Amplify Education CKLA Grade K

Evaluation for 2.1
Materials include high-quality texts for ELAR instruction and cover a range of student interests.

The materials include well-crafted texts of publishable quality. The materials provide engaging content for kindergarten students in the form of Flip Books, Big Books, and Readers.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Hush: A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho is a fictional tale set in Thailand that uses onomatopoeia to describe the sounds of animals.

Nursery Rhymes and Fables by Matthew Davis and Rosie McCormick is an introduction to nursery rhymes and fables that includes Mother Goose poems and Aesop’s fables.

The Five Senses by Michael L. Ford is a Read Aloud about the five senses and individuals with sight and hearing challenges.

Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) by Florence Parry Heide is a fantasy story about a young princess with a problem and her journey to solve it.

Pilgrims of Plymouth by Susan E. Goodman is a Read Aloud focused on the history of the Pilgrims’ arrival and settlement in America.

Evaluation for 2.2
Materials include a variety of text types and genres across content that meet the requirements of the TEKS for each grade level.

The materials include a variety of text types and genres across the materials. The selections include literary texts such as nursery rhymes, fables, poetry, and classic stories, as well as informational texts that give students opportunities to recognize characteristics and structures of the text. The materials do not include opportunities for students to analyze the use of print and graphic features in a variety of text types, nor are persuasive texts present in the materials.

Examples of literary texts include but are not limited to:

Nursery Rhymes and Fables by Matthew Davis and Rosie McCormick (adaptations of classic nursery rhymes and fables)

Red Riding Hood by James Marshall (retelling of classic story) Stories by Rosie McCormick (classic stories and trickster tales) “My Senses are Amazing” by Michael L. Ford (poem)

Rainbow Joe and Me by Maria Diaz Strom (short story)

The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred by Samantha R. Vamos (cumulative tale)

Examples of informational texts include but are not limited to:

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (scientific nonfiction)

Native Americans by Beth Engel, Rosie McCormick, and Cate Whittington (historical nonfiction)

Taking Care of the Earth by Michael L. Ford (scientific nonfiction)

Columbus and the Pilgrims by James Weiss (historical nonfiction) Examples of print and graphical features include but are not limited to: Core text formats include Flip Books (read alouds), Big Books, and Readers.

Flip Books are paired with read alouds by the teacher, using narration written in the Teacher Guide. Flip Books provide graphic features for students to look at and analyze, but do not contain text. Examples of the graphic features included in Flip Books are photographs, illustrations, labels, diagrams, and maps.

Big Books and the student copies of these readers offer opportunities for students to analyze the use of print and graphic features. For example, the Skills 6 Teacher Guide states: “As the teacher reads Kit aloud, students track print from top to bottom, left to right; identify periods at the end of sentences.” Print work activities such as these are repeated throughout units.

Students are exposed to the use of print through their Readers in Skills Units 6–10. In the Skills 7 Reader Seth, the teacher directs students to the table of contents to find the page on which the story begins. The teacher also directs students to run their finger beneath words as they read.

Evaluation for 2.3
Texts, including read-aloud texts in K-2 and shared reading in Grade 2, are appropriately challenging, and are at an appropriate level of complexity to support students at their grade level.

The materials include decodable texts with the text complexity features appropriate to the grade level and read alouds with a complexity one to three years above the independent reading grade level average. A Text Complexity Guide provides quantitative, qualitative, and reader and task ratings and descriptions for texts with the Skills strand (decodable Readers) and Knowledge strand (Read Alouds).

Examples include but are not limited to:

Skills 6 contains the first student decodable Reader Kit with a Lexile level of 330L. Kit contains clear and straightforward language about a little girl named Kit playing games and spending time with pets and family.

Skills 10 contains the student decodable Reader Scott with a Lexile level of 400L. Scott contains some complex language and contexts for kindergarteners, such as camping and flying in a plane.

Domain 2 contains the Read Aloud Rainbow Joe and Me with a Lexile level of 490L. The text includes clear and straightforward language about a young girl with a blind friend named Rainbow Joe.

Domain 4 contains the Read Aloud Plants with a Lexile level of 930L. The text has the complex purpose of introducing the parts of a plant and the concept of the interdependence of all living things.

Domain 6 contains the Read Aloud D is for Drum with a Lexile level of 1040L. The text highlights different Native American cultures and lifestyles through complex verse.

Domain 10 contains the Read Aloud Ox-Cart Man with a Lexile level of 1130L. The text describes farm life during colonial times.

Evaluation for 3.a.1
Materials contain questions and tasks that support students in synthesizing knowledge and ideas to deepen understanding and identify and explain themes.

The materials contain questions and tasks to support students in synthesizing knowledge and ideas to deepen understanding and identify and explain themes. Throughout the materials students ask and answer questions about key details in a text. Activities within the units focus on the content presented in the texts and require students to pay close attention to meaning and comprehension. Specifically, the materials label questions about reading as: Literal, Inferential, and Evaluative, and spiral these question-types throughout each unit and across each strand, providing repeated opportunities to build comprehension skills over the course of the year. In addition, the lessons within the theme-based Knowledge units build upon each other and grow students’ understanding of topics because questions for each read aloud are connected under one theme, allowing students’ understanding to grow over the course of the unit.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Knowledge 2, students explore the five senses and how these senses help people. Students answer questions such as “What are the five senses—or five ways that your body discovers the things around you?” “How do your senses help you?” and “Think Pair Share: Based on what you heard during the read aloud, what do you think is your most amazing sense? Why?” Later in the unit students also answer questions such as “What is the main topic or main idea [in the read aloud]?” Students also complete an exit ticket requiring them to describe the sense of taste, including the need to identify and recall key details. Students discuss information from multiple places within a text and from multiple texts. For example, “How do different parts of the eye help you?” and “What are some ways your sense of smell is similar to your sense of sight?”

In Knowledge 5, students recall what they learned about farmers and crops as they listen to “The Little Red Hen.” Students answer questions such as “Why doesn’t the little red hen let the

other animals eat the bread?” and “What is the moral, or the lesson, of the folktale?” Students also examine illustrations closely in order to sequence them and then retell the story to demonstrate comprehension. Instructions for the teacher include prompting students to think about what is happening in the pictures to show the events in the story from beginning to end.

Both fiction and nonfiction selections in Knowledge 7 build students’ understanding of the responsibilities, lifestyle, and customs associated with royalty throughout history. Over the course of the unit, students describe how specific poems and stories relate to the subject of kings and queens. They recall key details from the poem “Old King Cole,” such as “What three things does Old King Cole ask for?” and compare and contrast the experiences of the main characters in “Sing a Song of Sixpence” by answering “How are the actions of the king and queen different from the actions of the maid?”

In Skills 6, the Reader Kit focuses on this eponymous character, providing multiple opportunities for students to listen to and read stories about Kit. After each reading the students answer questions that strengthen their understanding, such as “What time does Kit’s mom get up?” and “Why does Kit’s mom get up first?” Students must refer back to both text and illustrations to answer. They also practice synthesizing information by answering inferential questions, such as “What is the setting of this story?”

Evaluation for 3.a.2
Materials contain questions and tasks that require students to evaluate the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

The materials provide some opportunities for students to analyze an author’s choices or implied purpose within a text. A few lessons throughout the Knowledge strand include questions that require students to analyze the work of the author by recalling reasons or facts stated by the author but do not invite evaluation or analysis of an author’s craft. The materials also do not include opportunities to compare and contrast the purposes of different authors writing on the same topic nor do students analyze how an author’s choices influence or communicate meaning.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Knowledge 3, students compare and contrast characters from different stories and folktales. Teachers lead the discussion by asking “What do these characters do to get what they want?” and “How are these characters similar in getting what they want?”

In Knowledge 9, during the Read Aloud of “The Spice Seekers,” students consider why the author chose the title “Spice Seekers.” Similarly, within the same unit, students consider why the author chose the title “1492.”

In Knowledge Units 7, 8, and 11, students restate the reasons an author provided to support a given statement but do not analyze or evaluate the author’s purpose.

In Knowledge 11, the Read Aloud “Garbage” includes the question “Why is it important to think about where our garbage goes?” Relevant answers should recall reasons stated by the author.

Evaluation for 3.a.3
Materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary in and across texts.

The materials provide repeated exposure to vocabulary throughout the year for students in both the Knowledge and Skills strands. In addition, the example student responses, notes about scaffolds for students, and optional activities provide teachers with a variety of options for differentiating for all learners. The intentional design of the materials also ensures students utilize content-specific vocabulary in discussions, providing evidence of student’s developing vocabulary.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Year-long Scope and Sequences for both the Skills and Knowledge strands outline the vocabulary words addressed in the materials.

The beginning of each Knowledge Teacher Guide includes a reference table of core vocabulary for the unit as well as teacher expectations for the use of vocabulary. The guide states, “The inclusion of the words on this list does not mean that students are immediately expected to be able to use all of the words on their own. However, through repeated exposure throughout the lessons, they should acquire a good understanding of most of the words and begin to use some of them in conversation.” The program identifies each of the core vocabulary words as Tier 1 (everyday speech words), Tier 2 (general academic words), or Tier 3 (domain-specific words) and provides a definition and an example for each word. The read alouds bold core vocabulary and prompt the teacher to define or add clarity to the meaning of a word during the read aloud. Comprehension questions immediately following each read aloud revisit the vocabulary. Teachers are directed: “if students give one-word answers and/or fail to use read aloud or domain vocabulary in their responses,” they should “acknowledge correct responses by expanding students’ responses using richer or more complex language.” The exemplar student responses given for these comprehension questions showcase the core vocabulary words provided. In addition, “Support” notes within the margin suggest possible scaffolds for students.

After Comprehension Questions, students move into Word Work, which focuses on core vocabulary. Most activities involve six steps. For example, the Teacher Guides provides the following prompts in Knowledge 5 for the target word “valuable”:

1. In the read aloud you heard, “Pigs are valuable animals.”
2. Say the word valuable with me.
3. If something is valuable, it is precious or worth a lot of money.
4. The queen’s jewels are very valuable.
5. What kinds of things are valuable to you or your family? Try to use the word valuable when you tell about it. [Ask two or three students. If necessary, guide and/or rephrase the students’ responses: “Our new car is very valuable because…” or “Our dog Sadie is very valuable because...”]
6. What’s the word we’ve been talking about?

Within the Skills strand student engage with vocabulary in context through the Big Book and Student Reader of the unit and out of context through their Activity Book. For example, in Skills 8, the Big Book includes the text “Sam and the Fish,” which includes the word “pond” as a core vocabulary word. Teachers “write the word on the board/chart paper for students to read,” and “use the word in oral sentences.” The teacher can then choose to have the students complete the page in the Activity Book where students copy the word “pond” and draw a picture. The lesson also requires students to answer literal discussion questions about “Sam and Fish” where students identify the setting of the story as a pond.

Evaluation for 3.a.4
Materials include a clearly defined plan to support and hold students accountable as they engage in self-sustained reading.

The materials include a clearly defined plan to support and hold students accountable as they engage in self-sustained reading. Procedures and/or protocols, along with adequate support to guide teachers for implementation, are provided to foster self-sustained reading as appropriate. The curriculum includes an Independent Reading Facilitation Guide for Grades K-5, organized into seven steps for implementation, which provides teachers with the necessary support to implement a plan to facilitate self-sustained reading as appropriate. In addition, the curriculum provides guidance and resource lists to families to foster independent reading at home, linked to each thematic domain within the Knowledge strand.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The curriculum includes an Independent Reading Facilitation Guide for Grades K-5, organized into seven steps for implementation. Each of the steps (listed below) is explained in detail in its own section, providing guidance and support to teachers as needed.

1. Establish structure and procedures by creating a designated time and place for independent reading.
2. Manage and maintain a successful independent reading program by monitoring, assessing, and encouraging reading experiences.
3. Ensure that students understand that their role as independent readers is to engage, interact, and make good choices.
4. Ensure that there are regular opportunities for conferencing and interaction with students.
5. Maintain regular communications with parents, guardians, and other adults (i.e., a librarian).
6. Set achievable goals for students and monitor outcomes.
7. Communicate the power and joy of reading.

The guide recommends students read independently at least twice a week for 30 minutes and also suggests times for independent reading: “the first 10 minutes of the day” or “right after lunch.”

The Teacher Guide suggests the creation of a classroom lending library to provide opportunities for students to self-select texts for independent reading and instructs teachers to “consider various times throughout the day” when students can select books aligned to the current domain. Trade book lists for classroom library curation are provided in the supplemental document Recommended Resources.

Both the Teacher Guide and the Independent Reading Facilitation Guide provide suggestions and instructions to students to self-select texts and read independently for a sustained period of time.

Evaluation for 3.b.1
Materials provide support for students to compose across text types for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Over the course of the year, the materials provide an extensive range of activities for students to compose within a variety of genres to communicate their understanding of literary and informational topics. Students begin the year using drawing and oral communication, and by the end of the year write increasingly often and for more sophisticated reasons. However, students do not have an opportunity to write personal narratives.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In the Knowledge strand, the Teacher Guides include an outline of the writing activities present in the domain.

In Knowledge 2, students draw to “describe key concepts in informational texts.”

In Knowledge 3, students learn about story elements and sequencing events. The materials state that students will draw characters, setting, and/or plot elements of stories as well as sequence events.

In Knowledge 4, students “focus on oral communication, with the teacher acting as scribe.” Students compare and contrast types of plants and how plants are used. They draw pictures of plant parts and life cycles.

In Knowledge 6, they complete graphic organizers “with assistance.” Throughout the unit, students draw to synthesize information from the unit and then connect their drawings to writing by completing graphic organizers.

In Knowledge 7, students “focus on oral communication with the teacher acting as a scribe.” Students compare and contrast their own families with the royal families mentioned in the read alouds and compile the information in a graphic organizer with teacher assistance.

In Knowledge 11, students engage in an application activity, creating a class book. They are instructed to recall an environmental problem created by people based on the readings of the unit and then brainstorm a solution. Students draw pictures of the problem and solution and then write at least one sentence about their drawings. These writings are compiled into a class book.

Evaluation for 3.b.2
Materials engage students in the writing process to develop text in oral, pictorial, or written form.

The materials provide multiple opportunities for students to engage in the writing process. The included activities allow students to plan and draft writing by speaking, drawing, or writing as appropriate.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In each Knowledge Teacher Guide the overview describes the writing activities students engage in throughout the unit. Across multiple units “Know-Wonder-Learn” (KWL) Charts are used to collect ideas, questions, and learning that stem from the read alouds in each lesson. With scaffolded teacher assistance, students use these charts to brainstorm and plan writing responses to the text.

In Knowledge 7 the application activity instructs the teacher to guide students in recalling the characters, setting, and plot from their Read Aloud “The Princess and the Pea.” Students draw, and the teacher writes and draws, in a graphic organizer accompanying the lesson. Students brainstorm the narrative elements to be included in the final writing product.

In Knowledge 12 students publish an informative text, with assistance from the teacher and input from peers. Students recall what they have learned about five American presidents and identify one they admire most. They draw to show the chosen president’s accomplishments and convey why they admire them. The teacher tells students to encourage their “classmates to ask questions and make suggestions,” and then “give[s] students time to incorporate any suggestions made by peers.” The activity concludes when students present their published work to the class.

In Knowledge 11 students respond to texts read aloud by creating a class book. Students generate ideas based on readings, select concepts to illustrate, and also “write at least one sentence about their drawing....”

Evaluation for 3.b.3
Over the course of the year, students are provided opportunities to apply grade-level standard English conventions to their writing.

The materials provide students with some opportunities to apply conventions to their writing. Grammar, punctuation, and usage are taught out of context through explicit instruction and within the context of decodable readers; however, students do not focus on conventions when editing drafts of their writing.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The Kindergarten Skills Scope and Sequence lists the following conventions and coverage: Skills 1–4, “Common Prepositions”; Skills 5, “Capitalizing the First Word in a Sentence and the Pronoun I,” and “Recognize End Punctuation”; Skills 6, “Capitalizing the First Word in a Sentence and the Pronoun I,” “Common Prepositions,” and “Plural Nouns and Verbs”; Skills 8,

“Recognize End Punctuation” and “Use Apostrophes to Determine Meaning”; Skills 9, “Common prepositions,” “Recognize End Punctuation,” and “Capitalizing the First Word in a Sentence and the Pronoun I.”

The introduction of each Skills unit includes an overview of the grammar concepts addressed within the unit. The Skills 3 Teacher Guide states that students continue “to focus on capitalization, quotation marks, and ending punctuation...common and proper nouns, antonyms and synonyms, and verbs.”

In Skills 5 the materials state that the teacher will “attend to capital letters and punctuation as sentence indicators” while reading Ox and Man aloud.

In Skills 6 the materials instruct the teacher to “Read the story a second time, pausing to point out sentences, capital letters, and periods.”

In Skills 8 the Teacher Guide mentions the word “punctuation” once when it states: “Punctuation marks become increasingly important as part of the reading process.”

Punctuation is taught both in and out of context in Skills 9. During a listening activity, students hear sentences read aloud and write a period, question mark, or exclamation point to indicate whether the sentence heard is “a statement, a question, or exclamation.”

In Knowledge 7, Kings and Queens, students write their own story about Old King Cole, but the materials do not instruct the teacher to monitor or support students’ use of writing conventions including punctuation and grammar.

Evaluation for 3.b.4
Materials include practice for students to write legibly in print (K-1) and cursive (Grade 2).

Materials include practice for students to write legibly in print for all uppercase and lowercase letters. The materials also include a diagnostic assessment to determine readiness to begin handwriting instruction but do not include procedures or supports for teachers to assess student progress.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The Skills 1 Teacher Guide includes a “Writing Strokes” pretest with accompanying scoring guide. The scoring guide includes categorized exemplar student responses: “Not Yet Ready,” “Progressing,” and “Ready.” The materials also include suggestions and activities for students who need additional support in handwriting development.

In Skills 1 and 2, Kindergarten students work on writing strokes. In Skills 3, students “begin to use handwriting to make pictures of sounds (letters).” The Skills 3 Teacher Guide explains that eight-letter sounds will be introduced in the unit, and that students will also learn how to write the corresponding letters. All lowercase letters have been introduced by the end of Skills 5; students also begin work on uppercase letters in Skills 5.

The Assessment and Remediation Guide includes suggestions and activities for supplemental practice and support for students’ handwriting development.

Evaluation for 3.c.1
Materials support students’ listening and speaking about texts.

Throughout the materials students are expected to listen and speak about texts. The Knowledge and Skills strands engage students in activities to understand and share information and ideas about topics from texts.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Skills units provide opportunities for students to listen and ask questions. In Skills 4–10, the reading lessons include a section called Wrap-Up Discussion with instructions for the teacher to ask students what questions they have: “Do you have questions you would like to ask to clarify your understanding of the story?” The Skills units also contain sections called Exchanging Information and Ideas. Teachers prompt students to generate and ask their own questions and to ask questions that build on other students’ responses: “Encourage students to expand and/or build from other students’ responses…after discussion.” This section also includes sentence frames.

In Skills 6, students answer discussion questions about Kit, such as “What does the story say Kit can do” and “Is the setting of the story a warm or cold place?”

In Skills 8, students answer discussion questions such as “How does Sam know Ms. Mack will let him swim?”

Within the Knowledge strand, all Flip Book Read Aloud lessons include a purpose for listening. After the read aloud, students answer comprehension questions posed by the teacher. During this conversation, the teacher asks students literal, inferential, and/or evaluative questions.

These questions provide opportunities for students to listen actively and to answer questions posed by the teacher. The Comprehension Conversation section is included with every Knowledge unit Flip Book read aloud.

In Knowledge 3, the teacher prompts students to listen carefully “to find out which pig makes the best choice….” Suggested questions to ask include “Do you think the third little pig should let the wolf in?”

The materials include guidance for teachers to gain insight into students’ background knowledge and to support discussion, in a section titled Introducing the Read Aloud. In Knowledge 4, during the read aloud of “The Gigantic Turnip,” teachers ask, “What’s a garden?” and “Why might people plant gardens?” The Teacher Guide also includes questions for after the read aloud to allow students to share information and ideas about the topics they are discussing. After the read aloud of the “The Gigantic Turnip,” teachers can ask, “Why does the old man want to plant a turnip?” and “Who are the characters in this story?” Teachers are asked to prompt students to “Think Pair Share” in answering the question “Why do you think the turnip plant grows to be gigantic in the story?”

The Knowledge Core Connection sections provide opportunities for discussing unit themes. In Knowledge 9, teachers show a map of the world in 1492 and ask students “how they think it looks different from the classroom map of the world [they] have today?”

Evaluation for 3.c.2
Materials engage students in collaborative discussions.

The materials engage students in a variety of collaborative discussions, and students are prompted to apply conventions and answer in complete sentences. The materials also include rubrics for assessing student proficiency in grade-appropriate speaking skills.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The Teacher Guides of the Knowledge strand include a section called Introducing the Read- Aloud and include questions and instructions for the teacher “to prompt discussion.” These questions are usually found under the header “What Have We Already Learned.” After a read aloud is completed in the Knowledge strand, students transition to Comprehension Questions. The teacher asks literal, inferential, and evaluative questions that foster discussion. This format of Introducing the Read Aloud and discussion afterward occurs in every Knowledge strand lesson.

The teacher support materials include a grade-level specific Speaking and Listening Rubric, divided into three domains: “participation,” “following rules,” and “flow of conversation” and three levels of proficiency: “advanced,” “proficient,” and “basic,” to informally assess grade- appropriate speaking skills during any discussion.

With the units of the Skills strand a teacher-facing resource is provided called Discussion Questions Observation Record. This form is blank and allows the teacher to list the names of all students and record their responses to the three question types (literal, inferential, and evaluative). Teachers can also make an annotation if the student did or didn’t answer a question using a complete sentence. A completed example of the Discussion Questions Observation Record can be found in the Teacher Resource section.

In the Skills 5 Teacher Guide unit introduction teachers are instructed to “Take this opportunity to teach students to answer in complete sentences using the question stem as the initial part of the answer.” In Lesson 1, students use the “turn and talk” strategy to complete the sentence frame “I like…” with a partner. Practicing this response protocol lowers the affective filter for students and allows them to focus on what they want to say (content) rather than how to respond (formatting).

Evaluation for 3.d.1
Materials engage students in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for different purposes.

The materials provide limited opportunities to generate and follow a research plan and organize and communicate information in accordance with research. Students were not supported in identifying relevant sources based on their questions. Students generate questions, but these questions do not guide the students’ inquiry.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Knowledge 6 includes an optional suggestion to conduct a “...Group Research Project to learn about a local Native American tribe.” The materials do not provide additional supports, nor is time within the unit plan dedicated to completing the project.

In Knowledge 8, a ‘Challenge’ activity in the sidebar directs teachers to assist students to use “the internet or a local newspaper to research weather in Washington, D.C. and compare it to the weather in their hometown.” The materials do not provide additional supports, nor is time within the unit plan dedicated to completing the project.

In Knowledge 11, an application activity directs the teacher to guide students in brainstorming solutions to environmental issues like pollution, collecting those responses on a chart, and then creating a class book. The activity is listed in the Kindergarten Knowledge strand Scope and Sequence as a “shared research and writing project.” The materials in the Teacher Guide for this activity do not include a framework for research or inquiry. Students are expected to recall information from previous read alouds to generate ideas.

Several Knowledge units employ a Know-Wonder-Learn (KWL) chart, supporting the process of generating questions and using literature to answer them. Students share their questions and wonderings. Teachers also record what students “know” on the KWL chart, even if their statements are factually inaccurate, and then use read alouds from the unit to evaluate the veracity of statements they recorded. The chart is displayed throughout the unit and revisited as students are exposed to additional information. There is no established plan beyond the

read aloud to answer the questions generated. The materials do not explicitly connect this to research to ensure that the teacher goes back to students’ questions with fidelity.

Evaluation for 3.e.1
Materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge.

The questions and tasks in the materials help students to build and apply their knowledge and skills by giving them plenty of opportunities to listen, speak, read, write, think, and use language. Within every lesson, students engage with the text through listening and/or reading and then discuss and/or write about the text. All these tasks give students practice integrating literacy skills and, over the course of the year, students develop increasing independence. In the Knowledge strand, students apply their listening, speaking, reading, writing, thinking, and language skills as they participate in read alouds, answer comprehension questions, discuss the topic they are learning about, and apply their knowledge of the topic and vocabulary through application and assessment tasks. In the Skills strand students learn and practice foundational pre-reading and early reading skills such as phonemic and phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, language skills, and reading comprehension. Students apply their listening, speaking, reading, writing, thinking, and language skills as they learn sounds and their spellings and use them to read decodable stories.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Skills 4, students apply their listening and speaking skills by orally segmenting words, then apply writing skills by writing and spelling “n” and then apply their reading and writing skills by reading and writing simple consonant-vowel-consonant pattern words. Students have further opportunities to apply listening skills as they distinguish between spoken minimal pair words with /n/ and /m/ in either the initial or final position. Later in the unit, students receive instruction using a Big Book read aloud to reinforce reading skills and the recently taught sounds and spellings. In Skills 6, a Reader is introduced as an accompaniment to the Big Book. By this time enough patterns and decoding skills have been introduced to allow students to read independently.

In Knowledge 4, students listen to read alouds about plants. During one read aloud, students listen and think as the teacher reads, clarifies vocabulary, and asks questions such as “What do you see in this picture?” and “What do you think this bark feels like?” After the read aloud students respond to questions such as “What would happen if a plant didn’t have roots?” After discussion students complete Word Work tasks. Students review how the word “survival” is used in the story, say the word “survival,” listen to the definition, listen to a sentence with the word “survival,” and respond to the question “What is important to a living thing’s survival?” using the sentence stem “ is important to a living thing’s survival.” The lesson ends with students pasting the parts of a plant onto a sheet of paper to create a whole plant.

Evaluation for 3.e.2
Materials provide spiraling and scaffolded practice.

The materials provide consistent opportunities for distributed practice over the course of the year. Students read, write, speak, listen, and think throughout both the Skills and Knowledge strands. The materials also include scaffolds throughout each lesson to support students as they demonstrate the integration of literacy skills.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Knowledge Unit 6 students learn about Native Americans; in Knowledge Unit 9 students learn about Columbus and the Pilgrims; and in Knowledge Unit 10 students learn about Colonial Towns and Townspeople. These interconnected thematic units allow students to learn about American history using similar literary skills. Students learn to describe key details, characters, and connections within the text. The materials’ consistent lesson format, protocols, and questions throughout these units provide spiraled and scaffolded practice with integration of skills and content.

Evaluation for 4.1
Materials provide explicit instruction in print concepts and opportunities for student practice (K-1 only).

The materials provide students thorough and explicit instruction in print concepts. The majority of units in the Skills strand provide opportunities and practice for students to connect print awareness to texts.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Print awareness is taught throughout the Skills strand and is referred to as “Print Concepts.” In Skills 1 students are taught concepts of left and right in the Left/Right Discrimination activity. In Lesson 1 students learn to shake hands with their right hands, and the teacher is instructed that this “knowledge will be beneficial when students are taught to read and write from left to right.” By Lesson 5 students have had multiple experiences with the activity Track from Left to Right and Top to Bottom. Within the Activity Pages, students place their “pointer finger” at a given location on the page and track “left to right” to answer the question “What’s next to…?” The teacher states an object or picture, and the students identify that object/picture as a class. Students also practice print awareness in the activity Draw Circles to the Left.

Other aspects of print awareness are reinforced within the listening activities of the Skills units. Students count words in sentences and phrases spoken by the teacher, using cubes, in the activity Listening to Words. In Skills 1 Lesson 5, the teacher is instructed to only use phrases with three words, but by Lesson 9 students are working with up to six words in a sentence. In Skills 2 the same routine is applied to hearing sounds in words rather than words in phrases.

Beginning in Skills 4 Big Books become part of students’ explicit instruction in print awareness. The Skills 4 Teacher Guide states teachers should review parts of the book and running a finger beneath words while reading “Pet Fun” in the Big Book. During the second read the teacher should pause to point out that “print goes from left to right across the page and words are separated by spaces.”

Skills 6 includes a Teacher Demonstration module in which the teacher reviews parts of the book and reading while pointing to words (left to right). During the second read of the story students should pause to point out sentences, capital letters, and periods. The same lessons include a section titled More Help for Reading, where the teacher is directed to ask one student at a time to read phrases while pointing under each word. Through the rest of the Skills units a reader is in front of students, allowing the teacher to reinforce these concepts with texts students are also reading. Students are not explicitly taught the “return sweep,” in the use of the Reader.

In the Knowledge strand, print awareness activities focus on identifying parts of a book. In multiple lessons in Knowledge 8, students “identify the front cover” and “the back cover of the book.” Students also describe the things you would find on the front or back cover of a book, and where the “title page is usually found….”

Evaluation for 4.2
Materials provide explicit instruction in phonological skills and opportunities for student daily practice (e.g., rhyming, syllabication, blending, segmenting, manipulation) (K-1 only).

The materials provide explicit instruction in phonological skills and opportunities for student daily practice throughout the Skills strand, including rhyming, syllabication, blending, segmenting, and manipulation. Daily routines and systems for introducing concepts facilitate explicit instruction.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Foundational skills are taught and assessed in the Skills strand. Specific activities aligned to Phonological and Phonemic Awareness primarily occur in Skills 1 and 2. In these units, students first identify individual words within phrases and then advance to identifying individual sounds within words. Then, students are taught to orally blend individual phonemes into words.

Finally, oral blending becomes a warm-up activity preceding more complex activities. In Skills 3, students use an arm blending motion to blend ten one-syllable words that include animal words—among them “mouse,” “fish,” “fly,” and “rat.” In Skills 6, students practice blending CVC, CVCC, and CCVCC words with short vowels, using their fingers. Each finger represents a sound, and bringing the fingers together to a closed fist represents blending those sounds into a word. This is a common practice that helps students both identify individual sounds and blend them together to form a word.

Skills 2 addresses syllabication. In Lesson 2, students “blend syllables and sounds to form words using hand gestures.” In Lesson 3, students “blend syllables and sounds.” In subsequent lessons students “blend sounds.” Work in Lesson 4 and beyond includes students blending spoken phonemes to form one-syllable words.

Skills 6 and 8 explicitly address Rhyming. Multiple lessons in both units provide opportunities for students to “recognize and produce rhyming words.” The teacher begins by reminding students, “two words rhyme when they end with the same sounds,” and then provides examples of words that rhyme and don’t rhyme. The teacher reads aloud a pair of words, and students must indicate if they rhyme. Scaffolds for the teacher to use in supporting students include prompting proficient students to produce a third word to rhyme with the pair and prompting struggling students to close their eyes and listen to the words again to identify if they rhyme.

Another opportunity for oral language practice occurs through chaining activities. Students create new words in sequence by changing, adding, or deleting phonemes. Students practice chaining in Skills 3–10. In this exercise, students build CVC or CCVC words with letter cards organized in a “Chaining Folder.” Students alternate between building words as prompted by the teacher and writing them. The chaining sequence in Skills 3, Lesson 4, is “ad>mad>mat>at>ad>dad>mad.” This sequence demonstrates for students that one change in a word creates a new word. Chains increase in complexity as lessons and units progress. In Skills 6, Lesson 13, students begin with the word “lob” and end with “clam” over the course of nine changes. Then students do the same work with “slop” to “caps” over ten changes. This practice also allows students to revisit short vowel sounds /a/, /i/, and /o/.

In Skills 3, students shift their work to learning letter-sound correspondences and reading and writing one-syllable words. Over the course of Skills 3–5, students learn and practice the letter-sound correspondences for all letters of the alphabet, except “q”. “Q” is taught in Skills 7 as a digraph.

Skills 6–8 and 10 introduce additional sound patterns. The work begins with initial and final consonant clusters or blends. Consonant digraphs and double-letter spellings for consonants follow. Finally, e-controlled vowels including CVCe spellings as well as the /ee/ alternative vowel spellings are introduced.

Instruction for new sounds and sound patterns is explicit. In Basic Code lessons—those which introduce common sounds of the alphabet—students use a mirror to see what their mouth looks like when pronouncing sounds. They are instructed to close their eyes, listen to the sounds they are pronouncing, and identify words that begin with the sound introduced. Then students practice writing the lowercase form of the letter that represents the target sound. In Skills 3, Lesson 1, students follow this routine to study the /m/ sound. Throughout this work, the letter is referred to as “/m/”. The teacher is directed to identify the letter “m” as “the picture of the /m/ sound” when students write it. This explicit instruction gives students multiple opportunities to learn letter sounds and then understand that letter names refer to the written representation of these sounds.

Evaluation for 4.3
Materials provide explicit systematic instruction in phonetic knowledge and opportunities for students to practice both in and out of context (K-2).

The materials are research-based in their instruction of foundational skills and provide explicit, systematic instruction in phonics and high-frequency word knowledge. Students practice skills in isolation and in context. The materials build spelling knowledge in accordance with, and beyond the scope of, grade-level TEKS.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Skills 1 includes Appendix A “The Core Knowledge Language Arts Program,” which explains the program is based on the research of E.D. Hirsch Jr. and the National Reading Panel. The materials state students must develop decoding and language comprehension skills in tandem to make sense of text. Appendix B provides an overview of the Skills strand scope and sequence for each unit showing sufficient opportunities for student practice to achieve grade-level mastery. Letter-sound correspondence, word building, and sight word recognition skills (to name a few) are introduced in sequence and spiral throughout the year.

Systematic teaching of letter sounds begins in Skills 3 Lesson 1. Consonants and vowels are introduced so that students may begin decoding practice. A sample list of words students will build include “dad > mad > mat > at > cat > cot > dot.”

In Skills 5, students learn sound letter correspondence for /b/, /l/, /r/, /u/, /w/, /j/, /y/, /x/, /k/, and in Lesson 1 they create the following words in sequence using letter cards: bop>top>tap>zap>nap>nab>dab. Vowel sounds were introduced in previous units.

Over the course of Skills 3–5, students learn and practice the letter-sound correspondences for all letters of the alphabet, except “q” (which is taught in Skills 7 as a digraph).

Skills 6–8 and 10 introduce additional sound-spelling patterns. The work begins with initial and final consonant clusters or blends. Then, consonant digraphs are taught, followed by double- letter spellings for consonants. Finally, e-controlled vowels are addressed, which includes CVCe spellings as well as the /ee/ alternative vowel spelling.

Beginning in Skills 4 students read from a decodable anthology of texts referred to as a “Big Book.” The texts align with previously taught letter-sound correspondences and phonetic patterns. This allows students opportunities to apply grade-level phonetic knowledge to connected texts and tasks. The texts in Big Books grow in complexity throughout Skills 4 as students learn more correspondences. Skills 6 increases in complexity as students now practice in not only a Big Book but also a Reader. Within the Reader newly introduced spelling patterns are bolded to support students in making linkages between connected text and explicit phonics instruction. In Skills 6, students read Kit and Stan, a story that includes consonant clusters.

This concept is introduced explicitly in the lesson, before students read.

The materials refer to non-phonetic high-frequency words as “Tricky Words,” and begin introducing them in Skills 3. Tricky Words are introduced in a scaffolded routine using Picture Readers, which represent the target word with a full-color rebus. The program references Dolch and Fry word lists as the sources for the Tricky Word list. In Skills 3, students learn the Tricky Word “one.” The teacher is directed to first draw one dot on the board and ask, how many dots, to prompt students to say “one” aloud. She continues with an explanation of the difference between writing the numeral “1” in math, the word “one” in reading and writing, and the fact that this is a Tricky Word because it does not “follow the rules.” The teacher underlines the word (the program’s marking convention for non-phonetic words). Then, students practice reading the word one in the Picture Reader. The same routine is used to introduce all Tricky Words. Skills 3 introduces the Tricky Words “one,” “two,” and “three.” The Skills 4 Teacher Guide Introduction directs teachers to create a “Tricky Word Wall” to facilitate review of Tricky Words and “help students learn to read Tricky Words automatically.” The teacher is also instructed to cumulatively review words previously taught “at the beginning of each Tricky Word lesson.” Several activities for review of the Tricky Word Wall are also included. In Skills 8, students write six previously taught Tricky Words—“was,” “from,” “funny,” “all,” “the,” “off.” In the Skills 10, Lesson 6 Teacher Guide, the teacher dictates the words “he,” “she,” “me,” “we,” “be,” “here,” and “there” for spelling practice. By the end of the final Skills unit, 42 Tricky Words have been introduced.

The Kindergarten Skills Scope and Sequence traces spelling exercises in its own column within the sequencing table. The first spelling activity appears in Skills 3, Lesson 5. Students work with one-syllable, short-vowel sound words including “at,” “ad,” and “mat.” In Skills 6, spelling work grows in complexity to include “consonant clusters,” or initial and final blends. In Skills 7–10, students spell CCVCC words.

Evaluation for 4.4
Materials provide frequent opportunities for students to practice and develop fluency while reading a wide variety of grade-level texts at the appropriate rate with accuracy and prosody. (Grades 1-2 only)

Evaluation for 4.5
Materials include placement (diagnostic) assessments and provide information to assist in foundational skills instruction (K-2).

The materials include diagnostic assessments and provide information to assist in foundational skills instruction. The assessments in the Skills strand and the Assessment and Remediation Guide provide information to help teachers ensure students master foundational skills.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The Skills strand provides instruction in foundational skills. Skills 1 provides information on diagnostic assessments and pretests included in the unit. Students are assessed on blending skills in Lesson 4 and “Writing Strokes” in Lesson 6. The unit also includes a Pretest Class Summary Sheet and Pretest Scoring Guide with categorized exemplar student responses to the Writing Strokes Assessment. Responses are categorized as “Not Yet Ready,” “Progressing,” or “Ready.” Materials include guidance for teachers to group students based on the Writing Strokes Pretest. The Skills 1 Teacher Guide instructs the teacher to look for students who receive “progressing or ready” for “most of the strokes” and notes that this group is “probably ready to attempt to write letters.” There are additional notes about supporting students who don’t meet these scores. There is also guidance for the teacher in administering the “Blend Pretest,” but no information on grouping or differentiation based on the results. The teacher is instructed to “administer the pretest to one student at a time, while the remainder of the class completes an activity.” While the Record Sheet provided does give the teacher space to capture data, there are no explicit instructions on how to respond to this data. The Teacher Guide explains the purpose of these assessments is “strictly to establish a baseline for every student.” The guide continues to describe the assessments as a way to help the teacher “determine what students already know and establish benchmarks against which you can document students’ progress.” Teachers can use these assessments, record sheets, and scoring guides to identify students’ current abilities and areas for growth. These assessments align to the learning experiences within Skills units, allowing the teacher to use this data to connect to future formative assessments and progress monitor a student’s growth.

Each of the 10 Kindergarten Skills units concludes with an assessment measuring proficiency in the objectives of the unit. For example, in Skills 3, Lesson 14, the materials assess students’ blending skills, letter-sound correspondence knowledge of five consonants and three vowels, and ability to read, spell and write simple CVC words.

The Assessment and Remediation Guide includes an Instructional Planning section that explains how the guide is organized and provides explicit instructions on how to determine student need. The steps are:

1. Use the Cross Reference charts and Determining Student Need flow charts provided for each component (i.e., Phonological Awareness for both Environmental Sounds and Segmenting Sentences).
2. Consider students’ Level of Instructional Need.
3. Select exercises and assessments and prepare associated materials for instruction and progress monitoring.
4. Use ongoing evaluation of student instructional performance and progress monitoring to facilitate decisions about student progress or ongoing remediation needs.

These steps guide the teacher through an assessment of students’ growth and mastery in foundational skills.

The K-2 Program Guide includes a section titled “Supporting a Range of Learners.” The part related to student grouping states: “The Assessment and Remediation Guide also provides explicit guidelines for grouping students according to the skills for which they need support. It provides...reteaching guidance to ensure that students receive the instruction they need…to advance.”

The Assessment and Remediation Guide includes specific references to assessments in the corresponding Kindergarten Skills units. The detailed alignment between unit lessons and those in the Assessment and Remediation Guide supports the teacher in planning small group instruction.

Evaluation for 4.6
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that genuinely measure student progress as indicated by the program scope and sequence (K-2).

The materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities to measure student progress. The information collected by the teacher can be utilized to inform instruction as indicated by the program scope sequence.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The supplemental Assessment and Remediation Guide (ARG) supports teachers with guidance and directions in responding to individual students’ literacy needs. There is a separate guide for each Skills unit, and each is organized according to the skill areas taught in the unit.

Kindergarten Skills 1 ARG includes sections for Environmental Sounds, Segmenting Sentences, Understanding Directionality, and Writing Grip and Strokes. Kindergarten Skills 3 ARG includes Phonological Awareness: Phonemes (Two or Three) Phonics and Writing: Lowercase Letter Formation. Items within each of these sections are: Determining Student Need, Lesson Template, Sample Remedial Lesson, Skills Cross-Reference, Word Lists, Worksheets, Games, Poems/Songs/Nursery Rhymes, and Progress Monitoring.

In the section Determining Student Need, the teacher is given a flow chart with two different criteria for using the information; directions explain, if the “student struggles with Skills 2 objective: blend syllables to form words,” then the teacher should use the given resources in Section 1: Phonological Awareness. A second criterion states, “Student scores 5 or less on Part 2 of the Skills 2 Student Performance Task Assessment and/or performs poorly on other evaluations of phonological awareness at the syllable level.”

The Skills 1 Teacher Guide provides assessments for print concepts, such as The Awareness of Words and Phrases Assessment and Tracking Assessment, which measures a student’s ability to discern how many words are in a spoken sentence and awareness of left to right directionality, respectively. The guide also includes a Letter Name Pretest to “assess each student’s knowledge of letter names.” Students are shown uppercase and lowercase letters and must say the name of the letter while the teacher captures data in a Running Record Template provided for the teacher. The letters are shown out of alphabetical order to ensure students are not simply naming by rote. Instructions for the teacher state this assessment is optional.

Each of the ten Skills strand units focus on teaching foundational skills – phonological awareness, phonics, and word recognition. The Introduction section of each unit guide includes information on Formative Assessments and Additional Support. These sections detail all assessments in the unit and the work to which they align.

The Skills 2 Teacher Guide highlights that students will be assessed on “blending syllables and individual sounds (phonemes).” The Teacher Guide includes instructions for administering this assessment. Students listen as the teacher says individual phonemes or syllables, and circle on an Activity Page the picture that represents the word made by blending the teacher’s phonemes or syllables together. This allows the teacher to assess if students can accurately hear two or more phonemes and blend them into a word. In Skills 2, the teacher begins with two phonemes and progresses to four by the end of the assessment.

Assessments grow in complexity as units of study progress. Phonetic knowledge assessments are found in later units. The Skills 8 Teacher Guide includes a Word Recognition Assessment in which students listen to a word read aloud by the teacher and then circle that word from a group of three decodable choices in writing. The unit also assesses short vowels within CVC, CCVC, VCC, CVCCC, and CVCC words. The assessment allows teachers to isolate students’ struggles with specific vowel or consonant combinations. Teachers are provided a Record Sheet for the Unit 8 Word Recognition Assessment and instructed to record the name and answer choices of every student who scores below 90% on the assessment.

Evaluation for 5.1
Materials include supports for students who demonstrate proficiency above grade level.

The materials provide opportunities to support students demonstrating above-level proficiency. Sidebars note opportunities to differentiate, with a focus on scaffolds for students. Teacher notes suggest pairing/grouping students based on their levels. The materials also include Pausing Point days within each unit to provide time for extension and enrichment for students who have “mastered” the unit materials. Most suggestions focus on reading extra books or completing extra tasks similar to those in the unit, often called “Challenge” activities.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The Program Guide describes opportunities for student enrichment: some lessons “offer opportunities for independent and small group research that can be extended by asking for alternative sources or deeper analysis.” The guide also provides examples of what advanced students can do to enhance their writing, such as using more complex and unusual descriptive vocabulary, figurative language, complex sentences, longer and richer text, and text features such as headers and bullets.

In each unit throughout the year, the materials include time for a Pausing Point to provide additional activities and the reading of more complex text. The Pausing Points include enrichment activities from which teachers can choose to challenge students performing above grade level. At the beginning of each description of the enrichment activities, it is mentioned that if students have mastered the skills in that particular unit, teachers may enrich their experience of the concept by using the activities. For example, in Knowledge Unit 6 a Pausing Point recommends students retell the read aloud using images and answer riddles to review content. Example riddles are: “I am made from buffalo hide, and I keep out the cold wind that blows across the plains. I am a home for people. What am I?” In Knowledge Unit 12, a Pausing Point recommends students brainstorm everything that comes to mind when they think of a key domain concept or vocabulary word from the unit, such as spectacles. Students record their responses on chart paper or a whiteboard for reference.

The lessons contain support notes about modifying instruction to accommodate student needs; however, very few focus on students already mastering the skills within the unit. In Knowledge Unit 1, the regular class assignment is to draw the main characters in two nursery rhymes. A challenge suggests students write the names of the main characters and a short descriptive sentence about each above their drawings. In Skills Unit 4, students sort picture cards into two piles based on the sounds the images start with and a challenge suggests timing students to “race against themselves to get their best time.”

Evaluation for 5.2
Materials include supports for students who perform below grade level to ensure they are meeting the grade-level literacy standards.

The materials provide supports for students demonstrating literacy skills below grade level. The Teacher Guide provides guidance for teachers on supporting students performing below grade level, in sidebar notes labeled “Support.” The teacher can decide which supports are necessary for students based on the students’ knowledge and skills. Pausing Points in each unit provide time to review, reteach, and differentiate instruction. The Assessment and Remediation Guide provides additional lessons for students who need extra practice or remediation on particular foundational or comprehension skills.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The Assessment and Remediation Guide states the Guide is “not intended for use with students who are significantly below grade level. The Guide is intended for use with students who have mastered some or most of the letter-sound correspondences in the English language, but who are not yet fluent readers because they lack specific decoding skills and/or have not had sufficient practice in reading decodable text.” At the end of each section in the Guide are assessments that may be used for both pre-tests and post-tests. It is suggested that teachers always administer a post-test following any remedial instruction to document student progress or lack thereof. Teachers receive instructions as to how to use the Guide and assessment results.

The Pausing Points included throughout the units serve as an opportunity for reteaching, remediation, and extension related to Content, Reading Comprehension, Fluency, and Writing. Sample guidance for Content includes referring back to the lessons in the unit for elements in need of reteaching or remediation. Teachers are advised to focus more heavily on the questions labeled as “support.” Sample guidance for Reading Comprehension includes advising teachers to consult the Decoding and Encoding Remediation Supplement. For Fluency, the guidance suggests teachers give multiple opportunities for students to reread a particular text from either the Reader or from the Fluency Supplement. The Writing guidance refers teachers to individual lessons in which particular skills are addressed. Teachers can create specific writing prompts targeting the particular skill in which students need additional practice.

Every lesson contains support notes about modifying instruction to accommodate student needs. For example, in Knowledge Unit 5, Lesson 2, a support provided in the sidebar prompts the teacher to reread pertinent lines from the read aloud if students struggle in responding to questions about the text. In Lesson 5, supports provided in the sidebar during the read aloud prompt the teacher to define or explain words found in the text (such as, “Remember, a predator is an animal that eats other animals”). In Lesson 7, a support provided in the sidebar prompts the teacher to show a series of image cards to retell and review the sequence of events from the read aloud. In Lesson 9, a support provided in the sidebar prompts the teacher to draw on their prior knowledge in relation to the read aloud by asking them to think of other foods that are grown on a farm, processed, and sent to the store.

Evaluation for 5.3
Materials include supports for English Learners (EL) to meet grade-level learning expectations.

The materials provide some support and scaffolding for English Learners. The Teacher Guide provides guidance for teachers on specific strategies for emerging, transitioning, and bridging language learners. The materials do not include support commensurate with the various levels of English language proficiency as defined by the ELPs (beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high); rather, these supports are differentiated into three levels. The student readers include images to support comprehension of text, and teachers have access to a digital version for projection. Bilingual dictionaries and thesauri are not mentioned in the materials. There is no evidence of a strategic use of students’ first language to enhance vocabulary development.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The K-2 Program Guide states: “English Language Learners (ELLs) of varying levels of proficiency are supported through the language acquisition strategies integrated in each lesson of both the Skills and Knowledge strands. Access supports provide further guidance to educators seeking to meet the specific needs of ELLs by helping them adjust the pacing of instruction, providing more specific guidance and explicit instruction for Tier 2 (broadly academic) and Tier 3 (domain- specific) vocabulary words, and offering deeper support for syntactic awareness.” The Program Guide also states that the materials include instructional tools to adjust required modes of participation (for example, using visual supports), expressive language demands (for example, providing sentence frames), and timing/immediacy of support during read alouds (for example, use of pictures or props).

In the Teacher Guide for each lesson, there are differentiated supports for students with linguistic needs. These supports provide scaffolds for students to access the learning at their language ability. They are broken down into three ability levels “entering/emerging,” “transitioning/expanding,” and “bridging.” They are listed from greatest need for linguistic accommodations to least support. For example, an “entering/emerging” scaffold might ask students for a yes/no answer, a “transitioning/expanding” might give students a sentence frame for their response (such as “The characters are ”), and a “bridging” may ask students to expand or build on other students’ responses.

Access Supports listed in a sidebar in each lesson are represented with a hand in a circle. In the Program Guide, it states these supports provide guidance “to adjust pacing of instruction, providing more specific explicit instruction for Tier 2 (broadly academic) and Tier 3 (domain- specific) vocabulary words, and offering deeper support for syntactic awareness.” Each reading lesson lists the vocabulary words in a tier chart. For example, the Knowledge Unit 3 Lesson 1 reading lesson on “Chicken Little” includes a vocabulary chart that lists words such as “acorn, den, sly” as Tier 3. Many Knowledge lessons also include a Word Work section focused on a specific word. During read alouds students receive support throughout the lesson using pictures or props, with attention being paid specifically to vocabulary.

In the Teacher’s Edition, the section Advance Preparation contains information on Universal Access. This section provides teachers with advice on what to prep in advance specifically for English Language Learners. Within the lessons the materials provide sentence frames and starters for writing and speaking tasks and numerous graphic organizers and other tools that promote the activation of background knowledge.

The digital component of the materials offers a mode of presenting images from the text as well as the text itself to support learning. “Images used during instruction connect to the text and support comprehension.” All units have a glossary at the end of the Teacher’s Edition. The words in the glossary have been bolded in the student reader. This helps the student recognize that the word needs special attention.

In Knowledge Unit 11, Lesson 2, the writing component portion of the lesson includes a sidebar to modify the lesson for English Language Learners. The entering/emerging support directs students to draw one event from the read aloud and use phrases and familiar vocabulary to describe it in writing; transitioning/expanding students should describe their drawing using short sentences; and bridging students should describe their drawing using longer, more detailed sentence(s).

Evaluation for 6.1
Materials include assessment and guidance for teachers and administrators to monitor progress including how to interpret and act on data yielded.

The materials provide assessments and guidance for teachers to monitor student progress. Teachers are given instructions on how to interpret and act on any data found through the assessments. While the assessments are aligned in purpose and use, they are not aligned to the TEKS. The materials provide instructions and multiple charts on which to track and disseminate data. Beginning, middle, and end-of-year assessments are provided for placement of students based on need. Formative assessments occur throughout every unit and lesson in the form of worksheets in the Activity Book and Checks for Understanding built into the lessons. The assessments are connected to the regular content and support student learning.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The materials include Beginning- (BOY) and End-of-Year (EOY) Skills assessments. The BOY Skills assessment includes writing strokes and blending pre-tests in Unit 1 and optional letter sounds and letter names pre-tests in Unit 2 to establish a baseline against which to measure subsequent progress. There is no formal Middle-of-the-Year Skills assessment, but teachers are advised to use the results of the word recognition performance assessment in Unit 5, Lesson 12, to form small groups during Units 6–8 to target any content from Units 1–5 that was not mastered. The End-of-Year Skills performance task in Unit 10, Lesson 26, assesses word reading, sound writing, letter sounds, and (optional) upper- and lowercase letter writing.

Each Knowledge and Skills unit also contains an end-of-unit assessment assessing the primary focus for each component of the unit. Knowledge Unit assessments include text comprehension and vocabulary questions about the text in addition to grammar and morphology. Skills Unit assessments include phonics, reading, grammar/language, spelling, and writing. Students also complete performance tasks and writing assessments throughout the units. The materials provide rubrics to score and analyze student assessments.

Formative assessments occur throughout the Student Activity Books to keep track of students’ progress toward the objectives of each lesson. Teachers are provided with an answer key or rubric for all formative assessments, found within the Teacher Resources section at the end of every unit.

Evaluation for 6.2
Materials include year-long plans and supports for teachers to identify needs of students and provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of a range of learners to ensure grade-level success.

The materials provide a year-long plan for teachers to provide differentiation. In the Program Guide, supports noted in the sidebar of the teacher edition and integrated into the lessons provide suggestions for differentiation and grouping structures. The Lesson at a Glance also includes the amount of time needed for each portion of the lesson and how students should be grouped. Ancillary materials include instructions for implementation and use.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The program guide provides information on how to support students who are at different levels. Within the guide, sections titled Amending Instruction, Supporting a Range of Learners, and English Language Development outline the ways the materials provide support through multiple opportunities for formal and informal assessment, teacher and peer-to-peer feedback, differentiation, enrichment, and progress tracking.

In the unit introductions of each Teacher Guide, a section outlines which units in previous grades correlate with the one being taught. The materials embed modeling throughout the reading lessons. The supports in the sidebar provide guidance to support students with comprehension and skill development. Specific close reading lessons provide students opportunities to reread a text with teacher guidance. The materials also include Pausing Points within the reading where the teacher is prompted to either ask a question or point out a vocabulary word. Graphic organizers throughout the activity pages offer additional scaffolds to support students. Supports for writing assignments include sentence frames, graphic organizers, prewritten discussions, and content-specific word lists.

The Assessment and Remediation Guide is an online resource for each Skills unit that provides resources for reteaching and reinforcement of previously taught foundational reading skills content. The activities in the Assessment and Remediation Guide are designed to provide struggling students with supplemental instruction while still providing them continuity with the core whole group instruction. The guide includes reinforcement and reteaching lesson structures and a variety of small group lesson activities and worksheets to target specific skills.

The materials are divided into units. Each unit has approximately 10 to 30 lessons. On average there are 1–2 days of Pausing Point lessons in each unit. Pausing Points give the teacher an opportunity to reteach, enrich, and master the information learned in the unit. These lessons address enrichment and/or remediation in foundational skills, reading comprehension, speaking, listening, language, vocabulary, and writing.

Supports provided in the teacher materials titled “Access, Support and Challenge” are represented by an icon located in the sidebar. The supports during daily instruction are in the form of questions and activities. In Knowledge Unit 7, Lesson 7, a support provided in the sidebar of the read aloud suggests the teacher acknowledge a multiple-meaning word in the text (“Explain that the word ‘ball’ can have other meanings. The word ‘ball’ also means a round object we play with”).

Evaluation for 6.3
Materials include implementation support for teachers and administrators.

The materials include a grade-specific scope and sequence outlining the skills taught in the program and the order in which they are taught. The scope and sequence is not aligned with the TEKS. Each individual unit includes an introduction that shows connections to prior CKLA learning. Teacher implementation support includes summaries provided at the beginning of each unit and lesson. Teachers also receive additional support in the Teacher Resource section located at the end of every lesson and other resources located on the Amplify website. No evidence was found of support for administrators to support implementation. The materials include pacing guidance and routines to support a 180-day schedule, but not a 220-day schedule.

Examples include but are not limited to:

The scope and sequence for both Knowledge units and Skills units is located online on the 2nd edition website under each grade level. They are not aligned to the TEKS. Each scope and sequence begins with a description of the components of each unit, including lessons, unit assessment, and Pausing Points. The Knowledge Scope and Sequence includes a summary of the theme of the unit and a chart displaying each lesson component: text analysis/comprehension, speaking and listening, language and vocabulary, and writing. The Skills Scope and Sequence includes a chart displaying each lesson component: phonics and reading, grammar/language, spelling, and writing.

Assessments and Pausing Points are also noted. Students’ expectations for each lesson are listed.

The materials include a Unit Introduction for each unit. The introductions provide a summary of the theme of the unit, how long the unit should last, and if it contains Pausing Points. The skills taught during the lesson are summarized. Each skills component of the lesson includes the expectations of the unit. A section also explains why the unit is important and lists the prior CKLA knowledge students should be bringing based on learning in previous grades. The materials also describe Writing, Performance Tasks and Assessments, and Fluency. The academic and core vocabulary for the unit is listed in a chart and by lesson.

On the Amplify website, a tab labeled “Resources” to help teachers contains a Program Guide, Research Guides, Pacing Guides, Standards Alignment, Scope and Sequence, Professional Learning Resources, Independent Reading, Social Emotional Learning, and Multimedia Resources. The Program Guide gives an overview of the whole program, including philosophy, how the lessons work, and more. The Research Guide details the research behind CKLA and its philosophies. Under Professional Learning Resources, different titles are available based on specific help a teacher might need. It also has many titles for initial training.

At the beginning of each lesson, there is an overview provided for teachers. The Primary Focus of the Lesson section provides student expectations for each component of the lesson along with a hyperlink to the description of state standards that fits that expectation. Formative Assessments for the lesson include hyperlinks to the activity page where it can be located. The Lesson at a Glance chart shows the lesson components: Speaking and Listening (Read Aloud), Reading (activities are linked to Read Aloud), Foundational Skills, Language, Writing, and Spelling. There is also a materials list with hyperlinks when available.

At the end of each unit there is a Teacher Resource section that includes links to resources such as glossaries and activity answer keys. The resources available depend on the unit and what is being taught and assessed. In Skills Unit 1, this resource section includes an anecdotal skills record template and a writing strokes pretest scoring guide.

In addition, the materials provide a teacher planner available for all grade levels. The planner contains: a year-long pacing guide, and lesson planning pages. The pacing guide online in the 2nd edition website shows each unit in weeks to create a visual of how long each unit should last. Pausing Point days are also included. As noted in the Program Guide and indicated on the Pacing Guide, the materials are designed for 180–185 days of instruction and include Pausing Point days.

Evaluation for 6.4
The visual design of the student edition (whether in print or digital) is neither distracting nor chaotic.

The materials for Kindergarten include image cards, student workbooks, texts, and photographs, simply designed to not distract from learning. Graphic elements are maintained across the materials. Each unit utilizes white space to support students in finding and understanding information. Student Readers, Student Workbooks, and Flip Books use bold print and photographs that are centered on the page to enhance readability. The graphics and white space on the pages ensure that the student can readily find what they need without distraction.

Examples include but are not limited to:

In Knowledge Unit 2, the Flipbook image design utilizes the white space in order to highlight the parts of the eye in a diagram.

In Knowledge Unit 5, the image cards contain photographs of farm animals and their related food products. Each animal and food product is pictured individually and is centered on the page surrounded by white space.

In Skills Unit 6, the Big Book contains one line of text accompanied by one illustration per page.

In Skills Unit 9, the Activity Book worksheets include bold font, arrows, and text boxes to direct students’ attention to the focus letters or words, show them what to do, and provide enough space for them to practice writing.

In Knowledge Unit 12, the Flip Book materials enhance the learning experience by providing a map of the 13 Colonies and potential strategic battle sites during the Revolutionary War.

Evaluation for 6.5
If present, technology components included are appropriate for grade level students and provide support for learning.

The materials do not include student-facing technology components.