The Writing Road to Reading – Kindergarten

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

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

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

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

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

The “Use Within a Core ELAR Program” section provides implementation options, including teaching Spalding lessons during a foundational skills block and providing targeted small-group instruction based on classroom assessment. Educators are directed to adjust instructional time according to student mastery while maintaining the district’s core ELAR pacing. These recommendations explain how supplemental lessons and routines address identified skill gaps while supporting the core program’s sequence and expectations.

The “Purpose & Use Guidance for Texas Educators” directs educators to use Spalding routines to reinforce skills introduced within or alongside the core curriculum. The guidance identifies instruction in a foundational skills block and targeted small-group reinforcement based on classroom assessment.

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

The Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide provides a clear scope and sequence outlining student expectations and skills taught. The section assists educators with pacing and instructional planning and is divided into two parts: “Scope and Sequence Part 1: Program Objectives” and “Scope and Sequence Part 2: Lesson Objectives.”

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


The Writing Road to Reading program outlines a rationale for the design of its scope and sequence. Chapter 1 articulates the design of the scope and sequence as noted through the “Spalding’s Language Arts Circle” graphic. The chapter contains three additional sections noting what educators should focus on as they teach spelling, reading, and writing.

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

The “Purpose & Use Guidance for Texas Educators” document for the “Grades K–3 Supplemental Program” notes the time requirements across tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 implementation models. For instance, the guidance states that “tier 1 Supplemental Reinforcement is up to 45 minutes daily within a foundational skills block.”


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

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

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

The “Purpose & Use Guidance for Texas Educators” for the “Grades K–3 Supplemental Program” explains how the program provides a comprehensive set of resources to help educators implement the materials as designed. The guidance notes the defined purpose of each component, with the Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide outlining the “structured lesson procedures.” The guidance then states that these components work to “promote instructional consistency across grade levels and tiers” to support educators in responding to students’ individual needs.


The Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide includes implementation supports, outlining the specific educator and student behaviors for the methods of instruction within the lesson. The three educator behaviors are modeling, coaching, and scaffolding and fading. The three student behaviors are articulation, reflection, and exploration. These educator and student behaviors, which are expected across all lesson types, are explained in detail and followed by strategies and procedures for educators. The guidance also notes that the “use of the Spalding methodology makes this progression easier for students.”

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

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

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

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

The “Assessment and Progress Monitoring Guidance” explains how diagnostic and progress-monitoring assessments are used to identify students’ mastery of foundational literacy skills and support instructional decisions. The assessments are designed to serve as diagnostic and progress-monitoring tools. The assessment tools include diagnostic and placement assessments, decoding assessments, daily and weekly formative assessments, and progress tracking tools.


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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

The “Kindergarten Assessing Skills Mastery” section includes scoring information for the instructional assessments. The instructional assessments and scoring information sections provide educators with guidance on scoring procedures and directions for evaluating student mastery of spelling, reading, and writing skills. For example, the “Sentence/Paragraph Construction” assessment bases its scoring on the “Sentence Writing Checklist” and the guidance directs educators to “place an ‘M’ beside each objective mastered.”


The “Interpreting Spalding Spelling Assessment Results: Instructional Decision Guide” provides guidance for interpreting kindergarten students’ assessment performance and identifying instructional needs. The guide explains that strong mastery supports moving to the next Spelling/Vocabulary Word List section while maintaining cumulative review. Partial mastery indicates a need for additional guided practice, while difficulty across multiple words prompts review of the phonograms, spelling rules, and word-analysis concepts represented in the assessed section.

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

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

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

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

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

The “Student Fluency Tracking Form” in the “Oral Reading Fluency Assessment and Daily Practice” section supports students in tracking their own progress and growth.

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

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

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

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


In addition, the Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide also includes guidance on responding to student performance using assessment data, flexible grouping, additional practice opportunities, and differentiated instruction. The materials direct educators to evaluate student performance and adjust instruction using whole-group, small-group, and individual instructional formats to address varying levels of student need. For example, the “Analyzing Knowledge and Word Structure” document advises educators to provide flexible, small-group instruction for students who have difficulty understanding word structure by providing a list of skills to reteach.

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

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


Additionally, the Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide includes educator guidance for students who have demonstrated proficiency in grade-level skills through the use of independent assignments and activities. For example, the lesson guidance provides educators with suggestions for independent assignments and activities for students who have mastered phonogram sounds and letter formation, such as opportunities to “manipulate first and last sounds of words to create new words.”

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

In the SRC resources, the “Guidance for Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)” provides general recommendations for adapting the tier 1 program to support students receiving special education services. The document describes broad instructional practices such as adjusting pacing, increasing guided practice, providing additional modeling, using small-group instruction, modifying lesson delivery, and incorporating intervention resources. It also explains that the Spalding Method’s systematic, cumulative, and diagnostic approach may allow educators to intensify instruction and adjust instructional groupings to address student needs and align with Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals.

The materials provide educator guidance for adapting instructional content and delivery for students receiving special education services. For example, Spalding Educator Guidance for Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) directs teachers to use daily and weekly formative assessment results to identify specific phonograms for reteaching in isolation, increase guided oral practice before independent work, provide additional modeling and structured think-alouds, reduce the number of new words introduced, and increase cumulative review cycles. These recommendations connect assessment results to adjustments within the program’s phonogram instruction and word practice.

The materials provide educator guidance for adapting program routines for small-group and resource-room instruction. For example, the “Small-Group and Resource Room Implementation” section of Spalding Educator Guidance for Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) identifies priorities for a 30–60-minute resource session, including phonogram review and spelling dictation, oral sentence construction before written composition, and reading practice that reinforces previously mastered spelling patterns. This guidance identifies specific Spalding components and explains how teachers can adjust instructional emphasis and scaffold written tasks for students receiving special education services.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The “Educator Guidance for Linguistic Accommodations” differentiates supports by language-proficiency level. Educators use visuals, gestures, modeling, and supported responses with students at earlier proficiency levels and increasingly independent explanations with students at higher levels.

Sections VI–VIII connect accommodations to Spalding lesson components, including phonogram introduction, oral review, spelling dictation, and word analysis. Examples include teacher modeling with visual support, oral rehearsal before writing, partner practice, and student explanations of sound-spelling relationships.

The guidance includes sample routines for explaining spelling choices and using academic vocabulary. However, kindergarten lessons and activities do not consistently include educator directions for applying these supports to increase students’ use of academic language.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The “Kindergarten English Language Arts TEKS” resource identifies phonological awareness activities aligned to the grade K TEKS, including rhyming, alliteration, individual words, and syllables. However, the materials do not present these skills in a systematic progression from basic to more complex phonological awareness skills. For example, the “Spelling Skills Trace” tool introduces segmenting, counting, and blending individual phonemes before students are taught to identify words in sentences or segment and blend syllables, which are prerequisite skills.

The Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide directs educators to determine students’ instructional levels and plan appropriate lessons but does not provide educator-facing guidance that explicitly sequences phonological awareness skills from basic to more complex. Instead, educators make instructional decisions about the sequence and pacing of phonological awareness instruction independently.

Overall, the “Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Recommended Instructional Progression: Grades K–2” document provides generalized guidance. However, this guidance does not align with the grade-level TEKS.

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

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

The “Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Skills Trace” introduces segmenting, counting, and blending sounds during week 1 of instruction, while recognizing beginning, middle, and ending sounds begins in week 2. The educator-facing guidance presents multiple phonemic awareness skills within the same instructional sequence rather than in a progression from basic skills to more complex phonemic awareness skills.

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

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

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

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

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

The Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide emphasizes cumulative student practice of phonological and phonemic awareness skills in alignment with the grade-level TEKS. The planning documents include a “Phonemic Awareness (PA)” section that guides educators to have students practice a variety of spoken words by saying them by sound or syllable. Students are then directed to blend the sounds or syllables into additional spoken words across each academic week.

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

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


Additionally, the Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide also provides students with practice in explicitly taught phonological and phonemic awareness skills. The “Integrated Language Arts Lesson Objectives” in the planning section include a phonemic awareness component in each Academic Week that features practice with skills explicitly taught in daily instruction.

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

The Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide presents 70 phonograms in a designated order for spelling and word study. The phonogram table identifies each phonogram’s sound, sample words, and instructional guidance. The sequence begins with common letter–sound correspondences but later introduces consonant digraphs and complex vowel patterns, including /sh/, /ee/, /th/, /ow/, /ou/, and /oo/, without establishing a progression through the grade K sound–spelling patterns identified in the grade-level TEKS.

The Spalding Reading Foundations Participant Workbook and the Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide introduce phonograms one at a time and provide ongoing review of previously taught phonograms. However, the sequence does not consistently progress from simple and common sound–spelling patterns to more complex and less frequent patterns. For example, the materials introduce vowel teams and complex vowel patterns before establishing a complete progression through grade K sound–spelling patterns, including VC, CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words.

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

The “Decoding Words – Small Group/Intervention Activity” provides explicit decoding instruction using VC, CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words. The educator displays at, identifies each letter’s sound, blends the sounds while sweeping beneath the word, and explains how the phonograms represent the sounds used to decode it. The routine is repeated with cat, stop, and hand before guided and independent practice.

The materials provide encoding practice through dictated words that students write in their primary notebooks. The Writing Road to Reading defines applicable spelling rules and directs educators to demonstrate their application. However, the guidance does not include an explicit explanation or modeled routine showing how to segment a spoken word into phonemes, connect each phoneme to its corresponding spelling, and write the word. Therefore, the evidence addresses explicit decoding instruction, while explicit encoding instruction remains unaddressed.

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

The materials provide opportunities for students to practice decoding words using sound–spelling patterns in isolation through fluency practice word lists. Students read isolated words before reading the connected text, a level one series one reader book Sam and Puff, which includes a phonogram analysis page that identifies the featured phonograms and their frequency within the text. However, the practice does not consistently reinforce previously taught grade K sound–spelling patterns before introducing more complex patterns. For example, the first reader, which corresponds to approximately week 8 of the scope and sequence, includes the vowel patterns /ee/ and /ow/ and the multisyllabic word cannot before the materials establish cumulative practice with grade K patterns such as VC, CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words.

The Spalding Reader Crosswalk connects taught phonograms with specific readers. However, the materials do not include cumulative practice with previously taught kindergarten sound-spelling patterns in decodable connected text. The reader connections identify phonograms associated with each text but do not provide a sequence of connected-text practice that cumulatively reinforces previously taught grade-level patterns.

The Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide provides opportunities for students to practice encoding words in isolation through spelling and vocabulary notebook activities. For example, in week 5, students segment, write, mark, and blend the words time, have, blue, and chance. However, the practice features sound–spelling patterns and word structures beyond grade K expectations rather than cumulatively reinforcing previously taught patterns.

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

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

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

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

The materials use the Ayres High-Frequency Word List, a research-based source of high-frequency words. The “Kindergarten Spelling-Expanded Skills Trace” resource schedules sections A–G in week 12, Section H in week 21, and Section I in week 26. However, the pacing guidance does not explain how the sequence aligns with the grade K TEKS standards or how it prioritizes words according to frequency and grade-level appropriateness.

The materials introduce regular and irregular high-frequency words within the scheduled sections. Early words include highly frequent words, such as the, make, look, good, time, and people. However, the same sequence also introduces words with more complex sound–spelling patterns and lower frequency, such as earth, oil, paint, worm, and school, rather than waiting to consistently introduce regular words after students learn the corresponding grade K phonics patterns.

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

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

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

Within the Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide’s “High-Frequency Vocabulary” section, students read, spell, and apply pronunciation and spelling rules to previously introduced words. Educators print and mark words, introduce spelling rules, and emphasize selected rules while preparing students for spelling dictation. These routines prioritize review and application but do not consistently model how to decode and encode individual regular and irregular high-frequency words or distinguish their expected and unexpected sound–spelling correspondences.

Section K includes the high-frequency word they for reading and spelling practice and identifies the phonogram /ey/. The accompanying guidance, however, does not demonstrate how to map the sounds to the letters in the word, identify which portion is irregular, or explain the expected and unexpected sound–spelling correspondences during decoding and encoding.

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

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

The connected texts include high-frequency vocabulary and repeated phonograms. However, the materials do not include cumulative practice with previously taught regular and irregular high-frequency words across successive decodable connected texts. For example, in A Trip to the Park, students encounter high-frequency words scheduled for later instruction in the kindergarten weekly sequence. Likewise, Sam and Puff also includes a high-frequency word from a spelling section outside that sequence.

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

The Writing Road to Reading program provides students with practice that includes only regular and irregular high-frequency words that have been explicitly taught. The guidance features a sequence of regular and irregular high-frequency words, presented in the order of instruction, with directions for educators on teaching each word. The materials indicate that these high-frequency words are integrated into spelling, writing, and reading instruction. This approach ensures that student practice is based on words explicitly taught within the program’s instructional sequence, starting in Academic Week 12 for grade K.

The Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide includes the “Reading for Spelling Instructional Strategies” section, which directs educators to have students read previously dictated words by sound or syllable. Students are then instructed to blend the sounds to form words as they are pronounced in normal speech for continuous practice with the goal of transferring these words to students’ long-term memory.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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