Units of Study in Reading, Grade K

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

The materials do not include a scope and sequence document, and the TEKS and ELPS are not mentioned or cited within the instructional materials. The table of contents within each unit includes the title of each bend and session, but does not include the concepts taught. The materials provide a unit overview that outlines the sessions, or lessons, for each bend, including the titles for each section of the lesson. This overview does not include the concepts taught, references, or align the lessons to the TEKS or ELPS. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), the unit overview lists sessions such as "Super Readers Look Closely at Vowels," "Super Readers Combine Their Powers," and "Familiar Words Can Help Super Readers Read Other Words."

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)

Within A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K-2, "What Does the Series Contain?" explains that each unit represents 4–6 weeks of teaching. However, the materials do not include a pacing guide or calendar for year-long pacing instruction. The guide only offers an outline of the time allotment for each component of the reading workshop session as a suggested daily schedule, including the Minilesson (8–10 minutes), Work Time (30 minutes), and Share Time (5 minutes). A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, recommends that teachers adjust their unit sequence based on data. It states, "If your assessments reveal that students' skills are far below grade-level benchmarks, you might choose to alter your intended sequence of units for the year and borrow a unit or two from your lower-grade colleagues."However, it does not provide a suggested pacing for the alternative sequence of units.

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.

"Understanding the Strategic Design of the Units of Study Curriculum" of A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, outlines the rationale and instructional design intended to support skill development across each unit and its internal sections, referred to as "bends." This section states that "one day's teaching links to the next, building students' repertoire of skills and strategies, and references that each unit is linked to the next. Skills are recursive because they are revisited unit by unit to ensure more student mastery. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, provides an example of how fluency develops across the curriculum from rereading familiar texts in kindergarten to building prosody and pace in grade 2. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, also states that the sequence of units is designed to be flexible and can be adjusted based on student data. This flexibility contrasts with the stated rationale that units are intentionally ordered and interconnected. For example, in A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, the materials describe how "critical skills develop across not only the units but also the grades," and emphasize how lessons within and across units build upon one another.

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

In kindergarten, the materials include a "Unit Essentials" section at the beginning of each unit, which supports teachers in establishing classroom routines and understanding the instructional structure of the unit. This section provides an overview of each bend, describes how the instruction progresses, and aligns with other products from the same publisher for phonics, writing, and assessment. The materials also offer guidance on what teachers should look for in the classroom, including suggestions for classroom observations and instructional priorities to reinforce the unit’s learning goals. This deep-level overview of each unit guides teachers to internalize the unit. Although the materials outline how teachers should navigate each unit, they do not provide explicit protocols—such as planning templates, pre-lesson analysis guides, or reflection questions—to help teachers internalize lessons before instruction. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, provides guidance on how to teach each section of the reading workshop session; however, it does not include corresponding guidance for unit or lesson internalization. Teachers will need to look within each unit guide for unit internalization support.

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

In kindergarten, the materials do not include resources specifically designed for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementation. The content focuses on classroom-level guidance for teachers, including how to use the resources, structure work times, and consider assessment data during instruction. Supporting All Readers, High Leverage Small Groups and Conferences K–2 provides teachers with guidance for implementing differentiated, responsive instruction during work time. However, the guide does not mention how instructional leaders should support teachers with this implementation. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, emphasizes that colleagues are teachers’ greatest resource. Although it suggests collaboration with instructional leaders, it does not provide specific guidance for those leaders.

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 kindergarten, the materials include a "Unit Essentials" section at the beginning of each unit Teacher Edition. This section includes the unit's storyline, which explains each bend, the assessments, and precursor skills needed for the unit, its alignment to other units, and what the teacher needs to prepare in advance. While academic vocabulary is used within the unit overview, the teacher-facing section does not provide guidance for academic vocabulary instruction. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), the author uses academic terms such as vocabulary and syntax, continuous and stop sounds, and phonological awareness. However, these terms are not introduced in a way that defines the terms for unfamiliar educators, nor does the unit overview suggest that any of these terms will be used with students. "Shared Reading" (Unit 2) provides detailed implementation guidance and background knowledge on a variety of topics taught within the unit (e.g., Developing Concepts about Print, Especially One-to-One Matching, Solidifying Alphabetic Knowledge). This supports teachers' understanding of these foundational skills, ensuring they are prepared to teach the content effectively.

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.

Within A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, "Affirming and Supporting Multilingual Learners"provides information on supporting multilingual learners in the classroom; however, it is not specific to Spanish-speaking students and does not provide family support resources. The content is intended for classroom teachers and emphasizes a consistent instructional structure, providing texts in students’ native languages and maintaining uniform teaching language across units and grade levels. In kindergarten, some units provide a family letter in English that includes suggestions for supporting their student with the skills taught in that unit. For example, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), a family letter provides prompts for families to use when reading with their child, such as, "What do you notice in the picture? Who is in the story? How is the character feeling?" However, these family letters are not included in each unit.

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).

The sessions include questions and prompts to check for understanding of the teaching point. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), additional instructional notes are included alongside the mini-lesson that provide prompts and support for the teacher to ensure students understand the learning objective. For example, one session’s teaching point centers around readers using phonics to decode while also thinking deeply about the story. The instructional support suggests that the teacher ask, "How does this picture go with the words?" Each lesson is presented as a detailed narrative script for the teacher, outlining specific language to use during instruction. However, it lacks alignment to the TEKS or ELPS. A daily objective is offered in the form of a session teaching point. For example, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend I, Session 1, the teaching point states, "To become avid readers, it helps to study them closely. You watch and notice and think—what do they do that I can do too?" This teaching point shows the objective and is used throughout the session. Tasks are incorporated into both the mini-lesson and work time portions of the session to engage students in actively working toward mastery of the learning objective. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 4, readers learn about the digraph ck. Students engage in a shared reading task to practice decoding words with this digraph and then continue reading in partners. During independent reading time, readers search for words with ck in the books they are reading. Necessary materials for each session are included in the "Getting Ready"section of each session throughout all of the unit plans. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend II, Session 6, listed materials include two familiar storybooks, sticky notes, a marker, and a large card to create a class letter card.

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.

In kindergarten, each unit includes session plans that outline specific learning tasks and identify the materials needed for instruction. Each session features a section to support teacher and student preparation, organized into two subtitled lists: "You Will Need" and "Students Will Need."These lists reference both program-specific and general classroom materials. In "Shared Reading" (Unit 2), Bend II, Session 2, the lesson overview lists sticky notes, an anchor text as required teacher materials, and a pattern book as required student materials. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, provides a daily recommended schedule in "The Big Picture of a School Day, of Balanced Literacy, and of a Reading Workshop." In this chapter, the Reading Workshop time is broken down by time as follows: Minilesson (8–10 minutes), Work Time (30 minutes), and Share Time (5 minutes). The materials provide guidance for the teacher to conduct two small groups during the Work Time block. This guidance is provided for teachers to follow throughout the entire program; however, the suggested timing is not listed on any of the daily lesson overviews. Teachers should read A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, to understand the daily suggested timing.

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 embedded recommendations for "Supporting All Readers" through designated Gold Pages interspersed throughout each bend. These pages offer additional instructional support beyond the core lesson to help teachers differentiate instruction based on student needs. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend II, the Gold Pages provide guidance for supporting students who have not yet achieved automaticity with 16–20 letter names and sounds. Teachers are directed to the "CVC, Short Vowels, Blends, and Digraphs" progression to reinforce foundational phonics skills. For students who have already mastered this content, the materials recommend moving toward decoding both in isolation and in connected text, and provide specific support to facilitate this advancement. "Super Powers" (Unit 3) allows students to practice phonics skills using interactive digital tools, such as Jamboards, which align with the unit's content. The materials encourage using technology to reinforce foundational literacy skills such as solidifying letter and sound knowledge, distinguishing short-vowel sounds, CVC word decoding, constructing sentences with CVC Words, and onset/rime word reading. These digital resources provide engaging, skill-specific practice that supports both initial learning and review, contributing to differentiated and multimodal instruction. An included resource, Supporting All Readers High Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2, provides targeted support across reading development goals for kindergarten through grade 2, including phonics, word recognition, decoding, and fluency. These small-group lessons and conference coaching support offer teachers flexible options to extend learning for students who need extra support beyond the core unit sessions.

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 opportunities for formative assessment embedded within daily lessons. These assessments vary in task types, and questioning strategies. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend I, and Session 1, teachers are encouraged to circulate the classroom during independent reading time, and coach decoding with prompts such as, "Great! Now slide across the sounds faster. What word is it?" Students use manipulatives like magnetic letters to build words and apply their "slider power" while teachers monitor and assess. These informal assessments provide teachers with insight into student understanding during instruction. However, the materials do not include summative assessments after each session or bend. The materials include summative assessments at the unit level. Each unit ends with a summative assessment, and the following unit includes guidance for supporting students who did not meet expectations on that assessment. These end-of-unit assessments are teacher-administered and focus on key phonics and phonemic awareness skills taught within the unit. These summative assessments vary in types of tasks, and questions. For example, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), assessments include letter and sound identification, high-frequency word recognition, phoneme segmentation, decoding, and reading both decodable and leveled text.

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

Throughout the units, formative assessments are labeled "informal" assessments, while summative assessments are labeled "formal" assessments. The definitions of these assessments are not included. In kindergarten, the "Unit Essentials" section of each unit provides guidance for summative student assessment and the purpose and impact on instruction. It also includes precursor skills for the upcoming unit based on previous units. After "Shared Reading" (Unit 2), students are assessed on letter-sound identification, high-frequency words taught during the unit, and phonemic awareness. The materials include explicit instructions for teachers, explaining how to interpret the assessment data and determine next steps. Teachers are directed to reteach and reassess skills if mastery has not been achieved, or move forward to the next unit if 75 percent of the class has demonstrated mastery of the Unit 2 skills. This guidance supports data-informed instructional decision-making. Formative assessments are also provided throughout the units. In "We are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend I, Session 8, the instructional materials guide the teacher in using informal formative assessment through observation and explain the purpose is to see what reading behaviors the children are exhibiting and how you can use those observations. Sample questions are included to help teachers extend or build on the assessed skills. Gold Pages at the end of each bend provide additional prompts for the teacher to assess students formatively to plan for instruction. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 5, the Gold Page recommends using Supporting All Readers High Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 for students who are struggling to decode CVC words. This resource includes multiple formative assessments with guidance on their intended instructional purpose. These assessments support teachers in identifying specific student needs and delivering targeted, responsive instruction.

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

In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), the Gold Pages at the end of the unit provide a high-frequency word assessment. The materials give suggestions on how to assess, but leave decisions up to teacher discretion, offering suggestions rather than requirements on how, when, and where to assess students. For example, the teacher can select words from a variety of sources, such as classroom texts, rather than directing teachers to a research-based list of words. A passing or mastery percentage is not provided; however, the end-of-year goals state that students should be able to read 50 high-frequency words and write 35 words with automaticity. Automaticity, or the time allowed to read or write the words, is not defined in the materials. While the materials provide guidance on how to use this assessment as a planning tool, the methods are not consistent. Assessments are often offered as an option rather than a requirement. "Shared Reading" (Unit 2) provides limited guidance for administering the summative assessments consistently and accurately. Step-by-step procedures and recommended time limits are not included. The phonemic awareness assessment directs teachers to "coach if necessary," but does not explain if the student still receives credit if they answer correctly with coaching. Similarly, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), the decoding assessment does not include time limits or information on whether a student must decode the word automatically, or if they may sound out each phoneme and then blend the whole word to decode.

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

There is no evidence that the assessments are aligned with the TEKS. While the materials include formative and summative assessments within each unit, they do not provide a systematic approach to diagnostic testing. For example, in "Shared Reading" (Unit 2), teachers are instructed to introduce high-frequency words and are given access to instructional videos. In the unit’s summative assessment, students are assessed on their mastery of the high-frequency words taught, demonstrating internal consistency within the instructional sequence. However, this alignment is not explicitly linked to the TEKS, and no diagnostic tools are provided to identify student needs at the start of instruction. In kindergarten, the materials provide practice opportunities within lessons and units consistent with the stated objectives. For example, in "Shared Reading" (Unit 2), the Gold Page at the end of Bend I, Session 5 provides an informal formative assessment that is aligned to the bend objectives. The materials direct the teacher to use observational data to determine students’ alphabetic knowledge. One example says, "Pop in on a table of kids. Take up one child’s name tag, and ask all the kids, 'Whose name tag is this?' Then say, 'Let’s talk about the letters in Ryan’s name. Tell the person beside you the letters in his name.' Listen and watch to see who finds that easy. Point to one letter at a time, asking all the children, 'What sound goes with this letter?'"The materials then provide instructional support that aligns with the assessment. In "Shared Reading" (Unit 2), Bend III, Session 4, the objective focuses on sound-letter connections. The corresponding summative assessment at the end of the unit includes a task on letter-sound identification, showing alignment between instruction and assessment. This consistency supports coherent skill development and reinforces student learning throughout the unit. Similarly, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), students are assessed summatively on decoding phonics patterns taught within the unit (e.g., CVC and CCVC words).

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

The materials include assessments that do not align with the TEKS. While the materials provide summative assessments at the end of each unit that evaluate skills taught during the unit, the assessments are not explicitly aligned to the TEKS. Although some assessed skills may reflect TEKS-based expectations, the materials do not cite the standards or demonstrate a direct connection between assessment items and the TEKS, limiting the ability to ensure full alignment with state expectations. However, the assessments include tasks that reflect an increasing level of cognitive complexity. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), on the phonic decoding assessment, students decode words by applying phonics knowledge to blend and read unfamiliar words. This task demonstrates students’ ability to transfer and apply foundational skills, indicating progress toward mastery, even though the assessment is not explicitly aligned to the TEKS. In kindergarten, the materials include instructional assessments at varying levels of complexity. In "We are Readers" (Unit 1), the concepts of print assessment measures foundational print awareness through less complex cognitive tasks such as identifying the front of a book and tracking text direction. A letter-sound identification assessment also provides recall-level tasks, as students identify letter names and their corresponding sounds. Together, these assessments address foundational phonics and early literacy TEKS at basic cognitive levels appropriate for early learners. In "Super Powers" (Unit 3), students engage in more demanding tasks such as blending, segmenting, and isolating words with two and three phonemes and applying foundational decoding skills to read unfamiliar words. While the assessments have varying levels of complexity as they build on precursor skills and help teachers plan next steps for individuals and small groups, they are not specifically or intentionally aligned to the TEKS.

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

The materials include summative assessments at the end of each unit, which provide guidance for interpreting student performance. The letter-sound identification assessment is administered informally on an ongoing basis throughout the first two units to evaluate automaticity with letter and sound recognition. At the end of "Shared Reading" (Unit 2), teachers are directed to administer this assessment as a measure of student understanding. The teacher guidance states, "Students who do not yet have automaticity with 16–20 letters and sounds will need continued support with the acquisition of letters and sounds during work time and across the day so that they will be able to join in using that knowledge to develop their reading superpowers." This guidance supports instructional decision-making by helping teachers identify students in need of continued foundational skill support. The materials also state in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1) that, "Unless three-quarters of your class can identify sounds, names, and formation for 16–20 letters, we suggest that you do not go forward into Unit 3 until you have devoted a week or two to cumulative phonics review." Teachers are provided with the next steps for students who have demonstrated mastery and for those who require additional support. For example, the phonemic awareness assessment guidance from "Shared Reading" (Unit 2) states, "Unit 3 begins to teach students to decode CVC words. To do this, students will need to be able to blend and segment two- and three-phoneme words. For any students who are not able to do that, make sure you are intervening with supports during work time in both your reading and your writing workshops, and across their day." The materials then reference Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 as a resource to guide targeted interventions. This guidance supports data-informed instructional planning and helps teachers respond effectively to individual student needs. The scoring information for summative assessments is inconsistent, particularly in the inclusion of proficiency rates and clear guidance for interpreting student performance. While the letter-sound identification, phonemic awareness, and phonic decoding assessments include proficiency benchmarks and scoring guidance, the high-frequency word and running record assessments do not provide proficiency rates, making it difficult to gauge student mastery. The Running Record guidance in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4) explains that “By this point in kindergarten, it is important to capture how kids are reading and understanding in a continuous text. There are different ways to do this. You might invite students to read a decodable text while you take notes, administer an informal running record, or administer a formal running record at levels C or D." While the materials offer direction on how to administer these types of assessments, they provide no information on how to interpret student performance or determine proficiency levels, limiting their utility in informing instruction.

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

At the beginning of each bend, a section titled "The Key Skills and Blueprint Methods of the Bend" provides detailed support for students who did not demonstrate proficiency on the previous unit’s assessments. These supports include targeted tasks and activities for both individuals and small groups, designed to promote continued learning in response to assessment data. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), the Blueprints recommend reassessing students using CVC words with short a, i, and o vowel sounds through the phonic decoding assessment. Following this guidance, the materials offer a scripted small-group lesson plan tailored to student needs. Teachers are encouraged to give students sufficient time to problem-solve and attempt decoding independently before offering support. Additional coaching moves and phrases are outlined in the "Word-Solving Coaching Guide,"which provides specific language to reinforce decoding skills. The materials also include Gold Pages that include targeted guidance and coaching strategies to help teachers respond to student performance trends. For example, in "Shared Reading" (Unit 2), the Gold Pages offer a progression of coaching moves related to the Concepts of Print Assessment, organized from least to most scaffolded. These supports are directly aligned to the assessment content and include specific questions teachers can use to guide and support student understanding.

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 assessment pages at the end of each unit include tracking forms that allow teachers to document individual student performance across the various foundational reading skills contained in that unit. For example, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), assessment forms are included for letter-sound identification, high-frequency words, phonemic awareness, and phonic decoding assessments. In addition, the materials include running record forms aligned to a supplemental set of leveled texts that are available for purchase. All tracking forms are accessible through the online resources platform, enabling teachers to print and use them as needed to record and analyze student progress and growth over time. The materials do not provide student-facing tools to support students in tracking their own progress and growth. The teacher-facing recording tools are designed specifically for teacher use and do not include features or adaptations for student self-monitoring or reflection. For example, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), the materials include a section titled "Adapting Table Conferences to Support Goal-Setting" and provide an If-Then chart to guide teachers to support and encourage their students. However, this guidance is directed at the teacher, and no resources are provided for students to actively track their progress or set goals.

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 differentiated instructional guidance in areas such as Unit Essentials (unit overviews), Bend Blueprints, session scripts, Gold Pages, and small-group lessons. This guidance appears in varying formats throughout the curriculum. For example, each Blueprint Method is paired with a skill and associated practice opportunities, allowing for repeated use and adaptation based on student needs. Some Blueprints offer differentiated lessons and activities, while others refer back to lessons from previous units or provide expanded explanations of concepts. The Unit Essentials section offers consistent support for differentiation across all units by identifying relevant assessments and precursor skills and providing information on planning for small-group support. Sporadic Gold Pages offer suggestions to support differentiation across a variety of topics and frequently refer teachers to Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 for additional small-group lessons or to previous units for reinforcement opportunities. These resources offer flexible strategies to support instruction rather than fixed scaffolds tied to individual lessons, as the core lessons themselves provide limited embedded guidance for differentiation. Teachers must read the Unit Essentials, study the Bend Blueprints, and reference Supporting All Readers to plan differentiated instruction. The materials include supplemental resources that offer explicit teacher guidance for differentiated instruction through scaffolded lessons and targeted activities for students who have not yet reached grade-level proficiency. Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 provides comprehensive, fully scripted lessons that span kindergarten through grade 2 and allow teachers to select instruction based on students' individual needs. This resource guides teachers in using assessment data or classroom observation to plan responsive instruction during Work Time. For example, in "Progression 7: Alphabetic Knowledge," the materials support instructional planning by helping teachers interpret student behaviors and select letters for focused reinforcement. Teachers receive guidance on adjusting instruction and implementing supports for engagement, such as magnetic letter centers, as well as strategies to reinforce skills throughout the day. These lessons and activities provide structured routines and flexible scaffolds to support developing learners in building foundational literacy skills. In A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, the section "Ensuring Access for All Learners"provides guidance for identifying student strengths and using them as entry points to address areas of need. For example, the materials advise teachers to offer audiobooks aligned to a student’s emotional maturity, alongside decodable texts, when a student demonstrates strong listening skills but is not yet decoding proficiently. The guidance presents overarching strategies for supporting students across kindergarten through grade 2.

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 some embedded supports for vocabulary development; however, these are not consistently or systematically incorporated across lessons or units. Vocabulary instruction tends to occur opportunistically when unfamiliar words arise in context, rather than through intentional, pre-planned instruction. In several instances, the teacher script prompts rephrasing or contextual modeling to support student understanding of new words. For example, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend I, Session 2, the teacher references the words characters, setting, and actions while reading a demonstration text, using illustrations and paraphrasing to scaffold understanding, though these terms are not directly taught. Similarly, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend I, Session 3, the teacher models using picture and textual clues to determine the meaning of the word cab in a nonfiction text, reinforcing inferencing strategies rather than offering direct vocabulary instruction. While some units include guidance for supporting vocabulary, it is not embedded consistently throughout the curriculum. For example, "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend II, Session 4, includes a "Tips for Teaching Vocabulary" sidebar, outlining a routine for introducing new words (e.g., say the word, define it, give examples, and invite students to use it). However, this routine is not carried forward or scripted into the majority of lessons. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend I, Session 3, the teacher receives support for teaching academic vocabulary related to book parts, such as title page, spine, and illustrator, using visual modeling with a physical book. This type of embedded support is helpful but limited to early foundational concepts. The materials do not include instruction or support for understanding figurative language or idioms. Overall, while the materials include occasional vocabulary scaffolds, they do not offer consistent pre-teaching or embedded support for academic or literary language, limiting students' exposure to and practice with grade-level vocabulary.

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 materials provide limited teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, or extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills. In A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, the chapter "Ensuring Access" focuses primarily on supporting students who need additional help. While the section titled "Individualized Instruction" describes ways to scaffold learning for students not yet meeting grade-level expectations, it does not offer specific strategies or structured lessons to extend learning for students who have already demonstrated proficiency. The "Unit Essentials" sections at the start of each unit outline assessment expectations and precursor skills. These sections guide teachers in planning interventions based on prior unit data but do not address how to enrich or extend instruction for advanced learners. Similarly, the small-group lessons, Blueprint pages, and Gold Pages embedded within the units focus almost exclusively on remediation. For example, in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), one Gold Page includes general advice such as, "If a child can decode words on the CVC phonics assessment, then you can get them to read a decodable text." While this comment targets students with foundational skills, it does not provide concrete, differentiated tasks or enrichment pathways for proficient readers. The materials allocate Work Time in each session for small-group instruction; however, these groups typically support struggling learners. The materials advise teachers to intervene with support during Work Time and refer to Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 as a resource. While this supplemental text contains a progression of scaffolded lessons that increase in complexity, the core program does not present these as enrichment opportunities for students who have mastered grade-level skills. When referencing this resource, the Gold Page in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2) states, "If your students need support in addition to what’s offered in this unit, this page will help you to draw on your assessments and observations to plan responsive Work Time instruction." Although the guidance encourages teachers to look for signs that students may be ready to "skip ahead," it stops short of providing structured extension lessons or targeted enrichment activities. Overall, the materials prioritize intervention and support for learners who have not yet mastered grade-level content and skills but does not offer systematic or intentional guidance for enriching or extending learning for students who have already demonstrated proficiency.

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.

Each session follows a consistent structure and includes a detailed teacher-facing narrative script. The materials provide explicit prompts to guide teachers in modeling and explaining the targeted concepts. For example, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 2, the provided teaching point states: "Readers can figure out words of any size by sliding through the sounds. No matter how many letters the word has, readers blend all the sounds from beginning to end." The script then guides the teacher in modeling this concept using the CVC word nap. With magnetic letters, the teacher demonstrates sound-by-sound blending, then adds s to form snap. The modeling continues with the words lap and clap, showing how readers can use this decoding strategy to read words with consonant blends. The materials also provide clear guidance to support teachers in modeling and explaining targeted skills and concepts through the Bend Blueprints of each unit. These overviews outline the essential learning targets and provide instructional support for lesson delivery. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend II, the Blueprint introduces decoding of CVC words using additive and whole-word blending. It states: "In this bend, you will teach students to decode CVC words, sound by sound . . ." and outlines a vowel sequence beginning with the most accessible patterns (short a, i, o, u, e) to scaffold difficulty. It describes additive blending as revealing one letter at a time (e.g., m → /mmm/, then a → /mmmaaa/, followed by n → /mmmaaannn/). This approach supports a gradual release of responsibility. The mini-lessons in this unit build on this foundation with scripted modeling language and demonstration examples, ensuring teachers have both the explicit prompts and guidance necessary to model and explain concepts effectively.

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

In each unit, teachers are provided with a structured and consistent instructional framework within each daily session. Lessons follow a gradual release model and incorporate whole-group instruction, guided practice, collaborative learning, and independent application. Within these portions of each session, the teacher engages students in various instructional strategies such as think-alouds, turn-and-talks, scaffolded instruction, student discourse, and flexible grouping. For example, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend I, Session 3, the lesson focuses on how avid readers ask questions about the texts they read. The teacher models the skill through a think-aloud and then offers students an opportunity to engage in discourse as they share questions from the teacher’s text. Midway through Work Time, the teacher transitions the class from independent work to partner work, having students share questions they had about the texts they were reading. During Independent Time, the teacher also engages small groups with a Shared Reading activity to reinforce the day’s teaching point. This lesson reflects the broader structure across the materials, where instructional approaches consistently support effective lesson delivery and active student engagement. At the beginning of each bend, the "Key Skills and Blueprint Methods of the Bend"section outlines instructional priorities and provides detailed guidance to support effective delivery. For example, in the guidance preceding Bend II in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), teachers receive support for reinforcing concepts of print, such as one-to-one matching, and for building high-frequency word knowledge through oral sentence formation. Instructional methods include whole-group modeling, think-alouds, student discourse, partner reading, and independent application. In Bend II, Session 1, the mini-lesson features a think-aloud aligned to the session’s teaching point, with student discourse embedded in the "Active Engagement" section. During Rug Time, students read with a partner while sidebars in the script offer scaffolded support. The Work Time chart provides suggestions for adjusting instruction based on student needs, and Share Time promotes flexible grouping through partner conversations. This structure ensures lessons are delivered using a variety of approaches while maintaining instructional consistency.

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 Reading Workshop framework, described in A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, outlines the consistent structure of each session. Each lesson follows this structure grounded in a gradual release model: teacher modeling during the Teach portion, guided and collaborative practice during Active Engagement, and independent or partner application during Work Time and Share Time. This overview offers detailed information to help teachers understand and implement the core components of the reading workshop model. Within each lesson, the teacher-facing narrative indicates when students are expected to work independently or with partners, providing direct scripting to support smooth facilitation and transitions. The lesson structure allows for repeated, scaffolded opportunities to practice skills across whole-group, small-group, partner, and individual contexts. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend III, Session 1, the teacher delivers a scripted lesson focused on using word parts and rhyming patterns as tools for both reading and writing. The teacher begins by modeling the use of rhyming words, such as in and bin, and then creates a simple rap using those words. Students participate in a guided practice called "walking the alphabet" to generate additional rhyming words and work with the teacher to create another rap. Next, students collaborate with a partner to brainstorm words that rhyme with an and use their list to develop their own rap. Finally, students practice independently by using rhyming words to create additional raps. This structured routine provides daily opportunities for multiple types of practice with scripted guidance that supports student learning and promotes instructional effectiveness.

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.

A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, includes a Q&A section titled "Students in the Early Stages of Language Acquisition," which offers general guidance for supporting Emergent Bilingual (EB) students, known as Multilingual Language Learners (MLL) in the program. The materials suggest strategies such as creating a welcoming environment, encouraging the use of multiple forms of communication, and forming partnerships or triads to support peer interaction. The guidance also recommends designating English-speaking students as classroom ambassadors to assist their peers. While these are helpful classroom practices, the materials do not provide linguistic accommodations aligned with specific levels of English language proficiency as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). As a result, the guidance does not explicitly support students in progressing through increasingly sophisticated academic language across proficiency levels. In A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, a chapter titled "Affirming and Supporting Multilingual Learners" notes that each "Unit Essentials" section includes an overview for EB learners, provides blue, italicized suggestions throughout sessions that reference how instruction may support EBs, and offers occasional ideas for increasing accessibility. It also references some Work Time opportunities designed to target EBs and promotes the use of translanguaging strategies to help students make meaning using their full linguistic repertoire. However, these supports are not differentiated by proficiency level or aligned with academic language expectations outlined in the ELPS. Blue, italicized sidebars in some mini-lessons and small-group sessions offer targeted support for EB students. For example, in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend I, Session 4, a sidebar recommends prompting EBs to identify matching objects in the classroom to reinforce vocabulary through concrete, real-world connections while reading "Things I See at School." Similarly, a small-group session titled "Shared Reading to Support One-to-One: Tips for MLLs" provides guidance on selecting appropriate texts, prompts for addressing unfamiliar vocabulary during reading, and suggested questions to support comprehension after reading. While these embedded supports offer instructional suggestions for supporting EBs, the materials do not include guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency as defined by the ELPS. In contrast, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend II, Session 2, a sidebar suggests: "Make this 'non-example' extra-exaggerated. It should be silly and fun for all students, which makes the minilesson more comprehensible and engaging."Although this may help with engagement and comprehension, it does not constitute a linguistic accommodation or targeted support for academic language development.

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

The materials include general guidance for supporting Emergent Bilingual (EB) students, known as Multilingual Language Learners (MLLs) in the materials, but do not provide implementation strategies specific to state-approved Bilingual or ESL program models. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, offers an overview of supports for MLLs, referencing instructional scaffolds such as blue, italicized sidebars embedded in lesson scripts and targeted small-group sessions during Work Time. The chapter also describes online preview videos in Spanish designed to help Spanish-speaking students anticipate the content of the minilesson, including unpacking key vocabulary and building background knowledge. The materials also lack alignment with the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and do not provide differentiated implementation guidance based on bilingual or ESL program models. While the materials give broad guidance on ways to support EB students in the classroom—such as offering access to a multilingual classroom library, using visuals and gestures, encouraging partner work, conferring individually with EBs, and promoting language development through read-alouds—it lacks alignment to the structures, expectations, or instructional approaches outlined in state-approved Bilingual/ESL program models. The materials do not include guidance to support teachers in implementing or establishing classroom routines and procedures specifically designed for EB students. Additionally, there is no alignment or reference to consistent practices found in Bilingual/ESL programs or instructional frameworks that support the linguistic and academic development of EB students. There is no support for Dual Language instruction, transitional models, or ESL pull-out/co-teach frameworks. The materials do not offer differentiated implementation steps, timelines, or tools aligned to these program types, which is required for meeting the indicator.

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.

The materials include some embedded teacher guidance to support Emergent Bilingual (EB) students, though this guidance primarily focuses only on increasing comprehension and building background knowledge through oral language. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), the Unit Essentials highlight the importance of helping students develop metalinguistic awareness to support comprehension. Teachers are encouraged to help students think flexibly about language, such as when determining the correct meaning of multiple-meaning words like plate. The guidance emphasizes the need to offer frequent opportunities for oral language development through turn-and-talks, partner discussions, small groups, and Share Time, with a focus on deepening understanding through talk. Throughout the units, blue, italicized sidebars provide lesson-specific suggestions for supporting EB students. For instance, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend I, Session 1, a sidebar encourages teachers to listen for the vocabulary and sentence structures students use when discussing pictures, and to extend students’ oral language by restating, expanding, and prompting further discussion. In Session 2, teachers are advised to support students in small groups or triads as they discuss story elements, with the goal of building rich oral language experiences. In "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend II, Session 6, a sidebar guides teachers to use oral discussion to build background knowledge and encourages translanguaging for students in early stages of English language development. For students in later stages, the sidebar recommends prompting the use of more specific vocabulary to describe characters’ feelings. The supplemental resource Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2, includes a full progression dedicated to developing and expanding oral language for EB students, with separate lessons for early and intermediate proficiency levels. While the progression includes strategies to build background knowledge and comprehension—such as using wordless picture books, extending students’ language, and building on their diverse experiences and funds of knowledge—it places responsibility for vocabulary selection on the teacher and does not consistently target academic language development. Although some vocabulary-related guidance is provided (e.g., using gestures to reinforce word meaning), the materials do not offer systematic support for developing academic vocabulary or making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse. Opportunities to increase comprehension and build background knowledge through written discourse are not provided.

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 a clearly sequenced progression of phonics instruction that builds logically and incrementally across the year. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2 outlines this development: early units focus on foundational skills such as alphabet knowledge, concepts of print, and phonemic awareness; middle units introduce decoding of CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words; and later units extend to more complex word structures, including consonant blends and digraphs. The phonics content is organized so that each new skill builds on those previously introduced, reflecting a structured and cumulative approach to skill development. While phonics instruction is sequenced across the year, it is not systematic or consistently embedded throughout the units. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), all 17 sessions reference initial letter sounds, but often as brief prompts or general strategies (e.g., "Look at the first letter and think about the sound.") rather than through structured, goal-oriented instruction. Lessons frequently prioritize picture clues over teaching decoding strategies. In "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), phonics instruction appears in only 5 of the 18 sessions. For example, in Bend II, Session 1, students are introduced to digraphs th, sh, and ch. The teacher explains that "some letters are partners" and models how readers can "read those partners quickly," such as the th in think. A chart is shared with the digraphs and their sounds, which students echo. They are then prompted to hunt for digraphs in the pictures and text of their books, and the teacher records any words they find. While the session highlights letter-sound patterns, it does not include systematic instruction in decoding digraphs. The following session introduces consonant blends in a similar way, encouraging students to "read them in a snap," but again without structured skill development or cumulative practice. The remaining 13 sessions in the unit shift away from phonics as the primary focus and do not continue systematic instruction. As a result, phonics instruction is limited to a portion of the unit and is not sustained or consistently developed throughout all 18 sessions.

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 limited opportunities for direct and intentional phonics practice in isolation. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), 7 out of 17 sessions provide isolated practice with sound-symbol correspondence skills. These opportunities are not ongoing or embedded across the entire unit. In sessions that feature a phonics focus, practice opportunities often lack explicit instruction. For example, in Bend I, Session 9, the stated objective is for students to "pay attention to words in a book by listening for a word you say a lot and trying to find it on the page." The teacher then prompts students to identify words that begin with the letter F, but the lesson does not provide explicit instruction in sound-symbol correspondence or decoding. As phonics instruction is present in fewer than half of the lessons across the unit, students’ opportunities to engage in ongoing, targeted phonics practice are limited. The materials do not include intentional and explicit practice through decodable texts. Unit Readers are included with the materials; however, these texts frequently introduce patterns that have not yet been taught in the program’s phonics sequence. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend I, Session 3, the teacher references the book My Toys, stating, "Before we started reading, we peeked at it just a bit to think about what it would be about. We looked at the title, we flipped through some of the pages and looked at the pictures, and only then did we start reading." On the first page of the text, My Toys reads: "My car." This introduces the r-controlled vowel pattern ar, which is not taught in the kindergarten curriculum. This misalignment between the provided texts and the phonics scope and sequence limits the use of the texts as tools for intentional skill application and reinforcement, and students may be exposed to phonics patterns before they have received direct instruction. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2 encourages teachers to incorporate the Jump Rope Readers decodable texts; however, these books are not included in the core program. Four Jump Rope Readers are included as a sample in the Trade Book Bundle. Book 1, Ana in the Window, includes the word window, which introduces the vowel team ow—a pattern not taught in the kindergarten phonics sequence. There are no explicit directions for when or how to incorporate these sample decodable texts in the reading lessons.

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

The materials include some sessions with guidance for delivering direct phonics instruction; however, explicit instruction with teacher modeling is inconsistent. In "Super Powers" (Unit 3), phonics instruction sometimes appears in the whole-group mini-lesson, but in other cases, it is included only in the small-group component, which not all students receive. When phonics instruction is present, it often lacks clear, direct teaching of phonics concepts and relies on teacher demonstration without explicit explanation. For example, in Bend I, Session 1, students are prompted to "activate your slider power" by sliding through each sound in a word. The teacher models decoding the word sad and then provides word cards for students to practice decoding additional CVC words. However, the teacher does not explicitly name the CVC pattern or explain why these words contain a short vowel sound. While modeling occurs, phonics concepts are not clearly identified or systematically taught. Additionally, only seven of the 19 sessions in this unit include phonics instruction. As a result, the materials do not consistently provide daily, direct phonics instruction with teacher modeling. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 4, the teacher explicitly introduces the digraph ck by explaining that "in many words, C and K work together to make the /k/ sound." The teacher models the word lock by first stating the word and then recording each phoneme in an Elkonin box as she sounds the word out. The teacher then asks students to read the word together. The teacher explains that "you did not say /lŏk/-/k/. That would not make sense." While this lesson includes direct modeling of a phonics skill, it is one of only nine phonics-focused sessions in the 16-session unit. Additionally, several of the unit’s phonics-related lessons emphasize using picture clues to solve unknown words rather than developing decoding strategies. The inconsistency in daily, explicit phonics instruction with modeling limits opportunities for students to receive systematic, skill-based instruction across the curriculum.

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

The materials do not include daily phonics instruction, and when explicit instruction is provided, it lacks consistent opportunities for guided practice with immediate or corrective feedback. In each session, following the Connection and Teaching portions of the mini-lesson, students typically engage with a partner during the Active Engagement section and then transition to independent practice during the Link. Although teachers are encouraged to take frequent observational notes, the materials do not provide structured guidance for offering timely or corrective feedback. Responsibility for addressing errors often shifts to peer partners rather than being led by the teacher with intentional support or redirection. The sessions include guided instruction, where the teacher models a skill and students try it with a partner while the teacher circulates. "Possible Coaching Moves" are included in the sidebars of some of the sessions during guided practice time. For example, in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend II, Session 3, the sidebar suggests the teacher help students give each other feedback when reading with a partner by telling students to tell their partner "Try it again, reread and make a match," or "Tell them to check the first letter," or "Cheer them on! Say 'Keep going! You got it!'" While these prompts encourage peer interaction, they do not offer teachers guidance on how to identify or correct decoding errors related to sound-symbol correspondence. In individual conferences, teachers are prompted to ask, "Did that match? That word makes sense but does not match the letters on the page," which promotes student self-correction but does not constitute explicit corrective feedback from the teacher. In "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend II, Session 3, a lesson on decoding words ending in -ng includes a partner activity in which students locate and read words containing the digraph. Students then work with a partner to read a page of sentences containing words with the ng digraph. However, teachers are not provided with direction to monitor student reading or deliver corrective feedback during this activity.

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

The materials consistently structure each mini-lesson to include a Teaching, Active Engagement, and Link component. During Active Engagement, students typically work collaboratively with a partner to apply the skill introduced during the Teaching portion, and during the Link, they are sent off to practice independently. For example, in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend II, Session 2, the teacher models how partner reading can support monitoring for meaning and guides students to work collaboratively to support each other’s reading. The Link states, "Readers, even the best helpers need time to practice on their own," reinforcing a shift to independent application. While this lesson offers both collaborative and independent practice with a specific phonics skill, such structured opportunities are not present in all sessions. As a result, while the materials include some lessons that incorporate phonics practice through partner and independent reading, these are not consistently embedded across daily instruction. The materials include some opportunities for students to practice phonics skills through collaborative learning and independent practice; however, these opportunities are not present in daily lessons. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), 7 out of 17 sessions include activities that involve phonics practice either with a partner or independently. While these sessions provide a mix of collaborative and individual tasks, the practice is not consistent across the unit. For example, in Bend I, Session 6, students mark a part of their book while reading independently and later share it with a partner. In another activity, students play a small-group game involving identifying letters from a bin of magnetic letters after hearing a word. While these tasks include collaborative phonics practice, they are isolated rather than embedded into a consistent phonics practice routine. As a result, opportunities for phonics application through collaborative and independent work are present but not systematic or sustained throughout the curriculum.

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

The materials provide occasional opportunities for phonics review; however, these opportunities are intermittent, with limited guidance and inconsistent inclusion across lessons. For example, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), phonics review is present in only 4 out of 18 lessons, and in several instances, the review occurs only in the small-group portion of the lesson, meaning not all students receive the instruction. For example, the digraphs ch, sh, and th are first introduced in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 5. Teachers review the sounds and provide opportunities for students to find words in their books that contain these digraphs. However, these digraphs are not reviewed again until "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5). In Bend II, Session 1, students are provided an opportunity to practice this skill using an anchor chart and their books, but there is no explicit teacher guidance or modeling during this instruction. The following day in Session 2, students are reminded of the digraphs, but are introduced to consonant blends and provided the opportunity to practice with the blends. In Session 3, the digraph ng is introduced with practice opportunities, but the previously taught digraphs are not reviewed or practiced in the whole group setting. Session 3 also provides a small-group review lesson on blends and digraphs, but, as this is limited to a small-group setting, it is not accessible for all students. For the remaining sessions in that unit, there are no embedded reviews or cumulative practice opportunities for these skills within the lesson structure. Therefore, the materials do not provide a consistent, cumulative review, or intentional practice opportunities for phonics skills across the curriculum.

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

The materials include practice opportunities that extend beyond phonics skills explicitly taught within the unit. For example, in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend II, Session 5, students read the Unit Reader "I Like to Eat" as part of a lesson focused on CVC word patterns. However, the text includes several words that do not follow CVC patterns and have not been explicitly taught, such as eat, pizza, candy, cookies, and French fries. These words are not fully decodable based on the phonics instruction provided, yet all students are expected to read this text during the lesson. As a result, students are asked to practice with texts that contain phonics patterns beyond their current level of instruction, which may cause confusion, and promote reliance on memorization or picture cues instead of decoding strategies. The materials provide explicit instruction in phonics skills, but corresponding practice activities often include words with untaught phonics patterns. For instance, "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend II, Session 3, focuses on the digraph ng and prompts students to read sentences containing ng words. However, sentences also include silent e words, such as time, which the curriculum has not yet introduced. This misalignment between instruction and practice may limit students’ ability to apply and reinforce the intended phonics skill with accuracy and confidence.

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

The materials include Unit Readers with one printed copy provided for the teacher and a printable version available through the online platform to create individual student copies of the text. However, these readers do not consistently incorporate cumulative practice of taught phonics skills. In "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), teachers use the Unit Readers to model during whole-group instruction, followed by partner or independent reading. While this structure supports student access, the texts often rely on predictable sentence patterns and picture cues rather than controlled phonics content aligned to instruction. For example, in Bend II, Session 4, the teacher models a "snap word drill" to preview the snap words in the book to be able to use them to "check your finger-pointing" and 1:1 correspondence. The teacher uses the book At the Zoo, highlighting high-frequency words such as is, at, and the. The book uses a repetitive sentence frame ("A ___ is at the zoo") paired with images of animals such as a tiger, penguin, seal, bear, and lion. These animal names are not decodable based on phonics instruction provided at this point in the year, and students are likely to rely on picture cues rather than apply decoding skills. Because these Unit Readers are not controlled for cumulative phonics patterns and often contain untaught vocabulary, they do not reliably support the development or reinforcement of taught phonics skills. Similarly, in "Shared Reading" (Unit 2), Bend II, Session 4, the materials guide the students to look for a pattern in leveled or decodable texts, using two of the Unit Readers for independent practice. While these texts include VC and high-frequency words, neither skill has been explicitly taught at this point in the curriculum. Additionally, the books contain more advanced words such as door, books, and teacher, which include phonics patterns that have not yet been introduced. The lesson encourages students to use picture cues to guess unknown words, reinforcing the three-cueing approach rather than a systematic phonics decoding strategy. As a result, the Unit Readers do not consistently provide cumulative, controlled phonics practice aligned with explicit instruction. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2 encourages teachers to incorporate the Jump Rope Readers decodable texts; however, these books are not included in the core program. Four Jump Rope Readers are included as a sample in the Trade Book Bundle. Book 1, Ana in the Window, includes the word window, which introduces the vowel team ow—a pattern not taught in the kindergarten phonics sequence. There are no explicit directions for when or how to incorporate these sample decodable texts in the reading lessons.

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

The materials infrequently include lessons with a clear phonics instructional focus that offer students opportunities to practice both in isolation and within decodable, connected text. When such lessons do appear, they are not consistently embedded across units and often lack alignment between the phonics skill taught and the accompanying reading materials. For example, in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend III, Session 4, the teaching point encourages students to "pause to study the words more closely," using the Unit Reader I Can Read. The teacher highlights how my and mom begin with M, and asks students to examine the vowel in mom. While this promotes general word awareness, it does not constitute systematic phonics instruction or structured decoding practice. Additionally, the text I Can Read is a predictable leveled book with repeated sentence frames ("I can read a ___") and picture-supported words such as sign, card, menu, and recipe. These words exceed the scope of phonics instruction at this point in the year and are not fully decodable. Students are expected to rely on memorized sentence patterns and picture cues rather than apply phonics skills. The lesson also lacks isolated phonics practice before the application in connected text, further limiting the instructional value. The materials include some Unit Readers that offer decodable connected text, but these are not consistently paired with explicit phonics instruction or isolated skill practice. While decodable texts occasionally align with previously taught phonics skills, the associated lessons often prioritize broader reading strategies rather than systematic phonics instruction. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend I, Session 4, the teacher uses the Unit Reader Mabel’s Kit to model the teaching point: "Readers can slide across the words and think about the books they are reading." The book includes CVC words such as kit, fan, and mat, which align with the phonics skills taught. However, the instructional focus of the lesson is fluency and comprehension—not decoding—and there is no explicit instruction on CVC patterns or isolated practice before students read the text. As a result, even though the book contains appropriate phonics content, the lesson does not reinforce those skills in a structured, cumulative way. This pattern is consistent throughout the curriculum: texts may include decodable content, but they are not reliably tied to phonics instruction with intentional, scaffolded opportunities for both isolated practice and application in controlled, connected text.

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

The assessment tools included in the materials are developmentally appropriate and designed to follow a clear progression from simpler to more complex tasks, reflecting the trajectory of foundational literacy skill development. In the early units, students are assessed on Concepts About Print and Letter-Sound Identification. By the end of "Super Powers" (Unit 3), a wider range of assessments is introduced, including the phonemic awareness assessment that includes segmenting, blending, and isolating words with two and three phonemes, as well as the phonics decoding assessment using CVC words. In subsequent units, the phonemic awareness assessment increases in complexity by incorporating words with four phonemes. The phonic decoding assessment aligns with students’ developmental progression by moving from consonant blends to consonant digraphs to words containing silent e. The high-frequency word assessment is first introduced in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2) for students who are ready to begin learning these words, and then administered to all students in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4) following the explicit instruction of high-frequency words that begins in Unit 3. Running Records are introduced in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), after students have learned enough phonics to begin decoding words and reading continuous text. These progressions support intentional skill development and allow teachers to assess student understanding along a continuum of literacy acquisition. These thoughtfully sequenced assessments support intentional skill development and allow teachers to monitor student progress along a continuum of literacy acquisition. All assessments are administered one-on-one or in small group settings and are conducted orally or through teacher observation, further reinforcing their developmental appropriateness for early learners. Additionally, the assessments are designed to be brief and focused, minimizing student fatigue and maintaining engagement—an important consideration for young children—while still providing meaningful insight into foundational literacy skills.

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

The materials include unit summative assessments that measure students’ acquisition of phonics skills, and these assessments are referenced to inform small-group instruction. However, formal assessments are not embedded within the daily sessions to systematically measure students’ progress toward mastery of grade-level phonics expectations. This limits the ability to monitor skill development in real time within the instructional sequence. In the assessment guide at the end of each unit, the materials inconsistently recommend administering some assessments at the beginning and end of the unit, while others are suggested to be used throughout or only at the end of the unit. Although re-administering the same assessment can provide an accurate measure of students’ acquisition of grade-level phonics, there is no guidance to ensure this is done systematically. Assessments are not scheduled at regular intervals, nor are they tied to specific student performance benchmarks. Instead, teachers are given broad discretion to assess whomever and whenever they feel it is appropriate. As a result, there is a lack of structure to ensure consistent, ongoing measurement of student progress throughout the unit. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), students take the letter-sound identification assessment, which includes a suggested checklist for teachers to use while assessing students. Teachers complete the checklist to document what each student knows at the beginning of the year and are encouraged to continue tracking progress over time. This same skill is reassessed at the end of the unit, allowing teachers to measure student growth using consistent tools and procedures. The use of the same assessment instrument across time points helps provide accurate data to inform instructional decisions. However, the materials do not offer a systematic plan for when to administer assessments across the year. There is no established schedule or structure for delivering assessments at set intervals, which may lead to inconsistencies in progress monitoring and missed opportunities for timely instructional adjustments.

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

The materials do not include a defined set of beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year assessments aligned to progress monitoring expectations. While some assessments recur across units, students only complete portions based on demonstrated mastery. For example, the phonic decoding assessment is administered in Units 3–5, with students progressing through subsections only after achieving 80 percent accuracy on the previous one. The phonemic awareness assessment follows a similar structure. These tools help determine a student’s place along a phonics progression but do not serve as screeners or diagnostics that provide an overall skill level. Running Records are used in select units but are administered using texts at each student’s current level rather than standardized benchmark texts aligned to expected performance at specific points in the year. The materials include Unit Overviews that outline the instructional focus during Work Time; however, references to assessment are minimal and inconsistently embedded within daily or weekly instructional routines. For instance, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend II, Session 1, the overview includes "Assessing and Conferring to Support Emergent Storybook Reading by Using Voiceovers to Promote Independent Star Storybook Reading" and "Informally Assessing Letter/Sound Knowledge Using Kids’ Names." In "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend I, Session 2, the overview mentions "Assessment and Instruction of Key Skills of the Bend," and in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend II, Session 3, it refers to "Assessing Short-Vowel Knowledge to Plan Responsive Small Groups." While these examples highlight informal assessment opportunities, they are sporadic and not part of a systematic progress monitoring framework. The lack of consistently embedded formative assessments limits teachers’ ability to monitor student progress in real time and make timely, data-informed instructional decisions. Additionally, the Unit Overviews do not reference the unit summative assessments, creating a further disconnect between instructional content, progress monitoring, and systematic assessment of student progress within the program.

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 in the Assessment pages of each unit that allow teachers to document and track individual student progress in areas such as letter-sound identification, phonemic awareness, phonic decoding, and reading levels. These tools are available on the program’s online platform for access and printing. Each tool provides an opportunity to track individual student progress through hard copy forms. The materials guide teachers to use assessment results to inform small-group instruction and provide coaching moves with scripted prompts to support struggling students. While the materials do not include explicit directions for how to accelerate instruction, each unit includes small-group Blueprints that offer options for both intervention and extension based on student performance. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), the Blueprints for Bend II suggest that the teacher may want to assess students’ ability to decode CVC words using the phonic decoding assessment. This is the first time this tool is introduced in the program, and students are not assessed again until the end of the unit. In the Assessment pages provided at the end of the unit, teachers are instructed to move students who demonstrate proficiency with CVC words on to more complex patterns, such as CCVC words and beyond. The guide concludes with a reminder for teachers to match students to texts that align with their growing decoding abilities, emphasizing the use of assessment data to guide instructional decisions.

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

The materials do not include data management tools for tracking whole-class student progress or for analyzing patterns and trends across groups of students. While the unit assessment data-collection tools allow teachers to document individual student progress, they do not provide structures for aggregating or organizing whole-class data. For example, following "Super Powers" (Unit 3), students are assessed on phonic decoding. The materials state, "You'll want to start a sheet for each child on which you track that child's growing control of this dimension." However, no tools or guidance are provided to help teachers analyze patterns or to determine instructional needs based on class-wide performance data. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), a whole-class checklist is included for the letter-sound identification assessment, but this is the only assessment in the program that is organized as a whole-class data-management tool suitable for collecting and analyzing patterns across whole-class data. All other assessments provide only individual student tracking forms, limiting teachers’ ability to efficiently analyze and respond to patterns and needs of students. In A Guide to the Reading Workshops, K–2, the chapter titled "Tracking Kids’ Progress and Using Assessment to Support Instruction" encourages teachers to analyze class-wide trends and use that information to inform instruction. However, it offers no structured approach or tools for doing so. Instead, the materials suggest that teachers "keep experimenting until you find a system that works for you" and use observational notes to guide next steps with individuals, small groups, or the whole class. Without concrete tools or a consistent system, the burden of designing and managing whole-class data tracking falls entirely on the teacher.

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

The materials make recommendations for a suggested timeline for formal assessments at the end of each unit, but do not provide specific guidance on the frequency or structure for progress monitoring. Instead, the responsibility is left to the teacher's discretion, with an emphasis on informal assessment to determine student strengths and needs. In A Guide to the Reading Workshops, K–2, teachers are encouraged to collaborate in developing an assessment timeline, with the guidance stating: "You will need to decide which assessments apply to your classroom and when it makes sense to conduct them. Many of the assessments we recommend are ongoing assessments that are spread out across time, while others might be given just a few times a year.” While the materials provide opportunities for informal progress monitoring, they do not include systematic tools or protocols to guide teachers in tracking progress over time based on students’ strengths and needs. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend II, Session 1, teachers are prompted to assess letter-sound knowledge by observing students’ recognition and articulation of the letters in their own names. Although this supports observational assessment, there is no accompanying structure or tool for tracking growth, nor is there guidance on how often to reassess based on student performance. Similarly, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend II, Session 3, teachers are prompted to assess short-vowel knowledge to plan responsive small-group instruction. The materials direct teachers to "give a few kids a quick short vowel assessment," and then use that data to group students for an activity focused on decoding CVC words in isolation. Again, this is presented as a moment-in-time check without a broader framework for ongoing progress monitoring. In Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2, the materials list the available assessment tools—such as the Letter-Sound Identification, Concepts About Print, High-Frequency Word, Phonemic Awareness, and Phonic Decoding assessments—and note that teachers should refer to district guidance regarding additional tools to monitor reading progress. While general suggestions for "checking in" with students appear in the Gold Pages and Blueprint sections of the unit guides, there is no clear plan for how often to monitor progress or how to record and analyze that data over time. As a result, progress monitoring is inconsistent and largely reliant on teacher initiative, limiting the potential for data-informed instructional planning across the year.

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

The materials include lessons and resources intended to support accelerated instruction, though the focus leans more toward remediation than enrichment. While general guidance is provided for using small-group instruction to address student needs, there are no structured pathways or explicit strategies for accelerating learning based on progress monitoring data. Teachers are encouraged to reference assessments to identify skill gaps—even those outside the current unit focus—but the materials lack specific guidance for linking data to targeted instructional resources. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), the letter-sound identification assessment advises teachers to ensure students demonstrate automaticity with 16–20 letters before progressing to Unit 3 and recommends planning "intense support" for students who need it. However, no corresponding lessons or instructional tools are offered. It is not until "Super Powers" (Unit 3) that the materials begin referencing supplemental lessons from Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2, and even then, the lessons are not directly connected to assessment results or tied to specific instructional actions. As a result, while the materials encourage data-informed instruction, they do not consistently support teachers in using assessment data to drive targeted interventions or acceleration. Within the unit Blueprints, small-group lessons and coaching tips are provided; however, they are not consistently based on progress monitoring data. For example, a Blueprint for reinforcing letter-sound connections in "Shared Reading" (Unit 2) states, "many of your students will benefit from this group, so it need not be especially assessment-based." The lesson is embedded across several sessions of the Bend—some sessions provide a fixed letter sequence to reinforce, while others instruct the teacher to select letters based on assessment data. This inconsistency weakens the alignment between student needs and instructional response.

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 instructional guidance for developing oracy, with daily opportunities for students to listen and speak in structured, purposeful ways. Across sessions, students participate in partner conversations, whole-group discussions, and shared reading routines designed to build a language-rich environment. The materials consistently incorporate modeling, guided practice, coaching, and independent practice to support students in developing oracy skills. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1) and "Word Detectives" (Unit 2), students are taught how to engage with partners, monitor each other’s reading, and offer feedback, reinforcing listening and speaking routines foundational to oracy. Students engage in partner reading with clear turn-taking routines, respond to teacher think-alouds, receive targeted coaching prompts (e.g., "Could it be ___? Check it"), and participate in independent reading with embedded discussion. However, this instruction is not systematic—it is not part of a deliberate, planned, and logically sequenced progression of oracy skills. Instead, oracy routines are embedded across lessons without a clear trajectory for skill development over time. In contrast, the materials do not provide explicit or systematic instruction in oral language through a variety of methods. While students have frequent opportunities to use oral language—such as discussing texts, responding to teacher questions, or participating in shared storytellings—there is no direct instruction on the foundational components of oral language, including morphology, syntax, semantics, phonology, or pragmatics. These skills are neither named nor intentionally developed across sessions, and instruction is not structured or cumulative. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend I, Session 3, students are prompted to talk with partners and read together during shared reading. While this provides an opportunity for students to engage in oral language use—such as discussing the book and taking turns speaking—the teacher is not directed to explicitly model or teach specific oral language skills (e.g., using complete sentences, expanding vocabulary, or structuring responses). The focus remains on reading behaviors rather than intentionally developing students’ expressive or receptive language skills through direct instruction. Ultimately, the program’s stance on oral language instruction is made explicit in A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, which states that "nobody has to teach children the basic syntax or semantics of the language(s) they are raised with—they’re wired to pick it up." This philosophical position directly contradicts the expectation for explicit instruction in oral language development and confirms that the materials intentionally do not include direct teaching of essential language components like syntax or semantics.

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 engage in both social and academic communication across different contexts, purposes, and audiences. Students participate in daily partner and group interactions that are embedded into lesson structures across multiple units. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), students engage in both academic and social communication. In Bend I, Session 5, students share about their names with partners, discussing both the letters and the personal significance of their names. This interaction supports personal expression and relationship building. In Session 6, students identify and share "Wow" pages with reading partners and later select books to take home and discuss with family members, supporting communication with audiences beyond the classroom. In "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend II, Session 4, students engage in academic partner talk by identifying unfamiliar words in a shared text and using context clues to determine meaning. The materials include sentence stems and partner prompts to support peer-to-peer academic discussions. Students then share their thinking with the whole group, expanding the audience and purpose for communication. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend III, Session 1, students build social communication skills by interviewing their reading partners using guided questions such as "Who do you like to spend time with?", "What do you like to do?", and "What is your favorite food?" Students are encouraged to notice similarities and differences between themselves and their partners. The teacher supports this activity by modeling and prompting discussion, helping students connect and collaborate purposefully. Across units, the materials embed routines such as partner reading, group discussions, and collaborative decision-making, providing repeated opportunities for students to engage in oral communication for both social and academic purposes.

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)

Lessons follow a consistent structure that provides daily, authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, engage in discussion to understand information, and share their ideas. A Guide to the Reading Workshop, K–2, outlines a predictable lesson format used across all sessions: a minilesson, Active Engagement, Work Time, and Share. In each session, students listen as the teacher models a skill or strategy, apply the learning through guided discussion or independent practice, and reflect on their learning with peers or the class. These repeated structures promote purposeful listening and communication across different contexts and tasks. In "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend III, Session 1, students participate in a student-led read-aloud in which a "kid-teacher" introduces the book and reads it aloud to the class. After each page, classmates respond by sharing observations and making connections. This structure gives students agency in directing the discussion and supports their ability to process and respond to text collaboratively. Students must listen carefully to both the reader and their peers in order to participate meaningfully in the discussion and to build a shared understanding of the content. In "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend I, Session 2, the teacher connects reading with real-world observation by showing a short video about the Venus flytrap and modeling expressive reactions to nonfiction. Students then read The Fawn and the Fox with a partner, responding to the text with gestures and comments that reflect how different parts of the story made them feel or what the text made them think about. This shared reading experience prompts active listening, conversation, and personal response, all of which support comprehension and idea-sharing in an authentic context. Across all units, the materials embed routines that encourage students to listen attentively, engage in collaborative discussion, and share information with others. Although teachers frequently model questioning and encourage students to respond to prompts, the materials do not contain consistent opportunities for students to generate their own questions to understand information.

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

The materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing letter names and sounds. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), the Unit Essentials recommend beginning each mini lesson with a letter review and revisiting letter study during the day. While a suggested sequence appears, teachers are encouraged to modify it based on student needs, which limits consistency. While an Alphabetic Knowledge Class Checklist offers a suggested sequence, only the first 13 letters are introduced in Unit 1. The remaining letters are not explicitly taught in subsequent units. Supporting All Readers, High-Leverage Small Ground and Conferences, K–2 includes general recommendations for sequencing letter instruction based on sound placement in letter names. For example, B, D, J, and K have their sound at the beginning of their name while F, L, M, and N have their sound at the end of their name. However, these are presented as suggestions rather than a defined sequence. The materials reference more comprehensive letter instruction in the separate Units of Study in Phonics, which exists outside the core reading program. Daily routines in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1) include introducing one letter at a time, modeling with example words, and prompting students to stretch and isolate initial sounds. While this provides exposure, opportunities for repeated, cumulative practice are limited. Additional reinforcement activities—like flashcard use and alphabet songs—are found in Supporting All Readers, but do not constitute a full instructional sequence within the core reading materials.

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)

The materials provide limited teacher guidance for explicit instruction in teaching and developing automaticity with letter names and corresponding sounds. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), the Unit Essentials recommend daily letter reviews and reinforcement of phonics instruction from the Units of Study in Phonics; however, instruction within the reading units introduces only 13 lowercase letters, and the remaining letters are not addressed. Lessons include general prompts to model beginning sounds using alphabet cards and texts, but they do not offer structured, direct instruction or opportunities for cumulative practice across all 26 letters needed to develop automaticity. Small-group lessons and Blueprints in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1) and "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2) include activities such as letter hunts in books and alphabet-based games, but these focus on reinforcing known letters rather than providing explicit instruction. Daily sessions typically introduce one letter using informal routines (e.g., referencing names or visuals), but they do not offer explicit modeling or systematic review to support automaticity with uppercase and lowercase letters. In "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), the Unit Essentials emphasizes that students should know approximately 20 letters, their sounds, and formations by the end of the unit. The materials acknowledge that alignment with other phonics curricula may vary but state "most" phonics curricula progress in similar ways through a research-based sequence, so working with another phonics curriculum will probably not be a problem." The Bend I Blueprint advises teachers to reinforce letter knowledge within and outside of the reading workshop; however, daily lessons do not provide explicit instruction or structured routines to support automaticity. Guidance remains general, and the inclusion of a summative assessment at the end of the unit does not replace the need for daily, embedded instruction. Teachers are referred to Supporting All Readers for additional support, but this guidance is not integrated into the core lesson sequence. Although "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2) sets a goal for students to know 20 letters, associated sounds, and formations by the end of the unit, instruction is embedded in shared reading contexts rather than isolated, direct teaching. Some small-group sessions provide general structures for reinforcing letters, such as saying the name of a letter while students locate the matching letter card, but this support is not comprehensive or systematically embedded. The materials direct teachers to phonological awareness videos or suggest outside resources such as Heggerty and Units of Study in Phonics to build and support foundational skills. As a result, the core reading materials do not provide explicit, daily guidance to develop automaticity with all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters and their corresponding sounds.

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)

The materials do not provide explicit or systematic instruction for teaching letter formation of uppercase and lowercase letters. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), teachers review letters by name and sound, but instruction does not include modeled or guided formation. Occasional references to airwriting—such as prompting students to write m in the air—lack oral direction cues and consistency. The lessons do not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letter forms or provide structured practice for either. In "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend II, Session 2, a lesson recommends grouping letters by shared visual features (e.g., letters that start with a curve), but the focus remains on identification, not formation. Students are not guided through the process of writing letters or developing handwriting accuracy. Across Units 1 and 2, the materials include limited writing opportunities, such as labeling pictures or writing initial letters of words, but these tasks do not incorporate modeled letter formation. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend II, Session 8, students label pictures using the first sound of the word, but the teacher does not model how to form the letters. The supplemental text Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 offers alphabetic knowledge activities—such as sorting letters by visual characteristics or using letter card rings—but the activities do not include instruction for forming letters. No structured sequence or direct guidance is provided for teaching how to write each letter. Additionally, the materials defer handwriting development to external programs like Units of Study in Writing, leaving foundational letter formation unaddressed in the core reading materials. As a result, the materials do not meet the indicator’s expectation for explicit and systematic letter formation instruction.

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).

The materials include a variety of activities and resources that support students in developing and practicing alphabet knowledge both in isolation and in the context of meaningful print. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), lessons guide students to review individual letters using alphabet cards and search for those letters in familiar texts. For example, in Bend I, Session 7, students review the letter l, identify words in a shared text that begin with l, and locate that letter in their own books during small-group work. The materials reference Supporting All Readers: High Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2, which contains a progression focused on alphabetic knowledge. These lessons offer structured opportunities for isolated practice, such as naming, sounding out, and writing letters using tools like alphabet charts and letter card rings. Lesson 69 introduces a routine—"name it, sound it, write it, use it"—to help students internalize letter recognition and sound correspondence. While these supports appear outside the core units, the materials reference them to guide daily instruction. Small-group sessions and Blueprint activities in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1) and "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2) further promote letter practice. These include activities such as plastic letter matching, letter hunts, and identifying letters in context, as seen in Bend I, Session 6 of Unit 2. This lesson guides students through naming a letter, isolating its sound, locating it in a shared text, and using it in interactive writing. Although the materials include multiple opportunities for students to develop and practice alphabet knowledge, they do not provide a structured system for cumulative review of all 26 letters. Most reinforcement relies on teacher-initiated strategies or supplemental small-group lessons rather than embedded, consistent routines across units.

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)

The materials do not include a clearly defined or systematic sequence for introducing letter-sound relationships. While individual lessons occasionally highlight specific letters or sounds, these instances are isolated and do not build cumulatively toward mastery. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend I, Session 3, the teacher introduces the letter B and the /b/ sound, connects it to students’ names, and models how to write the letter. However, this type of direct instruction is not consistently applied across other letters, and is not part of a structured scope and sequence. The daily lesson structures often reinforce previously taught content but do not systematically introduce new letter-sound correspondences. In Unit 1, Bend I, Session 7, students use letter cards to locate familiar letters in a shared text, naming the letter and reviewing its sound. This reinforces existing knowledge but does not support the introduction of new sound-letter pairings or connect to structured decoding practice. The materials also lack explicit opportunities for applying letter-sound relationships through encoding. While some activities prompt students to write words–for example, composing cat and pig during "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2)–these tasks presume foundational letter-sound knowledge that has not been explicitly taught within the materials. There is little guided practice to help students apply letter-sound relationships in their writing. In "Super Powers" (Unit 3), decoding instruction begins with blending strategies for CVC words. The Unit Essentials reference a general progression using accessible vowels and consonants, but this sequence is neither detailed nor consistently integrated across lessons. For instance, in Session 1, students practice blending the word sad but are not taught the short a sound directly. Across the units, the materials assume that students have received systematic instruction in letter-sound relationships through a separate phonics block. As a result, foundational phonics skills are reinforced but not taught explicitly within the reading workshop materials themselves. There is an absence of intentional sequence and a lack of explicit instruction in letter-sound relationships. While the materials offer occasional opportunities to review known patterns and apply them in isolated contexts, they do not provide explicit and systematic instruction in letter-sound relationships that supports consistent application to basic decoding and encoding.

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 materials do not provide teacher guidance for offering explanatory feedback based on common student errors and misconceptions. While some lessons prompt teachers to model decoding and support students in connecting phonemes to letters within words, this guidance is typically general in nature and lacks specificity around common decoding challenges. While the materials occasionally model strategies such as sliding through sounds or rereading for accuracy, these moments are not consistently paired with feedback that addresses why a student may have misread a word or how to correct the specific error. In "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend I Session 5, the teacher is instructed to intentionally misread the word wins as wons, prompting students to call out, "fix it," and correct the error. While this promotes self-monitoring, the feedback is reactive and not anchored in an explanation of the decoding mistake (e.g., confusing final consonants). The accompanying coaching suggestions in the margin rely on cueing strategies, such as checking the picture or asking if the word makes sense, rather than prompting students to analyze the phoneme-grapheme relationship. Across the units, the materials often include general coaching language–such as "Try that again" or "What’s the letter at the end?”–that may encourage student independence but do not support teachers in diagnosing or addressing specific decoding errors. For example, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 2, teachers are advised to "wait to see if the student notices on his own that he’s misread a word," rather than providing targeted feedback to clarify or correct a specific misunderstanding. Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 includes lessons that target specific phonics elements, such as decoding CVC words through additive blending. However, these lessons do not equip teachers with recommended language for responding to typical misconceptions.

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 opportunities for students to develop and practice their understanding of letter-sound correspondence through decoding activities. Students are introduced to decoding one-syllable words beginning in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), and several sessions provide instruction that supports students in applying decoding strategies to words in isolation. For example, in Bend I, Session 3, students learn the "slider power"strategy and use magnetic letters and word cards to practice decoding CVC words. While these lessons support the development and practice of decoding in isolation, students are also provided opportunities to apply those skills in connected decodable text. Several sessions include Unit Readers aligned to the phonics focus of the lesson—for example, "Mabel’s Sled" in "Super Powers" (Unit 3) and "Mabel and the Crab" in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4)—where students decode one-syllable words in context. Small-group lessons, such as the one accompanying "The Pop" in Unit 3, offer structured transitions from isolated decoding to decodable text. In some cases, texts include phonics patterns that have not yet been explicitly introduced—such as vowel teams in The Fawn and the Fox" in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5)—which may limit opportunities for aligned, cumulative practice. In addition, the materials do not provide consistent opportunities for cumulative review. While occasional lessons are meant to review previous learning, structured, varied practice using previously taught decoding strategies is not included. For example, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 7, the teacher models reading a text and reviews the unit anchor chart with strategies to "Boost Your Think Power!" (e.g., use the pictures to help predict, notice feelings, see when things change). Students then choose their own texts to read together in book clubs. There is no explicit review in letter-sound correspondence, but instead a focused review on unit reading strategies. As a result, students are not regularly supported in revisiting and reinforcing letter-sound correspondences through intentional, scaffolded practice in either isolated words or connected decodable text.

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)

The materials include 5 to 10 minutes of daily phonological awareness extension activities designed to be delivered during whole-group instruction outside the reading workshop block. According to the Unit Essentials in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), these activities are not directly tied to the daily minilesson but are designed to follow a research-based sequence supporting students’ foundational reading development across the unit. Many of the Phonological Awareness Extensions provide instruction through video format. Access to these videos was not provided, limiting visibility into their content. The Phonological Awareness Extensions typically follow a progression from larger to smaller units of sound and introduce skills that move from simple to more complex. However, the sequence of skills across units and formats is not always aligned to the TEKS progression, and more complex phonemic manipulation tasks appear earlier than expected within the instructional arc. For example, students are not provided with instruction in identifying the individual words in a spoken sentence until Bend II of "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), while students have already been asked to isolate initial phonemes in words. Students only engage in counting words once in Unit 1 and twice in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), but are asked to work at the phoneme level throughout each of these units. Additionally, there is no instruction in recognizing spoken alliteration in any unit, completely bypassing TEKS K(2)(A)(ii). In "Super Powers" (Unit 3), materials guide the teacher to incorporate additional phonological awareness activities. Suggested activities in Bend I, Session 3, include medial vowel isolation and blending individual phonemes. Later lessons in the unit include onset-rime blending, demonstrating a lack of sequential order of phonological awareness skills.

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)

Explicit instruction of phonological awareness is not included in the materials. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend I, Session 6, teacher guidance on phonological awareness states: "This is not a skill that requires explanations. Kids instead need to be actively doing things that support their PA development." The materials do not provide explicit instructional guidance with recommended explanatory feedback based on common student errors or misconceptions in phonological awareness. Across units, phonological awareness extension activities reference videos intended to model instruction, but digital access to these videos is not provided, limiting visibility into the instructional delivery and feedback mechanisms. Within the printed materials, teacher guidance is minimal and does not include sample teacher language, coaching moves, or corrective prompts that address common misunderstandings. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend I, Session 2, teachers are directed to show a phonological awareness video and then guide students through a sequence of tasks involving rhyming, isolating sounds, blending and segmenting, onset-rime activities, and sound manipulation. Although these tasks span a range of phonological skills, no suggestions are offered for how to respond when students struggle with specific components. Similarly, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 3, students isolate medial vowel sounds through a song activity, but the materials do not provide instructional cues or corrections based on likely errors or misconceptions. The supplemental resource Supporting All Readers K–2 includes a general overview of phonological awareness development and small-group lessons, such as Progression 6, which outlines strategies like "Say it slowly" or "Slide across the sounds together." While these prompts support practice, they are not connected to particular student errors and are not embedded within the core lessons. One lesson includes an explanation of vowel types and usage but is not integrated into direct feedback for specific phonological awareness activities.

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)

The materials provide a variety of activities and resources to support the development and practice of phonological awareness skills. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), the phonological awareness extensions include memory-building strategies such as songs, chants, and rhymes. For example, in Bend I, Session 2, students sing familiar songs like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and the alphabet song while engaging in sound-based games. Teachers use an ABC chart during these routines to support connections between sounds and letters. Students also use Elkonin boxes and counters to break apart compound words, onsets and rimes, and phonemes. These resources provide multisensory opportunities to reinforce phonological awareness in a format that helps support retention. In "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend I, Session 5, the phonological awareness extension video includes activities such as manipulating compound words, identifying and generating rhymes, and participating in rhythmic chants using the alphabet chart. Similarly, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend I, Session 5, the lesson begins with rhyme production, followed by isolating beginning sounds (including blends). The lesson concludes with students singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" while counting the number of words in each line to reinforce word segmentation in a familiar context. Both of these lessons provide examples of opportunities to practice phonological awareness skills connected to grade level TEKS. While the materials incorporate a range of activities and memory-building strategies to support practice, they do not include cumulative review of phonological awareness skills across units. Some phonological awareness skills appear in the Phonological Awareness Extensions and minilessons, even if they have not been explicitly introduced in the core instructional sequence. Some skills do not appear consistently across units, and the materials do not provide opportunities to revisit previously taught skills in a cumulative manner. As a result, the materials offer limited opportunities to reinforce phonological awareness skills through cumulative review connected to grade-level expectations.

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)

The materials include phonemic awareness activities within both the Phonological Awareness Extensions and the core minilessons; however, these activities do not follow a systematic sequence. More complex phoneme manipulation tasks (such as adding, deleting, and substituting) are introduced before students are provided with sufficient instruction and practice in foundational skills such as phoneme blending and segmenting. In "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend I, Session 1 begins with the following sequence: "Students begin by isolating initial vowel sounds. Then they blend words, adding on final phonemes and segmenting words into onset and rime. Next, students manipulate phonemes in words from a familiar song," before counting the words in a sentence. However, prior to this lesson, students have primarily worked at the compound word level in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1) (e.g., blending and segmenting) and at the syllable level in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2) (e.g., blending, segmenting, addition, and deletion). Students have not yet been introduced to blending or segmenting at the phoneme level in the Phonological Awareness extensions. This session also marks the first introduction to onset and rime. In the following session, students complete more complex tasks involving phoneme manipulation—adding, deleting, and substituting initial sounds—even though foundational phoneme segmentation and blending have not been explicitly taught. This reflects a lack of systematic instruction, as the skills do not progress from simple to complex. While there is an initial attempt to scaffold instruction by moving from compound words to syllables, students are not provided with sufficient, structured exposure to phoneme-level tasks. Many Phonological Awareness Extensions are provided by video; however, video lessons were not accessible, preventing evaluation of whether they present a consistent, research-based scope and sequence. Descriptions of these lessons suggest that skills such as rhyming, segmenting, and manipulating sounds are being addressed in isolation or in mixed formats, without clarity about the developmental rationale or progression. Although phonemic awareness is embedded throughout the curriculum, the introduction of these skills does not follow a clearly defined or appropriately scaffolded instructional sequence to help students identify, blend, and segment phonemes.

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)

While phonemic awareness activities are present in both the core minilessons and Phonological Awareness Extensions, they lack explicit teacher guidance for delivering explanatory feedback that addresses common student errors or misconceptions. The instructional supports provided are general in nature and do not equip teachers with tools to respond to predictable phonemic awareness difficulties such as sound substitutions, omissions, or confusions between similar phonemes. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), phonological awareness extensions involve tasks such as isolating and substituting phonemes. However, the teacher-facing materials do not include sample language, misconceptions to anticipate, or guidance on how to provide feedback when students struggle with these tasks. Although students may be asked to add or delete phonemes during extension activities, the teacher is not directed to address specific misunderstandings—for instance, if a student deletes the wrong phoneme or adds a phoneme in the wrong place. In "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), the minilessons and work time sections include sidebar coaching prompts that support decoding but do not address phonemic errors in depth. For instance, in Bend I, Session 2, teachers are encouraged to say: "You used your slider power to read that word! Keep going!" and "Slide across the sounds, that is it, now put them together." These cues are motivational and reinforce general strategies but do not diagnose or correct specific phoneme-level mistakes. In Bend II, Session 3, similar feedback is offered: "Help your partner. Use your slider power together and read that word, "and "Something is not right. (Do not show them exactly where.) Try that word again!" While these coaching moves support persistence, they do not provide explanatory feedback that helps students understand or correct common phonemic errors. Instructional routines throughout the units frequently reference the use of video lessons to guide students through phonemic awareness tasks. However, these videos are not accessible for review, and the written session descriptions offer only a general summary of the targeted skill (e.g., blending, segmenting, manipulating). Because the video content cannot be evaluated, and the print materials do not include corrective feedback strategies, it is unclear whether or how common errors are addressed within the video instruction.

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)

Instructional routines prompt students to apply phoneme-level skills to printed text, reinforcing sound-symbol correspondences and supporting early literacy development. In "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend I, Session 9, the teacher is guided to help students isolate the initial phoneme in a word and connect it to its corresponding grapheme. For example, the teacher prompts students to identify the /f/ sound in the word from and then guides them to locate the letter f on the alphabet chart. This routine explicitly links oral language to print and supports students in making essential phoneme-grapheme connections for both reading and writing. In "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend II, Session 2, the phonological awareness extension activity provides additional opportunities for students to orally blend, segment, and manipulate phonemes. The teacher then directs students to locate the corresponding letters on previously introduced blends and digraphs anchor charts. This activity supports students in associating phonemes with graphemes to be able to apply this knowledge in future decoding and encoding tasks. Further guidance is provided in Session 5, where students articulate each phoneme in a word and then blend the sounds to read the word. The teacher presents a written word, and students apply their sound-symbol knowledge to decode it. This blending task builds on prior instruction in phoneme awareness and reinforces the alphabetic principle by requiring students to map sounds to letters in print. The Blueprint Method for Small Groups in this unit offers guidance for having students write decodable books to reinforce specific phonics features. Students use their alphabet linking charts as they segment spoken words and match them to their corresponding sounds to encode the words.

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)

The materials include a variety of activities and resources that support the development and practice of phonemic awareness skills; however, cumulative review is not consistently or systematically embedded across the instructional year. Students engage in daily phonemic awareness activities embedded within the core units and supported through extension lessons. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend I, Session 2, students isolate and identify initial and final sounds, blend and segment phonemes, and manipulate sounds by adding, deleting, and substituting initial phonemes. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 1, students isolate medial vowels, segment and blend three-phoneme words using movement-based strategies (e.g., arm tapping), and play phoneme manipulation games such as Name It, Say It. These multimodal activities support engagement and reinforce skills through varied practice opportunities. Supporting All Readers, High-Leverage Small Ground and Conferences, K–2 additional phonemic awareness lessons that include small-group instruction and targeted interventions. For example, in Progression 6, Lesson 58, students blend words with three phonemes and then build words with magnetic letters. These activities offer additional practice opportunities but are optional and not guaranteed for all students. While the program offers regular opportunities for phonemic awareness instruction and practice, there is insufficient evidence of a consistent, embedded cumulative review structure across units. Some skills are reviewed before being explicitly taught.

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 do not provide a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns aligned to the TEKS. While some lessons introduce foundational letter-sound correspondences, such as beginning with VC and CVC patterns, this instruction is not presented in a coherent, cumulative sequence within the core materials. Explicit instruction in sound-spelling patterns appears intermittently throughout the program and is not the primary focus of daily instruction. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend III, Session 1, the teacher models how to read words that share a common word part (e.g., pin, bin, win, fin) and guides students to apply this knowledge to decode similar words. However, lessons like this are isolated and not part of a clearly articulated phonics scope and sequence. Moreover, sound-spelling instruction is often embedded within broader comprehension or reading strategy lessons, rather than presented through direct and systematic phonics instruction. The "Alignment with Phonics and Writing Units" section of the Unit Essentials in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1) advises that explicit phonics instruction—including the introduction and reinforcement of letter-sound correspondences—is intended to be delivered through the separate Units of Study in Phonics program. As a result, essential instruction related to sound-spelling patterns is not embedded in the core materials and is dependent on teacher use of an external resource.

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 include teacher guidance to support explicit instruction of grade-level sound-spelling patterns. While the instruction is inconsistently embedded across the core materials, lessons that do focus on these skills provide clear modeling, guided practice, and support aligned to the instructional goals of the grade level. For example, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), students are introduced to digraphs through explicit modeling. In Bend II, Session 4, the teaching point states that students will "find that some letters work together to make one sound. For example, in many words, C and K work together to make the /k/ sound." The teacher continues the lesson by modeling how to read words with the ck digraph utilizing Elkonin boxes to show the number of phonemes and how two letters can make one sound. Students then practice the skill by reading additional words with this digraph in a guided practice before reading words in continuous text with a partner. Similarly, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend II, Session 3, the materials guide the teacher in explicit instruction of the digraph NG with direct instruction, modeling, guided practice, and partner reading. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 2, the materials guide the teacher to model decoding CVC and CCVC words using "sliding power." The teacher builds words with magnetic letters and models segmented blending (e.g., modeling nap as /nnnaaappp/), then adds an initial consonant to form a new word (e.g., snap). Students apply the strategy with teacher and partner support, representing direct instruction followed by guided and independent practice. In Session 3, the materials guide the teacher to model articulation of short vowel sounds by exaggerating mouth movements and providing corrective feedback. Teachers are prompted to support students in sorting CVC picture cards based on the short u sound, reinforcing sound recognition and articulation. The materials also offer explicit instruction through the supplemental resource Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2. In Progression 8, Lesson 73, the teacher segments the word sat using kinesthetic movements and magnetic letters, supporting students in understanding sound-spelling correspondence for CVC words. The lesson provides detailed teacher guidance and scaffolds for additive blending, meeting expectations for clarity and rigor in instruction. Additional lessons include explicit instructional guidance for specific sound-spelling patterns.

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)

Materials include a variety of activities to develop and practice grade-level sound-spelling patterns; however, these skills are not consistently reinforced through cumulative review. For example, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend III, Session 3, the accompanying activity provides students with the opportunity to work in pairs to develop and practice a grade-level sound-spelling pattern—the letter Y representing the long /i/ sound. Students read word cards and write words that include Y with this specific sound pattern. While this supports both the development and practice of the target skill, the materials do not include a cumulative review component to reinforce previously taught sound-spelling patterns. Similarly, in "Becoming Avid Readers" (Unit 5), Bend II, Session 2, the teacher explicitly introduces blends such as str, fl, sk, sp, and st using a demonstration text with words like string, flicks, gasps, and list. A chart highlights additional words from the story for partner reading. Students then write words with blends on whiteboards and exchange them with partners to decode. During Reading Playdates, students act as "phonics finders" to apply their recent learning. While the lesson includes explicit instruction and a variety of activities to develop and practice skills, the lack of ongoing cumulative review limits opportunities for long-term mastery of sound-spelling patterns. Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 also offers small-group lessons that provide a range of activities for practicing sound-spelling patterns. In Progression 8, Lesson 84, students create "blend and digraph sandwiches," encode words using picture cards, and use magnetic letters or writing to build words. Students also read blends and digraphs in connected text, reinforcing their application of these patterns. Although these lessons help reinforce taught skills, they are designed to be optional and are not embedded into the core sequence. As a result, they do not ensure cumulative review unless a teacher deliberately integrates them.

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)

The materials include some activities and resources to support students in decoding words with taught sound-spelling patterns in both isolation and decodable connected text; however, opportunities for encoding are limited and inconsistent. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend I, Session 3, students decode CVC words in isolation and in the decodable reader The Pop. This lesson connects decoding to prior instruction, but encoding is not addressed. Less than half of the lessons in this unit include decoding instruction tied to specific sound-spelling patterns. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend II, Session 2, students use the decodable text "Mabel’s Sled" to develop and practice decoding CCVC words. The lesson focuses on applying letter-sound correspondences to read CCVC words in connected text that builds on prior instruction. In Session 5, the teacher models decoding digraphs (sh, ch, th) using Elkonin boxes and example words like ship, chair, and thumb. Students practice decoding words such as chin, shin, and thin using Elkonin trains and then apply their skills in partner and independent reading of "Mabel’s Chips." While these lessons support decoding in isolation and in connected text, they do not include any guidance or activities for encoding these same sound-spelling patterns. Students are not prompted to write or spell the CCVC words they decode, either in isolation or in connected text. While the materials include multiple examples of decoding activities in isolation and in connected text, encoding opportunities are rare and not systematically integrated. Although supplemental lessons in Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2, occasionally offer encoding practice, these lessons are not embedded in core instruction and are intended for small groups based on assessed need, which means not all students receive this instruction. In the core materials, encoding is typically not connected to taught decoding skills, and students have few opportunities to apply phonics patterns in writing tasks.

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 both regular and irregular high-frequency words. In each unit, the Gold Pages provide a list of high-frequency words that are separated into two categories: decodable (regular) words and irregular and temporarily irregular words. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), Bend II, the Gold Page recommends introducing me, the, like, and my so that as readers have enough phonics knowledge to begin decoding, they can read short sentences and phrases that include these high-frequency words. In "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), the word lists continue with additional regular high-frequency words that can be decoded with the phonics knowledge students should have by this point (e.g., at, it, in, an, and) as well as irregular high-frequency words (e.g., look, see, here, is, this). These lists build in complexity over time and are aligned with phonics patterns introduced in each unit, demonstrating a consistent and intentional sequence. While the Gold Pages include systematically sequenced word lists and reference digital "Building Blocks of High-Frequency Words" videos to support instruction, the high-frequency word instruction is not embedded into the core mini-lessons themselves. Instead, the Gold Pages provide suggested word lists and point to optional supports like small-group lessons and instructional videos. Teachers are expected to introduce the unit’s high-frequency words at appropriate times, based on student need and classroom context. In this way, the program relies heavily on teacher discretion to determine when and how to incorporate high-frequency word instruction into daily lessons. Additionally, the digital video content referenced in the materials was not available for review, so it is unclear how the words are introduced or reinforced in those resources.

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 do not consistently include teacher guidance for explicit (direct) instruction in decoding and encoding regular or irregular high-frequency words. Although the Gold Pages provide a systematically sequenced list of high-frequency words across units, these words are not regularly accompanied by scripted, embedded lessons that offer clear modeling or instructional routines within core sessions. Instead, decisions about how and when to introduce or reinforce these words are left to teacher discretion. For example, in "We Are Readers" (Unit 1), the Gold Page states that students should "own" high-frequency words such as me, the, like, and my before progressing to the next unit. However, there is no explicit instruction for teaching these words in the unit’s core lessons. The word my first appears in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend I, Session 2, where the teacher is prompted to say, "This word says my. You know that one! It’s a snap word!" While this introduces the word in context, it does not provide decoding instruction or teacher modeling. Similarly, the word is referenced without guidance for encoding, leaving the instructional responsibility to the teacher. The materials reference the Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 supplemental guide, which includes a routine for teaching high-frequency words using sample words like is. Lesson 114 models how to highlight irregular features (e.g., the /z/ sound in is spelled with s), helping students focus on the "heart part"of a word. While this resource supports explicit instruction in principle, it is not directly tied to the specific high-frequency words listed in the Gold Pages for each unit. Teachers are expected to generalize the routine independently without scripted lessons aligned to the program’s scope and sequence. Some lessons include activities that provide practice with reading and writing high-frequency words, but these opportunities are limited and inconsistently embedded. For instance, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend III, Session 2, students work with the regular high-frequency words when, which, and where using Elkonin boxes to support segmenting and spelling. While this offers a strong example of decoding and encoding practice, similar lessons are infrequent and do not reflect a comprehensive or cumulative instructional approach across the year. Several small-group activities also include opportunities for decoding and encoding high-frequency words, such as a tic-tac-toe game with snap words and sentence-building tasks in "Super Powers" (Unit 3). However, these supports are primarily housed in optional small groups and are not part of the core sequence all students experience. As a result, many students may not receive consistent instruction in these skills. Additionally, the program references "Building Block High-Frequency Word" videos as instructional resources. However, access to these videos was not provided for review, so their instructional quality and level of explicitness could not be verified.

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 provide a variety of activities and resources that support students in developing and practicing decoding and encoding both regular and irregular high-frequency words. Across units, the Gold Pages, Bend Blueprints, and small-group lessons offer targeted instructional routines. For example, in "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend I, Session 6, a small-group lesson focuses on reading high-frequency words "in a snap" rather than decoding them. Students play tic-tac-toe with high-frequency words in place of the X and O in order to practice encoding the words. Regular high-frequency words reinforced in this unit include can, got, and went. In Bend II, Session 3, a small-group lesson titled "Teaching Irregular High-Frequency Words" provides a multi-step routine that includes using the word in a sentence, segmenting the sounds, identifying irregular spellings, and writing the word. This particular lesson focuses on the irregular words do, said, and was. These practices support both decoding and encoding, and similar routines appear in other units and optional lessons. Additional support comes from the Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2 supplemental guide, which offers flexible small-group lessons aligned to high-frequency word instruction in Progression 11. These lessons include a range of practice opportunities such as segmenting sounds, writing words in various formats, playing word games, and searching for high-frequency words in text. Lesson 121, for example, includes explicit guidance for decoding, encoding, and applying high-frequency word knowledge during independent reading. Students study a word by matching sounds to spelling, write the word, reread it, and then apply the skill during independent reading by searching for snap words in texts. However, while materials provide ample opportunities for development and initial practice, they do not include structured tools or embedded systems for cumulative review. Teachers are expected to determine how and when to revisit previously taught words, and references to ongoing review are general rather than systematic. For example, in "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), the Gold Page states: "For all children, remember that as you teach new words, it will be important to keep the whole bank of high-frequency words students have learned alive in your classroom so that these can be reinforced." The materials then describe the new words that will be taught in the unit, with no continued guidance on reinforcing previously taught words. As a result, while students engage with high-frequency words across the year, the materials do not ensure consistent reinforcement or cumulative practice over time.

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 provide a range of activities and resources to support students in reading and writing high-frequency words in isolation and with reading high-frequency words in connected text. In "Super Powers" (Unit 3), Bend II, Session 3, a small-group lesson titled "Teaching Irregular High-Frequency Words" provides explicit instruction using oral sentences, visual displays, segmentation, and student writing. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), Bend III, Session 2, students segment and write high-frequency words such as when, which, and what, and then apply them during partner reading of the decodable text "Where Is Shell?" Memory-building strategies are embedded in several lessons. For instance, in "Sharing Reading" (Unit 2), Bend I, Session 5, the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is modified to help students remember how to spell my. In "Boosting Reading Power" (Unit 4), a small-group lesson emphasizes orthographic mapping with the "How to Learn a Word" anchor chart, guiding students through steps like "Read it, Study it, Spell it, Write it, Use it." In Supporting All Readers: High-Leverage Small Groups and Conferences, K–2, Progression 11 includes 13 small-group lessons that use strategies such as Elkonin boxes and shared writing to support decoding and encoding. For example, Lesson 116 engages students in shared writing to create a pattern book featuring high-frequency words, supporting application in connected text. Lesson 123 prompts students to read words in isolation and then in a teacher-selected connected text. However, these lessons are supplemental and optional, requiring teachers to choose the words and texts. Therefore the materials do not include a variety of activities for students to write high-frequency words in connected text.

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)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

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)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

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)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

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)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

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

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

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)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

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)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.

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)

This guidance is not applicable to the product.