Phonemic Awareness & Phonics Toolkit | Grade K | 8yr eReader Access | 1 Manipulatives Kit for 4 students

Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include an explanation of the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., additional instruction and/or practice, targeted remediation or acceleration).

The Implementation Guide states that the supplemental resource provides explicit and systematic foundational reading instruction through short, targeted small-group lessons used alongside the core curriculum. The program includes 60 structured 15-minute lessons that engage students in multisensory activities focused on phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency. The materials explain that the lessons supplement core reading instruction by providing targeted instruction and practice in foundational literacy skills for students with varying learning needs.

The materials include 60 structured 15-minute lessons focused on essential reading components such as phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency. Each lesson incorporates multisensory activities and follows the “I Do, We Do, You Do” instructional model, providing opportunities for explicit instruction, guided practice, and independent application of foundational literacy skills.

Evaluation for 1.1b
Materials include guidance on how to appropriately use the supplemental program to support an existing core reading and language arts program.

The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Toolkit Teacher Guide includes a section titled “Pacing Guides for Kindergarten,” which provides implementation guidance for using the supplemental program alongside core reading instruction. The pacing guide organizes instruction into targeted lessons and identifies the foundational literacy skills addressed throughout the sequence. The materials also include scripted lessons, instructional routines, differentiation supports, manipulatives, and hands-on activities to support implementation.

The Teacher Guide explains that the program is designed to supplement an existing reading curriculum rather than replace core instruction. Labeled lesson components identify objectives, materials, instructional steps, and targeted skills, providing educators with guidance for integrating the lessons into tier-one reading and language arts instruction.

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

The materials include a scope and sequence that identifies the literacy skills addressed throughout the program and provides Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) alignment to support instructional planning. The “Standards Alignment for Kindergarten” section in the Implementation Guide outlines the sequence of skills taught throughout the program, and multiple pacing guides (165-, 180-, and 210-day) help educators understand when skills and grade-level expectations are taught across varying instructional calendars.

The scope and sequence is organized by instructional skill areas and progresses from foundational phonological awareness skills to increasingly complex phonics skills. The sequence includes Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics CVC Words, Encode and Decode VC Words, Consonant Blends, High-Frequency Words, and Consonant Digraphs. The materials also align each lesson to the corresponding TEKS and ELPS and present skills in a progression that moves from oral language and sound awareness to early decoding and word-reading skills.

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

The Implementation Guide provides guidance on time requirements and pacing for effective implementation, identifying lessons as 15-minute instructional sessions. The program includes 60 structured lessons and provides educator-facing lesson plans, pacing guides, and assessment pacing guides to support implementation throughout the school year.

The “Benefits of 15-Minute Lessons” section explains the recommended lesson duration and the use of brief, targeted instructional sessions. The materials also provide 165-, 180-, and 210-day pacing guides that outline suggested lesson schedules across different instructional calendars and identify when lessons and assessments should be administered.

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

The materials include resources and guidance to support educators in implementing the supplemental program as designed. The Implementation Guide includes an “Effective Lesson Delivery Framework” section that outlines expectations for lesson delivery, instructional approaches, lesson structure, grade-level focus areas, and best instructional practices. The framework identifies the use of clear objectives, structured instruction, research-based instructional approaches, manipulatives and visuals, small-group instruction based on assessment data, and supports designed to provide universal access for all learners.

The materials also provide implementation guidance through detailed lesson design expectations and instructional resources. The framework identifies lessons as 15-minute instructional sessions and explains that each of the 60 lessons incorporates multimodal learning experiences and includes visual representations of required materials and instructional steps. Guidance for implementation includes explicit and systematic instruction, modeling and guided practice, immediate feedback and correction, progress monitoring, repetition and reinforcement, and the use of instructional materials such as Sound & Phonics Cards, Elkonin Boxes, Reading Rods®, Word Cards, colored chips, and Phoneme Phones.

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

The materials include limited family supports in both English and Spanish. The “Resources” tab within the educator platform contains a downloadable Family Letter (in both English and Spanish) that describes the literacy skills students are learning through the supplemental program and explains the purpose of the lessons. The letter provides families with general information about foundational reading instruction and encourages communication between families and educators.

The Family Letter includes suggestions for supporting student progress, such as providing additional modeling and guided practice, using visual supports and gestures, practicing high-frequency words, and engaging students in word-study and sentence-writing activities. However, the materials do not include ongoing family resources, progress-monitoring tools, student-specific reports, or home-practice materials designed to support literacy development over time.

Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include appropriate instructional assessments for the stated purpose of the supplemental program (e.g., diagnostic placement assessments for targeted remediation or acceleration).

The materials include appropriate instructional assessments aligned to the stated purpose of the supplemental program by providing diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment opportunities that support literacy intervention and progress monitoring. The program includes beginning-of-year, middle-of-year, and end-of-year assessments, as well as formative progress-monitoring tools such as Quick Checks and Spiral Reviews, which educators can use to identify literacy skill gaps, monitor mastery of targeted skills, and measure student growth over time.

The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Toolkit Assessment Guide includes structured scoring guides for Spiral Reviews and Quick Check assessments that provide clear criteria and procedures for interpreting student responses, supporting consistent and accurate administration across instructional settings. These assessment supports enable educators to identify student strengths and needs, monitor progress in foundational literacy skills, and make instructional adjustments that support targeted intervention and remediation.

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

The Assessment Guide provides an overview of the instructional assessments included in the supplemental program and explains when and how each assessment should be administered. The materials identify diagnostic, progress-monitoring, and summative assessments and describe their role in identifying skill needs, monitoring progress, and evaluating student performance throughout instruction.

The materials define and describe the intended purpose of Quick Checks, Spiral Review assessments, and Teacher Guide assessments. The Assessment Guide identifies Quick Checks as formative assessments used to monitor student progress and determine mastery of targeted literacy skills. Spiral Review assessments measure cumulative skill development across clusters of lessons, while Teacher Guide assessments evaluate student understanding of skills taught within the program. The materials also provide administration guidance and assessment timelines for each assessment type.

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

The materials include guidance to support educators in the consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments. Assessment resources provide directions for administration, pacing, implementation procedures, and recommended instructional settings to support consistent assessment administration.

In the “Administration Guidelines” section of the Assessment Guide, the materials provide setting recommendations and procedural guidance to support consistent administration of instructional assessments. The materials direct educators to administer assessments in a quiet, distraction-free environment, provide clear instructions and examples before each section, avoid giving answers or excessive prompting, and record student responses verbatim when possible.

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

The grade K assessments include items at varying levels of complexity that align with the progression of skills taught throughout the program. The Kindergarten Assessment Pacing Chart demonstrates a progression from foundational phonological awareness skills, including rhyme recognition and production, compound word blending and segmentation, onset and rime, and phoneme isolation, to more advanced phonemic awareness and early phonics skills.

As instruction progresses, assessments measure students’ ability to identify and produce beginning, medial, and ending sounds; blend, segment, add, delete, and manipulate phonemes; and encode and decode consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words with short vowels. Quick Check and Spiral Review assessments measure student performance across increasingly complex skills that progress from phonological awareness and letter recognition to phoneme manipulation and early decoding.

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

The materials provide guidance for interpreting student performance through assessment scoring tools and instructional recommendations. The Assessment Guide includes answer keys and scoring guides for Spiral Reviews and Quick Checks that identify performance levels, raw scores, percentages, and corresponding instructional recommendations. The materials also provide leveled activity guidance that helps educators select appropriate instructional supports based on assessment results. The scoring tools support analysis of student performance and instructional planning.

The Teacher Guide includes beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year assessments that allow educators to monitor student growth over time. These assessments provide educator-facing word lists and Student Score Sheets that support consistent administration, scoring, and documentation of student progress.

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

The materials provide guidance for the use of the supplemental program to respond to student trends in performance on assessments. Assessment scoring guides provide educators with performance levels, raw scores, percentages, and recommended next steps to support interpretation of student data and instructional decision-making.

The Scoring Guide directs educators to specific lessons and leveled activities that align with student performance needs, enabling educators to target instruction based on assessment results. Additional supports, including scripted direct-instruction models, pacing guidance, and student resources help educators address identified literacy skill gaps and adjust instruction in response to student performance trends.

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

Grade K materials include Student Score Sheets that allow educators to record and monitor student performance on foundational literacy skills assessed throughout the program. Assessment items focus on phonological awareness and early phonics skills, including rhyming, blending compound words, blending syllables, and decoding CVC words. For example, students respond to rhyming tasks by indicating whether two words rhyme using a thumbs-up or thumbs-down response. The score sheets support educators in documenting individual student performance on assessment tasks aligned to the lessons taught within the program. While these forms support the collection of individual assessment data, the materials do not provide tools for analyzing cumulative performance or monitoring growth across multiple assessments.

The materials do not include tools that allow students to track their own progress and growth. Educators can document student performance using individualized score sheets. However, these tools are educator-facing and do not provide students with opportunities to independently record, monitor, or reflect on their performance over time. The program does not include student-facing progress-monitoring tools, goal-setting resources, or tracking features designed to support student ownership of growth across assessments.

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

This guidance is not applicable to the program because the program has a stated purpose of additional instruction and/or practice, not targeted remediation or acceleration.

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

The materials include instructional accommodations and differentiated supports for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills. The “Accommodations” section of the Implementation Guide provides educators with guidance on Scaffolded Instruction, Total Physical Response (TPR), and Cooperative Learning to support access to foundational literacy instruction. The materials also include scaffolded questions, such as “Can you tell me how many words are in this sentence?” “What is the first word you hear?” and “What is the last word?” to help educators provide targeted prompting and support during instruction.

In grade K, each lesson includes a “Differentiate” box with sections for “Approaching,” “Exceeding,” and “EL (English Learner) Support.” The “Approaching” section provides targeted scaffolds and additional practice opportunities for students who have not yet reached proficiency in the lesson objective. For example, in an early “Letter/Sound Recognition” lesson, the “Approaching” section recommends introducing only the letters “A,” “B,” and “T” before gradually adding additional letters as students demonstrate readiness, reducing the number of letters students must learn at one time while building foundational letter-sound knowledge.

Evaluation for 3.1b
If applicable for the stated purpose, materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills.

The materials include educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills. The Implementation Guide provides differentiation strategies for students who are “Approaching,” “Exceeding,” and “Emergent Bilingual” (EB). Each lesson includes a “Differentiate” box that provides extension opportunities for students who have mastered the lesson objective.

In grade K, each “Differentiate” box includes an “Exceeding” section that provides enrichment activities for students who demonstrate proficiency in the targeted skill. For example, in a Phonemic Awareness lesson focused on medial short a, the “Exceeding” section challenges partners to generate CVC words or nonsense words with the short a sound. One student says a word aloud, while the other uses chips and a Magnetic Wand to decode the word before switching roles.

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

The materials provide general scaffolds and differentiation supports. However, they do not include educator guidance for delivering SDI to students receiving special education services. On the “Accommodations” page of the Implementation Guide, a link directs educators to a resource titled “Scaffolded Questions to Support Understanding.” This resource provides questions, sentence stems, and educator guidance for supporting students before, during, and after lessons. While these supports may assist educators in differentiating instruction, the materials do not identify them as SDI or explain how they should be used to address the individualized needs of students receiving special education services.

The materials do not provide accommodations, modifications, or instructional recommendations specifically designed for students with disabilities. The scaffolded questions and educator guidance offer general support for student learning but do not include guidance tied to special education services, individualized goals, or disability-specific instructional needs.

Evaluation for 3.2a
Educator-led supplemental programs include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the skill(s) to be learned.

The materials include explicit prompts and guidance that support educators in modeling and explaining the literacy skills to be learned. The Implementation Guide provides structured instructional routines that incorporate educator scripts, detailed directions, and step-by-step procedures for delivering explicit instruction. Lessons consistently follow a gradual release model (“I Do, We Do, You Do”), supporting educators in introducing new skills, modeling the learning process, guiding student practice, and transitioning students to independent application.

For example, in a grade K lesson on blending words with medial short a, the educator models blending phonemes using Elkonin Boxes during the “I Do” portion of the lesson. The lesson directs the educator to model blending by saying, “Let’s blend the sounds to make a word: /ssssaaaat/, /s-a-t/, sat,” while sliding a finger across the Elkonin Boxes. During the “We Do” portion, students blend the sounds in sat together and repeat the process with van before independently blending additional words during the “You Do” portion.

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

The materials include educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches. The Implementation Guide contains an “Effective Lesson Delivery” section that provides guidance on lesson objectives, lesson structure, grade-level focus areas, and instructional best practices. In addition, the Teacher Guide includes a “How to Use Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Toolkit” section that explains key lesson components, including objectives, materials, educator modeling, scripted instruction, differentiation, skills, words, and manipulatives. Lessons incorporate multiple instructional approaches, including gradual release (“I Do, We Do, You Do”), multimodal learning experiences, small-group instruction, visual supports, and hands-on activities.

The materials provide additional implementation guidance through structured lesson routines and embedded educator scripting. For example, in a grade K lesson on writing names with uppercase letters, the lesson script directs the educator to model the task by saying, “I am going to write my name with uppercase letters,” while skywriting each letter and naming the letters aloud. The lesson also reminds educators to write the letters backward if they are facing students during modeling. During the “We Do” portion, the educator and students skywrite a classmate’s name together, and during the “You Do” portion, students practice skywriting their names with a partner. The lesson further recommends writing students’ names on the dry erase board beforehand to support implementation.

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

Grade K materials provide educators with guidance on recommended instructional structures that support effective implementation. The Implementation Guide includes a “Pre-Teaching Routines” section that recommends using targeted instructional routines and corrective feedback during small-group and individual instruction.

The materials also incorporate a gradual release model that supports instruction through educator modeling, collaborative practice, and independent application. For example, in a grade K lesson on letter names and sounds, the educator first models the letter name and sound through a chant during the “I Do” portion of the lesson. During the “We Do” portion, students chant the letter name and sound together with the educator, and during the “You Do” portion, individual students demonstrate the skill independently.

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

The materials provide educators with guidance for supporting multilingual learners through a variety of linguistic accommodations. The “Accommodations” section of the Implementation Guide includes a list of linguistic accommodations such as simplified language, pre-teaching vocabulary, TPR, Cooperative Learning, and assessment and interactional accommodations through English Learner (EL) and Phonemic Awareness & Phonics Toolkit (PAPT) integration. Lessons also include a “Differentiate” box with an “EL Support” section. For example, in a grade K phonological awareness lesson on deleting syllables, the materials direct educators to “Act out the word first to make sure students understand it before segmenting and deleting a syllable.”

However, the materials do not provide accommodations differentiated by English language proficiency level as defined by the ELPS. The materials do not identify specific accommodations for “Beginning,” ”Intermediate,” “Advanced,” and “Advanced High Proficiency” levels or provide a progression of linguistic supports that develop students’ use of increasingly sophisticated academic language. Instead, the same accommodations are broadly applied to EB students regardless of proficiency level.

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

The materials provide implementation guidance to support educators in effectively using the program within bilingual and ESL settings. The Implementation Guide includes an “Opportunities for Extension” section that provides differentiated instructional recommendations for multilingual learners receiving ESL services. These recommendations support language development while maintaining access to grade-level literacy content.

The extension guidance aligns with the ELPS and includes targeted strategies that support multilingual learners in developing foundational literacy skills. The materials provide recommendations for strengthening sound-symbol relationships, spelling patterns, and phoneme-grapheme correspondence when language differences may affect student understanding. The “Accommodations” section also recommends structuring academic conversations and provides sentence frames such as “I noticed that this word has a ___ pattern.”

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

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

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

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

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

The materials include a systematic sequence of phonological awareness skills aligned to the grade K TEKS appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Toolkit Additional Lessons provide systematic instruction in phonological awareness through explicit, multisensory lessons that develop students’ ability to recognize and manipulate larger units of spoken language. The Teacher Guide builds on this foundation by providing a systematic sequence of phonemic awareness instruction that progresses from identifying initial, final, and medial phonemes to blending, segmenting, and substituting phonemes during explicit educator-led instruction.

The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Toolkit Additional Lessons organize phonological awareness instruction in a developmental sequence that progresses from larger units of sound to smaller units of sound. Students first engage in rhyming activities before blending, segmenting, deleting, and substituting compound words; blending, segmenting, deleting, and substituting syllables; and blending and segmenting onset and rime. The Teacher Guide then extends this progression through systematic phonemic awareness instruction that moves from identifying initial, final, and medial sounds to blending, segmenting, and substituting phonemes. This organization reflects a systematic progression from larger units of sound to smaller units of sound that aligns with the grade K TEKS and supports students’ development of foundational phonological awareness skills.

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

The materials include a systematic sequence of phonemic awareness skills aligned to the grade K TEKS appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Toolkit Teacher Guide systematically develops phonemic awareness by progressing from identifying initial, final, and medial phonemes to blending, segmenting, and substituting phonemes. Lessons build on previously introduced skills through explicit educator modeling, guided practice, and independent application, providing students with increasingly sophisticated opportunities to manipulate individual phonemes.

The materials demonstrate a progression from basic phoneme awareness skills to more advanced phoneme manipulation skills. The Teacher Guide first introduces students to identifying initial, final, and medial sounds before progressing to blending and segmenting phonemes across all short vowels. Students then apply more advanced phoneme manipulation by substituting individual phonemes to create new words. For example, in the lesson “Substitute Short u,” the educator models changing the initial phoneme in sun by substituting /s/ with /f/ to create fun, guides students in changing nut to cut, and then has students independently substitute phonemes in additional word pairs. The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Toolkit Additional Lessons further extend phoneme manipulation through lessons that include adding and deleting phonemes. Together, these materials provide a systematic progression from basic phoneme identification to increasingly complex phoneme manipulation skills.

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

Lessons provide direct educator modeling, scripted instructional language, guided practice, and independent application to develop students’ phonological and phonemic awareness. The materials consistently use an “I Do, We Do, You Do” instructional routine in which educators explicitly introduce the target skill, model expected responses, guide students through supported practice, and then provide opportunities for independent application.

The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Toolkit Additional Lessons provide explicit instruction in phonological awareness. During the “Blend Syllables” lesson, the educator introduces the skill by stating, “I am going to make a word. I will blend two word parts together to make it. These word parts are called syllables,” before modeling how to blend kit and ten to make kitten using coordinated hand motions. Students then blend kit and ten during guided practice before independently blending pen and cil to make pencil. The Teacher Guide also provides explicit instruction in phonemic awareness during the “Segment Short e” lesson. The educator begins by stating, “Let’s take apart the word wed. We will use finger stretching to help,” and models segmenting the sounds /w-e-d/ while counting the sounds on fingers. The educator asks, “How many sounds are in wed?” and “Where did you hear the /e/ sound?” and then guides students through the segmenting set before students independently segment men, leg, and hen. These lessons provide explicit educator language, direct modeling, guided practice, and independent application to develop phonological and phonemic awareness skills.

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

The materials provide repeated practice within individual phonological and phonemic awareness lessons, but they do not demonstrate cumulative student practice across previously taught skills as described in the indicator guidance statement. The Teacher Guide and the Additional Lessons organize instruction around individual target skills. Students develop phonological awareness through activities involving rhyming, compound words, syllables, and onset and rime before progressing to phonemic awareness lessons focused on identifying, blending, segmenting, and substituting phonemes within individual lessons.

The materials include opportunities for students to practice the targeted skill within each lesson. For example, in Additional Lessons, students practice segmenting syllables after educator modeling by breaking apart before into be and fore during guided practice before independently segmenting picture. Likewise, in the Teacher Guide “Substituting Initial Phoneme” lesson, the educator models changing the initial phoneme /k/ in cob to /j/ to make job, guides students in changing hot to got, and then has students independently substitute the initial phoneme in additional words. However, after students complete these lessons, the materials do not revisit or require students to practice these previously taught phonological and phonemic awareness skills in subsequent lessons. The Teacher Guide does not include review lessons, spiral practice, warm-up activities, or cumulative practice opportunities that intentionally integrate previously taught phonological and phonemic awareness skills with newly introduced content. As a result, the materials do not demonstrate cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills as described in the indicator guidance statement.

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

The materials ensure that student practice includes only phonological and phonemic awareness skills that have been explicitly taught. The Teacher Guide and the Additional Lessons introduce each target skill through explicit educator modeling before students participate in guided and independent practice. Lessons consistently follow an “I Do, We Do, You Do” instructional routine, ensuring students practice only the phonological or phonemic awareness skill that the educator explicitly introduces during instruction.

The materials provide opportunities for students to apply both phonological and phonemic awareness skills after explicit instruction. In the Additional Lessons, the educator explicitly models substituting the syllable tell with read to change telling to reading before students change laughter to laughing during guided practice and independently change raining to rainy using the same hand motions. Likewise, in the Teacher Guide “Substituting Initial Phoneme” lesson, the educator models changing the initial phoneme /m/ in mad to /s/ to make sad, guides students in changing hen to pen, and then has students independently substitute the initial phoneme in additional words. In both resources, students practice only the phonological or phonemic awareness skill that the educator explicitly models before guided and independent application.

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

The materials organize grade K sound–spelling instruction in a systematic sequence that builds from letter-sound relationships to decoding and encoding increasingly complex phonics patterns. The Standards Alignment chart introduces individual short vowel correspondences before progressing to decoding simple CVC words, encoding words with short vowels, consonant blends, consonant digraphs, high-frequency words, and VC, CVC, and CCVC word patterns. This progression develops foundational sound–spelling knowledge before students apply those patterns to increasingly complex words aligned to the grade K TEKS.

For grade K, instruction begins with explicit instruction in individual short vowel correspondences in lessons 49–54 before students decode short-vowel words in lessons 55–60. Students then apply those sound–spelling relationships to encode and decode VC, CVC, and CCVC words in lesson 18, consonant blends in lessons 19–20, consonant digraphs in lessons 21–37, and high-frequency words in lesson 38. The sequence consistently moves from learning individual letter-sound relationships to applying those correspondences when decoding and encoding increasingly complex word patterns aligned to the grade K TEKS.

Evaluation for 4.A.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

Lessons follow a gradual release structure (“I Do, We Do, You Do”) and provide educator modeling, guided practice, and independent application as students learn grade-level sound–spelling patterns. Educators explicitly introduce each pattern, model how it works in words, and guide students through encoding and decoding before independent practice.

For example, the lesson “Encode Words with Short o” provides explicit instruction for the short o sound–spelling pattern. During the “I Do,” the educator says, “Remember the short o sound? Let’s make it together: /o/. Listen carefully for this sound in our words today.” The educator models segmenting the word hot by saying, “Say the word hot, /h-o-t/. Use finger stretching to identify each phoneme.” Students then encode hot and top with educator guidance before independently encoding fox, dot, and bog. In the companion lesson using Reading Rods, the educator explicitly models the same pattern by saying, “Let’s build the word hot. Say it slowly with me, /h-o-t/,” while demonstrating how to match each sound to a letter before students build additional words together and independently. These lessons provide explicit educator modeling before guided and independent practice with the grade-level short vowel pattern.

Evaluation for 4.A.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding words using sound-spelling patterns in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.

Lessons move students from encoding and decoding isolated words to connected-text reading while revisiting sound–spelling patterns across multiple lesson components. Students apply the same target pattern during phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency activities to build accuracy and automaticity.

In the Teacher Guide, students revisit previously taught short-vowel sound–spelling patterns across multiple encoding and decoding lessons. For example, the “Encode Short Vowel Words” lesson has students encode words representing different short vowels, including ten, did, cot, pan, and rug, before continuing with wag, pin, log, gum, and vet using finger stretching, Elkonin Boxes, and Reading Rods. Students later revisit the short e pattern in the “Decode Words with Medial Short e” lessons by decoding red, let, ten, peg, web, yet, fed, hen, leg, and net, and then build fluency by reading Word Cards containing words such as ten, get, wed, beg, jet, and met. In the Additional Lessons resource, the “Encode and Decode Final sh Words” lesson, students extend this practice by encoding and decoding ash, sash, smash, rush, and crush, then building and reading lush, lash, flash, flesh, and fresh with Reading Rods. During the Fluency and Chunking activity, students apply the same sh pattern in connected text by reading, “Josh can crush the trash in a flash” and “I wish I had fresh fish.” This progression moves students from isolated word practice to connected-text reading while providing repeated opportunities to apply previously learned sound–spelling patterns as word complexity increases.

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

In the Teacher Guide, lesson 8 asks students to practice short a words such as ant, man, van, ham, Sam, can, and pan. These words include the -am and -an spelling patterns, but the instructional sequence does not introduce short a nasal patterns until lesson 9. Students therefore practice these spelling patterns before receiving explicit instruction.

The Additional Lessons resource shows a similar inconsistency. Lesson 19, “Initial Blends,” includes practice with words such as black and snack. These words require the -ck spelling pattern, but the instructional sequence does not introduce ck until lesson 35. Elsewhere, lessons appropriately introduce a target pattern before guided and independent practice. For example, students practice encoding and decoding short u words after explicit instruction in the medial short u pattern. These examples show that the instructional sequence is not maintained consistently across the materials.

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

The Additional Lessons resource includes a lesson on high-frequency words that references the INCLUSION in Texas High-Frequency Word List (Texas Education Agency, 2021). In lesson 38, the educator explains, “A high-frequency word is a word that is super common in the English language. However, it might not follow the sound–spelling patterns that we have already learned.” Students read, write, map, and build high-frequency words such as the, in, for, are, at, they, one, will, there, when, get, see, now, know, and back using Elkonin Boxes, Reading Rods, and gradual release routines. The lesson also includes word lists for review of previously taught high-frequency words before students move to new concepts.

The materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words throughout the program. Fluency lessons identify high-frequency words, provide explicit instruction for regular and irregular high-frequency words, and include opportunities for students to read and identify those words in connected text. A lesson-by-lesson progression establishes when high-frequency words are introduced and revisited, and cumulative review supports continued practice across the grade level.

Evaluation for 4.B.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

The Additional Lessons resource includes direct instruction for recognizing, reading, writing, mapping, and building selected high-frequency words from the INCLUSION in Texas High-Frequency Word List (Texas Education Agency, 2021). In lesson 38, the educator explains, “A high-frequency word is a word that is super common in the English language. However, it might not follow the sound–spelling patterns that we have already learned.” Students then read, write, map, and build words such as the, in, for, are, at, they, one, will, there, when, get, see, now, know, and back using whiteboards, Elkonin Boxes, colored chips, and Reading Rods.

Fluency lessons include explicit instruction for decoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. Educators identify high-frequency words in connected text, explain irregular spellings, and model how irregular spellings affect word reading before students practice reading the words in sentences. However, the materials do not include explicit instruction for encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. Although students read and identify high-frequency words during fluency practice, the lessons do not model how to encode regular and irregular high-frequency words or explain how irregular spellings affect the encoding process.

Evaluation for 4.B.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from a research-based list in alignment with grade-level skills as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.

The Additional Lessons resource provides explicit practice with selected high-frequency words in lesson 38. Students read, write, map, and build words such as the, in, for, are, at, they, one, will, there, when, get, see, now, know, and back using whiteboards, Elkonin Boxes, colored chips, and Reading Rods. The lesson also includes a word list that educators may use to review the lesson’s high-frequency words before moving to new concepts.

The materials include cumulative student practice in decoding regular and irregular high-frequency words from the referenced list. Fluency lessons provide repeated opportunities for students to read high-frequency words in isolation and in decodable connected text. Students identify high-frequency words in sentences; practice reading them with fluency, expression, and chunking; and reread connected text to build automaticity. The materials also include a lesson-by-lesson progression and cumulative review of high-frequency words across the grade level. However, the materials do not include cumulative student practice in encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. Although students read and identify high-frequency words during fluency practice, the lessons do not provide opportunities for students to encode high-frequency words in isolation or connected text to build automaticity.

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

The Additional Lessons resource explicitly introduces selected high-frequency words in lesson 38, where students read, write, map, and build words such as the, in, for, are, at, they, one, will, there, and when from the INCLUSION in Texas High-Frequency Word List (Texas Education Agency, 2021).

The materials provide student practice using only regular and irregular high-frequency words that have been explicitly taught. Fluency lessons identify the high-frequency words for instruction before students practice reading them in connected text. Students then reread those explicitly taught high-frequency words in isolation, in sentences, and during cumulative review. The lesson-by-lesson progression and cumulative review ensure that student practice includes only previously introduced high-frequency words.

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

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list syllable types or syllable division principles.

Evaluation for 4.C.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

This guidance statement is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list decoding and encoding one-syllable or multisyllabic words.

Evaluation for 4.C.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in decodable connected text, to develop automaticity.

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words.

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

This guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list syllable types or syllable division principles.

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

The guidance is not applicable to the program because TEKS for the grade level do not list morphemes.

Evaluation for 4.D.3b
Materials include explicit (direct) instruction on morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose.

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

Evaluation for 4.D.3c
Materials include cumulative student practice of morphological skills in alignment with grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program's stated purpose, both in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text, to develop automaticity.

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

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

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