Program Information
- ISBN
- 9781935289494
- Technical Specifications: Checklist
- Tech Specs: Checklist (pdf 486.91 KB)
- Technical Specifications: Professional Development
- Tech Specs: Professional Development (pdf 174.95 KB)
The Writing Road to Reading: 5th Grade
ELAR Grade 5
IMRA 2025
Commissioner Rejected
Publisher: Spalding Education International
Copyright: 2012
Series includes:
Rubric: ELAR 4–8 | 2025 (Download Not Available)
* Some programs submit evidence for only part of a standard, while others submit all sections. A 100% score means this program met all the expectations it submitted.
Quality Review
Standards Alignment
Rubric Section
| Grade | TEKS % | ELPS % |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 52.38% | 30.77% |
Criteria for Quality
Rubric Section 1
Implementation Quality
Materials support educators in effective implementation through intentional course, unit, and lesson-level design.
Total
57% (16 out of 28 points)
Evaluation for 1.1a
The materials include a Scope and Sequence divided into two parts, located in the Teacher's Guide under the Planning section. Part 1: Program Objectives outlines grade-level instructional goals in spelling, writing, and reading. These objectives reflect skill development aligned with the intent of the TEKS and ELPS, but do not reference specific standards. Part 2: Lesson Objectives, titled "Scope and Sequence Part 2," presents specific weekly learning targets in a table format with columns labeled "Component," "Week 1," "Week 2," "Week 3," and "Week 4." Each subject area—spelling, reading, and writing—has detailed weekly concepts. For example, intransitive verbs appear in Weeks 23, 24, 27, and 28. The Scope and Sequence provides educators with a structured outline of skill progression across several weeks. The materials do not include a TEKS correlation guide or reference the ELPS, and there is no evidence of a TEKS tracking tool to show standard coverage across the academic year. The lesson structure integrates phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension without explicit guidance connecting lesson content to TEKS or ELPS expectations.
Evaluation for 1.1b
The materials include a "Pacing Guide" that outlines five initial days of objectives followed by 31 weeks of lesson objectives, supporting a 32-week instructional framework. This structure suggests a pacing plan for a traditional school year. A syllable division "Pacing Guide" specific to grade 5 is included and organized by week. Each lesson is labeled with the corresponding week and day number to help orient instructional flow. The program is described as diagnostic, enabling educators to adjust pacing based on student mastery. Instruction is intended to be responsive rather than bound to a fixed calendar. The materials do not include a pacing guide or calendar that includes alternative calendar options, such as shortened or extended academic years, nor is there a guide that outlines the total number of days per unit for flexible planning.
Evaluation for 1.1c
The materials include integrated Language Arts lessons structured around the Spalding Language Arts Circle, which provides an explanation for the timing and structure of each lesson. Skills introduced in one strand—such as spelling—are reinforced and applied in writing and reading, promoting concept progression and reinforcement. The Teacher's Guide outlines the weekly progression of spelling instruction, beginning with phonemic awareness activities that help students recognize and blend individual sounds in spoken words. Instruction starts on Academic Day 1 with daily phonogram practice, guiding students in connecting sounds to letters and building foundational phonics skills. Spelling moves from oral to written form, reinforcing the connection between sounds and symbols throughout the year. Writing instruction is described as a progression that starts with oral language and builds toward complex applications. In the first weeks of school, students practice giving oral sentences using high-frequency vocabulary, which transitions into instruction on sentence construction and, later, multi-paragraph composition. Writing lessons are divided into three strands: "Vocabulary," "Sentence Construction," and "Composition." The Teacher's Guide provides an explanation for skill integration across strands and a clear sequence of instructional complexity. The Teacher's Guide provides an explanation for skill integration across strands and a clear sequence of instructional complexity, but it does not include an explicit rationale for the order of units.
Evaluation for 1.1d
The Implementation Guide outlines a structured planning framework using The Spalding Method, including steps for selecting objectives from data, assigning delivery levels, aligning lesson elements, and preparing lesson openings and closings. The Daily Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objective template supports planning with labeled spaces for academic day, time, and objective stems for spelling, writing, and reading. For example: "Reading: The student will . . . 1. Text Structure: Identify author, author's purpose, elements of narrative, informative, informative-narrative" The Teacher's Guide presents daily objectives across ELAR strands with subcomponents like phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, and high-frequency vocabulary, along with pre-assessment tips. Additional planning tools—such as the 32-Week Lesson Protocol and Grade 5 Practicing and Assessing Comprehension Guide—support lesson internalization aligned with The Writing Road to Reading. The materials promote aligned questioning, checks for understanding, and scaffolding, though examples of scaffolds are not included. A rationale for unit order is also not provided.
Evaluation for 1.1e
The materials include a website, Spalding.org/courses, that suggests two professional development courses to support implementation. This on-site professional development offers options for content specialists, coaches, or administrators to schedule and attend on-site professional development sessions or access pre-recorded videos with the guidance of an on-site facilitator in order to assist teachers in implementing the curriculum with fidelity. These courses are available at an additional cost of $1,000. The materials outline ancillary professional development opportunities for instructional specialists through Leadership Conventions. The Courses page on spalding.org offers options to register for 45 hours of on-site or hybrid training in Reading Foundations and 45 hours of on-site or Zoom training in Effective Strategies for Writing and Reading. Both courses are marked appropriate for curriculum specialists, content specialists, and administrators.
Evaluation for 1.2a
The materials include a section titled Understanding the Guide's Design, which provides an overview of how to use the guide effectively. This section outlines key instructional components—Planning, Delivering, Assessing, and Evaluating Skills Mastery—using color-coded tabs (gold, red, blue, and green) for easy navigation. The Planning section explains lesson content by outlining two types of instructional objectives: lesson objectives and grade-level objectives. A table in this section presents weekly academic vocabulary aligned to writing and reading instruction. For example, in the lesson Systematic Phonics: Phonograms with Handwriting, phonograms are defined as symbols for sounds made up of single or fixed combinations of letters. The materials include academic vocabulary embedded in lesson plans and weekly tables, supporting instructional delivery. The Scope and Sequence and weekly/daily lesson objectives function as structured guides for planning instruction, similar in purpose to unit overviews. The materials are designed to comprehensively support teachers by outlining the content to be taught, providing detailed procedures for teaching it effectively, defining necessary academic vocabulary, and offering supplementary instructional resources.
Evaluation for 1.2b
The publisher's website includes videos and downloadable PDFs that explain components of The Spalding Method, such as phonograms and spelling dictation. These materials outline instructional strategies and define key terms, supporting a general understanding of the curriculum's approach. A parent/caregiver guide is also available, and spelling lesson videos demonstrate what students will be doing in class. PDFs provide overviews of lesson procedures, strategies, and grade-level expectations in spelling. The resources are available in English only and are not tailored to each unit. Materials are not directed specifically at families and do not include tools to help parents support student progress at home. The materials do not include resources in Spanish.
Evaluation for 1.3a
The materials include detailed, structured lesson plans with clearly stated objectives, instructional tasks, and embedded assessments. Objectives state, "The student will . . ." format and are supported by "Model/Check/Coach (M/CK/C)" strategies. The Teacher's Guide outlines step-by-step procedures for spelling, writing, and reading instruction, including modeling, guided practice, and checks for understanding. Tables highlight essential concepts and instructional prompts, such as oral sentence modeling for vocabulary usage. Lessons reference required materials like phonogram cards, spelling notebooks, and worksheets. For example, in Week 19, students use an analogies sheet to brainstorm with teacher support. Reading assessments evaluate understanding of text structures using multiple-choice formats. The Reading Comprehension Objectives Analysis document and Scope and Sequence Part 2 provide weekly objectives and lesson components in a table format. Weekly plans list tasks across spelling, reading, and writing. Objectives and assessments are not aligned to TEKS or ELPS content or language standards.
Evaluation for 1.3b
The materials list general instructional resources, including phonogram cards, vocabulary notebooks, and comprehension posters. A daily 120-minute instructional recommendation is included, with Week 1 broken down as 45 minutes for spelling, 30 minutes for writing, and 45 minutes for reading. Academic Days include subject-specific time allocations (e.g., Day 3 includes 40 minutes each for spelling, writing, and reading), which appear consistently in Week 1 and are referenced intermittently in later lessons. Lesson plans provide objectives, directions, and required materials. For example, Week 2 includes vocabulary-based sentence writing tied to a syllable division pattern, using teacher-selected words and folded notebook paper. The Reading Comprehension Objectives Analysis available in Dropbox outlines weekly concepts, writing tasks, texts, and materials in a clear table format with lesson focus and prep notes. Supplemental Dropbox resources support guided practice with step-by-step instructions, material lists, and prep directions. For instance, Week 21's lesson on commas includes printable PDFs, sample sentences, and group prep guidance. The materials do not consistently break down time by lesson component beyond the initial weeks. Required materials are not systematically listed per lesson, and a comprehensive day-by-day checklist or pacing breakdown by task type is not provided.
Evaluation for 1.3c
The materials include in-class instructional routines such as the Model, Check, Coach framework, which supports informal assessment and reteaching. These routines could be adapted for extended practice, but no follow-up tasks are provided for homework or enrichment. Homework and intervention resources are primarily geared toward grades K–3. For example, grade 3 students complete oral reading fluency passages and practice activities like Mental Actions, but no specific extension tasks are provided for grade 5. The publisher's website offers a Home Educator Spelling Lesson Materials Pack for grades 3–6, including a spelling notebook, Word Builder Cards, and a course pencil. These materials are sold separately and may be used at home to reinforce instruction. The Dropbox includes enrichment and intervention resources aligned to grade 3, but are described as appropriate for grade 6. The Spalding Writing Enrichment Guide offers four homework activities and the Reading Enrichment Guide offers three. The materials do not include grade 5-specific extended practice or homework guidance. Teacher-directed routines are well developed, but there are no clear instructions or tasks for using lesson content beyond the classroom.
1.1 Course-Level Design
1.1a
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course
2 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 1.1a
Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course
2 out of 4 points
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).
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).
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1b
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).
1 out of 2 points
1.1c
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1c
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.
1 out of 2 points
1.1d
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1d
Evaluation for 1.1d
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.
1 out of 2 points
1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.1e
Evaluation for 1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.
2 out of 2 points
1.2 Unit-Level Design
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.
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.2a
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.
2 out of 2 points
1.2b
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 1.2b
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.
1 out of 2 points
1.3 Lesson-Level Design
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).
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).
4 out of 8 points
Evaluation for 1.3a
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).
4 out of 8 points
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.
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.
2 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 1.3b
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.
2 out of 3 points
1.3c
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 1.3c
Evaluation for 1.3c
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).
0 out of 1 points
Rubric Section 2
Progress Monitoring
Materials support educators in effective implementation through frequent, strategic opportunities to monitor and respond to student progress.
Total
46% (12 out of 26 points)
Evaluation for 2.1a
The grade 5 materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the lesson and week level, including diagnostic, formative, and some summative components. The materials are not organized in a traditional unit-based structure. For example, the materials provide diagnostic assessments such as an initial spelling pretest and oral phonogram checks to determine students' entry points for instruction. Teachers use daily formative assessments through the M/CK/C (Model, Check, Coach) model, in which students apply phonics or vocabulary knowledge in short, coached activities that inform instructional next steps. Formative assessments are embedded throughout the program and include daily oral and written phonogram checks, spelling quizzes, comprehension questions, fluency trackers, and ongoing monitoring of student progress through writing journals and classroom observations. Additionally, teachers are encouraged to develop their own questions for each lesson and use a variety of formative assessment tools aligned to lesson objectives. Summative assessment opportunities are limited, but present in the form of monthly spelling evaluations and a final summative spelling assessment given at the end of the year to verify mastery. Students also engage in a range of writing tasks such as reports, poems, letters, and summaries. These writing tasks are not explicitly labeled as culminating or end-of-unit assessments. The materials do not include a structured way to measure mastery of unit-level content. The materials do not include a formal structure of units; rather, assessments are organized by weeks, and the pacing varies across subject areas. Teachers have access to frequent spelling and reading assessments. There is no evidence of end-of-week, end-of-unit, or comprehensive summative assessments for reading or writing. Assessment types are limited to multiple-choice responses and basic written work, with few open-ended questions, projects, or class discussions provided as summative assessment options. Overall, the materials offer a variety of diagnostic and formative assessments at the lesson and week level; they do not include a comprehensive variety of summative assessments and do not present a unit-based assessment structure.
Evaluation for 2.1b
The grade 5 materials include clear definitions and intended purposes for the various types of instructional assessments incorporated throughout the program. Teachers are guided to monitor students' abilities using a range of diagnostic tools, such as phonogram reviews, oral reading fluency checks, and sentence writing samples at the start of instruction. The definition and purpose of these diagnostic assessments are explicitly stated; for example, the spelling pretest administered on Academic Day 1 is intended to determine students' mastery of phonograms and to inform instructional scaffolding for the class. Throughout the year, teachers reference the Assessing section of the Teacher's Guide to access checklists and scoring rubrics that provide daily formative feedback on students' writing and spelling. The materials clarify the definitions and roles of informal assessments—such as daily observations, oral and written checks, and classroom performance—as well as formal measures, including quizzes and monthly spelling tests. These definitions emphasize the function of each assessment type, highlighting how they are used to evaluate both short-term recall and long-term retention of language concepts. The instructional materials further elaborate on the purpose of each assessment. For example, pretesting is described as a means of identifying students' existing knowledge to guide grouping for intervention or reteaching, while ongoing formative and summative assessments are used to confirm mastery and track student growth over time. The purpose of preassessing oral reading fluency using the Fluent and Expressive Reading Checklist is to identify which phonograms may require additional instruction, either for the whole class or in small groups. Teachers are supported in understanding how assessment data should inform their instructional decisions, such as adjusting lesson pacing, providing targeted scaffolds, or focusing on specific reading and writing objectives. The program provides explicit explanations for assessment rubrics and feedback, ensuring that teachers know how to use assessment results to address and close learning gaps effectively. Overall, the materials provide comprehensive guidance on the definitions and intended purposes of diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments, supporting teachers in making data-driven instructional decisions to promote student growth.
Evaluation for 2.1c
The grade 5 materials include guidance for teachers to ensure a consistent administration of instructional assessments; they do not provide sufficient guidance to ensure accurate administration across assessment types. The Teacher's Guide includes a section titled Assessing Skills Mastery, which provides teachers with recommendations on when to administer specific assessments, such as oral reading checks. Some formal assessments, like the Initial Spelling Assessment, are supported by step-by-step, bulleted instructions outlining classroom preparation, scripted introductory remarks, specific word counts for different student groups, and clear procedures for collecting papers—measures that support consistent delivery across classrooms. Monthly spelling assessments are also accompanied by guidance on consistent implementation practices, such as using only the provided sentences, removing distractions, practicing correct pronunciation, and preventing student copying. In addition, the program includes a set of informal tools—such as oral dictation, phonogram assessments, and sentence construction—which are embedded within instructional routines and monitored through the M/CK/C framework. The materials do not include specific time limits or detailed administration protocols for all assessment types. This lack of clarity affects the accuracy of administration, particularly for assessments like reading comprehension and writing, where inconsistent timing may influence student performance. Rubrics and checklists are available to evaluate student work, but comprehensive procedures are not consistently provided, especially for informal assessments. Overall, the materials support consistent administration of some key assessments, but the lack of explicit timing guidance and complete protocols for all assessment types limits accuracy, resulting in a loss of credit for this indicator.
Evaluation for 2.1d
The grade 5 materials include diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments that are aligned to lesson objectives in spelling, writing, and reading, but explicit connections to the TEKS are not included. Teachers and educators may reference daily and weekly objectives for spelling, writing, and reading tasks, sequenced across 31–32 weeks. These objectives are implemented through routines such as M/CK/C and serve as informal formative assessments as students engage in activities like sentence dictation, comprehension questions, and written responses. The materials provide alignment between diagnostic spelling and reading assessments and the lesson objectives. For example, in Week 1, teachers administer written and oral phonogram reviews, and students participate in reading aloud for fluent and expressive reading, with progress tracked using assessment checklists. Weekly spelling quizzes, monthly Spalding Spelling Assessments, and a comprehensive end-of-year assessment are used to evaluate students' understanding and mastery of spelling patterns and phonograms. Diagnostic assessments at the beginning of the year gauge students' oral reading accuracy and fluency, with the collected data used for continuous progress monitoring and instructional adjustments. Summative monthly spelling assessments are present and correspond to each month's spelling objectives. Formative assessments in writing are used after students have learned specific sentence types and continue as they advance to paragraphs, providing teachers opportunities to monitor student progress. The program includes recommendations for instructional adjustments based on student mastery, though no formal directions are given for administering specific assessments in direct connection to particular objectives. None of the assessments are labeled with TEKS numbers or standard codes, and there is no mention of TEKS throughout the materials, resulting in the absence of formal assessment alignment to the TEKS. Overall, the materials support ongoing assessment practices aligned to local lesson objectives but do not include explicit alignment of diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments to the TEKS or specific unit objectives.
Evaluation for 2.1e
The grade 5 materials include frequent formative checks such as dictation, sentence composition, oral responses, and spelling assessments that provide opportunities to monitor student understanding at both basic and higher levels. Teachers can administer assessments using high-interest passages and multiple-choice questions during daily and weekly lessons. The Practicing and Assessing Comprehension Teacher's Manual includes comprehensive passages that increase in difficulty throughout the year, as stated in the overview: "Readabilities in these assessments range from 5.1–8.1, with the majority of the assessments at the grade-level range." This structure indicates some variation in the complexity of texts provided for assessment, supporting the development of student skills over time, but is not paired with assessment items that reflect a range of complexity levels. Spelling assessments are described as "eight, standardized fifty-word tests of equal difficulty," with words selected from the Extended Ayres List. Although there is a PDF TEKS correlation guide available on the Spalding website, they are out of date and do not contribute to current alignment. Overall, the instructional assessments do not provide varying levels of text complexity throughout the materials. There is evidence of varying text selections, but most of the assessments are in the form of multiple-choice questions. The assessments are not aligned to the TEKS, nor do they vary in levels of complexity.
Evaluation for 2.2a
The Spalding Spelling Assessment Scoring Guide provides a rubric linking word accuracy to grade status (e.g., 29/50 = 5.4 grade status), and directs teachers to differentiate instruction accordingly. This guidance is limited to spelling and does not extend to other assessment types. The Fluent and Expressive Reading Checklist includes scoring criteria (e.g., accuracy, phrasing, and intonation), and directs teachers to identify phonograms requiring reteaching, but no guidance is included for interpreting overall student trends or misconceptions. Writing evaluation tools, such as the Sentence Writing Checklist, allow teachers to mark objectives as "M" for mastery, but there is no guidance on how many "M's" indicate proficiency within or across categories. Materials do not include scoring information to support analysis of TEKS mastery, performance trends, or item-level misconceptions. Tools such as the Comprehension Assessment Class Progress Report record raw scores, but do not support interpretation or instructional decision-making.
Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide embedded guidance across multiple content areas (spelling, fluency, and reading comprehension) for using assessment data to inform targeted tasks and differentiated instructional decisions, meeting all criteria for this indicator. The Evaluating Spelling, Writing and Reading Assessment section of the Fifth Grade Teachers Classic Guide, Third Edition provides guidance for using results from spelling and fluency evaluations to plan targeted instructional tasks and address gaps in skill mastery. The 05_SSA Analyzing Data.pdf (located in the "04_Spalding Spelling Assessment [SSA] Forms by Grade Level" folder of the Assessments Checklists, Forms & Analyses Dropbox) outlines specific spelling skills to monitor and adjust instruction accordingly (e.g., reteaching phonograms or word rule exceptions based on initial SSA results). The Analyzing Fluent and Expressive Reading Data section of the Teacher's Guide includes evaluation strategies for oral reading assessments and directs teachers to tailor instruction based on fluency scores (e.g., modifying pacing or grouping based on phrasing or enunciation data). The Evaluating Assessment Data to Differentiate Instruction section in Chapter 4 of The Writing Road to Reading offers guidance on adjusting lesson components based on comprehension and vocabulary trends to support specific student needs.
Evaluation for 2.2c
Materials partially include tools for teachers to monitor and document student performance over time, but do not include tools for students to independently track or reflect on their learning progress. The Assessing Skills Mastery and Assessment & Record Keeping Forms sections in the Fifth Grade Teachers Classic Guide, Third Edition provides monthly spelling recording sheets and sentence/paragraph scoring forms for teachers, but does not provide student-facing trackers or reflection routines tied to these assessments. Th 04_Class Progress Report (from the "04_Spalding Spelling Assessment [SSA] Forms by Grade Level" folder in the Assessments Checklists, Forms & Analyses Dropbox) offers a teacher-facing chart to track spelling scores across multiple lists, but there is no student-accessible version or guidance for student use. The Teacher's Guide and Practicing and Assessing Comprehension Level 5 Teacher's Manual, under "Assessment & Record Keeping Forms," includes a Comprehension Assessment Class Progress Report for recording raw comprehension scores, but does not include student tools to log, review, or analyze individual growth over time.
2.1 Instructional Assessments
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.
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.
3 out of 9 points
Evaluation for 2.1a
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.
3 out of 9 points
2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.1b
Evaluation for 2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.
2 out of 2 points
2.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.1c
Evaluation for 2.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.
1 out of 2 points
2.1d
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
3 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 2.1d
Evaluation for 2.1d
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.
3 out of 6 points
2.1e
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.1e
Evaluation for 2.1e
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.
0 out of 2 points
2.2 Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring
2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.2a
Evaluation for 2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.
1 out of 2 points
2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 2.2b
Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.
1 out of 1 points
2.2c
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth, and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 2.2c
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.
1 out of 2 points
Rubric Section 3
Supports for All Learners
Materials support educators in reaching all learners through design focused on engagement, representation, and action/expression for learner variability.
Total
52% (14 out of 27 points)
Evaluation for 3.1a
The Writing Road to Reading Teacher's Guide provides guidance for "flexible small-group practice" in the Phonemic Awareness and Phonics, Handwriting, and Vocabulary & Spelling sections. Teachers model correct mouth and tongue positions for vowel and consonant sounds, reteach letter formation with multisensory strokes, and provide targeted support for segmenting and blending difficult high-frequency words. Paired scaffolds appear in the High-Frequency Vocabulary and Writing Instructional Strategies and Procedures sections. Students begin with oral composition, then add written conventions like capitalization and punctuation. In fluency, teachers model how to read fifth-grade texts and use the Fluent and Expressive Reading Checklist to guide and monitor expressive rereading. The materials state that "activities are to be planned by the teacher" and do not include ready-made differentiated practice tasks. Guidance is limited to instructional suggestions without providing concrete activities for students who have not yet reached proficiency.
Evaluation for 3.1b
The Writing Road to Reading pre-teaches figurative language. Teachers define idiom, model examples, and guide students to compose sentences before identifying idioms and explaining their meanings in the text In a Pickle and Other Funny Idioms. In Academic Week 20, teachers introduce the term imagery with a student-friendly definition and author purpose, followed by analysis of imagery in the poem Spring Storm. Daily word-analysis routines embed morphology instruction through Spalding Level 2 Word Builder Cards, supporting concepts like base words, roots, affixes, and 29 spelling and pronunciation rules before students encounter them in context to build foundational academic vocabulary.
Evaluation for 3.1c
The Writing Road to Reading includes teacher guidance for differentiating instruction and extending learning for students who have demonstrated proficiency. The materials recommend four enrichment strategies: expanding the lesson objective, integrating content areas, encouraging reflection, and promoting exploration aligned to the objective. Extension tasks include sentence writing on science topics or independent reading texts, categorizing spelling words by part of speech, or identifying word roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Students may also compose multi-paragraph pieces using previously learned vocabulary or manipulate phonograms to create new words with individual-size phonogram cards. Teachers are guided to tailor independent activities that deepen understanding—such as research tasks or advanced writing—while ensuring alignment with the day's objective.
Evaluation for 3.2a
The Writing Road to Reading section Delivering Integrated Language Arts Instruction describes "explicit, interactive, diagnostic instruction," marks each new objective with an "M" for model, and illustrates how to demonstrate skills such as phonogram pronunciation, letter formation, and word dictation so students "listen, observe, and then answer questions that check their understanding." Scripted dialogues for Narrative Text Structure and Informative-Narrative Writing provide verbatim teacher language: name and define the concept, think-aloud through prewriting to publishing, reference posters or graphic organizers, and ask checks for understanding (e.g., "Class, what decisions did I make during the prewriting stage?"). The Framework for Designing Lessons directs teachers to select need-to-know information and organize it visibly for students, while objective cues such as "explain that a complex sentence is made up of . . ." supply prompts that standardize explanation across classrooms.
Evaluation for 3.2b
The Writing Road to Reading includes guidance for two instructional approaches: teacher modeling with think-alouds and visual supports such as graphic organizers and Spaulding posters. Lessons prompt teachers to make cognitive processes visible during activities like spelling dictation and narrative planning. Students complete organizers during reading and engage in partner activities that reinforce comprehension. The materials offer flexible grouping and peer review routines, but lesson delivery follows a single, consistent structure. The materials do not provide varied approaches beyond modeling and visual supports, and there is no evidence of a broader range of instructional strategies used across lessons.
Evaluation for 3.2c
The Writing Road to Reading recommends whole-group, small-group, and individual structures. Teachers model new content in whole-group lessons, then reteach or enrich in flexible small groups, and assign individualized tasks (e.g., independent word-marking or paragraph-writing) based on ongoing assessments. Lessons embed guided practice (coaching with immediate feedback), independent practice (students apply skills on their own or extend objectives through research and reflection), and collaborative practice (peer "pair, share, and repair," partner text analysis, or group creation of idiom illustrations). The Framework for Designing lessons and scripted examples outline clear routines—model, check understanding, coach, fade support—that help teachers shift smoothly among practice types and instructional settings, ensuring effective implementation across literacy blocks.
Evaluation for 3.3a
The Writing Road to Reading does not include teacher guidance for providing linguistic accommodations aligned to varying levels of language proficiency. The materials use general terms such as "students with language disabilities or whose primary language is not English," but do not offer support differentiated by ELPS-defined proficiency levels. Lessons include diagnostic prompts and flexible grouping for struggling learners, but these supports are not tailored to the language acquisition needs of emergent bilingual students. There are no embedded strategies for building academic vocabulary or structured opportunities for oral or written discourse tied to language development. The materials are designed for a monolingual audience and do not include scaffolds, sentence stems, or targeted instructional routines to promote increasingly academic language across proficiency levels.
Evaluation for 3.3b
The Writing Road to Reading does not include an implementation guide for state-approved bilingual or ESL programs. Brief mentions of "LEP" or "primary language not English" do not include program models, language objectives, or teacher routines that align with bilingual or ESL requirements; teachers receive no direction for adapting the materials to those settings.
Evaluation for 3.3c
The Writing Road to Reading does not include embedded teacher guidance for supporting emergent bilingual students in developing academic vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, or making cross-linguistic connections through oral or written discourse. References to students whose primary language is not English are general and do not address varied proficiency levels or include structured supports. Oral activities such as sentence composition or class discussion are not framed as language development strategies. Although students participate in teacher-led questioning (e.g., "What do we mean when we say an author uses precise language?"), these exchanges are not designed to build oral academic language or support discourse across proficiency levels. Written tasks such as composing daily sentences or using affixed words (e.g., mystery → mysterious) are uniform for all students and are not supported with sentence frames, visual aids, or guidance for using writing to reinforce comprehension or background knowledge. The materials do not include instructional routines or supports to help students draw comparisons between English and their home language. There are no examples of cross-linguistic strategy use, and there are no embedded activities to help students build conceptual bridges between known language structures and English. The design reflects a monolingual, one-size-fits-all approach.
Evaluation for 3.3d
This guidance is not applicable because the program is not designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs.
3.1 Differentiation and Scaffolds
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.
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.
2 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 3.1a
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.
2 out of 3 points
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)
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic language). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.1b
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)
2 out of 2 points
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.
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level content and skills.
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.1c
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.
2 out of 2 points
3.2 Instructional Methods
3.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 3.2a
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.
4 out of 4 points
3.2b
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
1 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.2b
Evaluation for 3.2b
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.
1 out of 2 points
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.
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.
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 3.2c
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.
3 out of 3 points
3.3 Support for Emergent Bilingual Students
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.
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.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 3.3a
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.
0 out of 2 points
3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 3.3b
Evaluation for 3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.
0 out of 1 points
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.
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.
0 out of 8 points
Evaluation for 3.3c
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.
0 out of 8 points
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.
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.
Not scored
Evaluation for 3.3d
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.
0 out of 0 points
Rubric Section 4
Foundational Skills
Materials include guidance for explicit (direct) and systematic instruction in foundational skills, instructional routines, student practice, and cumulative review.
Total
59% (55 out of 93 points)
Evaluation for 4.A.1a
The materials do not provide teacher guidance to support students in expressing opinions or organizing presentations for specific purposes and audiences according to grade-level TEKS. Students compose opinion and argumentative writing, but there is no evidence of instructional guidance for organizing oral presentations or addressing specific audiences or purposes; activities focus solely on written products. The Oral Presentation Rubric and group project organizer are included, but are not paired with TEKS-aligned activities or explicit opportunities for students to organize and deliver presentations tailored to defined purposes or audiences. There is no evidence of TEKS alignment or explicit support for organizing presentations for specific audiences and purposes.
Evaluation for 4.A.1b
The materials do not provide explicit, TEKS-aligned opportunities for students to follow oral instructions; student tasks are limited to responding to teacher prompts such as "softly, yet precisely say the phonogram sound(s)" or "share out [their syllabication] with the class per teacher instructions," rather than authentic oral instruction activities. There is no evidence of students restating oral instructions; while students may restate information or definitions—such as, "A main character is the person or animal who is described the most"—they are not guided to restate directions or instructions. The materials do not include opportunities for students to give oral instructions; all instructional guidance comes directly from the teacher, and there are no student-led opportunities for giving directions to peers. Guidance and opportunities to follow, restate, and give oral instructions are not addressed or aligned with grade-level TEKS.
Evaluation for 4.A.1c
Materials provide authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, such as during Oral Phonogram Reviews in which students "must actively listen to the teacher's model and their own production," and teachers "immediately cover the card and correct mispronunciations." Students are guided to ask questions and engage in discussion, with lesson plans stating "have students ask questions" and providing example questions; students are also asked to "discuss with a group the narrative and informative elements that move the reading along." Materials include opportunities for students to share information and ideas, such as composing and sharing sentences orally or in writing, and explaining interpretations during activities like discussing idioms or practicing pronoun use. Across lessons, students participate in structured dialogues, answer questions to check for understanding (e.g., "Why did you point to yourself when you said 'I see'?"), and summarize learning, demonstrating the three components of active listening—questioning, discussion, and sharing information—as required by the standard.
Evaluation for 4.B.1a
Materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns aligned to the TEKS; phonograms and spelling rules are presented uniformly across grade levels without progression tied to specific developmental expectations. Fifth Grade Teachers Classic Guide, Third Edition and The Writing Road to Reading present generalized rules and a list of 70 phonograms, but do not provide grade-specific pacing or guidance for sound-spelling instruction in grade 5. The Spelling Skills Trace Table marks patterns (e.g., /sc/) for instruction during certain weeks, but does not explain the rationale, sequence, or connection to previously taught concepts; patterns appear inconsistently across the year. Materials include charts listing weekly phonograms and vocabulary, but these are not TEKS-aligned and lack structured scaffolding to support teacher delivery of sound-spelling instruction across the year.
Evaluation for 4.B.1b
Materials include clear teacher guidance for delivering explicit (direct) instruction of sound-spelling patterns through phonogram routines, phoneme segmentation, syllable division strategies, and modeled practice—meeting all criteria for this indicator. The grade 5 Teacher's Guide outlines procedures for segmenting, counting, and blending sounds (e.g., using finger cues to model individual phonemes in a word like group, followed by guided student repetition). Daily dictation and word analysis routines in Spalding spelling lessons reinforce phoneme manipulation skills (e.g., isolating, blending, and identifying sounds through modeled think-alouds and oral spelling dictation). Materials include phonogram cards and instructional tips to support explicit instruction, directing teachers to introduce phonemes, model word examples, and lead decoding tasks aligned to each week's objectives.
Evaluation for 4.B.1c
Materials include multiple structured opportunities for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns through phonics routines, rule-based word work, and scaffolded sentence construction activities—meeting all criteria for this indicator. Spalding Phonogram Cards and Word Builder Cards support rule application and vocabulary building through teacher-led and student-supported activities (e.g., adding affixes to base words like wonder → wonderful or identifying prefixes such as dis- and ap-). The Week 16 lesson, Systematic Phonics, prompts students to engage in repeated oral and written phonogram reviews, focusing on phonograms they struggle to pronounce or write—providing consistent reinforcement across multiple days. The High-Frequency Vocabulary lesson in Week 23 includes a word analysis activity tied to Rules 11 and 29, in which students manipulate word parts (e.g., typ + ical) to apply spelling rules in a sentence-completion format. Students routinely use intermediate spelling/vocabulary notebooks and engage in weekly word analysis routines (e.g., marking phonograms, syllabicating words, and writing rule-based sentences) to reinforce rule understanding and usage.
Evaluation for 4.B.2a
The Writing Road to Reading and related materials do not provide a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words; word lists labeled A–Z are not organized by spelling pattern, regularity, or frequency, and no consistent rationale for their order is evident. Spelling rules appear alongside individual words, but the lists—such as "earliest, consideration, colony, relief, occupy, foreign, scissors"—present words with unrelated patterns and no explanation for grouping. High-frequency words are introduced through phonics and word analysis activities without a predictable or structured progression across lessons or grade level. Materials do not establish a consistent or intentional sequence for introducing high-frequency words at any point during instruction.
Evaluation for 4.B.2b
The Writing Road to Reading and the Teacher's Guide provide explicit, step-by-step guidance for teachers to directly instruct decoding and encoding of both regular and irregular high-frequency words. Teachers are guided to introduce language rules systematically, model phonogram sounds and handwriting, and apply decoding strategies such as syllable division and word analysis; procedures include "say and write phonograms 1–26," dictating base words before derived words, and structured routines for blending sounds to form words. Instructional routines for the High-Frequency Vocabulary section span the full week, supporting teachers to review and revisit essential concepts—syllables, vowel sounds, spelling rules, and coding patterns—across multiple days and lesson components. Daily practice includes spelling dictation, fluent reading, and composing sentences using high-frequency words, with modeling, coaching, and support provided throughout, as detailed in the Effective Strategies for Writing and Reading supplement and lesson plan objectives.
Evaluation for 4.B.2c
The Writing Road to Reading provides a wide range of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce decoding and encoding of both regular and irregular high-frequency words through cumulative review. Students complete eight standardized Spelling Assessments featuring high-frequency words from the Extended Ayres List, reinforcing mastery and long-term retention. Lessons incorporate activities such as Mix It Up, which requires students to apply phonics rules in partner and class discussions, and Card Swap, where partners analyze and explain spelling markings for words from the word lists. Interactive games, including Swat the Phonogram, engage students in rapid phonogram recognition and provide systematic coverage and repeated exposure to foundational decoding skills. Weekly word sorts by spelling rule allow students to practice categorizing high-frequency words according to structure and spelling patterns, supporting both decoding and encoding skills across the year. Direct instruction is reinforced through Syllable Division Pattern exercises, sentence frames, and whiteboard practice as described in Effective Strategies for Writing and Reading, supporting cumulative review and varied practice opportunities. Daily routines such as dictation, writing in spelling/vocabulary notebooks, and composing sentences with high-frequency words provide continuous, scaffolded opportunities for skill development with explicit teacher guidance.
Evaluation for 4.B.2d
Materials do not provide systematic activities or resources for students to read high-frequency words within connected text; recommended texts are referenced in lesson objectives but not included, and there is no evidence of structured practice reading high-frequency words in extended text. The Writing Road to Reading offers regular activities for students to read and write high-frequency words in isolation, such as spelling dictation, daily word lists, and word analysis using spelling/vocabulary notebooks. Students compose sentences using high-frequency words and apply word knowledge through original writing activities, sentence stems, and graphic organizers—supporting memory-building and skill development in isolated and sentence-level practice only.
Evaluation for 4.B.3a
Materials do not include a systematic, TEKS-aligned sequence for introducing all required syllable types and syllable division principles; there is no instruction for vowel teams or r-controlled syllables. Materials introduce some foundational syllable types and division rules, such as open, closed, silent final e, consonant + le, VCCV, VCV, CV, and compound word patterns, but instruction omits essential syllable types and is not aligned to the TEKS. Materials do not organize syllable types and division patterns sequentially from simple to complex; for example, vowel teams and r-controlled syllables are omitted, and reinforcement of syllable types is sporadic rather than systematic. There is no evidence of mastery before introducing new skills; for instance, syllable types are reintroduced in Academic Week 1, but not consistently reinforced across the instructional period, and instruction using the Spalding Marking System is not aligned to the TEKS.
Evaluation for 4.B.3b
Materials include explicit teacher guidance for modeling and applying knowledge of syllable types and division patterns, including the use of hand signals, word dictations, and kinesthetic activities for decoding and encoding multisyllabic words. The Syllable Division Pacing Guide and The Writing Road to Reading provide scripts and routines for teachers to introduce, model, and coach the application of patterns such as VC/CV and VC/CCV, including sample words like window and little. Lessons direct teachers to use spelling notebooks and the Spalding Marking System to guide students in identifying, segmenting, and spelling multisyllabic words, with opportunities for both oral and written practice.
Evaluation for 4.B.3c
Materials include daily oral and written phonogram reviews, Spalding Level 2 Word Builder Cards, and structured word analysis routines to develop, practice, and reinforce decoding and encoding of multisyllabic words throughout the year. Students use a variety of worksheets, organizers, and hands-on activities—including sorting words by pattern, syllabicating, and applying marking techniques—to reinforce cumulative review of syllable types and division rules. Materials provide ongoing, systematic opportunities for students to encode and decode by analyzing, segmenting, and blending multisyllabic words, with skills reinforced through cumulative review across lessons.
Evaluation for 4.B.3d
Materials do not include activities or resources for students to practice decoding or encoding multisyllabic words using knowledge of syllable types and division principles in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction. There is no evidence that assigned novels or composition activities provide opportunities for students to apply syllable type or division pattern knowledge within decodable connected texts. Materials provide worksheets and daily spelling lessons for decoding and encoding multisyllabic words in isolation (e.g., students segment and mark words like summon, official, and officer, and complete organizers listing syllable types and division patterns), but there is no evidence that these skills are applied to decodable connected texts or reading passages. Students sort and analyze words by syllabication rules in spelling/vocabulary notebooks and supplemental activities, but these practices do not extend to connected texts.
Evaluation for 4.B.4a
Materials do not include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes as outlined in the TEKS. There is no evidence of TEKS alignment in the order or progression of morpheme instruction; for example, prefixes, suffixes, and Latin roots such as spec and ceive are introduced throughout the year, but in no systematic or TEKS-aligned order. The Writing Skills Trace and Prefix/Suffix Chart outlines when word parts are introduced and reinforced; the materials lack a logical progression and do not sequence instruction from least to most complex as required by the standard. Objectives for students to explain and identify base words, prefixes, suffixes, and word roots are present, but there is no evidence of a TEKS-aligned, grade-level sequence guiding instruction.
Evaluation for 4.B.4b
Materials include daily word analysis practice and explicit teacher guidance for supporting recognition and application of common morphemes, including affixes, roots, and base words, for decoding and encoding. Sentence construction lessons direct teachers to explain how affixes and suffixes change meaning, part of speech, and usage; students compose oral and written sentences with derived words such as lead/leader and message/messenger. Spalding Level 2 Word Builder Cards and related activities provide multisensory practice for adding affixes, decoding words with morphemes (e.g., independent, plenty + full), and explaining word formation, with step-by-step routines for teacher modeling and student mastery. Materials do not include explicit teacher guidance for supporting reading comprehension using morpheme knowledge.
Evaluation for 4.B.4c
Materials include structured activities for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills, such as sorting words by part of speech, selecting appropriate suffixes, and composing sentences with derived forms. Activities provide opportunities for students to identify, categorize, and define prefixes, base words, and suffixes; for example, students use charts to record the part of speech, derived word, and meaning, then write sentences using those words. Materials include Level 2 Word Builder cards and interactive organizers that guide students through the process of creating and spelling derived words, supporting incremental mastery of morphological skills across the instructional period.
Evaluation for 4.B.4d
Materials do not include opportunities for students to decode or encode words with morphemes in decodable connected text that builds on previous instruction; activities are limited to isolated word lists and sentence-level tasks. Materials provide decoding and encoding practice with morphemes in isolation, such as sorting word cards by rule (e.g., begin → beginning), completing suffix organizers, and writing sentences with derived words. There is no evidence that students practice applying morphological analysis in the context of authentic, decodable texts or passages.
Evaluation for 4.C.1a
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is referenced only for teacher pronunciation practice before monthly spelling tests; the materials give no direct instruction on the purpose or student use of print dictionaries or glossaries. In The Writing Road to Reading, an Academic Day 4 objective for Abraham Lincoln includes "glossary" as a text feature to "locate key facts," but there is no modeling or explicit instruction for how students should use glossaries. The materials list text features like "glossary," "index," and "captions," but do not explain how to use them for vocabulary development. There is no evidence of e-books, online dictionaries, or digital vocabulary tools; the materials do not support student learning of how to use digital resources.
Evaluation for 4.C.1b
The materials include weekly instruction on spelling and vocabulary (e.g., Academic Day 1 sentence writing and decoding tasks), but words are presented in isolation without the support of print or digital resources for determining meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin, or part of speech. Students compose oral and written sentences using vocabulary words, but the materials do not provide structured tools, such as glossaries or dictionaries, to support independent word analysis. The Writing Road to Reading references Latin and Greek roots during word analysis, but it does not include print or digital tools for students to investigate etymology or grammar components. Printed tools like the Spalding Level 2 Word Builder Cards and Parts of Speech Posters offer general language support, but do not function as reference resources for vocabulary analysis. The materials do not include embedded guidance or student-accessible resources to support word understanding through print or digital means.
Evaluation for 4.C.1c
Materials do not provide explicit instruction aligned to grade-level TEKS on how to use context clues—such as definitions, synonyms, antonyms, or inference—to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Vocabulary instruction focuses primarily on morphology; students are guided to analyze affixes and base words rather than using surrounding text to infer word meanings. The Writing Road to Reading models a teacher think-aloud ("I understand every word except bifocals . . . I think bifocals means some kind of eyeglasses"), but this strategy is not consistently embedded or connected to unfamiliar word identification or grade-level TEKS. Student activities, including "compose oral or written sentences" with unfamiliar words or "explain the meaning of the sentence" in texts like Lincoln: A Photobiography and Why Isn't Pluto a Planet? do not directly support vocabulary development through context-based strategies.
Evaluation for 4.D.1a
Materials include a variety of grade-level texts—such as fiction, biographies, poems, and informational texts—to support fluent and expressive reading according to the reading purpose. Daily lessons provide objectives for reading aloud with appropriate phrasing, tone, and expression, with students reading novels (including, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and My Side of the Mountain), informational texts (including Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions), and poetry. Teachers model and coach expressive reading, guiding students to interpret punctuation and adjust volume, pitch, and emotional nuance to match the text structure and reading purpose.
Evaluation for 4.D.1b
Materials include explicit, interactive instruction and coaching in both whole-group and small-group settings, with daily opportunities for students to read aloud individually, in unison, and with teacher feedback. Daily oral reading is embedded in the Literary Appreciation/Fluency block, in which students read a range of texts—including novels such as Mr. Tucket and Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms—to practice phrasing, intonation, and expression. Teachers provide targeted small-group interventions for students needing additional support, ensuring flexible settings for fluency development. Partnered activities—such as collaboratively composing metaphorical sentences after reading poems—further reinforce opportunities for practice in varied contexts.
Evaluation for 4.D.1c
Materials include materials and tools for teachers, with strategies for supporting students through self-sustained reading with high-quality, grade-level texts. Direct teacher modeling and classroom posters introduce and reinforce the Five Mental Actions (including Monitoring Comprehension, Making Connections, Predicting,) as explicit strategies for self-sustained reading. Students are guided to apply these metacognitive strategies while engaging in independent reading of high-quality texts; for example, after reading Toliver's Secret and Carry on, Mr. Bowditch, students complete comprehension assignments to demonstrate understanding. Comprehension activities—including written responses, reflection tasks, and comprehension checks—are consistently provided after self-sustained reading, supporting teachers in monitoring student understanding and promoting independent application of reading strategies.
Evaluation for 4.D.1d
Materials do not provide texts at varying levels of complexity to support the development of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension for students with different reading needs. All students read the same grade-level texts, with no evidence of scaffolded or differentiated text selection based on student ability. Resources like the McCall-Crabbs passages are brief, recall-based, and lack the depth or complexity required to challenge readers or develop higher-order comprehension skills. Guidance for adjusting text difficulty (e.g., pre-reading easy passages or modeling more challenging texts) is limited to teacher recommendations with no structured supports or alternative texts provided in the materials.
Evaluation for 4.E.1a
Materials include detailed resources that support grade-level appropriate handwriting instruction, such as the Spalding Feature and Letter Formation Posters, Spalding Cursive Alphabet Strips, and clock face visuals for letter formation. Lessons guide teachers in proper posture, pencil grip, and starting points for forming letters, including sketches for right- and left-handed students. Handwriting instruction begins in Academic Week 1 as part of Academic Day 1 phonics lessons. Students review the six features used to form letters, then practice saying and writing phonograms and high-frequency words from dictation in their intermediate spelling/vocabulary notebooks. The materials integrate handwriting into spelling and vocabulary development throughout the year. Students write words in cursive daily, and the program encourages ongoing assessment for legibility and accuracy, reinforcing handwriting as a foundational skill that supports literacy. Materials include resources that support the teaching of handwriting skills appropriate for grade 5 and explicitly connect instruction to current student learning.
Evaluation for 4.E.1b
Materials provide structured resources that support the development of grade-appropriate cursive handwriting skills, such as the Spalding Feature and Letter Formation Posters, Spalding Cursive Alphabet Strips, and a clock face model that breaks letter formation into six features. These tools guide students in learning proper grip, posture, and stroke direction. Students develop handwriting daily during Academic Week 1 in which they review cursive lowercase letters, then write 20 phonograms and 10 high-frequency words in cursive during each Systematic Phonics lesson; in the Academic Week 2 lesson on spelling dictation, they copy words and sentences in cursive, with teachers checking midline starts and straight strokes. Authentic tasks embed cursive practice across the year—learners record spelling rules and weekly vocabulary in their intermediate spelling/vocabulary notebooks, draft paragraphs in composition lessons, and compose a friendly letter from a Revolutionary War perspective, connecting handwriting to real writing purposes. Materials supply frequent opportunities, resources, and integrated activities that let students both develop and practice grade-appropriate cursive within ongoing phonics, spelling, and writing work, fully meeting every element of the standard.
4.A.1 Oral Language Development
4.A.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to support students in expressing an opinion and organizing presentations for specific purposes and audiences according to grade level TEKS. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to support students in expressing an opinion and organizing presentations for specific purposes and audiences according to grade level TEKS. (T)
0 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.A.1a
Evaluation for 4.A.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to support students in expressing an opinion and organizing presentations for specific purposes and audiences according to grade level TEKS. (T)
0 out of 4 points
4.A.1b
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to follow, restate, and give oral instructions as directed by the grade-level English language arts TEKS. (S)
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to follow, restate, and give oral instructions as directed by the grade-level English language arts TEKS. (S)
0 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 4.A.1b
Evaluation for 4.A.1b
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to follow, restate, and give oral instructions as directed by the grade-level English language arts TEKS. (S)
0 out of 6 points
4.A.1c
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.A.1c
Evaluation for 4.A.1c
Materials include authentic opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, engage in discussion to understand information, and share information and ideas. (S)
4 out of 4 points
4.B.1 Sound-Spelling Patterns (4-5)
4.B.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.B.1a
Evaluation for 4.B.1a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level sound-spelling patterns, as outlined in the TEKS
0 out of 1 points
4.B.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (T)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.B.1b
Evaluation for 4.B.1b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for grade-level sound-spelling patterns. (T)
1 out of 1 points
4.B.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). (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level sound-spelling patterns (through cumulative review). (S)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 4.B.1c
Evaluation for 4.B.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). (S)
3 out of 3 points
4.B.2 Regular and Irregular High-Frequency Words
4.B.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.B.2a
Evaluation for 4.B.2a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing regular and irregular high-frequency words
0 out of 2 points
4.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (T)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.B.2b
Evaluation for 4.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for decoding and encoding regular and irregular high-frequency words. (T)
4 out of 4 points
4.B.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). (S)
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). (S)
12 out of 12 points
Evaluation for 4.B.2c
Evaluation for 4.B.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). (S)
12 out of 12 points
4.B.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). (S)
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). (S)
3 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.B.2d
Evaluation for 4.B.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). (S)
3 out of 4 points
4.B.3 Decoding and Encoding Multisyllabic Words
4.B.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.B.3a
Evaluation for 4.B.3a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level syllable types and syllable division principles, as outlined in the TEKS
0 out of 2 points
4.B.3b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode multisyllabic words. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode multisyllabic words. (T)
4 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.B.3b
Evaluation for 4.B.3b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction for applying knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles to decode and encode multisyllabic words. (T)
4 out of 4 points
4.B.3c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (S)
6 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 4.B.3c
Evaluation for 4.B.3c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice and reinforce skills to decode and encode multisyllabic words (through cumulative review). (S)
6 out of 6 points
4.B.3d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction. (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction. (S)
4 out of 8 points
Evaluation for 4.B.3d
Evaluation for 4.B.3d
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to practice decoding and encoding multisyllabic words, using knowledge of syllable types and syllable division principles, in isolation (e.g., word lists) and in connected text that builds on previous instruction. (S)
4 out of 8 points
4.B.4 Morphological Awareness
4.B.4a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.B.4a
Evaluation for 4.B.4a
Materials include a systematic sequence for introducing grade-level morphemes, as outlined in the TEKS
0 out of 1 points
4.B.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. (T)
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. (T)
3 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.B.4b
Evaluation for 4.B.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. (T)
3 out of 4 points
4.B.4c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (S)
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (S)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 4.B.4c
Evaluation for 4.B.4c
Materials include a variety of activities and/or resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce grade-level morphological skills (through cumulative review). (S)
3 out of 3 points
4.B.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 connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
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 connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
2 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.B.4d
Evaluation for 4.B.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 connected text that builds on previous instruction (e.g., within sentences). (PR 2.A.1 & 2.A.3) (S)
2 out of 4 points
4.C.1 Vocabulary Development
4.C.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources such as dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources such as dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. (T)
0 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.C.1a
Evaluation for 4.C.1a
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction on the purpose and use of both print and digital resources such as dictionaries, glossaries, eBooks, and online dictionaries. (T)
0 out of 4 points
4.C.1b
Materials include print and digital resources to support students in determining the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin and part of speech of vocabulary. (S)
Materials include print and digital resources to support students in determining the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin and part of speech of vocabulary. (S)
0 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 4.C.1b
Evaluation for 4.C.1b
Materials include print and digital resources to support students in determining the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin and part of speech of vocabulary. (S)
0 out of 5 points
4.C.1c
Materials support students in using context to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words according to grade-level TEKS. (S)
Materials support students in using context to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words according to grade-level TEKS. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.C.1c
Evaluation for 4.C.1c
Materials support students in using context to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words according to grade-level TEKS. (S)
0 out of 1 points
4.D.1 Reading Fluency
4.D.1a
Materials include a variety of grade-level texts to support students to read fluently according to the reading purpose. (S)
Materials include a variety of grade-level texts to support students to read fluently according to the reading purpose. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.D.1a
Evaluation for 4.D.1a
Materials include a variety of grade-level texts to support students to read fluently according to the reading purpose. (S)
1 out of 1 points
4.D.1b
Materials include practice activities and tasks to develop word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in teacher-facilitated small groups, etc.). (S)
Materials include practice activities and tasks to develop word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in teacher-facilitated small groups, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.D.1b
Evaluation for 4.D.1b
Materials include practice activities and tasks to develop word reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., independently, in partners, in teacher-facilitated small groups, etc.). (S)
1 out of 1 points
4.D.1c
Materials include materials and tools for teachers, with strategies to support students through self-sustained reading with high-quality grade-level texts. (T)
Materials include materials and tools for teachers, with strategies to support students through self-sustained reading with high-quality grade-level texts. (T)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.D.1c
Evaluation for 4.D.1c
Materials include materials and tools for teachers, with strategies to support students through self-sustained reading with high-quality grade-level texts. (T)
1 out of 1 points
4.D.1d
Materials include various texts at different levels of complexity for the building of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
Materials include various texts at different levels of complexity for the building of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
0 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 4.D.1d
Evaluation for 4.D.1d
Materials include various texts at different levels of complexity for the building of accuracy, fluency, prosody, and comprehension.
0 out of 4 points
4.E.1 Handwriting Development
4.E.1a
Materials include resources to support the teaching of handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level and, when possible, connected to current student learning. (T)
Materials include resources to support the teaching of handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level and, when possible, connected to current student learning. (T)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 4.E.1a
Evaluation for 4.E.1a
Materials include resources to support the teaching of handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level and, when possible, connected to current student learning. (T)
2 out of 2 points
4.E.1b
Materials include frequent opportunities, resources, and activities and tasks for students to authentically practice and develop handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level. (S)
Materials include frequent opportunities, resources, and activities and tasks for students to authentically practice and develop handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 4.E.1b
Evaluation for 4.E.1b
Materials include frequent opportunities, resources, and activities and tasks for students to authentically practice and develop handwriting skills appropriate for each grade level. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Rubric Section 5
Knowledge Coherence
Materials support the development of connected background knowledge and key academic vocabulary within and across grade levels.
Total
24% (7 out of 29 points)
Evaluation for 5.A.1a
Grade 5 materials offer students a variety of reading selections and informational texts that span science, history, social studies, and the arts. Notable science topics include hurricanes, Pluto, honeybees, and the book Quest for the Tree Kangaroo, while social studies and history selections such as Abraham Lincoln, the panting Washington Crossing the Delaware, My Librarian Is a Camel, and McCall-Crabbs passages focused on historical and geographical content are also included. The Teacher's Manual further features narratives on the solar system, the Ice Age, Pearl Harbor, Egyptian glass, and Greek mythology, supporting exposure to a range of content-area topics. Students engage in cross-curricular activities by composing informative and multi-paragraph writing pieces about science or social studies topics. For example, the Academic Week 5 materials direct students to "write a thesis statement about a science or social studies topic." In Week 6, students read Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms and write a multi-paragraph informative text that explains how the author used evidence to support an understanding of hurricanes. The program includes a recommended book list with titles such as Nathaniel Bowditch, Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms, and The Landry News, contributing to the breadth of content exposure. Despite the presence of varied content-area texts and writing assignments, the materials do not organize instruction into units designed to build deep knowledge in a specific discipline. Cross-curricular activities appear as isolated lessons rather than as part of an intentional sequence to build and connect knowledge across weeks or grade levels. Vertical alignment of spelling, writing, and reading skills is indicated in a chart for grades 3–6, yet there is no evidence that cross-curricular content topics are coherently developed over time or supported through inquiry- or research-based lessons. Overall, the materials present opportunities for exposure to science, social studies, and arts topics. However, cross-curricular knowledge-building is not supported through coherent, unit-based, or vertically aligned instructional design.
Evaluation for 5.A.1b
The grade 5 materials include a scope and sequence that outlines the progression of literacy skills—spelling, writing, and reading—that also span grades 3–6. Teachers can reference charts and tables that display each skill by academic week, using codes such as I/P (introduce and practice), P (practice), M (mastery), R (review to reinforce), and C (challenge) to indicate the instructional focus for each grade level. The Teacher's Guide also provides Spelling, Writing, and Reading Skills Trace documents, which list when each literacy objective is taught and reviewed throughout the year. The vertical alignment chart details the progression of specific skills, such as the use of commas in the closing of a letter, showing how students are introduced to the skill in grade 3, practice it in grade 4, master it in grade 5, and review it in grade 6. Each academic week features a list of words for students to read and study, and skills such as identifying elements of imaginative literature are assigned mastery or review status by grade. Despite the clear mapping of literacy skills, the materials do not present a scope and sequence for content knowledge building, either within or across grade levels. Word lists, themes, and topics appear isolated or sporadic from week to week and are not organized to support intentional knowledge building or deepening understanding within the grade. Knowledge building across content areas is not represented, and there is no evidence that the structure of instruction helps students make connections or enhances their ability to think, speak, and write about a wide range of topics beyond discrete literacy skills. Overall, the materials demonstrate strong vertical alignment for literacy skills across grades, but they do not provide a coherent approach to building content knowledge or connecting themes and topics within or across grade levels.
Evaluation for 5.A.1c
The grade 5 materials are organized by academic week and provide students with opportunities to engage with the same text across both reading and writing lessons. For example, The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees is used for reading in Weeks 18–19, and for writing in Weeks 20–22. Quest for the Tree Kangaroo is used for reading in Weeks 20–21, and writing in Week 22. The materials also assign Lincoln: A Photobiography for reading in Weeks 25–27, and guide students to write a report about a historical figure, explorer, invention, or country during Weeks 25 and 26. Students often revisit texts to apply new writing skills or strategies introduced in previous reading lessons. The Teacher's Guide outlines a structured approach to reading chapter books across several weeks, such as beginning a daily read-aloud of Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms in Academic Week 4, with sidebars indicating pacing recommendations to complete the book within two weeks. The recommended book list includes titles about historical and scientific topics assigned for two to four weeks at a time. Texts may be used across multiple lessons and weeks, but the materials do not intentionally connect lessons or texts to build knowledge on a common topic or theme over time. Weekly lessons are not linked by overarching themes or designed as a unit sequence, and there is no evidence that multiple texts share a common topic that guides students toward deeper understanding. Lessons remain isolated by week, which prevents students from making sustained connections and building cumulative knowledge across the grade level. Overall, the materials provide repeated exposure to individual texts for both reading and writing, but they do not offer extended units or intentionally connected topics that build content knowledge across multiple lessons or weeks.
Evaluation for 5.A.1d
In grade 5, lessons are connected by anchoring texts designed to build background knowledge over time. Materials include multi-week studies of texts such as The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees, Toliver's Secret, Lincoln: A Photobiography, The Black Stallion, and My Side of the Mountain. These texts support the development of knowledge related to topics like ecosystems, patriotism, survival, and historical figures. Instruction is sequenced to build comprehension through repeated engagement with texts and related writing tasks. The Teacher's Guide includes structured supports such as comprehension organizers and writing prompts that reinforce learning across texts. For example, students revisit A Texas Cowboy in Academic Week 30—after first encountering it in Week 13—to strengthen summary writing and deepen understanding. Students move from historical fiction to biography, expanding knowledge across related themes through intentional lesson design. The materials present a consistent structure in which lessons connect through anchor texts and sequenced tasks that support knowledge building across the year.
Evaluation for 5.A.1e
The grade 5 materials include writing and discussion activities connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson. In Academic Week 7, students revise, edit, and publish an informative piece about hurricanes, building on knowledge introduced in Week 6. The Fifth Grade Writing and Reading Objectives Correlation chart links writing assignments to related reading selections, such as a three-paragraph report on a historical figure in Week 14 following a reading about inventions. Students also compare texts like Quest for the Tree Kangaroo and The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees, using evidence to support written analysis and classroom discussion on preservation. Vocabulary and grammar instruction is present, but not connected to the lesson's knowledge-building topic. Vocabulary lists include general or high-frequency words that are not drawn from the core texts, and grammar lessons focus on discrete skills without integration into the reading or writing tasks. Because grammar and vocabulary are taught in isolation, the materials do not fully meet the expectation that all language activities support the development of content knowledge.
Evaluation for 5.A.2a
The grade 5 materials include a review of foundational literacy skills such as phonemic awareness, sentence types, and word parts. Students revisit these through routine activities like identifying sentence types and applying the Spalding marking system. These tasks reinforce concepts taught earlier in the school year, but do not connect to content from prior grade levels. The Teacher's Guide includes general prompts to recall recent learning, using phrases like "Yesterday" or "You have been," which support short-term memory. Guidance emphasizes connecting to students' prior learning, but does not include explicit examples, strategies, or embedded supports for activating background knowledge from earlier grades. The materials do not make clear or intentional connections to content taught in previous grade levels. Vertical alignment is not evident, and responsibility for bridging prior knowledge falls to the teacher. As a result, the materials do not meet the expectation for activating or supplying background knowledge from prior grade levels.
Evaluation for 5.A.2b
The grade 5 materials are organized by academic week rather than by defined instructional units, and lesson content does not intentionally build upon prior knowledge within the grade level. The Writing Road to Reading notes that vocabulary instruction introduced during the spelling lesson is further developed in the writing lesson and then applied in reading. Teachers can access Daily and Weekly Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objective Templates in the Planning section, which outline spelling, writing, and reading objectives taught each week, and the Skills Trace charts provide an overview of skill progression across the year. Some lesson structures incorporate short-term connections across academic weeks. For example, in Academic Week 19, students revisit the poem Rainbow by Moira Andrew, initially introduced during Reading Week 15. Using Rainbow as a model, students compose their own poems with metaphors, building on their understanding of figurative language and creative writing. Another instance of connection occurs between Academic Weeks 18 and 22, in which students use a comparison graphic organizer and compose an essay analyzing preservation efforts in the texts Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea and The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees: A Scientific Mystery. Despite these examples, the materials do not present evidence of systematic or intentional connections aimed at activating or building background knowledge within the grade level. Lessons introduce new topics without referencing or connecting to previously taught grade-level concepts, texts, or units. Vocabulary is generally not drawn from the reading texts to build prior knowledge, and while some lessons revisit texts or previously introduced material, most instruction is organized as isolated, week-by-week activities. Overall, the materials include occasional opportunities to revisit earlier content for creative or analytical tasks, but do not consistently build background knowledge or make explicit instructional connections across topics within the grade level.
Evaluation for 5.A.2c
The grade 5 materials guide teachers to plan introductions that focus student attention on new lesson content and connect it to prior learning. The Teacher's Guide encourages this practice, but it does not provide teachers with ready-made introductions, contextual background, or explicit resources; instead, teachers are expected to gather or design this support independently. As a result, each week requires teachers to plan targeted context to enhance student engagement with texts. Lesson activities typically move directly into reading or analysis without supplying students with the relevant background knowledge or contextual information. For example, in Academic Week 28, students are instructed to read Lincoln: A Photobiography and take notes on the text, with the activity assuming students already know who Abraham Lincoln was and his historical significance. Similarly, in Academic Week 28, students read the poem Paul Revere's Ride to identify characteristics of poetry, but the lesson does not provide context about Paul Revere, thus limiting students' ability to fully understand the poem's references and themes. The materials instruct teachers to provide explicit explanations of text structures before reading, such as describing narrative elements like character, setting, plot, and point of view before reading Freedom Summer. Teachers model how to create organizers that support text analysis, equipping students with strategies to understand and engage with the text. This modeling focuses on comprehension skills rather than building background knowledge or supplying historical, cultural, or topical context. Students revisit certain texts to deepen understanding—such as modeling reading strategies with the text Carry On, Mr. Bowditch in Academic Week 6 and then returning to it in Academic Week 10 to construct organizers and write literature responses. However, there is no explicit provision of background information to support students' engagement with the material. Overall, the materials do not supply students with background knowledge or contextual information prior to reading text selections. Teachers are expected to create or supply this context independently.
Evaluation for 5.A.3a
Materials do not include questions or tasks that require students to engage with overarching themes or big ideas; instead, reading instruction focuses on isolated skills and comprehension checks. The Writing Road to Reading divides instruction into strands—literary appreciation, text structure, and comprehension—but these are taught without a unifying theme or connection across texts. Texts such as The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees, Toys!, and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch are read over multiple weeks. Students focus on discrete literacy skills (e.g., identifying text features or plot structure) rather than exploring broad concepts or engaging in thematic discourse. The curriculum includes a weekly progression of disconnected texts—such as Monterey Friendship, Studying Lightning, and Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storm—without prompts or tasks that support exploration of a shared topic or big idea.
Evaluation for 5.A.3b
Materials do not include embedded questions that prompt students to synthesize knowledge across texts, lessons, or units; teachers are expected to create higher-level thinking questions independently. In Academic Week 22, students compare preservation efforts in Quest for the Tree Kangaroo and The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees through a two-paragraph informative essay and a graphic organizer, but no guiding questions are included to support synthesis. The Reading and Writing Objective Correlation Table identifies writing tasks that span multiple texts (available in texts such as Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and Toliver's Secret), but materials do not frame these connections with prompts that require thematic or conceptual integration. Activities that involve identifying literary elements across texts (e.g., metaphors in Fog and The Highway) focus on repeated skill practice, not synthesis of knowledge across texts or units.
Evaluation for 5.A.3c
Materials do not include culminating tasks that require students to synthesize learning across multiple related texts within a unit; tasks focus on single texts or isolated skills. In Academic Week 31, students compose a multi-paragraph literary analysis essay focused on one text, but are not required to connect ideas across texts or demonstrate understanding of a broader unit topic. In Academic Week 16, students compare two inventions from Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions, but the activity is text-bound and not linked to a unit or broader conceptual study. The materials are organized by individual academic weeks rather than thematic units. Comprehension skills are applied across unrelated texts like Once a Mouse . . ., Abraham Lincoln, and Why Isn't Pluto a Planet?, thus limiting opportunities for cohesive synthesis.
Evaluation for 5.A.3d
Materials do not provide tasks that extend learning to real-world applications; activities remain limited to academic exercises within the classroom. In Academic Week 29, students read My Librarian is a Camel and discuss the ways in which books are delivered globally (e.g., trucks in Azerbaijan), but are not asked to apply this understanding through action or problem-solving beyond the text. In Academic Week 32, after completing the text My Side of the Mountain, students identify main ideas across texts in reading, science, and social studies—but this cross-content literacy task does not include authentic, real-world connections. Assignments such as composing a five-paragraph essay on causes of honeybee disappearance or comparing schools across time in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch reflect academic analysis, but do not transfer learning to real-world contexts or audiences.
Evaluation for 5.A.4a
Materials do not include a year-long scope and sequence for building Tier 2 and Tier 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building; instruction primarily focuses on high-frequency Tier 1 words. Vocabulary lists—such as those from Spalding's Spelling/Vocabulary List and Skills Trace—include word groupings tied to spelling and phonogram rules, but are not categorized by vocabulary tier or aligned to specific content knowledge. In Academic Week 6, students work with words like distinguish, colonial, and wholesome, but these are not linked to lesson content or organized thematically to support knowledge-building over time. Materials include terms related to word structure (e.g., syllable, prefix, root); there is no explicit sequence or instructional plan for building Tier 2 or Tier 3 vocabulary across the year.
Evaluation for 5.A.4b
Materials do not include content or language scaffolds with explicit teacher guidance to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners; supports are general and not tailored to student need. Vocabulary instruction emphasizes word parts—e.g., using charts to break down the words discover and electrical—but materials do not provide structured guidance for teachers on how to scaffold content for below-level, multilingual, or advanced students. In Academic Weeks 4 and 8, students are directed to compose oral or written sentences using words with affixes like -ly, de-, and dis-, but these are isolated language tasks, not differentiated by proficiency level or supported with teacher-facing strategies. Sentence models and word banks—e.g., from the Spalding Sentence Construction with High-Frequency Vocabulary model—offer structured practice, but are not embedded in a broader instructional plan that differentiates for vocabulary development across diverse learner groups.
Evaluation for 5.A.4c
The Teacher's Guide includes instructional routines where students apply key academic vocabulary in oral and written tasks, such as, "compose oral/written sentences that use imagery" in Academic Week 20, or compare and contrast essays using connectors such as different from, however, and although in Week 16.
Evaluation for 5.A.4d
Materials include multiple nonverbal teaching tools to support the acquisition of key academic vocabulary—e.g., posters in the Posters and Student Resources Handbook visually represent terms like Emotional Appeal (with hearts), Insight (magnifying glass), and Precise Language (target and arrow) to reinforce meaning. Teachers and students reference Parts of Speech Posters and Elements of Informatives visuals. For example, Point of View is represented with an eye icon, and Conclusion with a checkmark, promoting memory retention through symbolic cues. Mental Action Posters illustrate comprehension strategies such as Making Connections, paired with an image of electrical cords joining to emphasize the cognitive process behind linking prior knowledge to new information. The program incorporates physical gestures (e.g., finger cues to denote phonemes and hand motions for syllable division) to enhance phonemic awareness instruction, integrating kinesthetic supports with vocabulary learning.
Evaluation for 5.B.1a
Materials do not support students in generating their own research questions or developing focused inquiry plans; assignments are limited to composing reports on given topics without a process for student-driven questioning. Research tasks rely almost exclusively on curriculum-provided texts (such as Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms and Lincoln: A Photobiography), with no evidence that students gather information from a variety of external sources, such as scientific reports or expert interviews. No graphic organizers, templates, or structured tools are provided to guide students through the research process, such as organizing findings or outlining research steps. Opportunities for critical inquiry are limited; students summarize or compare information found within assigned readings, but are not guided to synthesize information from multiple sources or plan authentic research projects.
Evaluation for 5.B.1b
Materials provide explicit guidance and opportunities for students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. Teachers introduce clear definitions and examples—such as "Primary = I saw it!" and "Secondary = I heard about it!"—and use anchor charts to support understanding. Students engage in hands-on activities (e.g., cut-and-paste Sort the Sources cards, matching statements, digital quizzes, and two-voice journal writing) to practice identifying primary and secondary sources and explain their reasoning. Lessons incorporate multiple examples of each source type, including diary entries, photographs, biographies, documentaries, and interviews, allowing students to classify sources as firsthand or secondhand accounts. Materials offer practice differentiating perspectives by having students compare direct accounts with secondhand interpretations (e.g., writing paired paragraphs from both viewpoints, interviewing adults about past events, and then researching secondary accounts).
Evaluation for 5.B.1c
This guidance is not applicable to grades 4–5 because it only applies to grades 6–8.
5.A.1 Connected Knowledge-Building Units and Lessons
5.A.1a
Units are designed to build knowledge based in the fields of science, history, literature, and the arts.
Units are designed to build knowledge based in the fields of science, history, literature, and the arts.
0 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1a
Evaluation for 5.A.1a
Units are designed to build knowledge based in the fields of science, history, literature, and the arts.
0 out of 4 points
5.A.1b
Materials provide resources, including a scope and sequence, to demonstrate the approach to knowledge-building within and across grade levels.
Materials provide resources, including a scope and sequence, to demonstrate the approach to knowledge-building within and across grade levels.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1b
Evaluation for 5.A.1b
Materials provide resources, including a scope and sequence, to demonstrate the approach to knowledge-building within and across grade levels.
0 out of 2 points
5.A.1c
Units are designed for students to spend extended time (e.g., 3 weeks or more) on connected knowledge-building topics and texts.
Units are designed for students to spend extended time (e.g., 3 weeks or more) on connected knowledge-building topics and texts.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1c
Evaluation for 5.A.1c
Units are designed for students to spend extended time (e.g., 3 weeks or more) on connected knowledge-building topics and texts.
0 out of 1 points
5.A.1d
Lessons are connected by anchoring texts or text sets designed to intentionally build connected student background knowledge over time.
Lessons are connected by anchoring texts or text sets designed to intentionally build connected student background knowledge over time.
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1d
Evaluation for 5.A.1d
Lessons are connected by anchoring texts or text sets designed to intentionally build connected student background knowledge over time.
1 out of 1 points
5.A.1e
Grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing activities are connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson.
Grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing activities are connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson.
2 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 5.A.1e
Evaluation for 5.A.1e
Grammar, vocabulary, discussion, and writing activities are connected to the knowledge-building topic of the lesson.
2 out of 4 points
5.A.2 Context and Student Background Knowledge
5.A.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections to previously learned content from prior grade levels.
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections to previously learned content from prior grade levels.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.2a
Evaluation for 5.A.2a
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections to previously learned content from prior grade levels.
0 out of 1 points
5.A.2b
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level. (S)
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.2b
Evaluation for 5.A.2b
Materials activate or supply background knowledge by making connections across units within a grade level. (S)
0 out of 1 points
5.A.2c
Materials provide students with relevant and targeted context or background knowledge to enhance the student's engagement with the text. (T/S)
Materials provide students with relevant and targeted context or background knowledge to enhance the student's engagement with the text. (T/S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.2c
Evaluation for 5.A.2c
Materials provide students with relevant and targeted context or background knowledge to enhance the student's engagement with the text. (T/S)
0 out of 1 points
5.A.3 Developing Student Comprehension with Connected Topics, Questions, and Tasks
5.A.3a
Questions and tasks require students to engage with big ideas, topics, and themes. (S)
Questions and tasks require students to engage with big ideas, topics, and themes. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.3a
Evaluation for 5.A.3a
Questions and tasks require students to engage with big ideas, topics, and themes. (S)
0 out of 1 points
5.A.3b
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within and across lessons and units. (S)
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within and across lessons and units. (S)
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.A.3b
Evaluation for 5.A.3b
Questions and tasks prompt students to synthesize knowledge and concepts across texts within and across lessons and units. (S)
0 out of 2 points
5.A.3c
Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. (S)
Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.3c
Evaluation for 5.A.3c
Culminating tasks require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit topic by making connections across related texts. (S)
0 out of 1 points
5.A.3d
Materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. (S)
Materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.3d
Evaluation for 5.A.3d
Materials provide opportunities to apply new understanding based on the topic to contexts beyond the classroom. (S)
0 out of 1 points
5.A.4 Key Academic Vocabulary and Grade-Level Concepts
5.A.4a
Materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building.
Materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.A.4a
Evaluation for 5.A.4a
Materials include a year-long scope and sequence for building tier 2 and 3 academic vocabulary in the context of knowledge-building.
0 out of 2 points
5.A.4b
Materials include practice and application opportunities with appropriate content and language scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. (S)
Materials include practice and application opportunities with appropriate content and language scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. (S)
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.A.4b
Evaluation for 5.A.4b
Materials include practice and application opportunities with appropriate content and language scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. (S)
0 out of 2 points
5.A.4c
Materials include tasks designed to engage students in purposeful use of key academic vocabulary. (S)
Materials include tasks designed to engage students in purposeful use of key academic vocabulary. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.4c
Evaluation for 5.A.4c
Materials include tasks designed to engage students in purposeful use of key academic vocabulary. (S)
1 out of 1 points
5.A.4d
Materials include nonverbal teaching techniques to support students in the acquisition of key academic vocabulary, such as the use of images and visualization. (T)
Materials include nonverbal teaching techniques to support students in the acquisition of key academic vocabulary, such as the use of images and visualization. (T)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.A.4d
Evaluation for 5.A.4d
Materials include nonverbal teaching techniques to support students in the acquisition of key academic vocabulary, such as the use of images and visualization. (T)
1 out of 1 points
5.B.1 Recursive Inquiry Process
5.B.1a
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in critical inquiry as part of the research process, such as generating questions, developing a plan, identifying and gathering relevant information from a variety of sources, and synthesizing the information. (S)
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in critical inquiry as part of the research process, such as generating questions, developing a plan, identifying and gathering relevant information from a variety of sources, and synthesizing the information. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 5.B.1a
Evaluation for 5.B.1a
Materials include opportunities for students to engage in critical inquiry as part of the research process, such as generating questions, developing a plan, identifying and gathering relevant information from a variety of sources, and synthesizing the information. (S)
0 out of 1 points
5.B.1b
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (S)
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 5.B.1b
Evaluation for 5.B.1b
Materials include guidance and opportunities for students to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. (S)
2 out of 2 points
5.B.1c
Materials include a progression of focused research tasks to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting or analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials (6-8). (S)
Materials include a progression of focused research tasks to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting or analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials (6-8). (S)
Not scored
Evaluation for 5.B.1c
Evaluation for 5.B.1c
Materials include a progression of focused research tasks to encourage students to develop knowledge in a given area by confronting or analyzing different aspects of a topic using multiple texts and source materials (6-8). (S)
0 out of 0 points
Rubric Section 6
Text Quality and Complexity
Materials ensure students spend a majority of their time interacting with increasingly complex grade-level text.
Total
45% (13 out of 29 points)
Evaluation for 6.1a
The materials provide a list of core texts with grade-level equivalencies and Lexile levels, such as Mr. Tucket (5.5 grade level, 830 Lexile) and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (5.1 grade level, 570 Lexile), but the list does not include any further indicators or components of text complexity. All core texts are referenced but not included in the materials; they must be acquired separately. Text selection is based solely on quantitative measures (Lexile levels), with no evidence of qualitative analysis, reader/task considerations, or research-based justification for selections. Rationale for text and poem selection is not provided, and there is no summary, explanation, or research base to support or clarify the complexity or appropriateness of included works.
Evaluation for 6.1b
The texts included in the materials, such as those in the McCall-Crabbs Teacher's Manual, are "not well-crafted," consisting of "notably brief and dated" selections originally published between 1926 and 1961, with "no updated illustrations, visuals, or photographs." Informational texts are described as "not relatable and require extensive background knowledge-building," and the vocabulary "has not been updated." Passages in the Teacher's Manual feature "outdated descriptions and simplified language," and their short length "does not allow for plot or character development"; for example, Book C Passage 7 states, "The mole has a very queer way of digging tunnels." The evidence shows that texts are not of publishable quality or sufficiently well-crafted, and contemporary, high-quality literature is not present in the materials.
Evaluation for 6.1c
Materials include traditional, contemporary, and classical texts, such as Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen, Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms by Patricia Lauber, The Landry News by Andrew Clements, and Toliver's Secret by Esther Wood Brady. The recommended texts list also features classical selections, including those in the McCall-Crabbs Teacher's Manual that were originally published between 1926 and 1961, with topics such as "The Birth of Our Flag" and "Green Mountain Winters." One example of diverse content is My Librarian is a Camel: How Books are Brought to Children Around the World by Margriet Ruurs, which introduces students to global cultures and contexts. There is a lack of diverse texts across multiple content areas; the materials do not consistently provide opportunities for students to engage with a broad range of cultural perspectives.
Evaluation for 6.1d
The materials do not include texts that authentically reflect students' diverse backgrounds and experiences; recommended readings are described as "outdated and not as relevant," with titles like Why Isn't Pluto a Planet? and Mr. Tucket not ensuring relevance or broad appeal across content areas. Passages included in the Teacher's Manual, such as the scene from a Hindu festival, reinforce stereotypes and present culture in an outdated way with no connection to modern-day celebrations, lacking authentic or meaningful understanding. Many texts are not available for review or require teachers to independently obtain copies, making it impossible to verify that content is relevant, engaging, or representative of students' diverse backgrounds. Numerous passages feature outdated topics and language, such as descriptions of commercial whaling or rural school inspections, which do not engage students or meet the requirements for authentic, diverse representation.
Evaluation for 6.2a
Materials provide daily opportunities for students to listen to grade-level texts, such as read-alouds from Mr. Tucket and Toliver's Secret, where students "think about the plot, attributes of fine literature, and character analysis." Students are guided to critically respond to texts both orally and in writing; examples include composing a paragraph giving an opinion about Pluto's planetary status and "justifying thinking by citing evidence from the story." Lessons include explicit instruction and sentence stems for oral justification, such as "I think the main idea is . . ." and "I confirmed that the ____ sentence is the author's main idea," supporting students in articulating their thinking during class discussions. Materials require written responses that use evidence from the text to justify opinions, compare and contrast characters, and answer comprehension questions, ensuring students consistently respond critically and justify their thinking both orally and in writing.
Evaluation for 6.2b
The materials include teacher-facilitated sessions about the author's purpose, structure, vocabulary, and literary elements, but students do not engage in peer discussion or collaborative analysis in each lesson. Lessons direct students to analyze text elements and use common vocabulary, yet the materials do not outline structured opportunities for students to discuss grade-level texts with one another. Discussions are limited to a call-and-response format where the teacher asks questions and individual students respond; authentic student-to-student discourse is not present. The materials do not provide consistent opportunities in each lesson for students to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text. The only opportunity is through teacher-led questions.
Evaluation for 6.2c
The materials provide opportunities in each lesson for students to engage with a variety of reading skills using grade-level texts, such as generating questions, making and confirming predictions, monitoring comprehension, and making connections while reading texts like When Washington Crossed the Delaware, Abraham Lincoln, and Why Isn't Pluto a Planet? Students consistently use the Five Mental Actions—monitoring comprehension, making connections, predicting, reformatting, and mentally summarizing—as comprehension strategies during reading and listening activities. Lessons include structured opportunities to analyze relationships, derive implied main ideas, explain analogies, identify metaphors and personification, and track understanding using graphic organizers. Across the academic year, students demonstrate comprehension through consistent practice with these reading skills.
Evaluation for 6.3a
The materials provide explicit teacher guidance for ensuring all students can access grade-level texts by embedding scaffolds, such as modeled think-alouds, questioning, and sentence frames. Teachers are instructed to "think out loud" across lesson types, making reasoning processes visible during activities like applying rules, constructing sentences, and analyzing text structures. Sentence stems and frames are used to support comprehension, initially modeled by the teacher and later practiced by students, including "I understand every word except . . .," "I think ___ means ___ because . . .," and reflective prompts like "I now think . . ." and "I know . . ." Materials include scaffolded supports such as "Show, Don't Tell" sentence pairs and specific questioning routines. For example, when reading Lincoln: A Photobiography, students use the stem "I think the author wanted me to learn . . ." and respond to teacher prompts to explain their thinking and identify text features. The 3 Mental Actions comprehension strategy guides students with sentence frames at each step, and teachers model strategies using think-alouds, dialogue, and targeted questioning. Practice is reinforced as students apply these strategies during teacher coaching and lesson activities.
Evaluation for 6.3b
Materials do not provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency in engaging with additional analysis of grade-level texts. Extension activities are limited to general independent assignments, such as reading a self- or teacher-selected book and using an organizer to identify text structure or main ideas. The materials do not provide explicit guidance, detailed activities, or examples for deeper or more complex analysis of grade-level texts. Suggestions for extending learning remain general, such as "expand the day's lesson to the next level of difficulty," "integrate content," or "encourage reflection and exploration," without specific tasks aligned to additional text analysis. Minimal enrichment guidance is provided, with recommendations focused on applying previously learned skills to other texts rather than engaging in further analysis of grade-level material. No robust or varied enrichment opportunities are offered for students who have mastered core content.
Evaluation for 6.4a
Materials do not provide a qualitative analysis or explicit rationale for the educational purpose and grade-level placement of each core text. The rationale for text selection and complexity must be inferred by the teacher, as no section explicitly addresses the educational purpose or qualitative features of the texts. Quantitative measures are included for each core text, with grade equivalency and Lexile levels provided (e.g., Mr. Tucket: 5.5 grade equivalency, 830 Lexile; Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms: 5.5 grade equivalency, 930 Lexile; and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch: 5.1 grade equivalency, 570 Lexile). These are found in lesson sidebars or text lists and are referenced when the texts are introduced throughout the year. Texts are described as being used to support components such as literary appreciation, fluency, and comprehension strategies, but the materials include only brief descriptions or generalized statements (e.g., recommending "books that stir the imagination and paint pictures for the mind's eye to see"). There is no detailed analysis of the text's complexity, educational purpose, or explicit rationale for grade-level placement.
Evaluation for 6.4b
Materials do not include quantitative or qualitative analysis to determine the appropriateness of text complexity for grade 5. No rationale or analysis is provided for why specific texts are selected for this grade level or how they align with student needs and tasks. Lexile levels and grade equivalency measures are listed for each core text (e.g., Carry On, Mr. Bowditch: 5.1 grade equivalency, 570 Lexile; Toliver's Secret: 5.5 grade equivalency, 740 Lexile), but no further explanation or criteria is given to guide or justify selections. Text analysis is limited to basic tables listing text type, main idea, and topic, with no discussion of meaning, syntax, knowledge demands, or language conventions. Materials omit any complexity analysis or explicit rationale connecting text selection to student tasks. Recommended reading lists and sidebars identify grade-level texts, but no quantitative or qualitative evidence is provided to demonstrate that core texts have an appropriate level of complexity for grade 5.
Evaluation for 6.5a
Materials provide explicit teacher guidance for monitoring student comprehension through structured activities during independent reading. Teachers use resources such as Mental Action Posters and Mental Action Cards to help students identify and label comprehension strategies, enabling ongoing assessment. Structured activities are embedded throughout the curriculum, such as having students construct organizers with columns for key information while reading texts like Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions, and complete Passage Analysis charts for McCall-Crabbs passages. Teachers review student work in real time and provide immediate coaching to support understanding. The Effective Strategies for Writing and Reading guide includes a rubric for teachers to observe and assess students as they use mental actions—monitoring comprehension, making connections, predicting, reformatting, and mentally summarizing—during independent reading. Teachers award points based on specific evidence provided by students, such as stating, "I understand every word except . . ." Teacher documents outline explicit steps for delivering lessons on text structure, including predicting type of writing, identifying author's purpose, and citing textual evidence. These routines are applied independently by students, with teachers giving clear instructions on how to monitor comprehension during the process.
Evaluation for 6.5b
Materials do not designate texts for independent reading that offer a range of complexity levels. No guidance is provided for teachers to select texts at varying levels of difficulty for independent practice. Lists of recommended or class texts, such as The Secret Garden, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and My Side of the Mountain are included, but no analysis or rationale is given for their complexity or appropriateness for independent reading. The materials do not identify which texts, if any, are intended for independent student reading. The McCall-Crabbs passages and other short texts reflect a limited and outdated range of complexity and content. The provided Lexile range (570–1110) applies to class texts, not independently designated selections. No evidence is present that materials supply an intentional variety of complexity levels for independent student practice.
Evaluation for 6.5c
Materials do not include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts for independent reading. No explicit instruction or resources support student choice, sustained independent reading, or text selection at appropriate levels. Students read teacher-selected texts for whole-class or small-group instruction, with no evidence of student engagement in choosing books or planning independent reading goals. The list of 17 books is assigned for daily reading, limiting variety and student autonomy. Materials provide teacher-facing checklists and progress reports for monitoring fluency and comprehension, but no resources or processes support students in setting, tracking, or being held accountable for personal reading goals. Recommendations for maintaining a classroom library and encouraging independent reading are general and do not include guidance for supporting students in selecting texts, engaging in sustained reading, or planning and achieving independent reading goals.
6.1 High-Quality Grade-Level Texts
6.1a
Core texts used for instruction are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity.
Core texts used for instruction are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1a
Evaluation for 6.1a
Core texts used for instruction are written at grade level when evaluated using research-based measures of text complexity.
0 out of 1 points
6.1b
Texts are well-crafted and are of publishable quality.
Texts are well-crafted and are of publishable quality.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1b
Evaluation for 6.1b
Texts are well-crafted and are of publishable quality.
0 out of 1 points
6.1c
Materials include traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts across multiple content areas.
Materials include traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts across multiple content areas.
3 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 6.1c
Evaluation for 6.1c
Materials include traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts across multiple content areas.
3 out of 4 points
6.1d
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. (S)
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.1d
Evaluation for 6.1d
Texts include content that is relevant, engaging, and authentically reflects students' diverse backgrounds and experiences. (S)
0 out of 1 points
6.2 Interaction with Grade-Level Text
6.2a
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. (S)
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 6.2a
Evaluation for 6.2a
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to listen to, think about, and critically respond to grade-level texts and justify their thinking orally and in writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
6.2b
Materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text (e.g., authors' purpose, structure, language, vocabulary, etc.). (S)
Materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text (e.g., authors' purpose, structure, language, vocabulary, etc.). (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.2b
Evaluation for 6.2b
Materials include opportunities in each lesson to discuss specific aspects of grade-level text (e.g., authors' purpose, structure, language, vocabulary, etc.). (S)
0 out of 1 points
6.2c
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text (e.g., generating questions at various levels of complexity, making, and confirming predictions, inferencing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing). (S)
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text (e.g., generating questions at various levels of complexity, making, and confirming predictions, inferencing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing). (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.2c
Evaluation for 6.2c
Materials include opportunities in each lesson for students to engage in a variety of reading skills with grade-level text (e.g., generating questions at various levels of complexity, making, and confirming predictions, inferencing, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing). (S)
1 out of 1 points
6.3 Supporting Access to Grade-Level Text
6.3a
Materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds (e.g., vocabulary support, questioning, think-alouds, sentence frames.). (T/S)
Materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds (e.g., vocabulary support, questioning, think-alouds, sentence frames.). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 6.3a
Evaluation for 6.3a
Materials include teacher guidance and supports to ensure all students can access grade-level text while maintaining rigor through the use of embedded scaffolds (e.g., vocabulary support, questioning, think-alouds, sentence frames.). (T/S)
2 out of 2 points
6.3b
Materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts.
Materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.3b
Evaluation for 6.3b
Materials provide opportunities for students who demonstrate proficiency to engage in additional analysis of grade-level texts.
0 out of 1 points
6.4 Analysis of Text Complexity
6.4a
Materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement.
Materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement.
1 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 6.4a
Evaluation for 6.4a
Materials include quantitative and qualitative analysis of each core text, including a rationale for each text's educational purpose and grade-level placement.
1 out of 4 points
6.4b
Core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to student tasks.
Core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to student tasks.
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 6.4b
Evaluation for 6.4b
Core texts have the appropriate level of complexity for the grade according to their quantitative and qualitative analysis and relationship to student tasks.
0 out of 2 points
6.5 Self-Sustained Independent Reading
6.5a
Materials include explicit (direct) teacher guidance on how to monitor students' comprehension through structured activities during independent reading. (T)
Materials include explicit (direct) teacher guidance on how to monitor students' comprehension through structured activities during independent reading. (T)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.5a
Evaluation for 6.5a
Materials include explicit (direct) teacher guidance on how to monitor students' comprehension through structured activities during independent reading. (T)
1 out of 1 points
6.5b
Texts designated for independent reading have a range of complexity levels for students to practice reading independently. (S)
Texts designated for independent reading have a range of complexity levels for students to practice reading independently. (S)
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 6.5b
Evaluation for 6.5b
Texts designated for independent reading have a range of complexity levels for students to practice reading independently. (S)
0 out of 1 points
6.5c
Materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and read independently for a sustained period, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. (S)
Materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and read independently for a sustained period, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. (S)
0 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 6.5c
Evaluation for 6.5c
Materials include a plan for students to self-select high-quality texts and read independently for a sustained period, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. (S)
0 out of 4 points
Rubric Section 7
Evidence-Based Tasks and Responses
Materials require students to engage in reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence using literary and informational text.
Total
84% (46 out of 55 points)
Evaluation for 7.A.1a
The Writing Road to Reading provides consistent, text-dependent questions and tasks that require students to use evidence from reading selections to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. Lesson activities for the texts Toliver's Secret, Mr. Tucket, and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch include constructing organizers that track character development, author's craft, and plot structure, with prompts such as "cite evidence from the text to support your answer." Students complete essays that analyze theme, character traits, and motivations, always substantiating claims with textual details. Instructional sequences direct students to explain interpretations and opinions by referencing specific passages, both in partner work and independent writing. For example, students respond to the prompts, "Describe Lincoln's stance on slavery as a Congressman in 1847; compare it to his stance at the beginning of his career; cite evidence from text to support thinking," and "Compose a paragraph giving an opinion about Pluto—cite evidence from the text to justify opinion." Poetry and narrative text tasks require close reading and annotation of stanzas, identification of narrator perspective, and analysis of literary techniques such as imagery and personification. Students summarize meaning, label text features, and justify responses with details drawn from the poems and stories. Book studies and literary appreciation activities require students to answer questions about character conflict, theme, and relationships, always using text evidence to demonstrate comprehension, support analysis, and justify their thinking.
Evaluation for 7.A.1b
The Writing Road to Reading provides a wide range of questions and tasks that require students to use text evidence when evaluating language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts across genres and formats. Lesson activities prompt students to identify and analyze the author's use of imagery and precise language, as in Spring Storm, where students explain how word choice and emotional appeal create mental images, citing specific lines as evidence. Students engage with texts such as Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions, constructing organizers that capture key ideas, details, and essential information, and using evidence to support their selections. In Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, students evaluate plot structure, theme, and attributes of fine literature—such as universality and emotional appeal—supporting their analysis with direct references to the text. Instructional routines for The Landry News and The Black Stallion guide students to determine plot structure, point of view, author's purpose, and narrative elements, requiring them to cite evidence for each response and to track how the author develops character and conflict through language and structure. Novel studies for texts including Mr. Tucket require students to evaluate the author's craft by illustrating complex processes with storyboards, describing sequences of events, and identifying how precise and descriptive language shapes understanding. Students analyze text features, main ideas, and literary devices by extracting and explaining specific examples, ensuring that all evaluations are grounded in textual evidence.
Evaluation for 7.A.1c
The Writing Road to Reading provides a variety of questions and tasks that require students to support claims and justify their thinking using multiple strategies, including comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. Lesson activities for texts such as The Black Stallion and studies of Lincoln's life prompt students to compare and contrast settings, characters, and viewpoints by citing specific examples and drawing evidence-based conclusions. Students are tasked with composing summaries and paraphrasing multi-paragraph informative and narrative texts, explicitly reformatting essential information in their own words while maintaining the author's intended meaning. For example, students summarize scientific mysteries and literary passages, ensuring inclusion of implied main ideas and essential details. Writing prompts require students to compare and contrast information across two texts, such as Quest for the Tree Kangaroo and The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees, using academic vocabulary and organizers to structure claims and supporting evidence. Instructional routines include analyzing imagery, personification, and metaphor in poetry and narrative, as well as identifying and explaining character conflicts and relationships. Students consistently justify their thinking through direct references to key ideas and supporting details from the texts.
Evaluation for 7.A.1d
The Writing Road to Reading provides questions and tasks designed at different levels of cognitive complexity, giving students ample opportunities to analyze text using a variety of strategies. Lesson activities move from foundational comprehension—such as identifying main ideas, character traits, and text features in texts like Mr. Tucket, The Black Stallion, and Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms—to more complex analytical and evaluative tasks that require justifying thinking with context clues, prior knowledge, or text evidence. Instructional routines include comparing and contrasting characters, synthesizing information from multiple sources, and constructing analogies between inventions in Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions, prompting students to create new comparisons and interpretations. Higher-order questions require students to explain the author's craft, analyze language and emotional appeal, infer central messages, determine themes, and evaluate how structure and evidence develop an author's ideas or claims. Activities such as predicting outcomes, deriving implied main ideas from Lincoln: A Photobiography, and inferring messages from quotations offer students multiple entry points for engaging with texts at varying depths, ensuring regular opportunities for both literal and critical analysis.
Evaluation for 7.A.2a
The Writing Road to Reading provides comprehensive guidance for teachers on effectively modeling text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. Teacher lesson guides include explicit think-alouds, modeling how to identify text structures, generate main ideas, and paraphrase information. For example, the lessons on Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms prompt teachers to identify structural patterns and cite textual evidence to support claims. Instructional resources direct teachers to model filling out organizers—such as T-charts, or informative writing frameworks—using direct quotes, short phrases, and essential details from texts. Teachers demonstrate chunking, underlining, and note-taking strategies to organize evidence and build claims. Sample dialogues and scripted lesson components support teachers in constructing thesis statements, developing topic sentences, and integrating text evidence into multiparagraph responses, including literature essays for texts like Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. Supplemental resources and structured writing processes outline clear steps for distinguishing between claims and supporting evidence, guiding teachers to model analytical and evidence-based responses across informational and literary texts.
Evaluation for 7.A.2b
Materials do not include guidance for teachers on structuring or facilitating evidence-based discussions that use academic vocabulary and syntax. Lesson activities mention classroom and group discussions, but provide no teacher direction for scaffolding or modeling academic language during these interactions. Discussion prompts, sentence stems, and collaborative tasks are included, yet the materials do not offer explicit support for engaging students in structured, evidence-based conversations or for reinforcing academic vocabulary and syntax in discussion. Teacher resources identify important narrative elements and provide shared vocabulary, but do not include instructional strategies or routines for guiding academic dialogue.
Evaluation for 7.B.1a
Materials do not include mentor texts aligned to grade-level TEKS to serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts. Lesson activities reference published books, poems, and informational texts, but these are not explicitly labeled as mentor texts or connected to grade-level TEKS for modeling writing. Students use excerpts from texts such as Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions and My Librarian is a Camel, and poems like Fog and The Highway to analyze features or practice elements of writing, yet these activities are not linked to TEKS-aligned writing objectives. Recommended reading lists and modeled writing lessons are present, but there is no evidence of systematic use of mentor texts that reflect the variety, structure, or style required by the grade-level TEKS.
Evaluation for 7.B.1b
The Writing Road to Reading provides multiple opportunities throughout the school year for students to compose literary texts for diverse purposes and audiences, incorporating genre-specific characteristics and craft. Lessons guide students through the full writing process—including prewriting, composing, revising, editing, and publishing—for a range of literary genres, such as poetry, narrative, informative-narrative, opinion, and friendly letters. Students write original poems using metaphors, modeled after texts like Rainbow, and select topics, including clouds, sports, seasons, holidays, or animals, developing figurative language and imagery appropriate to poetry. Narrative writing activities include composing first- and third-person stories from historical or imaginative perspectives, supported by graphic organizers that help students identify audience, purpose, characters, setting, point of view, and use of dialogue. Students compose multi-paragraph informal and formal letters from the perspective of historical figures, focusing on specific audiences (such as family members) and genre features, like heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature, as well as tone and structure. Literary analysis assignments require students to evaluate the author's craft—such as metaphor use in The Landry News—state opinions, support claims with textual evidence, and conclude with genre-appropriate structure and language, further reinforcing craft and purpose.
Evaluation for 7.B.1c
The Writing Road to Reading provides multiple opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for varied purposes and audiences, incorporating genre-specific characteristics and craft. Lessons guide students through the full writing process—including prewriting, composing, revising, editing, and publishing—for a range of informational genres, such as compare/contrast, explanatory, and summary writing. Students compose two-paragraph, third-person informative pieces explaining scientific or historical topics, such as analyzing how the author of Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms uses evidence from the 1938 storm to support a claim, and writing summaries that identify main ideas and key details. Writing tasks include composing compare-and-contrast essays using texts like Quest for the Tree Kangaroo and The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees, in which students organize their writing with thesis statements, topic sentences, supporting facts, and conclusions, and then apply comparative vocabulary and complex sentences. Informative graphic organizers, structured prewriting activities, and flexible topic choices support students in identifying audience, purpose, and main ideas, while genre-specific instruction reinforces features such as clear organization, factual support, and appropriate voice for a variety of real-world writing situations.
Evaluation for 7.B.1d
The Writing Road to Reading provides multiple opportunities throughout the school year for students to compose argumentative texts for a variety of purposes and audiences, incorporating genre-specific characteristics and craft. Lessons explicitly teach the structure and language of argumentative writing, guiding students through the process of stating clear opinions, supporting positions with text-based evidence, and writing effective conclusions. This is evident in activities focused on topics like Pluto's planetary status and literary analysis of The Landry News. Students use graphic organizers and the full writing process to develop and organize their arguments, including introductions with thesis statements, bodies that defend their position with facts and examples, and conclusions that restate the claim and may include a call to action. Writing tasks address a range of audiences, such as peers, teachers, and the broader community, and include opportunities to write persuasive and opinion essays, literary evaluations, and responses to scientific questions, with assignments tailored to specific genres and purposes. Instruction includes explicit modeling and practice of argumentative craft elements, such as citing evidence, employing persuasive language, and varying sentence structure, ensuring that students develop skills for constructing effective, evidence-based arguments across multiple contexts throughout the year.
Evaluation for 7.B.1e
The Writing Road to Reading includes opportunities for students to compose correspondence using genre-specific characteristics and craft. In Academic Week 28, students write a multiparagraph informal (friendly) letter from the point of view of an American colonist or British soldier, incorporating elements such as heading, greeting, body, closing, signature, and proper use of capitalization and commas. The writing process is followed from prewriting through publishing, and students develop voice and historical perspective in their compositions. Materials instruct teachers to periodically assign both informal and formal letter writing, with guidance on maintaining student portfolios and incorporating correspondence as a recurring writing form. Evidence of structured, recurring opportunities for composing correspondence is limited to the example provided in Academic Week 28, and while periodic practice is encouraged, frequency and timing are left to teacher discretion.
Evaluation for 7.B.2a
The materials guide students through all elements of the writing process, including prewriting (think and plan: choose a topic, purpose, and audience), drafting, revising, editing, conferring, and sharing/publishing. Each academic week includes a composition objective, such as prewriting a third-person narrative with an organizer, composing the paragraph, and then revising, editing, and publishing the work to ensure engagement in the full writing process. Graphic organizers and brainstorming charts are tailored by grade band (K–grade 2, grades 1–3, grades 3–6) and writing style, with structured spaces for planning, drafting, and specific narrative elements like exposition, climax, and resolution. Revising and editing are supported through tools such as the Revising and Editing Bingo Board, which prompts students to revise drafts, peer review, and address conventions like subject-verb agreement and word choice, ensuring age-appropriate progression in writing skills.
Evaluation for 7.B.2b
Materials provide explicit teacher guidance to model each element of the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing, with teachers directed to "model completing narrative, informative, and informative-narrative organizers to make abstract concepts concrete." The Teacher's Guide and supporting materials include scripted example dialogues, step-by-step procedures, and think-alouds for every stage of the process, such as "I will think out loud as I check for capitals . . . every important word in a title must be written with a capital." Teachers are guided to check for understanding, coach students through each stage, and use tools like graphic organizers, rubrics, and revision checklists to support each step of the writing process. Materials provide structured support for conferring and revising, including coaching routines and opportunities for teachers to hold students accountable, ensuring explicit modeling and comprehensive support throughout all writing tasks.
Evaluation for 7.B.3a
Materials include explicit teacher guidance for direct instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. Teachers model sentence construction using Spalding Word Builder Cards, and guide students in composing oral and written sentences with new vocabulary. Lessons progress from simple sentence types (declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative) to compound and complex sentences, with modeled examples, structured procedures, and guided practice. There is teacher guidance on how to explain the placement and part of speech of each word in the sentence and why it is used in that position. Instruction addresses capitalization, punctuation, and parts of speech. Students identify, compose, and revise sentences, apply vocabulary in context, and practice sentence construction through guided activities. Teacher guidance is provided on how to use a Sentence Construction with High Frequency Vocabulary model, providing context clues and think-alouds before coaching students to compose sentences with targeted words.
Evaluation for 7.B.3b
The materials provide teacher guidance for moving from sentences to paragraph-level writing, but they do not align these writing lessons to grade-level language-arts TEKS, and there is no mention of TEKS correlation within the writing instruction provided.
Evaluation for 7.B.3c
Materials provide systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing, supported by modeled examples and structured protocols. In Academic Week 5, students "compose oral/written sentences that use prepositional phrases and underline the prepositional phrase," and "use multiple adjectives with commas." They also "add suffixes to form new words and use them in sentences," building complexity and vocabulary at the sentence level. In Academic Week 12, explicit instruction on revision for impact is given as students "compose two tell/show sentences," learning to "strengthen writing and make it more appealing to the reader, show the details by using strong verbs, vocabulary, emotions, and dialogue rather than telling about a story or event." The revising and editing bingo card asks students to "clarify a sentence by reorganizing the words or phrases," and "add a prepositional phrase to the beginning of one of your sentences." The materials offer systematic editing practice. For example, the Writing the Flows presentation begins with "editing skills (subject-verb agreement, splices, run-ons, and fragments)." Students first review incorrect sentences and practice editing them. Students then apply those editing skills to a previously written sentence on their own paper. The Sentence Writing Checklist directs students to "edit and revise for subject/verb agreement, ending punctuation, beginning capitalization, conjunctions, and attributes of declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, imperative, compound, and complex sentences." Throughout the year, students move from foundational review to "weekly instruction focused on composing and editing compound and complex sentences." By Academic Week 25, students "compose a five-paragraph report on a topic of interest, incorporating at least two compound and complex sentences and using indefinite pronouns where appropriate. In the following week, students revise, edit, and publish their report, applying the conventions and skills they have learned."
Evaluation for 7.B.4a
Materials do not align opportunities for practice and application of academic language conventions with grade-level TEKS. Lessons and activities do not include explicit objectives or references to the TEKS, and there is no systematic approach to ensuring skills are taught and assessed according to grade-level standards. No evidence is present that practice tasks—such as composing sentences with correct subject-verb agreement, using different verb tenses, or editing for capitalization and punctuation—that are designed or sequenced in accordance with grade-level TEKS requirements. Activities and resources, including bingo boards, editing checklists, and drafting tasks, provide practice both in and out of context but do not specify which conventions are grade-appropriate, nor do they ensure coverage of the full scope of academic language outlined by the TEKS.
Evaluation for 7.B.4b
Materials provide systematic opportunities for students to practice and apply grammar, punctuation, and usage both in and out of context. Students compose oral and written sentences that demonstrate the meaning and usage of unfamiliar spelling and vocabulary words, identify articles and adjectives in sentences, and explain the function of direct objects and adverbs. In-context practice includes composing, revising, and editing sentences and longer written works, with explicit instruction and practice in applying punctuation rules, such as using quotation marks and commas in direct quotes. Students also revise their writing for subject-verb agreement, fix run-ons and fragments, and improve specificity through targeted revision activities (e.g., circling and replacing words or clarifying sentences by reorganizing words and phrases). Out-of-context practice is supported by exercises that prompt students to correct sentences for subject-verb agreement (for example, "Everybody likes the new teacher" to "Everybody likes the new teacher"), fix punctuation in isolated sentences, and revise fragments to create complete thoughts. Tools such as editing checklists, revising bingo boards, and sentence-level editing slideshows guide students in applying conventions to both isolated sentences and longer compositions. For example, students use the Sentence Writing Checklist to edit for subject/verb agreement, punctuation, capitalization, and attributes of all major sentence types. Students are expected to consistently apply these grammar, punctuation, and usage skills across writing assignments in English Language Arts and other content areas, supporting transfer and mastery of language conventions.
7.A.1 Use of Text Evidence
7.A.1a
Materials include text-dependent questions and tasks which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. (S)
Materials include text-dependent questions and tasks which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.A.1a
Evaluation for 7.A.1a
Materials include text-dependent questions and tasks which require students to use evidence from the text to demonstrate comprehension, justify their thinking, and support claims. (S)
2 out of 2 points
7.A.1b
Questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. (S)
Questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. (S)
5 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 7.A.1b
Evaluation for 7.A.1b
Questions and tasks require students to use text evidence when evaluating the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of high-quality texts. (S)
5 out of 5 points
7.A.1c
Questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. (S)
Questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.A.1c
Evaluation for 7.A.1c
Questions and tasks require students to support their claims and justify their thinking through a variety of strategies, such as comparing sources, paraphrasing, summarizing, and discussing key ideas in evidence from the text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
7.A.1d
Questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. (S)
Questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.A.1d
Evaluation for 7.A.1d
Questions and tasks are designed at different levels of cognitive complexity to provide ample opportunities for students to engage in the analysis of text. (S)
1 out of 1 points
7.A.2 Teacher Guidance for the Use of Text Evidence
7.A.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. (T)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.A.2a
Evaluation for 7.A.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers on the effective modeling of the use of text evidence to generate evidence-based claims and construct text-based responses. (T)
2 out of 2 points
7.A.2b
Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. (T)
0 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.A.2b
Evaluation for 7.A.2b
Materials include guidance for teachers on the use of structured opportunities to engage students in evidence-based discussions using academic vocabulary and syntax. (T)
0 out of 2 points
7.B.1 Genre Characteristics and Craft to Compose Multiple Texts
7.B.1a
Materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS.
Materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS.
0 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1a
Evaluation for 7.B.1a
Materials include mentor texts that serve as models for students to compose a variety of texts according to grade-level TEKS.
0 out of 1 points
7.B.1b
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1b
Evaluation for 7.B.1b
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
7.B.1c
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1c
Evaluation for 7.B.1c
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose informational texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
7.B.1d
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1d
Evaluation for 7.B.1d
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose argumentative texts for multiple purposes and audiences with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
2 out of 2 points
7.B.1e
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
1 out of 1 points
Evaluation for 7.B.1e
Evaluation for 7.B.1e
Materials include opportunities throughout the year for students to compose correspondence with genre-specific characteristics and craft. (S)
1 out of 1 points
7.B.2 Writing Process
7.B.2a
Materials support students' use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions authentic to English writing. (S)
Materials support students' use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions authentic to English writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
Evaluation for 7.B.2a
Evaluation for 7.B.2a
Materials support students' use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, conferring, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text, which includes an age-appropriate progression in the conventions authentic to English writing. (S)
5 out of 5 points
7.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) and to support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. (T)
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) and to support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. (T)
6 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 7.B.2b
Evaluation for 7.B.2b
Materials include teacher guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction to model each element of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) and to support students during the writing process through conferencing and revising. (T)
6 out of 6 points
7.B.3 Explicit (Direct) and Systematic Writing Instruction
7.B.3a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. (T)
3 out of 3 points
Evaluation for 7.B.3a
Evaluation for 7.B.3a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on sentence-level writing, focusing on structure, syntax, and vocabulary. (T)
3 out of 3 points
7.B.3b
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence-level and building to compositions according to grade-level TEKS. (T)
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence-level and building to compositions according to grade-level TEKS. (T)
2 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 7.B.3b
Evaluation for 7.B.3b
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide systematic and explicit (direct) instruction in writing starting at the sentence-level and building to compositions according to grade-level TEKS. (T)
2 out of 4 points
7.B.3c
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. (S)
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. (S)
6 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 7.B.3c
Evaluation for 7.B.3c
Materials include systematic and explicit (direct) opportunities for students to engage in increasingly complex sentence-level writing, revising, and editing. (S)
6 out of 6 points
7.B.4 Grade-Level Standard English Conventions
7.B.4a
Materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language (e.g., the use of simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement, the appropriate use of different verb tenses, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, and coordinating conjunctions) in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. (S)
Materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language (e.g., the use of simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement, the appropriate use of different verb tenses, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, and coordinating conjunctions) in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. (S)
0 out of 4 points
Evaluation for 7.B.4a
Evaluation for 7.B.4a
Materials include opportunities for practice and application both in and out of context of the conventions of academic language (e.g., the use of simple and compound sentences with subject-verb agreement, the appropriate use of different verb tenses, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, and coordinating conjunctions) in sentences and short paragraphs using correct capitalization and punctuation according to the grade-level TEKS. (S)
0 out of 4 points
7.B.4b
Materials include systematic opportunities for practice of and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. (S)
Materials include systematic opportunities for practice of and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. (S)
6 out of 6 points
Evaluation for 7.B.4b
Evaluation for 7.B.4b
Materials include systematic opportunities for practice of and application of grammar, punctuation, and usage, both in and out of context. (S)
6 out of 6 points