The Writing Road to Reading – 1st Grade

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

The Writing Road to Reading program includes the “Purpose & Use Guidance for Texas Educators” document, which explains that the supplemental program is designed to strengthen foundational literacy skills for students in grades K–3. For example, it states that the program may be implemented with any core English Language Arts (ELAR) program to strengthen foundational literacy instruction. The supplementary materials are intended to be used alongside the core instructional program and can be integrated without interrupting the existing scope and sequence.

The program states that it provides remediation, acceleration, and additional instructional support to meet students’ varying needs. The “Purpose & Use Guidance for Texas Educators” document explains that the materials are designed to provide additional instruction and practice in grade-level reading and writing skills for grade K–3 students. The program’s materials are aligned with the TEKS and are intended to support both intervention and enrichment opportunities for students. The program also supports both mediation and acceleration within foundational literacy skills aligned to the TEKS.

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

The Spalding Education International “Purpose & Use Guidance for Texas Educators” document explains how The Writing Road to Reading functions alongside an existing core ELAR program to strengthen foundational literacy instruction. The guidance directs educators to use Spalding instructional routines to reinforce phonemic awareness, phonics, encoding, decoding, handwriting, spelling, and vocabulary introduced within or alongside the core curriculum.

The “Use Within a Core ELAR Program” section identifies implementation options, including teaching Spalding lessons during the foundational skills block and providing targeted small-group instruction to reinforce skills identified through classroom assessment. The guidance also directs educators to adjust supplemental instructional time while maintaining the district’s core ELAR pacing. These directions support integrating supplemental instruction and addressing identified skill needs alongside the existing core program.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide provides a scope and sequence outlining student expectations and the skills to be taught over the course of the year. The scope and sequence assist educators with pacing and instructional planning and are divided into two parts: “Scope and Sequence Part 1: Program Objectives” and “Scope and Sequence Part 2: Lesson Objectives.”


In the First Grade Teacher’s Guide, “Scope and Sequence Part 1: Program Objectives” outlines the student expectations taught within the program and identifies the related instructional skills addressed throughout the lessons. This guidance establishes a coding system that indicates the instructional level to which grade-level skills should be taught and assessed, such as “I/P: Introduce/Practice, P: Practice, M: Mastery, R: Review/Reinforce, and C: Challenge.” The guidance also defines each instructional level for additional clarity by directing the educator to “Review to reinforce: 1) previously introduced content and 2) application of skills to new, grade-appropriate content.”

The Writing Road to Reading program outlines a rationale for the design of its overall scope and sequence. Chapter one, for example, does so through the visual representation of “Spalding’s Language Arts Circle” and contains three additional sections with guidance for what educators should focus on as they teach spelling, reading, and writing.

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

The “Purpose & Use Guidance for Texas Educators” provides durations and frequency for supplemental instruction. Oral and written phonogram review, spelling dictation, and word analysis are scheduled daily. Tier 2 support is recommended for 20–30 minutes, three to five times weekly, with weekly progress monitoring as needed.

For Tier 3 support, the guidance recommends daily individualized or very small-group instruction. Pacing is determined by ongoing diagnostic assessment. Educators provide additional guided practice and cumulative review until students demonstrate sufficient mastery to progress to new instruction. The guidance also directs educators to consult the weekly Skills Trace, Scope and Sequence, and Daily/Weekly Lesson Objectives.

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

The “Purpose & Use Guidance for Texas Educators” outlines the program’s comprehensive set of resources to help educators implement the materials as designed. The guidance notes the defined purpose of each component, with the First Grade Teacher’s Guide explaining the “structured lesson procedures.” The guidance goes on to state that these components work to “promote instructional consistency across grade levels and tiers” to support educators in responding to students’ individual needs.

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes overt implementation support, outlining the specific educator and student behaviors expected within the lessons’ methods of instruction. The delivery section describes three educator behaviors: modeling, coaching, and scaffolding and fading. It also outlines three student behaviors: articulation, reflection, and exploration. The materials explain these educator and student behaviors in detail and proceed to include specific strategies and procedures for educators to follow. The guidance emphasizes that the “use of the Spalding methodology makes this progression easier for students.”

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

The Spalding Resource Center (SRC) includes a variety of resources in both Spanish and English to support families. These documents provide families with background information on the Spalding instructional approach and specific guidance on supporting their students’ progress. The materials include a program overview, as well as activities and routines that align with the instructional program, such as “encouraging your child to explain why a word is spelled a certain way.”

Additionally, the Spanish version of the “Parent’s Guide to Learning with Spalding” provides equivalent family-facing resources in Spanish, ensuring accessibility for Spanish-speaking families and supporting home-to-school connections. The Spanish guide also includes recommendations and activities that families can use to support their child’s literacy growth and reinforce program skills at home.

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

The “Grades K-3 Supplemental Program” resource document, “Assessment and Progress Monitoring Guidance,” explains how diagnostic and progress-monitoring assessments are used to identify students’ mastery of foundational literacy skills and support instructional decisions. The assessments include diagnostic and placement assessments, decoding assessments, daily and weekly formative assessments, and assorted progress tracking tools that are designed to serve as both short- and long-term monitors of student development.

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes appropriate instructional assessments designed to support the supplemental program’s stated purpose through additional instruction, targeted intervention, and progress monitoring. The materials include spelling, reading, and writing assessments that aid educators in identifying students’ skill levels, monitoring growth, and adjusting instruction for remediation or acceleration. The guide also provides explanations and rationales for the use of diagnostic, informal, formative, and summative assessments aligned to the lessons and literacy skills taught throughout the program. For instance, the reading assessments include a “Fluent and Expressive Reading Checklist” tool that supports the measure of reading fluency.

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

The “Assessment and Progress Monitoring Guidance” document includes definitions and the intended purpose of the instructional assessments. The guidance states that instructional assessments are meant to monitor mastery of foundational literacy skills and to inform instructional decisions within supplemental implementation. The assessments are designed to identify specific skill needs in phonemic awareness, phonogram knowledge, decoding, encoding, spelling, and fluency. They also monitor growth over time and support instructional planning in conjunction with a core ELAR program.

Additionally, the First Grade Teacher’s Guide’s “First Grade Assessing Skills Mastery” section provides an overview of the assessments for each program, spelling, writing, and reading, and explains their intended purposes. For example, the guidance for the spelling assessments states, “The Spalding Spelling Assessments consist of eight standardized, 50-word tests of equal difficulty, and are used to determine monthly progress as well as to provide one source of data by which teachers may refine instruction at the classroom and individual levels.”

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes directions and instructional procedures to support the consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments. The “First Grade Assessing Skills Mastery” section, for example, provides assessment routines and daily lesson approaches that include step-by-step directions for administering spelling, dictation, phonogram, reading, and comprehension assessments. The guide also includes educator scripts, correction procedures, and clearly defined routines to help ensure assessments are administered consistently across instructional settings. Additionally, the materials provide examples of educator and student actions and responsibilities during assessment administration to support reliable implementation.

The SRC resources within the “Assessment Checklists, Forms, & Analyses” folder provide a variety of assessment forms and tools to support the consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments. For instance, the “Spelling Assistance Forms” include a scoring guide, a data analysis guide, and a variety of standard assessment tools.

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

The “First Grade Assessing Skills Mastery” section includes both informal and formal assessments focused on foundational literacy skills, such as observing a student’s daily progress and measuring skill attainment through monthly or weekly progress assessments. For instance, the monthly Written Phonogram Assessments track students’ progress by requiring students to listen to the educator say a phonogram, then write the phonogram on an assessment form. Over time, the assessment measures students’ mastery of “letter formation and accurate and automatic spelling of phonograms.”


The “Fluent and Expressive Reading” assessment tools and guidance also include assessment passages and fluency tasks that evaluate students’ fluency development through progressively complex literacy activities. The assessment sections include phonogram recognition, word decoding, spelling, and advanced word analysis activities that support the development of reading accuracy, automaticity, and fluency. The assessments are designed to increase in complexity from foundational sound–symbol recognition to advanced decoding and spelling application tasks, providing educators with opportunities to monitor student growth across multiple literacy domains and adjust instruction to meet individual student needs.

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

The “Interpreting Spalding Spelling Assessment Results: Instructional Decision Guide” explains how to interpret strong mastery, partial mastery, and difficulty across multiple words. Strong mastery supports moving to the next Word List section with cumulative review. Partial mastery calls for additional guided practice before introducing further sections.

Section 3 links assessment error patterns to instructional priorities. For example, errors in words containing ee and ea prompt review of vowel-team phonograms, spelling practice with those patterns, reinforcement of applicable rules, and monitoring at the next monthly assessment. Sections 4–5 connect the interpretation to differentiation and instructional placement.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes guidance for interpreting assessment data and using student performance results to inform targeted instructional planning and intervention. The materials support educators in analyzing assessment outcomes to identify student strengths, skill gaps, and areas requiring additional reinforcement. Through spelling, reading, dictation, and writing assessments, educators can monitor student mastery and make instructional adjustments to support differentiated learning needs. The guidance encourages the use of assessment data as an ongoing tool for instructional decision-making to improve student literacy development over time.

Additionally, the First Grade Teacher’s Guide also provides guidance on using assessment results to address trends in student performance and determine appropriate instructional next steps. The materials include recommendations and assessment procedures to help educators adjust reading, spelling, and writing instruction based on students’ mastery levels and performance patterns. The evaluation section specifically outlines how educators should respond when the majority of the class demonstrates difficulty with a specific skill by incorporating reteaching and additional practice opportunities into whole-group instruction. The materials also explain how educators can address the needs of a smaller group of students who require targeted intervention by inserting additional supports into small-group instruction or individualized practice. The explicit direction supports educators in using assessment data to differentiate instruction, provide timely remediation, and reinforce skill development based on student needs.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide provides educators with progress-monitoring tools to systematically track student progress and academic growth. The materials include assessment records, instructional tracking tools, and progress-monitoring supports that help educators monitor student mastery of literacy skills over time. For example, educators can access tracking tools for spelling, comprehension, and writing through the “Spalding Spelling Assessment Class Progress Report,” “Comprehension Assessment Class Progress Report,” and “Sentence Writing Checklist.”

Additionally, the “Oral Reading Fluency” assessment and Daily Practice Manual include tools for both educators and students to track progress and growth in oral reading fluency. The materials provide student and educator tracking forms, fluency recording tools, and progress-monitoring resources that support the collection and analysis of Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) data. These tools help educators monitor student performance over time, identify growth trends, and make informed instructional decisions, while also allowing students to observe and reflect on their own fluency development. The inclusion of both educator and student tracking forms supports ongoing progress monitoring and promotes student ownership of learning.

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

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

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide provides educator guidance for differentiated instruction and activities for students who have not yet reached proficiency in grade-level skills. The instructions emphasize structured repetition, ongoing review of phonograms, high-utility spelling patterns, and spelling generalizations to achieve mastery. More specifically, the “Scope and Sequence” sections provide educators with suggestions for differentiated instruction and targeted activities for students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency with grade-level skills.

In addition, the First Grade Teacher’s Guide directs educators on how to respond to student performance using assessment data, flexible grouping, additional practice opportunities, and differentiated instruction. The materials emphasize that educators should evaluate student performance and adjust instruction using whole-group, small-group, and individual instructional formats to address varying levels of student need. For example, the “Analyzing Knowledge and Word Structure” guidance includes a list of skills to reteach and advises educators to provide flexible, small-group instruction for students who struggle with understanding word structure and require additional supports.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide promotes four general strategies for expanding student learning that it directs educators to prioritize when planning independent assignments. Educators are instructed to expand the day’s lesson objective to the next level of difficulty; integrate spelling, writing, reading, science, or social studies content within the lesson objective; encourage reflection; and encourage exploration aligned to the lesson objective. These recommendations are intended to support varied student learning needs and provide opportunities for acceleration and enrichment based on student performance.

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes educator guidance for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills through the use of independent assignments and activities. For example, the lessons instruct educators to provide specific independent assignments and activities for students who have mastered phonogram sounds and letter formation, such as activities that feature opportunities to “manipulate first and last sounds of words to create new words.”

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

In the SRC resources, the “Guidance for Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)” provides general recommendations for adapting the tier one program to support students receiving special education services. The document describes broad instructional practices, such as adjusting pacing, increasing guided practice, providing additional modeling, utilizing small-group instruction, modifying lesson delivery, and incorporating intervention resources. It also explains that the Spalding Method’s systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic approach may allow educators to intensify instruction and adjust instructional groupings to address student needs and align with Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals.

The “Educator Guidance for Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)” document provides educator guidance for supporting students receiving special education supports and services. The guidance identifies specific disabilities and provides instructional strategies for adapting instruction to address students’ learning needs.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide provides explicit prompts and structured guidance to help educators model and explain targeted literacy skills. For example, the “Spelling Instructional Strategies and Procedures” section provides detailed, step-by-step guidance for teaching phonogram skills. The resources include sample educator language, corrective feedback routines, knowledge-and-application questions, and procedures for checking students’ understanding. Educators are explicitly guided on how to respond to student errors, explain phonogram rules, model application of skills, and monitor mastery.

Additionally, the First Grade Teacher’s Guide provides explicit prompts and structured guidance to help educators model and explain targeted literacy skills. For example, the “Reading Instructional Strategies and Procedures” section features detailed, step-by-step guidance for teaching and developing fluent and expressive reading through explicit instructional strategies and procedures.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes educator guidance and recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches. The lessons incorporate explicit modeling, guided and independent practice, oral language development, encoding and decoding activities, and ongoing progress monitoring. In addition, the lessons include detailed educator actions, modeling procedures, guided practice routines, monitoring strategies, corrective feedback, and clearly defined expectations for student responses. Furthermore, the structured procedures outline step-by-step actions for educators and students, through modeling, dictation, guided application, accuracy checks, and independent practice.

The SRC resources also include additional guidance to provide educators with recommendations for effective delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches. For example, the “Educator Guidance: Supports for All Learners” document identifies multiple instructional approaches and delivery structures, including oral language practice, guided dictation, written encoding, decoding practice, individual assessment, and flexible grouping. The materials also reference implementation across whole-group, small-group, and individualized settings, providing educators with a range of strategies to support diverse learners.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide provides guidance for educators on recommended structures to support effective implementation. For example, instructional delivery focuses on three specific educator behaviors to support fading: modeling, coaching, and scaffolding. The guidance recommends that educators begin instruction in a whole-group setting to introduce and model new concepts. Second, educators should move to coaching with targeted small-group instruction. Finally, educators continue to individualized tasks with scaffolding with the intention to support fading based on student performance data. The materials note that “when the majority of children can accurately perform and independently apply all or part of a skill, teachers fade (withdraw support).”

The SRC resources provide additional guidance for educators on recommended structures. The “Differentiating Instruction to Meet the Needs of All Students” document, for instance, outlines the use of flexible grouping informed by assessment data and observations. Educators are instructed to provide reteaching, preteaching, intervention, or enrichment through small-group instruction in response to specific learning needs. Additionally, the Spalding Intervention lesson plan resource booklets for levels 1–3 feature “Phonemic Awareness,” “Systematic Phonics,” and “High Frequency” sections with targeted activities for students still working on achieving mastery, further supporting differentiated small-group instruction in the process. The “Support for All Learners” document recommends additional structures for independent practice and individualized support throughout the lesson cycle. The embedded guidance empowers educators to adjust instructional intensity to provide additional practice or extension based on individual student needs.

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

The “Educator Guidance for Linguistic Accommodations” provides accommodations by language-proficiency level. Examples include visuals, gestures, teacher modeling, supported responses, oral rehearsal, and progressively more independent explanations of sound-spelling relationships.

The guidance includes linguistic accommodations organized by language-proficiency level and sample applications within lesson components. However, grade 1 lessons and activities do not consistently include educator directions for increasing the complexity and precision of students’ academic language as their English proficiency develops.

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

The updated “Educator Guidance for Implementation in Bilingual and ESL Programs” gives directions for ESL push-in, ESL pull-out, dual-language, and transitional bilingual contexts. For phonogram introduction, the ESL push-in model identifies classroom-teacher introduction and ESL-teacher pronunciation reinforcement. The pull-out model identifies small-group introduction or reteaching.

For dual-language implementation, educators reinforce English phonograms during the English literacy block. Transitional bilingual guidance connects English phonograms to prior literacy knowledge. The document also connects Spalding lesson routines to language-development supports, providing implementation directions beyond a general statement that the program can be used in bilingual or ESL settings.

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

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

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

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

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

The “Grade 1 English Language Arts TEKS” resource identifies phonological awareness activities aligned to the grade 1 TEKS. However, the materials do not present these skills in a systematic progression from basic to more complex phonological awareness skills. For example, the “Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Skills Trace” introduces multiple phonological and phonemic awareness skills concurrently rather than sequencing prerequisite skills before more advanced skills.

The “Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Pacing Guide” introduces segmenting, counting, blending, and identifying beginning, middle, and ending sounds in week 1, while rhyming is introduced in week 4 and onset-rime in week 5. Instruction continues beyond the 12 weeks outlined in the Pacing Guide through the Classic and Supplemental Teacher’s Guides. However, the sequence introduces smaller sound units before larger sound units and does not establish a systematic progression from basic to more complex phonological awareness skills.

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

The “Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Pacing Guide” does include a sequence of phonemic awareness skills. However, the scope and sequence introduces multiple phonemic awareness skills concurrently, including segmenting, counting, blending, adding, substituting, and deleting sounds, rather than progressing from basic skills to more complex phonemic awareness skills.

The Grade 1 Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Pacing Guide includes adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes in weeks 10–12. However, the materials do not clearly establish a systematic progression from basic to more complex phonemic-awareness skills.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes explicit (direct) instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with the grade-level TEKS. The planning section provides “Phonemic Awareness Instructional Strategies” for educators to follow when modeling how to segment, count, or blend sounds for students. This guidance provides statements beginning with “The teacher will…” followed by directions for explaining, modeling, and guided practice.

Additionally, the “Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Pacing Guide” includes explicit (direct) instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with the grade-level TEKS through the inclusion of sample scripts and notes for educators within each lesson to ensure appropriate delivery. The explicit guidance supports educators when modeling, coaching, and providing students with independent practice for word analysis.

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

The grade 1 Writing Road to Reading program includes cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with the grade-level TEKS as appropriate for the program’s stated purpose. The “Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Pacing Guide” outlines cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills. The program ensures that students revisit explicitly taught skills and receive multiple opportunities to practice previously taught skills over the course of the academic weeks.

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide also focuses on cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with the grade-level TEKS by including a “Phonemic Awareness (PA)” section that guides educators in having students practice a variety of spoken words. Educators are directed to have students say the word by sound or syllable and then blend the sounds or syllables into spoken words across each academic week.

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

The “Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Pacing Guide” includes student practice that requires application of only the phonemic awareness skills explicitly taught within the lesson. For example, during Academic Week 1 educators are guided to provide students with direct instruction and modeling of segmenting, counting, and blending sounds before completing guided and independent practice using those same skills. Students are also explicitly taught to identify beginning and ending sounds through educator explanation and modeled examples before independently identifying them in spoken words. Student practice remains aligned to the skills introduced in the lesson and does not require them to apply phonemic awareness skills that were not explicitly taught.

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide continues to provide students with practice in explicitly taught phonological and phonemic awareness skills. The “Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objectives” feature a weekly phonemic awareness component that provides practice with the skills that have been explicitly taught in daily instruction.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide presents 70 phonograms in a designated order for spelling and word study. The phonogram table identifies each phonogram’s sound, sample words, and instructional guidance. The sequence alternates among consonant digraphs and more complex vowel patterns, including /sh/, /ee/, /th/, /ow/, /ou/, and /oo/, rather than progressing from simple and common sound–spelling patterns to more complex and less frequent patterns.

The Spalding Reading Foundations Participant Workbook and the First Grade Teacher’s Guide introduce phonograms one at a time and provide ongoing review of previously taught phonograms. However, the sequence does not explicitly progress from basic letter–sound relationships and short-vowel patterns to blends, common digraphs, CVCE patterns, vowel teams, and r-controlled patterns in an order aligned with the grade 1 TEKS.

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

The Writing Road to Reading and the First Grade Teacher’s Guide provide opportunities for students to decode words using sound–spelling patterns through weekly practice with introduced phonograms and spelling patterns. Students read phonograms, segment and blend sounds, and read words containing previously taught patterns. However, the lesson objectives primarily identify student activities and direct educators to supporting resources instead of providing embedded explanations or modeling that demonstrates how to decode words using the target sound–spelling patterns.

The materials provide opportunities for students to encode words using sound–spelling patterns by reading and writing phonograms and spelling words in a notebook. The applicable spelling rules are defined in supporting resources and educators are directed to introduce, practice, and review the rules during spelling lessons. However, the lesson guidance does not provide embedded instructional language or a modeled routine that demonstrates how students should segment spoken words and map the sounds to letters in writing.

Overall, the instructional design of the materials is a cumulative, routine-based approach that does not readily align with the grade-level TEKS. As the First Grade Teacher’s Guide’s program overview notes, educators are directed to “compare individual achievement with the grade-level spelling, writing, and reading curricula, determine children’s instructional levels, and plan appropriate lessons with sufficient practice activities.” Through this approach, educators make decisions about content, approach, and instructional tasks independently. More specifically, the Teacher’s Guide does not provide a modeling routine that gives the educator what is needed to explicitly demonstrate how to decode or encode a word with the target sound–spelling pattern and includes only generalized scripted guidance regarding instructional routines and lesson components.

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

The materials provide opportunities for students to practice decoding words using sound–spelling patterns in isolation through fluency practice word lists, where they apply phonogram and language rules while reading isolated words. However, the materials do not explicitly connect the word lists to the lesson sequence or identify how the practice cumulatively reinforces previously taught grade 1 sound–spelling patterns over time.

The Spalding Reader Crosswalk connects opening phonogram review with specific readers and directs educators to select later readers based on assessment results. However, the materials do not include cumulative decoding and encoding practice with previously taught grade-level sound-spelling patterns in decodable connected text.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide provides student practice that includes only sound–spelling patterns that have been explicitly taught. Phonograms are introduced in specific order, with each lesson introducing one new phonogram while systematically reviewing and reinforcing previously taught sound–spelling patterns. This structured sequence ensures that students build on prior knowledge and repeatedly apply learned sound–spelling patterns over time. Educators are guided to provide instruction using scripted lessons that outline explicit guidance for students to create spelling notebooks to document their learning of sound–spelling patterns. After, students practice their new learning as educators check for understanding through activities such as “Word Builder” and phonogram cards.

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes the “Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objectives” section, which features daily lessons of the explicitly taught sound–spelling patterns. This section articulates how students engage in practice through reading, spelling, analysis, and writing activities that incorporate previously introduced phonograms, spelling words, syllable patterns, and morphological elements. Students are given opportunities to apply taught sound–spelling relationships during phonogram, phonics, and spelling instruction before independently using those patterns in reading and writing tasks. As a result, student practice is consistently grounded in explicitly taught sound–spelling correspondences, supporting mastery through systematic review, application, and reinforcement of previously learned skills.

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

The materials use the Ayres High-Frequency Word List, a research-based source of high-frequency words. The “First Grade Spelling-Expanded Skills Trace” resource schedules sections A–G in week 4, Section H in week 8, Section I in week 10, Section J in week 13, Section K in week 16, Section L in week 20, Section M in week 24, and Section N in week 29. However, the pacing guidance does not explain how the sequence aligns with the grade 1 TEKS or prioritizes words according to frequency and grade-level appropriateness.

The materials introduce regular and irregular high-frequency words within the scheduled sections. Early sections do include simpler word structures and sound–spelling patterns, such as me, go, at, run, and bed. However, words with more complex orthographic patterns, such as earth, school, author, and knife, appear within the sequence alongside previously taught and untaught patterns rather than following a consistent progression from simpler and more common patterns to more complex patterns.

The “First Grade Spelling-Expanded Skills Trace” provides a schedule for introducing and reviewing high-frequency vocabulary across the instructional year. However, it does not identify the words included in each section, distinguish regular words from irregular words, or show that the sequence follows frequency order or a grade-appropriate progression. Furthermore the weekly “Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objectives” do not include any additional guidance about the sequence.

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

The program features a sample spelling-dictation dialogue that includes educator-led modeling, explanation, and guided practice in decoding and encoding words. The educator says the word in normal speech, uses it in a sentence, segments and pronounces each sound, explains the phonogram selection, and models how to mark the word according to the applicable spelling rule. Students then repeat the sounds, write and mark the word, and read the completed word. However, the materials identify the dialogue as a general procedure for either grade K or grade 1 students and state that the same basic procedure applies to students of any age. Therefore, the guidance does not provide any grade 1–specific instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words aligned with the grade-level TEKS.

Section K of The Writing Road to Reading includes the high-frequency word they and identifies the phonogram /ey/. The instructional routine, however, does not distinguish the word as regular or irregular, demonstrate how to orthographically map it, identify which portion is irregular, or explain the expected and unexpected sound–spelling correspondences during decoding and encoding.

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

The materials include cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words in isolation through Spelling Dictation, Read for Spelling, and Read for Reading. These routines use the “Spalding Spelling/Vocabulary Word List” and provide repeated opportunities to read and spell previously taught words alongside newly introduced words, supporting automaticity.

The Learning to Read and Loving It series provides connected-text practice organized around phonograms. The summaries for Sam and Puff, A Trip to the Park, and Ben Visits the Farm document phonogram occurrences. However, the materials do not include cumulative practice with previously taught regular and irregular high-frequency words across successive decodable connected texts.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide’s “Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objectives” section provides student practice that focuses only on the sound–spelling patterns that have been explicitly taught thus far. This section articulates how students engage in practice through reading, spelling, analysis, and writing activities that incorporate previously introduced phonograms, spelling words, syllable patterns, and morphological elements. Students are given opportunities to apply taught sound–spelling relationships during phonogram, phonics, and spelling instruction before independently using those patterns in reading and writing tasks. As a result, student practice is consistently grounded in explicitly taught sound–spelling correspondences, supporting mastery through systematic review, application, and reinforcement of previously learned skills.

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

The “First Grade Pacing Guide” does present a program-specific sequence for teaching syllable division patterns. The sequence introduces vowel-vowel patterns in week 22 after patterns such as VCCV and VCCCV. However, the materials also introduce multisyllabic words without clearly establishing a progression through the trade 1 syllable types and division principles identified in the TEKS.

Within the “Syllable Division Pacing Guide,” the program identifies four syllable types: open, closed, silent final e, and consonant + le. The guide also presents 12 syllable division patterns. However, it does not explicitly identify vowel team and r-controlled syllables using the grade-level TEKS terminology. For example, the materials classify street as a closed syllable rather than a vowel team syllable and do not identify the second syllable in over as r-controlled. This terminology does not consistently align with the grade 1 syllable types as identified in the TEKS.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes direct instruction in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words. The “Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objectives” features explicit instruction in phonograms, word analysis, syllable types, syllable division patterns, and the decoding and encoding of one-syllable and multisyllabic words. The “Spelling Instructional Strategies and Procedures” then direct educators to introduce spelling and syllable division rules, model application of each skill, provide guided practice, and gradually move students toward independent application. Additionally, the “Word Analysis Instructional Strategies” include explicit routines for teaching syllable types, syllable division patterns, and spelling dictation that support word analysis and the reading and writing of increasingly complex words.

Although the materials include explicit instruction, the instructional framework does not align with the grade-level TEKS. The Spalding framework combines vowel teams, digraphs, diphthongs, and r-controlled vowels into a single instructional category, whereas the TEKS identify these as distinct decoding and encoding skills. Likewise, The Writing Road to Reading identifies only four syllable types and does not explicitly identify vowel team or r-controlled syllables. For example, the program classifies street as a closed syllable rather than a vowel team syllable and over as a closed syllable rather than an open syllable followed by an r-controlled syllable. As a result, the materials do not provide explicit instruction using the grade-level terminology and syllable classifications identified in the TEKS.

To highlight the discrepancy further, it is critical to note that the sequence contradicts the academic language within the grade-level TEKS for both decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words. When the language does not match, it is difficult to confirm grade-level alignment. For instance, The Writing Road to Reading states there are four syllable types and does not identify and explicitly name vowel teams (including vowel digraphs and diphthongs) or r-controlled syllables as required by the TEKS. For example, the word street is not typically classified as a closed syllable. It is a one-syllable word containing the vowel team /ee/. The syllable ends with a consonant (t) but the vowel sound is long because of the vowel team, not because it is a closed syllable. The word over has two syllables: /o/ = open syllable, /ver/ = r-controlled syllable. Though the materials do provide explicit instruction, the score is not earned since the material does not align with the grade-level TEKS.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide provides cumulative student practice in decoding and encoding one-syllable and multisyllabic words in isolation. Students engage in reading, spelling, and word-analysis activities each academic week for one-syllable and multisyllable words introduced in previous weeks. As noted in the “Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objectives,” students practice with specific words from the spelling word list and regularly revisit previously taught one-syllable and multisyllable words through spelling dictation routines. Though the program provides this student practice, the spelling objectives do not align with the grade-level TEKS.

The program does provide ongoing practice with isolated words; however, it does not include practice with decodable connected texts that explicitly target one-syllable and multisyllable words that have been explicitly taught in a cumulative manner. Leveled readers from series one, Book 17, through series two, Book 24, state that students will “practice a variety of single and multiletter phonograms from Books 1–16” but do not identify the specific phonograms, syllable types, or high-frequency words included, nor do they connect the text to specific phonics lessons. Many of the level readers include a phonogram chart but it does not include guidance that aligns it with the skills trace documents or any specific lessons. The educator has to determine the connections independently. The lack of overt supports implies that the connected texts cannot provide cumulative practice with explicitly taught grade-level syllable types to encourage automaticity.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide provides student practice that includes only syllable types and syllable division principles that have been explicitly taught. Students engage in reading, spelling, and word analysis activities only after the targeted syllable type or syllable division pattern has been introduced or reviewed across each academic week. As noted in the “Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objectives,” students practice closed-syllable words after receiving explicit instruction on the closed syllable type. For example, each academic week, students apply the syllable types and division patterns explicitly taught in the instructional sequence. Additionally, students regularly revisit previously taught syllable types and division principles through spelling dictation routines.

The SRC resources provide student practice that includes only syllable types and syllable division principles that have been explicitly taught. The “First Grade Weekly Word Analysis Syllabication Objectives” introduce new syllable types and divisions using previously taught words. For example, Academic Week 5 introduces the open-syllable type using words from Academic Week 4. Students use the spelling dictation routine to practice these words along with new words from the spelling word list.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide does include a systematic sequence for introducing morphemes. The planning section provides a sequence for the progression of prefixes and suffixes that identifies when each morphology skill is introduced, practiced, reviewed, reinforced, mastered, and extended.

The First Grade Reading Foundations Supplemental Teacher’s Guide includes a sequence for introducing morphemes throughout the instructional year, organized by week and presented as a progression of prefixes and suffixes. The sequence begins with simpler inflectional endings and revisits them across instruction, including repeated introduction of -s in weeks 8, 10, 13, 15, 21, 24, 25, 28, and 32; -ed in weeks 11, 23, 25, 27, and 29; and -es in weeks 21, 25, and 32, which aligns to the grade 1 TEKS expectations for decoding words with inflectional endings.

The “Morphology Instruction and Cumulative Practice Guide: Grades 1–5” provides a recommended grade-level progression beginning with known base words, followed by -s, -es, and -ed, and cumulative application of previously taught morphemes. Parts 1 and 8 distinguish initial instruction, cumulative review, and extension. Educators are directed to prioritize applicable grade-level TEKS. Morphemes beyond that emphasis may be used for review, differentiation, intervention, or extension rather than replacing grade-level expectations.

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

The “Morphology Instruction and Cumulative Practice Guide: Grades 1–5” provides explicit instruction aligned with Grade 1 inflectional endings -s, -es, and -ed. The instructional routine directs educators to identify the base word and ending, explain the ending’s meaning or function, and model reading and spelling the derived word. For example, educators model adding -ed to play to form played and explain that the ending indicates an action happened in the past. Students then identify base words and endings before reading and spelling additional words during guided practice.

Additionally, the “Procedure for Teaching Word Analysis” section provides explicit instruction on morphological skills in alignment with the grade-level TEKS. This section explicitly defines base word, word root, prefix, and suffix, and connects prefixes and suffixes to syllable types.

The “Morphology Instruction and Cumulative Practice Guide: Grades 1–5” provides an explicit routine. Educators state the objective, identify the base word and morpheme, explain its meaning or function, build the derived word, model reading and encoding, and provide guided and independent practice. Part 4 provides a Grade 1 example using play + -ed to form played. Teacher guidance explains how the ending changes the word’s function and directs students to identify word parts before reading and spelling additional words. The guide directs educators to prioritize applicable grade-level morphological skills.

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

The SRC level two resource “Word Builder” cards include cumulative student practice of morphological skills in isolation. The materials require students to apply prefixes and suffixes to base words to form and analyze derived words while reading, spelling, and stating the associated affix rules. New “Word Builder” cards are introduced as morphology concepts are taught, allowing students to build automaticity through repeated application of previously learned affixes. Additionally, students have opportunities to apply morphological knowledge to oral and written sentences, thereby reinforcing vocabulary development and sentence-level word analysis.

The prefix/suffix chart shows inflectional endings -s, -es, and -ed across weeks 9–16 using word sets and derived forms, such as day/days, box/boxes, play/played, and fill/filled, supporting repeated application over time rather than single exposure.

The “Morphology Instruction and Cumulative Practice Guide” provides explicit guidance for cumulative student practice of grade-level morphological skills in both isolation and connected text. The “Cumulative Morphology Practice for Automaticity” section directs educators to retain previously taught morphemes in later practice as new morphemes are introduced and identifies specific Spalding resources and activities for cumulative practice, including “Word Builder” cards, spelling/vocabulary word lists, word analysis, spelling dictation, spelling/vocabulary notebooks, oral word-building activities, and written sentence application.

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

The First Grade Teacher’s Guide includes only morphemes explicitly taught through structured word builder and morphology activities in its student practice sections. During Academic Week 9, the “Sentence Construction with Vocabulary Development (SCV)” section asks educators to explicitly introduce and explain new morphemes before students apply them in word analysis, spelling, reading, and sentence construction activities. For example, students are explicitly taught the suffix -s and then must apply their understanding by analyzing and forming derived words. Throughout the instructional sequence, students continue to practice previously taught prefixes and suffixes while new morphemes are introduced, providing cumulative reinforcement of morphological knowledge.

SRC resources ensure that students practice using morphemes that have been explicitly taught. The “Word Analysis: Part 2 - Rule/Word Sort” tool provides a template for practicing with previously taught morphemes, for example. The educator targets words with morphemes and rules that students may be struggling to learn after the spelling dictation activity. The students must then associate the rules with specific words to help build mastery.