance: students meeting the benchmark are monitored every two to three weeks; students below the benchmark on one or two tools are monitored weekly; and students below the benchmark on three or more tools are monitored at least twice each week.

In addition, the materials include the “Diagnostic Decoding Surveys” packet, which consists of two informal diagnostic assessments designed to identify students’ decoding strengths and areas of need. The materials include one-on-one measures of phonics skills for struggling readers that can be administered across grade levels. For example, educators may administer the Beginning Decoding Survey at any point during the school year, while the Advanced Decoding Survey is recommended to begin in the middle of the school year. The materials also include assessment tasks such as reading sight words, sentences, and pseudowords to evaluate decoding skills. Additionally, the materials include guidance for using the “Diagnostic Decoding Surveys” packet within Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) frameworks to support ongoing assessment and instructional decision-making.

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

The materials include data-management tools to track individual student progress, support instructional decision-making, and accelerate instruction. For example, the materials include InferCabulary, which allows educators to assign vocabulary pretests and monitor student performance through the dashboard. Reporting features automatically record student results and provide detailed performance data. Additionally, the materials administer paired pretests and posttests throughout each module.

In addition, the materials include the Reading Arcade platform, which provides data tracking and management tools for morphology, phonics, and vocabulary. The materials also include the Class View dashboard of the “Skills Analysis” report, which displays individual student composite scores for phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, letter knowledge, phonics concepts, morphology, and vocabulary. Detailed reports are provided for specific skills and related subskills, along with color-coded student scores.

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

To track whole-class student progress and analyze patterns and instructional needs, the materials include the Class View and Group View dashboards in the Reading Arcade, which display performance trends in phonics, morphology, and vocabulary to help identify class strengths and areas for improvement. The materials also include the “Taking a Closer Look: Group View” section of the “Determining Progress Monitoring Frequency” document, which explains that the table shows the number of students in each performance category for every skill and allows educators to select a group to view students at that performance level. Guidance for analyzing whole-class data is provided in the “Next Steps Based on Scores” subsection of the “Taking a Closer Look: Class View” section. This guidance recommends providing additional support to students with a red dot next to a skill or subskill score and using a “Quick Check” to determine the most appropriate instructional support.

In addition, the materials include the Grouping Matrix online database that supports whole-class data management for grades 3–12. Guidance is provided for educators to screen students using a one-minute grade-level “Oral Reading Fluency” measure and administer the “Beginning Decoding Survey and Advanced Decoding Survey” to students who score below grade level. Educators enter these results into the Grouping Matrix database, which organizes students into decoding categories such as Severe Decoding Deficit, Emerging, Specific Decoding Weakness, and Strong Decoder to identify classwide patterns and recommend instructional group sizes.

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

The materials include the “Determining Progress Monitoring Frequency: Explicit Guidance and Specific Recommendations” PDF, which provides recommendations to help educators make informed instructional decisions about progress-monitoring frequency. The educator guidance recommends monitoring students in tier 1 every two to three weeks, students in tier 2 weekly, and students in tier 3 at least twice per week. Additionally, the materials include next-step recommendations for students who are at or above benchmark and for those performing below benchmark.

In addition, the materials include explicit progress-monitoring guidance for InferCabulary, the Orbit-only progress-monitoring tool. The materials direct students performing at or above benchmark to continue independent play, work with more challenging words, and complete Expedition activities for generalization, with progress monitored every four to six weeks. The materials also direct students performing below benchmark to receive increased direct instruction, reteaching through “Basecamp,” a reduced word load, and structured practice through “Ascent,” with progress monitored every two to three weeks. Additionally, the materials include guidance for educators to review “Struggle Words” in the program reports to identify students who require continued targeted instruction and support.

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

To accelerate learning based on progress-monitoring data to support mastery of specific concepts, the materials include data from the Reading Arcade, which informs flexible student grouping and allows educators to target instruction based on identified needs. The materials also include “Small-Group Activities” that provide differentiation and extension opportunities to support acceleration for students ready to advance. For example, the materials include the “Differentiation and Extensions” section of the “Spotlight Hunt” activity in the “Morphology Small Group Activities (Book 1),” which directs educators to require students to write sentences using words from the word list, challenge pairs to create two new words using the target morpheme and highlight it, and interpret the meaning of words containing the target morpheme.

In addition, the materials include the “Next Steps for Tier 2 Instruction by Assessment Tool” table, which connects instructional next steps to individual progress-monitoring tools. The materials include guidance that students scoring at or above benchmark on tools such as the daily “Quick Check” and the “Oral Decoding Progress Monitoring Check-In” continue with core instruction or follow recommendations in the “Accelerating Learning” document. Students scoring below benchmark receive reteaching using aligned lesson supports, including decodable passages, dictated sentences, and spelling resources. Guidance is also provided for Reading Playground and Reading Arcade results, directing educators to the “Small-Group Planner” and “Small-Group Activities” when composite scores fall below 80 percent. Additionally, InferCabulary includes a specific enrichment and intervention pathway: students at or above benchmark continue independent play, engage with more complex words, and participate in “Expedition” activities. Students below benchmark receive increased direct instruction, reteaching through “Basecamp,” reduced word load, and structured practice through “Ascent,” with follow-up progress monitoring to confirm mastery.

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

The materials include explicit, systematic instructional guidance for developing oral language and oracy through a variety of methods in unit 15, lesson 1. For example, in the “I Do” section, the educator models how to infer the meaning of the prefix trans- by thinking aloud, identifying common ideas in example captions, and explaining that the prefix means “moving across.” Next, in the “We Do” section, students work with the educator to identify common words and ideas for the prefix inter-, complete a sentence stem, and discuss their responses. Students also participate in structured oral language activities by whispering prefixes to a partner, engaging in Think-Pair-Share, and sharing their reasoning with the class. Finally, in the “You Do” section, students work collaboratively with a partner to determine the meaning of the prefix over-.

In addition, in unit 10, lesson 4, the educator explicitly reviews effective communication before collaborative learning by stating, “Remember, in our classroom, everyone’s voice matters. People share in different ways: some talk, some use sign language, some use devices, and some need a little extra time to get their words out. Our job is to listen carefully, take turns, stay on topic, and keep the room calm so every voice can be heard and respected.” The “Teacher Resources for Supporting Oracy in Orbit” section of the “Structured Oracy in Orbit” document provides educator prompts and modeling language that support a gradual release of responsibility. Additionally, the “Phonics Lessons: Precision and Efficiency” subsection directs educators to model think-alouds during explicit decoding instruction and the Multisyllabic Word Reading procedure, such as “I see a suffix, so I’m going to cover it and focus on the base first,” before prompting students to explain their own reasoning using language such as “I covered the suffix because I already know it. I underlined the vowels to figure out how many syllables I would need.”

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

The materials include opportunities for students to develop oral language and academic communication through partner, small-group, and whole-group discussions. Each four-week module includes “Vocabulary Ventures” activities in which students identify syllables and morphemes, use semantic reasoning to determine word relationships, formulate definitions, and create original sentences. Additionally, Turn-and-Talk opportunities are embedded throughout the program. For example, in unit 15, lesson 4, activity 3, “Sorting Word Pairs and Completing Analogies with Optional Practice: Introduction to Analogies,” students work collaboratively in small groups to sort word pairs, complete analogies, and discuss the relationships between words.

The materials include opportunities for students to engage in academic communication for different purposes and audiences. For example, in unit 17, lesson 4, the lesson objectives are to “use vocabulary words to share your opinions with your classmates” and “explain your ideas with a reason.” The materials also include opportunities for students to independently create a “Would You Rather?” question using target vocabulary, justify their responses with a sentence frame, and reflect with a classmate by completing the statement, “I used the word __________ outside of class to talk about __________.” Additionally, in unit 11, lesson 5, students participate in academic discussions across multiple groupings by whispering responses to a partner, discussing context clues with a partner, and sharing ideas with the whole class. One or two students are directed to share their partner’s responses to text-based comprehension questions with the class, giving students opportunities to communicate with both peers and a larger audience.

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

In addition, structured routines such as “Would You Rather?,” homophone analysis, “Turn-and-Talk,” and guided discussions prompt students to explain their thinking. For example, in unit 7, lesson 2, activity 3, “Cloze and Questions: Snacks Around the World,” the materials include opportunities for active listening as the educator reviews word classes and asks, “What type of word do we use to show the subject of a sentence?” The educator then establishes a purpose for reading and says, “I will read the first paragraph as you follow along,” giving students a focused listening task during the cloze activity. The materials also give students opportunities to create and ask questions. In the “Question Words” section of the same lesson, the educator reviews the purpose of the question word where and models how to create right-there questions. Students then work with partners to generate their own questions, identify answers in the text, and share their questions and responses with the class. Additionally, the materials include opportunities for students to discuss to deepen comprehension. In unit 1, lesson 5, activity 4, “Decodable Passage Fluency and Comprehension,” students answer text-dependent questions by underlining evidence in the passage and then complete a Think-Pair-Write routine for inferential questions.

The materials include the “Introduction to Think and Search Questions” activity, in which a student volunteer reads the question, “What are some examples of sweet snacks around the world?” Students listen as the educator models how to skim the text for keywords and related ideas by identifying important words in the question and locating supporting information in the text. The materials also give students opportunities to apply this process by skimming paragraphs 2 and 4 of “Snacks Around the World” to identify examples of sweet snacks, including eclairs, fruit, cotton candy, caramel apples, gummy bears, dried mango, and gelato. Additionally, students work in small groups to answer a second Think and Search question: “What are three tastes mentioned in the article that snacks can have?” After discussing their responses, students share their answers with the class while the educator reinforces that multiple correct responses are acceptable when supported by evidence from the text.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In unit 1, lesson 1, instruction follows a gradual-release sequence. The educator first models decoding multisyllabic closed syllable words using the “Watching” animation and SyllaBoards routine, demonstrating how to identify the vowel letters, determine whether the vowels are together or apart, divide the word into syllables, apply the closed syllable pattern, and use “touch and say” to read each syllable before blending the word prosthetic. Students then apply the same routine with educator guidance to decode compact before independently decoding words such as credit, Atlantic, frantic, and locksmith. Students also apply the same letter-sound relationships to encoding by writing vowel letters and consonants on individual SyllaBoards to construct each syllable before blending, writing, and reading the complete word.

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials explicitly and systematically introduce letter-sound relationships in an order that allows for application to basic encoding. In unit 1, lesson 3, the “Split It!” activity directs students to spell multisyllabic words syllable by syllable through listening to the sounds in each syllable. The Orbit Teacher Guide instructs educators to tell students, “We are going to spell some longer words with more than one syllable. After we ‘Whale Talk’ each word, we’ll spell the word one syllable at a time by listening to the sounds in each syllable.” The educator explicitly connects letter-sound relationships to encoding by stating “/k/ is spelled with the letter c,” “/ō/ is spelled with the letter o,” and “/z/ is spelled with the letter s in this syllable, not z.” Students write each syllable in separate sections before blending and writing the complete word. The activity systematically progresses through words of increasing complexity, including cosmetic, extract, subtropics, and disinfect, all applying the closed syllable pattern.

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

The Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials include educator guidance for explicit instruction connecting phonemes to letters with recommended explanatory feedback based on common errors and misconceptions. In unit 1, lesson 1, the “Common Misconception” sidebar identifies that students frequently determine syllable count by word length rather than vowels. The guide directs educators to “encourage students to focus on the vowel letters” and provides specific examples: “I (one letter) is a one-syllable word, but so is scratch (7 letters). Transatlantic (13 letters) is a four-syllable word, but so is delivery (8 letters).” The “Word Sort” activity provides scripted corrective feedback for this error. When the word scratch is revealed, the Orbit Teacher Guide directs educators to say, “This word has more letters than debit, but let’s look for the vowels.” The guide then directs educators to ask, “How many vowels do you see, and what are they?” and “So, how many syllables does this word have?” to redirect students to the vowel-based strategy.

In unit 19, lesson 1, the materials provide educator guidance for explicit instruction that connects phonemes to letters within words while addressing a common misconception. A sidebar explains that students may pronounce the suffix -able like the standalone word able. The educator is directed to explain that when -able functions as a suffix, it becomes the final syllables of the word and includes the schwa sound rather than the long /ā/ pronunciation. The guidance recommends using example words to contrast the two pronunciations and explicitly explain why the pronunciation changes, providing explanatory feedback that helps students connect the grapheme -able to its correct phoneme in context instead of simply correcting the error.

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

The materials include a variety of activities and resources that develop students’ understanding of how to apply letter-sound correspondence to decode multisyllable words in isolation and in decodable connected text. In unit 1, lesson 1, the “Read Real Closed Syllable Words Using the Multisyllabic Word Reading Procedure” activity introduces students to a systematic routine for decoding multisyllable words using SyllaBoards. During the “We Do” portion, the educator models decoding words such as compact and establish by guiding students to identify vowel letters, determine whether vowels are together or apart, divide words into syllables, apply syllable patterns, and use “touch and say” to read each syllable before blending the complete word. Students then apply this routine to decode additional multisyllable words, including credit, Atlantic, frantic, and locksmith. In connected text, students begin applying these decoding skills through “Decodable Passage Practice” activities, such as the “Decodable Passage Teacher Read” activity in unit 4, lesson 1, where students encounter previously taught syllable patterns and heart words in the “Potato Vending Machine” passage.

The materials provide repeated opportunities for students to practice applying letter-sound correspondence to decode multisyllable words in both isolation and connected text. In isolation, students continue practicing the Multisyllabic Word Reading procedure across units with increasingly complex syllable patterns. For example, in unit 4, lesson 1, students apply the same routine to decode words containing open syllables and schwa, including tuxedo and document, before independently decoding words such as tripod, equipment, and Oklahoma. In connected text, activities such as “Partner Phrase Reading,” “Detect & Decode,” and “Decodable Passage Practice” let students apply decoding skills in meaningful reading contexts. For example, in unit 4, lesson 3, the “Decodable Passage Practice” activity provides students with an opportunity to read “Potato Vending Machine” with a partner after educator modeling earlier in the unit.

The materials reinforce students’ application of letter-sound correspondence through cumulative review of previously taught syllable types and patterns in both isolation and connected text. For example, unit 4, lesson 1, includes the “Read Real Words with Open Syllables Using the Multisyllabic Word Reading Procedure” activity to reinforce decoding of words containing closed syllables, open syllables, and schwa. The materials also provide cumulative review through repeated exposure to previously taught patterns in decodable text. The “Decodable Passage Teacher Read” activity introduces “Potato Vending Machine,” which includes words with closed syllables, open syllables, and schwa. Students revisit the same passage during “Decodable Passage Practice” later in the unit. Similarly, in unit 8, lesson 5, the “Decodable Passage Fluency and Comprehension” activity gives students additional opportunities to apply previously learned decoding skills while reading “The Latest Snack Craze” accurately and fluently.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evaluation for 5.D.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing phonemic awareness activities that begins with identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes, and gradually transitions to more complex manipulation practices such as adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes. (PR 2.A.1)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The materials systematically introduce grade-level sound–spelling patterns in a sequence outlined in the TEKS. In alternate unit 1, students decode and encode single-syllable closed- and open-syllable words to build automaticity. Alternate unit 2 advances to single-syllable VCe and vowel team syllable words to develop fluency with long-vowel patterns. Alternate unit 3 progresses further to single-syllable r-controlled and other vowel syllables, targeting /ar/, /or/, and /er/ patterns with accuracy.

In addition, unit 1 begins with “decode and encode multisyllabic closed syllable words in isolation and in connected text (digraphs, trigraphs, blends, and compound words).” By unit 25, students are exploring “Latin roots: cept and rupt, identify and build words with high-utility prefixes, suffixes, roots, and combining forms in a cumulative review.” All lessons align to the TEKS provided in the Scope and Sequence.

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

The materials provide educator guidance for explicit instruction of grade-level sound–spelling patterns through scripted lessons, educator explanations, and modeling routines. At the beginning of each unit, the “What You Need to Know” section provides educators with background knowledge and instructional guidance for the concepts taught. Lesson scripts provide explicit prompts for modeling decoding strategies. For example, in unit 1, lesson 1, activity 3, “Review Reading Longer Words with Closed Syllables,” educators guide students to identify vowels, determine syllable types, and apply closed syllable patterns to decode unfamiliar words. The educator script models a systematic process by prompting students to analyze syllable structures and explain why each syllable is closed.

The materials include educator guidance for delivering explicit, direct instruction on grade-level sound–spelling patterns involving suffixes. The Orbit Teacher Guide defines vowel and consonant suffixes for educator reference and distinguishes derivational suffixes from inflectional endings. Educator content explicitly explains how inflectional endings such as -er, -ed, -s, -es, and -ing change verb tense, number, or part of speech, giving educators precise language to model these patterns. The materials also equip educators with explicit spelling rule instruction, including the 1-1-1 doubling rule, the drop the e rule, and the change yto i rule, each with worked examples such as run to running and bake to baking.

Evaluation for 5.E.1c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1) (T)

The Reading Arcade includes a variety of activities and games that reinforce grade-level sound–spelling patterns through cumulative review. Decoding and encoding games include the current unit’s concepts while incorporating previously taught concepts. The “Orbit Game Mapping” document, located in the Supply Room HQ digital hub, outlines the activities students complete in the Reading Arcade and which skills and subskills each game addresses. For example, unit 1, game 2, “Spell the Missing Syllable,” reinforces closed syllables and encoding, while unit 3, game 4, “Schwa vs. No Schwa,” reinforces morphological awareness.

Additional resources support cumulative review of irregular sound–spelling relationships. Students analyze phonemes, identify predictable letter-sound correspondences, and recognize irregular “heart” parts in high-frequency words through structured spelling routines that include segmenting, blending, encoding, and repeated practice.

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

In connected text, students apply taught sound–spelling patterns through activities such as “Partner Phrase Reading,” “Detect & Decode,” “Decodable Passage Practice,” and “Sentence Dictation Practice.” These activities incorporate both current and previously taught patterns, allowing students to transfer decoding and encoding skills beyond isolated word practice. In the “Decodable Passage Practice” activity, included throughout multiple lessons and units, students read passages containing previously taught sound–spelling patterns. For example, in unit 18, lesson 3, activity 8, students reread the decodable passage “Roald Amundsen” with a partner after educator modeling, applying Consonant-le (C-le) syllable patterns and other previously taught concepts while reading connected text. Students also practice encoding taught patterns within connected text through “Sentence Dictation Practice” activities. For example, in unit 18, lesson 3, activity 7, students apply C-le syllable knowledge by writing dictated sentences. The educator guides students to listen to each sentence, repeat it, and write it using the targeted spelling patterns. These activities give students opportunities to decode and encode sound–spelling patterns in meaningful connected text while reinforcing previously taught skills.

In unit 20, lesson 3, students review previously taught heart words and split vowel patterns while applying sound–spelling relationships through structured word reading, spelling, syllable analysis, and word-building activities completed in isolation. Students transfer these skills to connected text by reading phrases with a partner, identifying targeted sound–spelling patterns within sentences, writing dictated sentences, and reading decodable passages that incorporate current and previously taught phonics concepts.

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

The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. High-frequency words (i.e., heart words) are introduced according to the phonics concept of the unit. For example, when learning about open syllables, students are introduced to fully decodable heart words with the same concept. The Phonics Warm-Up activity in unit 4, lesson 2, states, “Let’s start our lesson with a short phonics warm-up. We’ll start with a word you most likely know; it’s a high-frequency word, but it is one we can read using our phonics knowledge. If you know this word, don’t say it.”

The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words. In unit 2, lesson 2, students learn high-frequency words that have schwa patterns. In unit 4, lesson 2, students learn high-frequency words that have open syllables. In unit 6, lesson 2, students learn high-frequency words that are contractions. In unit 8, lesson 2, students learn VCe syllables. In addition to these high-frequency word patterns, students learn heart words, which are outlined in the Scope and Sequence. The heart words list includes words from the Dolch Pre-Primer through grade 3 word lists and decodable words, with phonics patterns students have learned up to the current unit.

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

The materials provide explicit educator guidance for decoding both regular and irregular high-frequency words. In unit 4, lesson 2, the Phonics Warm-Up teaches the regular high-frequency word along through direct application of phonics knowledge. The educator writes the word and models locating two vowels apart, a and o, before identifying the resulting two-syllable structure. The educator explicitly models a common misread, pronouncing the first syllable as a long /ā/ sound, then corrects it by marking a schwa symbol and stating the generalizable rule that “an a at the beginning of a word in an open syllable is often a schwa.” Guided practice extends this instruction to beyond and abdomen, with students underlining vowels and segmenting syllables in pairs. In unit 6, lesson 3, the materials include decoding irregular high-frequency words during the “Heart Word Review.” The educator names each heart word’s unexpected sound directly, stating for always that “a spells the phoneme /aw/,” and for most that “o-s-t is a closed syllable exception that has a long o sound.” This same explicit format recurs in unit 12, lesson 3, where the educator points out that, in sure, “we are expecting the s to spell /s/, but it says /sh/ in this word,” and that the letters ure “work together to spell the r-controlled phoneme /er/” in figure. Across both regular and irregular words, educator guidance names the specific grapheme in question and explains why it does or does not behave as expected.

The materials include guidance for the educator to provide explicit (direct) instruction for encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. For example, unit 6, lesson 3, activity 2, “Practice Heart Word Spelling,” states the following: “Before we dive into spelling, let’s do a quick review of the tricky parts of these heart words. Where is the word always? What is the first word, and what letter, or letters, is not making the sound we expect? We expect a to spell its short phoneme because a-l is a closed syllable, /al/. Instead, this a spells the sound /aw/. We know that a-l-l usually spells the sounds /awl/, but sometimes, at the beginning of a multisyllabic word, the spelling is just a-l.”

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

The materials include a variety of activities and resources that develop, practice, and reinforce students’ skills in decoding and encoding regular high-frequency words through cumulative review. Students develop decoding skills through the Phonics Warm-Up activity in unit 3, lesson 2. For example, the activity prompts students to identify a familiar high-frequency word they can read using phonics knowledge. Students practice and reinforce decoding skills through the “Decodable Oral Reading Passage” section included throughout the materials. The “What You Need to Know” resource in unit 1, lesson 1, explains that each phonics unit includes a decodable oral reading passage containing high-frequency words from the Dolch Pre-Primer through grade 3 word lists that are considered decodable. Additionally, students develop and practice encoding skills through the “Sentence Dictation Practice” activity throughout the materials. For example, unit 1, lesson 3, activity 6 directs students to apply closed syllable spelling knowledge by writing dictated sentences that include regular high-frequency words such as can, me, the, and a. Students reinforce encoding skills through cumulative review in the “Spelling and Dictation” activity included in lesson 5 of each unit. For example, the unit 1, lesson 5 guide directs students to repeat dictated sentences, count the number of words, and check that they have written each word. The dictation sentences include regular high-frequency words such as my, to, in, and the.


The materials include a variety of activities and resources that develop, practice, and reinforce students’ skills in decoding and encoding irregular high-frequency words (heart words) through cumulative review. Students develop decoding skills through the Heart Word Magic activity in unit 2, lesson 1. For example, activity 9 introduces the heart words both, don’t, talk, walk, and watch through animation. Students practice and reinforce decoding skills through the “Partner Phrase Reading” activity throughout the materials, which includes phrases containing frequently occurring heart words. Additionally, students develop and practice encoding skills through the “Practice Heart Word Spelling” activity. For example, unit 2, lesson 3, activity 2 reviews the irregular spelling patterns before students spell dictated heart words, including both, don’t, talk, walk, and watch. Students reinforce encoding skills through cumulative review in the “Sentence Dictation Practice” routine, which includes irregular high-frequency words such as from, could, and your.

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

The materials include a variety of activities and resources that support students in writing high-frequency words in isolation and connected text. Students spell high-frequency words (heart words) through routines such as “Practice Heart Word Spelling” and “Spelling and Dictation,” as well as through sentence dictation and writing activities. For example, the unit 4, lesson 3, activity 2 guide prompts students to review the irregular spelling patterns in heart words. The educator prompt states, “Before we dive into spelling, let’s do a quick review of the tricky parts of these words.” The activity also provides explicit instruction on irregular spelling patterns, including the explanation that the o in to spells the schwa sound /uh/ instead of its expected long phoneme because it occurs in an open syllable. Students write high-frequency words in connected text through the “Spelling and Dictation” activity throughout the materials. For example, the unit 20, lesson 5, activity 3 guide directs students to apply spelling skills by writing words in their best handwriting during a spelling test. The Orbit Teacher Guide includes dictation sentences that require students to use high-frequency words in context, including “We’d like to evaluate the soil around the magnolia tree” and “Stand behind the podium for the geology talk.”

The materials also provide distinct opportunities for students to read and write high-frequency words in isolation and connected text across additional units. Students read high-frequency words in connected text through “Decodable Passage Practice.” For example, in unit 10, lesson 3, students work with partners to read “The Lumberjack Legend.” A “Helpful Hint” reminds students that underlined words in the passage are heart words and directs them to use phonics knowledge to decode the whole word, even when the word includes a tricky part. Students read high-frequency words in isolation through “Heart Word Review.” For example, in unit 12, lesson 3, students identify words at the word level before reading connected text as the educator asks, “Where is the word heard, as in ‘I heard you’?” and reviews the spelling and meanings of words such as sure, herd, heard, every, figure, and measure. Students also write high-frequency words in connected text through “Heart Word Spelling,” where the educator dictates each word within a contextual sentence before students apply the “Spell It!” and “Split It!” procedures. Example sentences include, “My teacher was sure I would love this book” and “Piper uses a cup to measure the flour for the cookies.”

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

To create a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types, as outlined in the TEKS, Orbit Texas Edition grade 3 materials begin with closed and open syllables, followed by VCe and r-controlled syllables, then vowel team and C-le (final stable) syllables. For example, unit 1 begins with “decode and encode multisyllabic closed syllable words in isolation and connected text.” The phonics focus remains on closed syllable words for several units before progressing to “decode and encode multisyllabic words with open syllables” in unit 4. After several units, unit 8 materials progress to “decode and encode multisyllabic words with VCe syllables with and without schwa.”

The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing syllable division principles that builds on the progression of syllable types. Foundational instruction begins with closed and open syllables before progressing to VCe, vowel teams, r-controlled, and other vowel syllable patterns. The materials establish syllable division routines through explicit modeling and guided practice. For example, in unit 4, lesson 2, the educator models the word along by identifying the vowels, determining that the vowels are apart, and marking the syllable break. The educator checks pronunciation, identifies the open-syllable pattern with a schwa sound, and guides students to apply the same process to words such as beyond and abdomen. This division process continues as students analyze vowel patterns and apply syllable-division principles to newly introduced syllable types.

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

The materials include explicit educator guidance for applying syllable types and division principles to decode multisyllabic words. In unit 20, lesson 1, the educator explicitly models both skills together while decoding the word glorious. The educator first looks for a suffix, identifying -ous, then states, “The two vowel spellings I see are or and i,” modeling the division principle of locating vowel spellings to break the word into decodable chunks. The educator separates the spellings onto two SyllaBoards, adds consonants to form “the r-controlled syllable glor,” and explicitly names this syllable type while decoding. The lesson continues by having the educator reason through the final syllable, stating “Glory is a word I know, so I think that the i is pronounced with a long e phoneme here,” before uncovering the suffix and confirming the completed word has three syllables. In unit 1, lesson 1, the lesson covers closed syllables using one-syllable examples such as at, pat, splat, and patch.

The materials include educator guidance to provide direct instruction for applying knowledge of syllable division to encode multisyllabic words. In unit 20, lesson 1, the “We Do” example with the word evaluate extends this same instructional approach, with the educator asking students, “How many vowel spellings do you see? Remember to look for whole vowel spellings, not just individual vowel letters,” and then guiding them to distinguish separate vowel spellings within the word. The “Split It!” procedure, defined in the unit 1, lesson 3 reference material, operationalizes this division principle for encoding: “Students listen for the number of syllables in longer words, spell the sounds in each syllable, and then write the whole word.” This procedure is applied directly in the “Heart Word Spelling” dictation activities, where students fill in a dot for each syllable heard, spell each syllable individually, and write the completed word, reinforcing syllable-by-syllable division while encoding multisyllabic words.

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

The materials include a variety of activities and resources that support students in developing, practicing, and reinforcing skills to decode and encode one-syllable and multisyllabic words through cumulative review. Students develop decoding skills through explicit routines such as the Multisyllabic Word Reading procedure, as well as activities such as “Word Sort” and “Review Reading Longer Words.” For example, unit 8, lesson 1, activity 4, “Review Reading Longer Words with VCe Syllables” guides students through the decoding process as the educator models identifying vowel spellings, determining syllable breaks, and applying syllable patterns. The educator states, “I see four vowels in this word. The vowels are all apart, and I see a VCe pattern at the end, a-consonant-e. I see three vowel spellings, so how many syllables are there?” Students practice decoding multisyllabic words through activities such as “Word Hunt.” For example, unit 8, lesson 1, activity 7 directs students to read words, identify words containing schwa, work with partners to mark up words, and check each other’s pronunciation. Students reinforce decoding skills through cumulative review activities such as “Review Schwa” in unit 2, lesson 1. Students recall previously taught schwa concepts and apply syllable division strategies by identifying vowels, determining whether vowels are together or apart, and counting syllables in words.

The materials also include activities and resources that develop, practice, and reinforce students’ encoding skills for one-syllable and multisyllabic words through cumulative review. Students develop encoding skills through activities such as “Build a Word” in alternate unit 1, lesson 1, where the educator dictates a word in context and guides students to match letter tiles to sounds before reading the completed word. Students develop encoding skills with multisyllabic words through “Split It!” in unit 4, lesson 3, where students spell respectful by identifying the prefix re- and spelling each syllable before writing the complete word. Students practice decoding and encoding skills by applying previously taught syllable patterns independently and collaboratively. For example, in unit 4, lesson 2, students apply the educator-modeled process to decode multisyllabic words such as beyond and abdomen. Students also practice decoding through the unit 1, lesson 3, “Partner Phrase Reading” activity in which they work as reader and checker to read phrases containing previously taught syllable types. The educator explains that the phrases include “the types of syllables we have learned to read in second grade and in our last phonics lesson,” demonstrating cumulative review. Through repeated practice in activities such as “Word Hunt,” “Partner Phrase Reading,” and spelling routines, students continue to reinforce decoding and encoding skills across previously taught one-syllable and multisyllabic word patterns.

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

In unit 1, lesson 1, students practice decoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words using syllable division principles in isolation. In the “Read Real Closed Syllable Words Using the Multisyllabic Word Reading Procedure,” students practice breaking words down by writing them on the SyllaBoards and then reading the word. In “Word Hunt,” students read words with closed syllables. In unit 1, lesson 3, in the “Decodable Passage Practice” activity, students use syllable types and division in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction.

The materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice encoding one-syllable or multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable division principles, in isolation and in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction. In isolation, students apply these principles through spelling activities that require them to segment and analyze syllables. For example, in unit 2, lesson 3, activity 5, “Split It!” states the following: “We are going to spell some longer words with more than one syllable. Instead of using SyllaBoards, though, we are going to write them out on paper. We are going to ‘Whale Talk’ each word first so we can hear how many syllables that word has. Remember, that means that we’ll keep our lips shut tight and say the word. Each push of breath, or each time our chin goes down, equals a syllable.” In connected text, students apply these skills in sentence dictation, which incorporates both current and previously taught patterns. For example, activity 7, “Sentence Dictation Practice,” states, “Now we’re going to put our VCe syllable word spelling practice into use writing whole sentences. I’ll say a sentence, and then I’ll repeat it several more times while you write it down.”

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

The materials include a rationale for their morphology sequence, describing an intentional progression from transparent, common morphological forms toward complex and derived forms. The program’s introductory materials explain that “our sequence intentionally moves from transparent and common morphological forms to complex and derived forms, targeting the morphemes students will encounter most frequently in academic and informational texts,” and that morphology instruction is “systematically introduced and expanded, allowing students to apply their decoding knowledge to meaningful word parts.” This sequencing is tied to the TEKS throughout the program, as each unit’s morphology instruction is cross-referenced in the TEKS and “ELPS Alignment” tables against specific grade-level standards codes rather than presented as an unaligned or freestanding skill list.

The unit-by-unit Scope and Sequence includes a progression of morphemes that increases in complexity and abstraction as the course advances. The sequence begins with foundational concepts, including identifying base words and explaining how affixes create new words. Students then study common prefixes and suffixes in unit 3 (un-, dis-, in-, im-, -ment, -ness, -y), followed by additional affixes in unit 5 (pre-, re-, -ful, -less, -ly). Unit 7 extends this work to spelling changes associated with suffix addition and introduces the prefixes con- and pro-, building directly on the affix knowledge established in the earlier units. The sequence then advances to more complex morphological content, including the distinction between free and bound bases and the Latin root port in unit 9; Greek and Latin combining forms such as magos, vis, spect, and scope in units 11 and 13; and further prefixes, suffixes, and roots, such as bio and aqua in unit 15.

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

The materials include educator guidance that provides explicit instruction to support recognition of common morphemes. The materials include “What You Need to Know” sections that provide direct instruction on identifying affixes, roots, and base words, as well as understanding their meanings. For example, in unit 11, lesson 1, activity 3, “Learn Prefixes en- and em-,” states the following: “Say: Displayed on this chart are the prefixes e-n /ĕn/ and e-m /ĕm/, let’s learn the meaning and an example of each prefix. The first prefix we will learn is e-n /ĕn/. This prefix means make, put into.” The materials include educator guidance for explicit (direct) instruction in using common morpheme meanings (e.g., affixes, roots, and base words) to support encoding. Students apply morpheme knowledge through encoding activities that connect word structure to spelling. For example, unit 7, lesson 1, activity 3, “Spell It Right Practice with Morpheme Addition,” states the following: “Now that we have read the ‘Spell It Right Rules’ and examined examples, we will continue to practice spelling with suffixes using the ‘Morpheme Addition’ routine. Go to the ‘Morpheme Addition’ section in your workbooks. Study each morpheme in the equation to determine the new word. Decide how to spell the new word based on the correct ‘Spell It Right’ rule.”

The materials include educator guidance for explicit instruction to support recognition of common morphemes and their meanings (e.g., affixes, roots, and base words) to support decoding, encoding, and reading comprehension. In unit 11, lesson 1, the “What You Need to Know” section provides educators with guidance on prefixes en- and em-, prefix ex-, suffix -ic, and Greek combining forms. The lesson starts with “Morpheme Families,” where students act as “word detectives,” read the words, and look for similarities. After writing their observations, students share them with a partner. Explicit instruction for prefixes en- and em- is provided. In “Morpheme Puzzles,” students identify the morphemes in each word; the educator models this, followed by guided and independent practice in which students write the morphemes in their workbook. “Interpret It” helps students determine word meanings through explicit educator instruction, followed by guided and independent practice. In the “Quick Check” section, students read the sentence and “underline the context clues to determine the word that best fits in the blank,” and then fill in the word.

Evaluation for 5.E.4c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)

The materials provide a variety of activities that develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills through cumulative review. In unit 11, lesson 1, students begin with “Morpheme Families,” where they identify similarities among related words before receiving explicit instruction on the prefixes en- and em-. Students then apply this learning in “Morpheme Puzzles” by identifying morphemes within words and in “Interpret It” by determining word meanings. In a “Quick Check,” students review previously taught morphemes as they use context clues to select the word that best completes each sentence.

The materials include a variety of activities and/or resources that reinforce grade-level morphological skills through cumulative review. The Reading Arcade includes a variety of activities and games that reinforce grade-level morphological skills through cumulative review. Games reinforce decoding, encoding, extracting meaning from, and identifying morphemes. For example, in unit 7 of the “Orbit Game Mapping” document, game 2, “Game Name: Identifying the Prefixes: pro- and con-,” states the following: “Directions: Some of these words have a prefix, and some do not. Drag each word to the correct group; Skills: Morphology; Subskills: Morphological Awareness.”

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

The materials include activities that help students decode words with morphemes in isolation and in decodable connected text. In unit 5, lesson 5, “Interpret It,” students decode a list of previously built words, including cheerful, darkness, hairless, unlatch, indirect, and reopen, using the free base’s meaning combined with an image (e.g., cheer means happiness, illustrated by “kids having cheer at a sports game”). The educator models combining base and affix meanings for cheerful, then students work with a partner to interpret the remaining five words using the same routine. Students then decode these same words in connected text through “Cloze Sentences.” Students underline a key word in each sentence, such as happy in “On sunny, __________ days, she always had a cheerful smile,” and use that clue to select the correct word from a word bank to complete the sentence. This activity requires students to determine word meaning within sentence context, moving from isolated word study to decoding within connected text. Students complete this task independently after guided and partnered practice and check their answers against a provided key.

The materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to encode and decode words with morphemes in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction. Students engage in activities such as “MorphStories,” sentence dictation, and comprehension tasks that require them to apply morpheme knowledge to read, define, and write words in context. Students encode words with morphemes in decodable text in unit 13, lesson 5, activity 2, “MorphStory.” The materials state, “Look at the Morphemes Bank. In this lesson, we will review the Latin roots and Greek combining forms that we have learned so far in Orbit. You will see all the roots and combining forms from the previous ‘MorphStories’ and our lessons.” The materials also state, “Now you will whisper-read the first paragraph again. This time, pay attention to the morphemes in each word. Circle any words that include the roots and combining forms from the Morpheme Bank.” Additionally, students encode words with morphemes in activity 4, “Quick Check,” of the same lesson. For example, the materials state, “Choose one of the new words you defined in the ‘MorphStory.’ Use the handwriting lines on your ‘Quick Check’ to write a new sentence that helps you put the new word in context. The sentence should not be related to the story. Show that you know what the word means by creating a different context.”