Istation Reading - Grade 2

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

The materials include various texts that are crafted and suitable for an adaptive, targeted instruction program. However, they do not represent the quality of content, language, and writing produced by experts in various disciplines. The publisher writes texts for the program; there are no trade books or authentic literature. The majority of texts are about animals or children. Language is controlled, and storylines are simple. Periodically, students are exposed to nonfiction texts focused on familiar topics. The materials increase in complexity across program “Cycles” and as Lexile levels increase; however, there is a limited selection of diverse, traditional, classical, and contemporary texts and high-quality texts for ELAR instruction.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Book Levels Guide” indicates the Lexile measure, genre, and skill focus of each title, across all program cycles. This resource shows that texts grow in complexity across cycles in terms of the reading skills kindergarten students may practice. However, the reviewed materials have limited evidence of diverse texts or those representative of traditional, contemporary, or classical genres. 

The texts include engaging content for grade 2 students in terms of relatable or interesting topics, familiar tales, and participatory formats. In Cycle 4, The Great Pig Escape (450L) tells the story of a diverse group of children known as “The Word Masters.” They chase a prize-winning pig across the state fairgrounds and win a prize for its capture. The book features a cliffhanger ending. 

Cycle 5 also includes The Not So Great Skunk Adventure, which features descriptive language, such as “It smells like rotten eggs,” to help readers connect with the text. 

In Cycle 8, Clare, the main character in A Big Sneeze (440L), is at home, sick, in bed, and rushes to wash her hands after her mother explains that germs are causing her illness. Clare is a relatable character for students. Fables include King Zung and the Lark, from “Foundations” and Cycle 8, about a king who wishes his caged bird would sing. Meanwhile, The Shrimp and the Shark is similar in plot to the classic fable The Lion and the Mouse. 

In the Cycle 9 text Treasure Hunt at Pirate’s Bay, students read again about “The Word Masters” and their hunt for buried treasure. The story ends when the main characters find theme park admission tokens. The Flying Pizza by Madison Parks is a contemporary fiction story with informational components. The story applies a narrative format to present where pizza ingredients come from. 

In Cycle 10, texts increase in complexity; books and passages range from 270L to 720L. There is a “biography journal” about George Washington Carver. This text is formatted as an article in a children’s news publication, including facts about his life and contributions as an inventor. 

Cycle 11 includes a diverse informational text titled Homes of Many Cultures that is appropriate for second graders. Students learn about the characteristics of informational text while reading about Homes of Many Cultures.

The materials include fairy tale texts such as The Story of Yeh Shen (Ye Xian), The Story of Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, and The Golden Goose.

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 provide limited opportunities for students to explore the characteristics and structures of literary and informational texts. Materials include a limited variety of books and passages to meet grade-level requirements or provide adequate context for grade 2 ELAR TEKS instruction. The majority of texts are fiction; there are limited opportunities for students to analyze the features of various genres. Expository texts feature characteristics typically associated with fiction genres. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Comprehension Skill Trace” identifies the sequence of instruction for the adaptive student program. The document notes that it “provides grade appropriate texts” to facilitate student application of skills, such as identifying setting (Lessons 26–32), characters (Lessons 33–40), sequence of events (Lessons 41–46), main idea (Lessons 47–49), and summary (Lessons 51–52). The lessons cover various text structures. Beginning with Lesson 82, students apply this knowledge to various texts, including single-skill readers, cumulative readers, and fiction and nonfiction texts.

Authors are not noted in the booklist provided by the publisher. 

Examples of literary texts include but are not limited to:

A Big Sneeze (fiction)

The Queen’s Suitcase (fantasy)

A Star is Born (fiction) 

The Three Little Bugs (fable)

The Shrimp and the Shark (fable)

Examples of informational texts include but are not limited to:

The Colt (expository)

People Send Mail (expository)

Water is a Good Thing (expository)

Homes of Many Cultures (informational)

Earth (expository)

Materials include one poetry text, A View From Above, and two persuasive texts, Buddy Bench and Sandbox Games. Students have some opportunities to engage in drama as a literary text. Students read The Little Red Hen. 

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.

Most of the texts available for review do fall within the recommended Lexile band for grade 2. The publisher text complexity analysis provided does not include qualitative features for individual texts, and the program does not include read-aloud or shared reading texts. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Book Levels Guide” includes a Lexile level for most texts in the program. Some lessons include texts not listed in the Book Levels Guide to be read aloud by the teacher, but a Lexile measure is not listed in the lesson document. This document also lists “approximate grade level” correlations to Lexile ranges. While the listed Lexile range for grade 2 is 200L–810L, grade 2 materials include texts well below this range. In Cycle 5, Bugs in the Mud is listed as Lexile 20; Pals has a Lexile of 10. According to “Istation’s Books and Passages,” texts at the appropriate Lexile level for grade 2 include the text The Cleaning Attack. The text has a Lexile of 620L, which is within the range of 200L to 810L.

The materials provide a guide correlating reader and text characteristics to the program’s “Stages of Reading” and approximate Lexile measures in a document called “Istation Stages of Reading.” Reading stages are listed as “Emergent,” “Early,” “Beginner,” “Transitional,” “Intermediate,” and “Progressing Adolescent.” Texts at each stage feature increasingly complex qualitative features. For example, texts in the Emergent stage feature repeating patterns and predictable text with “strong pictorial support,” while Beginner texts contain “no evident pattern,” “some literary language,” and dialogue. However, there is no accompanying qualitative analysis for individual titles.

There is no dedicated collection of texts for read-aloud or shared reading. Teacher lessons may contain instructions to read aloud a text depending on students’ reading ability. For example, in Cycle 7, “Comprehension Lesson 2: Mark and Kate (270L),” the teacher guides children in a picture walk of the text and then is prompted to either read the text aloud or direct students to read independently.

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 build conceptual knowledge, are text-dependent, and prompt students to synthesize information. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

All “Cycles” include teacher-directed lessons on the topic “Reading for Meaning,” which can be downloaded for close reading and comprehension skill practice. Lessons provide formal and informal assignments and activities by directing teachers to deliver explicit instruction and then monitor progress through the independent application. Teacher-directed lessons on various comprehension skills and strategies, including theme, provide students opportunities to evaluate and discuss information from multiple places within a text. Each computer-based, interactive instruction cycle includes a lesson packet for teacher-directed instruction on comprehension strategies and skills. The lessons are for delivery in a small group setting over two consecutive days. The lessons contain questions and activities that grow students’ understanding of topics and literacy skills over the course of each unit. 

In “Lesson 2, Making Predictions, Grades 2-3,” the teacher models making a text-dependent prediction while introducing the book. The teacher speaks through “Bookworm Polly,” saying, “I see the words ‘Candy and Reese’ in the title. Since I know that these are girls names, I think this story is going to be about two girls.’” The teacher tells students they will read to see if the prediction is correct. After the first paragraph, the teacher stops and asks, “Can anyone point to the part that tells us that they were sister squirrels?” For guided practice, the lesson gives teachers stopping points at paragraphs 2, 3, and 4, and students practice answering text-dependent questions to make and confirm predictions. For example, after reading paragraph 3, the teacher says, “After reading the paragraph, we know that Cindy has been finding and storing food during the fall, but Reese has not. Does anyone want to predict what Reese will eat in the winter?” For independent practice, students make predictions independently and record them on a four-square organizer. As the teacher continues reading, students mark a “check” or an “x” to show whether their previous prediction was correct. The lesson closes with the teacher reviewing with students whether the initial prediction about the book was correct or not based on text evidence gathered throughout the story.

The comprehension packet for Cycle 7 provides a two-day lesson plan for the comprehension skills “compare and contrast” and “story elements.” On day 1, the teacher introduces the terms with examples from daily life and presents a Venn diagram for guided practice. The teacher guides the students through a familiar example (cats and dogs). Students then apply the new skill to the text Mark and Kate during independent practice with partners. On day 2, students reread the book and complete a multiple-choice assessment, using their Venn diagrams from day one as needed. 

The teacher uses a tool called “Bookmark Katie” to introduce the strategy of summarizing while reading, saying, “Katie likes to stop once in a while when she is reading a long story and summarize. She puts the information in her own words so that she can remember what she read....” Together the teacher and students read the story Candy and Reese. The teacher uses a think-aloud to summarize paragraph 1, saying, “I know this story takes place in the fall. It is about two squirrels named Candy and Reese.” For guided practice, students respond to teacher prompting to summarize paragraphs 2, 3, and 4. Students then practice summarizing with a second text, The Egg Hunt, stopping after paragraphs 2, 3–7, and 10 to summarize the story’s main points.

In Cycle 11, Lesson 15, Reading for Meaning, students match picture cards to demonstrate comprehension of the sentence “The snow gently falls on the mountain.” 

There are opportunities for students to grow their understanding of topics. In “Writing Extension: The Best Trip, Writing Prompt 1,” students brainstorm a list of places they would like to visit and then write an acrostic poem using their list. Then, in “Prompt 2,” students ponder the question, “Where would they go on a trip?” After consideration, students work with a partner to research their chosen destination and make a plan for the trip. This plan includes students budgeting for plane tickets, hotels, and food. The task is to write a persuasive letter to their parents asking for permission to take the trip.

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 opportunities to analyze the characteristics of persuasive, informative, and literary texts. However, the materials do not provide sufficient opportunities for students to compare and contrast the writing of different authors on the same topic. Students also analyze the author’s choices and language and how they influence and communicate meaning. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In “Comprehension Lesson 18,” students learn about the author’s purpose (to persuade, inform, or entertain). The teacher reads brief passages noted as examples of these three purposes and prompts students to discuss how each achieves its purpose. During guided practice, students brainstorm genres of writing for each text purpose. Then, student partners write a paragraph to meet a specific purpose. To demonstrate understanding, students read a new text, Jackie Robinson, and then identify whether the purpose of each paragraph is to persuade, inform, or entertain. Finally, they provide textual evidence for their decisions.

Comprehension Lesson 23 also uses the text Jackie Robinson. First, the teacher provides instruction and guided practice with other texts to discern what is explicitly stated in a text versus what must be inferred. The lesson includes a graphic organizer for students to record inferences and supporting details. Students then demonstrate understanding by completing a similar graphic organizer for Jackie Robinson. While students use the text to support their inferences, they do not analyze the author’s word choice within the texts. 

While materials do not provide lessons on comparing and contrasting different authors’ writing purposes, students do have the opportunity to compare and contrast fairy tales. In “Fairy Tales: Compare and Contrast,” students explore distinguishing characteristics of well-known children’s literature such as folktales, fables, and fairy tales. Before students read two texts, the teacher explains that fairytales share common characteristics and the purpose of “teaching a lesson.” Then, students read Cinderella and The Story of Yeh Shen (Ye Xian). During guided practice, students use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the stories: “In what ways is Yeh Shen different from Cinderella? In what ways is Yeh Shen the same as Cinderella?” The teacher directs students to study the language used by the author as text evidence to support their claims. For instance, after reading both versions of Cinderella, students compare and contrast repetition in both versions of the tale and record answers on a “Fairy Tales: Compare and Contrast Chart.” On this chart, students record text evidence in the boxes for repetition and notes regarding similarities and differences in the “Notes” column.

In “Skill: Comprehension, Lesson 38, Character, Grade 2,” students identify characters and determine the main character in the story. Students analyze character traits and dialogue the author uses to illustrate characters’ personalities and feelings within this lesson. The teacher models with the text Bert and Gert: “When you read a story, you learn about the character in several ways. You can learn about a character by thinking about what the character says. If a character speaks kind words to others, you know that he or she is nice. If a character asks a lot of questions, you know that he or she is curious.” The teacher points out these examples in the text. This lesson builds on the previously taught lessons in Fairy Tales: Compare and Contrast and uses the same graphic organizer as an exemplar for the character web students must create after reading The Mailman. Additionally, the teacher reminds students that the author did not explicitly write the character’s traits, but students can read what the characters did to learn more about the characters. For example, the teacher says, “We learned a lot about Brent, Tess, and Miss Lum. The author didn’t tell us everything we know about the characters, but we thought about what they did to help us learn more about the characters in this book. Good readers think about all the clues the author and illustrator give them to learn about the characters in the story.” By studying the clues the author provides to learn about the characters in the story, students study the language within the text to support their understanding. In “Elements of Poetry 2,” students discuss the use of rhyme, rhythm, and repetition in poetry as well as figurative language in this three-part lesson.

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 include a year-long plan for building academic vocabulary, including ways to apply words in appropriate contexts, as evident in the program scope and sequence documentation and instruction embedded in the online adaptive assessments and instruction. Materials include scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners in the form of targeted intervention lessons delivered in whole or small group settings in response to data from online assessments and instruction. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Vocabulary Skill Trace” guide explains how the online, interactive reading program presents an organized plan for vocabulary development by integrating vocabulary skills into daily activities within the differentiated, computer-based instruction. The program builds academic vocabulary through the following elements: “spoken words, listening opportunities, explicit instruction, repeated use of words, strategies for context clues, and ‘extensive practice and application of vocabulary in grade-level appropriate text.’” The guide includes renderings from the online program for each of these elements. In one section, materials include examples of how “students are taught utility content words across a broad range of categories.” Examples include student practice with words related to family, transportation, occupations, and other categories. The guide also shows how students gain exposure to new vocabulary and high-frequency words daily through read-alouds within the program. Students see strategies for deriving word meanings, including context clues, and they receive ongoing vocabulary development through reading and listening activities. These activities include picture and sentence matching, sentence completion, and paragraph completion to build vocabulary with previously introduced words.

The materials include vocabulary skills as an area of reading to be measured in grades PK–8. After students take the initial assessment for placement along the program’s instructional path, materials provide ongoing progress in vocabulary development through monthly assessments. The “Scope and Sequence for Istation Reading” further details the year-long plan for building academic vocabulary in grade 2. In each cycle of instruction, students “use vocabulary that is taught directly,” “expand vocabulary through listening to meaningful texts that provide rich and concrete experiences,” and “categorize vocabulary using pictures to create sentences with high frequency words.” Materials note that the words presented to students relate to “universal themes such as family, food, body, clothing, feelings, animals, school, and community.” 

Materials include scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners. There are cycle-specific and assessment-based intervention lessons in various reports based on student performance in the computer adaptive program. For example, in the online adaptive portion of the program, the “ISIP - Vocabulary” lesson packet provides teachers with multiple lessons to target vocabulary development for students performing at different levels. The lessons provide explicit instruction to small groups of students who have difficulty with specific vocabulary skills (determined based on their performance in the vocabulary section of the monthly online assessment). Each lesson provides scripted language as a scaffold for teachers and follows the same design to support implementation. Each instructional cycle follows the same format: teach, guided practice, independent practice, reteach. Materials direct teachers to review program assessment data presented in reports to determine student groups and select the lesson from the packet that best meets the needs of students in each group. 

In Cycle 7, “Compound Words” appears as a lesson aligned to the “Cycle 7 Priority Alert” report. Differentiated instruction for the lesson directs teachers to reteach students who need more instruction and practice. This instruction is for a small group setting with modeling. The teacher provides each student with a compound word written on a sentence strip to fold back and forth and read. The student may also use two index cards, reading each word separately and then pushing them together to form a compound word. 

In Cycle 11, Lesson 1, “Prefixes,” and Lesson 2, “Suffixes: ful, ly, less, er, or,” there is support for differentiated instruction in a small group setting with modeling. The teacher uses printable “word cards” included in the materials to build words, working with one affix at a time. The teacher builds several words, and the student writes each one on their paper. Students reread each word, and the process continues with additional affixes. 

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 have procedures, protocols, and adequate support for teachers to foster independent reading. Materials provide a plan for students to self-select texts and read independently for a sustained period of time, including planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals. There are opportunities provided in the app and with “Istation Home” for students to self-select texts.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide usage guidelines for the computer-based portion of the program. These guidelines recommend that students in Tier 1 spend 30 minutes or more per week in the program, while students in Tier 2 and 3 spend 40 minutes or more per week. Usage guidelines do not distinguish how much of this time should be allotted to self-selected, independent reading, as opposed to individualized, adaptive skill instruction.

“ISIP Early Reading (PK–3rd)” provides a Lexile reading measure for teachers to use when assigning texts to students. However, there is no explicit protocol or guidance provided for informing the student of their reading level so that they can independently self-select texts. Additionally, there is no protocol or guidance for providing or allocating dedicated reading time during small group teacher-directed lessons. When students choose a digital book, they have an option to hear it read aloud. 

The materials include a library of fiction and nonfiction texts that may be accessed digitally or printed and assembled. There are accountability tools for achieving independent reading goals through the digital program. When students access the web-based application included in the program, their menu of options includes icons for “Books ” and “Teacher Station—Ipractice.” In Books, students select from a library of fiction and nonfiction texts, which can be read independently or listened to. In Ipractice, students choose from a library featuring alphabet stories, fiction, and nonfiction titles.  As soon as students complete the ISIP™ Assessment, they will be taken to the ISIP Results Dashboard within the student app. The ISIP Results Dashboard provides students with access to recent results, assessment history, goals, and subtest scores. This dashboard provides an opportunity for teachers to begin one-on-one student data conferences. Teachers can view and manage the goals students see in the ISIP Results Dashboard from the Goals section found on the Classroom page. Student goals that are manually adjusted by teachers are reflected in the student ISIP™ Data Dashboard. Planning and accountability for achieving independent reading goals are implicit in the self-paced, individualized nature of the online program, which is influenced by student performance within the program assessments. 

Materials also provide the school-to-home resource Istation Home. It provides students with access to interactive books based on their reading level. However, there is no evidence of methods for tracking student reading that may occur in this specific program platform.

The program also includes a “Teacher Observation Chart” where teachers may make notes about individual students’ reading behaviors and plan the next steps.

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

There are limited opportunities for students to write literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences. While students write personal narratives that convey their thoughts and feelings about an experience in some writing prompts, students do not practice writing poetry using poetry elements. Materials provide students opportunities to write informational texts via procedural texts and reports about a topic. Students practice correspondence by writing friendly letters, but they do not write thank-you notes and letters.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In “Writing Extensions: A Big Sneeze,” students write a personal narrative about when they were sick and engage in writing a procedural text about personal hygiene. In prompt 1, students write about how they felt when they were sick and consider questions such as “What did you and your family do to make you feel better?” In prompt 2, students use a sequencing graphic organizer to write or draw the sequence of steps to keep their hands clean and then write a procedural text on the topic. In the editing and revising stage, students are prompted to consider appropriate prepositions and phrases.

In addition to teacher-directed “Writing Extension” lessons, the materials include the computer-based resource “Writing Rules! With Calvin Cool,” where students can access lessons and guidance on writing personal narratives and expository text. This resource is listed for use with individuals or small groups who are struggling with writing. The materials also provide teacher-directed lessons for writing. 

While there is evidence of students experiencing poetry by reading and analyzing its characteristics, there is limited evidence of students dictating or writing poetry. In “Poetry: Poetic Elements,” students listen for alliteration and rhythm in poems. In “Alliteration and Rhythm in Poetry,” the teacher reads the poem “Clem the Clam” with a partner. The first line of the poem reads, “Clem the Clam, clap and clip!” Students must identify examples of alliteration in the poem. However, there is no opportunity for students to dictate or write their own alliterative poem. In “Writing Extension 16: The Best Trip,” students list all the places they would like to go and then select one place for which they will write an acrostic poem. There is a definition of acrostic poems and an example using the word Paris. Within the materials available for review, there is no other evidence of opportunities for students to write poetry using elements of poetry. 

In “Writing Extension 7: Fun at Home,” students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the home of a flea and a character, Jane. Students then write about how their homes are the same and different. 

In “Writing Extensions 11: Homes,” students create a research plan to learn more about houseboats, then create a brochure to advertise them. Materials emphasize brochures include “large print, pictures, bullet points, and facts and opinions.” Students share their completed brochures with the class. 

In “Writing Extensions 13: A Big Sneeze,” students create a get-well card for a friend they imagine is ill. The lesson includes prompts for students to write a letter that includes details of what they might do to help. Students also practice addressing an envelope for the card. While this lesson provides opportunities for students to practice writing friendly correspondence, it is not a thank-you letter as required by TEKS. 

In “Writing Extension 15: Mitch’s Big Fish Tales,” students write a personal narrative in response to the question “Have you ever been lost?” The teacher reminds students to use sensory details in their writing to help the reader visualize what it was like to be lost and what it felt like to be found.

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

Materials provide intermittent opportunities for students to practice using the writing process elements through writing extensions that accompany texts. However, they do not facilitate students’ coherent use of the elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing) to compose text. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The program includes opportunities for students to engage in the writing process via “Writing Extensions” lessons. However, these resources do not include explicit instructions or supports to facilitate students’ coherent use of elements of the writing process. The packets are optional, independent practice activities for differentiation with small groups of students demonstrating above-level skills rather than core instruction in the writing process with all students. The materials list 16 writing extension lessons for grade 2; each usually has three prompts (occasionally four). According to the publisher’s list of teacher-directed lessons, of the 16 lessons, five provide opportunities to practice elements of the writing process. In many writing extension lessons, the focus of revision is mechanics and usage; students do not develop drafts by revising to add detail. 

Prompts included in the writing extension packet for The Best Trip facilitate students’ use of the writing process elements to compose text. Individual prompts present an opportunity to practice one or more elements, but none facilitate students’ coherent use of all writing process elements to compose text. In addition, revision is focused on mechanics and usage and does not provide opportunities for students to revise drafts by adding, deleting, or rearranging words or phrases. In the first prompt of “Writing Extension 16: The Best Trip,” students brainstorm all the places they would like to go and write an acrostic poem about one of the places on their list. Materials remind students of the rules for capitalization with common and proper nouns. In prompt 2, students make a list of the things they would pack for a trip and work with a partner to research and plan for a trip. Then they write a persuasive letter to their parents, convincing them of the plan for the trip. Here, materials remind students to revise and edit for capitalization and punctuation rules when writing a letter. In prompt 3, students choose a fun place to visit and write an advertisement for that place, which they then present to the class. The lesson instructs students to revise and edit their writing for subject-verb agreement.

“Writing Extensions: A Big Sneeze” includes three writing prompts; only the second is recommended, in the list of teacher-directed lessons, as an opportunity to plan a first draft by generating ideas. Students use a sequencing graphic organizer to write or draw the steps for keeping their hands clean; they use their notes to compose this procedural text, including full detail for every step. Students revise and edit the sequencing story by looking for places to include prepositions and prepositional phrases. 

In “Writing Extensions: Mission Incredible—Writing a Summary,” students revise drafts by adding, deleting, or rearranging words, phrases, or sentences. Students use the “Story Elements Chart” to review the elements in chapters 1–3 of Mission Incredible. Students fill in the “who, what, when, where, how, and why” in the organizer, and then use their notes to draft a summary on a separate sheet of paper, “including the main ideas and important details....” Students reread and revise by “adding time-order words, subordinating conjunctions to combine simple sentences, forming complex sentences, and rewriting sentences to make the meaning clear.” The teacher asks students to elaborate by adding one or two colorful details from the story. 

In the third prompt from “Writing Extension 10: Where is Jane?” students write about the main character’s sequence to “build a man.” Students refer back to the text to find illustrations showing the objects the character used and to remember the order of events. Students then write their own sequential story, including the same things Jane used and explaining how she used them to build a man. Students revise and edit with a focus on singular and plural noun usage.

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.

Writing extensions provide opportunities for the practice and application of the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing, including punctuation and grammar, but there is little to no guidance for teachers to systematically teach these skills. Because the program is adaptive, the computer-based components of the program may deliver systematic instruction in grammar, punctuation, and usage. However, the materials lack the specific grade-level alignment and pacing guidance necessary to determine how and when skills are taught in and out of context across a year.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Writing prompts and student materials included in writing extension lesson packets for The Best Trip and The Wise Crow have limited opportunities for practice and application of conventions of academic language when speaking and writing, including punctuation and grammar. In “Writing Extension 16: The Best Trip,” students choose a destination they think would be the most fun and write a list of reasons to support their claim. Then, they write an advertisement to persuade someone to visit their chosen place. Students revise and edit their advertisements to ensure subject-verb agreement in their sentences. Another writing assignment in the same lesson directs students to alphabetize a list of places they would like to visit. The teacher reminds students to capitalize proper nouns. In the first prompt of “Writing Extension 17: The Wise Crow,” students take on the persona of a character from the story and write a speech explaining how their new attitude has changed them. As they revise and edit their writing, students look for places to replace nouns with pronouns. The extension also includes an editing mini-lesson with an explanation of pronouns, where students practice writing sentences with subjective, objective, and possessive personal pronouns.

“Writing Extensions Overview Lessons 1–20” provides information about writing extensions but does not provide insight as to whether grammar, punctuation, and usage are taught systematically, in, or out of context.

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

While students may incidentally practice handwriting during writing extension lessons included in the program, they do not receive explicit instruction in cursive handwriting. Also, the materials do not include a plan for teachers to assess students’ handwriting development. There are some opportunities for students to write in cursive.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials do not include instruction in cursive handwriting for students in grade 2. The materials include opportunities for students to practice handwriting through writing extension lessons. In Writing Extensions 22 and 27, the Editing Checklist includes the instruction to “write legibly in print or in cursive?”The materials reviewed do not include any teacher-directed lessons aligned to grade 2 handwriting TEKS. 

The program does not include a plan for procedures and supports for teachers to assess students’ handwriting development in grade 2. Some lessons include an editing checklist for student self-assessment. In “Writing Extension 11: Homes,” the editing checklist for self-assessment includes the following statement regarding handwriting: “My writing is neat and easy to read with spaces between my words.”

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

The “Comprehension” lesson packets (which regularly accompany “Cycles” (units) of instruction) provide opportunities for students to listen actively during the retelling and discussion of texts, and they provide opportunities to ask questions to understand information about literary elements. Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in discussions about texts; the discussion is limited to predetermined answers to teacher-directed questions, and there are some opportunities to share information and ideas about the topics being discussed.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Due to the intervention-focused, computer-adaptive nature of the program, students have some opportunities to engage in discussions that require them to share information and ideas about the topics they are discussing. Teachers deliver cycle-specific lessons in response to student performance on monthly assessments. 

In Cycle 8, “Comprehension Lesson 1: Bert and Gert,” students practice identifying character traits. After reading Bert and Gert, students respond to the question, “What are some traits that describe Bert as a character? What evidence can we find to prove these traits?” The teacher facilitates a discussion about Bert’s character traits, encouraging the students to support their answers with evidence from the text. The same procedure occurs for Gert.

In Cycle 9, “Comprehension Packet Lesson 1: The Mother Cat and Her Kittens—Book Discussion” provides opportunities for students to listen actively. The teacher facilitates discussion of the text structure, and students recall important information from the text. During the discussion, the teacher refers students back to the “KWL” chart made at the beginning of the lesson. Materials direct the teacher to pause for student responses after a question is asked and guide the discussion by referring students back to text evidence. While this portion of the lesson provides opportunities for students to listen actively while their peers and teacher discuss the text, they do not have opportunities to ask questions to understand information. The lesson focuses on students responding to teacher-directed questions to demonstrate comprehension.

Also, in Cycle 9, in “Comprehension Packet Lesson 2: A Trip to the Dentist,” students share information about their story predictions and story elements (i.e., character, setting, problem). During the “Book Discussion” component, materials provide teacher scripting for think-alouds to discuss while completing a class chart. For example, materials direct the teacher to say, “The next part of our chart is for the events that lead us from the problem to the solution.” The teacher then facilitates “a discussion of the different parts of the chart.” While the materials provide exemplar student responses. Students share information and ideas with predetermined answers to questions in the teacher script.

In Cycle 10, “Comprehension 2: The Hero,” the students learn about cause and effect by exploring the book The Hero. The teacher introduces the concept of cause and effect and asks, “So why can Red fly farther and faster than any other bird? What do you think the problem in the story is now? Do you have a different prediction? How do you predict that the problem will be solved?” 

In Cycle 11, “Comprehension 11,” students practice comparing and contrasting stories. The teacher asks students to compare and contrast baseball and soccer using a Venn diagram. The teacher asks students, “Can you think of ways soccer and baseball are alike?” Students offer responses to the question; then, the teacher asks, “What are some characteristics that belong only to soccer?” and “What are some characteristics that belong only to baseball?” The teacher writes all the responses on the Venn diagram for students to read. During guided practice, students work with a partner to compare and contrast two stories, Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk, using a Venn diagram. Students discuss with their partners to determine the similarities and differences between the two stories. When they are finished, students pair up with another partner group to discuss how their Venn diagrams are similar and different.

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

The materials do not provide consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussion or practice grade-appropriate speaking skills using the standard conventions of the English language. The materials do not have evidence of a protocol to facilitate collaborative discussion between students; students do not have consistent opportunities to discuss collaboratively. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Reading Program Description” from the publisher does not mention student discussion in the online program overview or assessments. None of the various teacher-directed lessons (e.g., “Comprehension Packets,” “Writing Extensions,” “Cycle” lessons, “Skill” lessons) include routines, protocols, or implementation support for collaborative discussion. 

Throughout lessons in the cycle-specific comprehension packets, materials direct teachers to facilitate student discussion. Students have opportunities to respond to teacher-directed questions. While these lessons include scripted questions and sample student responses, the materials lack teacher guidance for structuring student engagement in discussion. For example, in the “Introduction” component of Cycle 9, “Comprehension Lesson Packet: The Mother Cat and Her Kittens: Lesson 1,” teachers ask, “What makes you think that?” as a follow-up after asking whether students think the story is real or make-believe. Teachers pause for student responses and then ask them to explain their reasoning. While materials include sample student responses, there is minimal evidence of student engagement in discussion beyond responding to the questions asked. In Cycle 9, “Comprehension Lesson Packet,” the materials state, “Facilitate a discussion of the different parts of the chart. (Characters – Grace, Amber, and Dr. Joe; Setting – The garden and dentist office; Problem – Grace breaks her teeth while eating the carrot top; Solution – Amber takes her to see Dr. Joe, the dentist, to get her teeth fixed.) The next part of our chart is for the events that lead us from the problem to the solution. Facilitate a discussion about the events from the problem to the solution.”

Some lessons include student opportunities to talk with a partner. In Cycle 11, “Comprehension Lesson 11,” students practice comparing and contrasting stories. The teacher asks students to compare and contrast baseball and soccer using a Venn diagram. The teacher asks students, “Can you think of ways soccer and baseball are alike?” Students offer responses; then, the teacher asks, “What are some characteristics that belong only to soccer? What are some characteristics that belong only to baseball?” During guided practice, students work with a partner to compare and contrast two stories—Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk—using a Venn diagram. Students discuss with their partners and then pair up with another partner group to discuss how their Venn diagrams are similar and different. However, the lesson materials do not include supports or protocols to ensure grade-appropriate practice. 

In the lesson “Drama: The Little Red Hen,” students have opportunities to respond to the teacher’s questions, but the materials do not include protocols or routines for students to practice speaking and listening (e.g., “Turn and Talk,” “Think, Pair, Share”). Materials direct teachers to introduce the play and lesson by asking a series of scripted questions and then: “Pause for responses. Affirm responses and correct any misunderstandings.” The teacher continues following the script provided and points out the characters, setting, dialogue, and stage directions for students. Students listen to the teacher but do not practice grade-appropriate speaking skills beyond responding to questions provided in the teacher script. Before reading the play, the teacher displays a prediction chart. While the lesson directs teachers to “pause for predictions and record them on the chart to review during and after reading,” “facilitate a discussion about the play,” and “facilitate a discussion about the predictions students made before and after reading,” it does not provide any protocols or routines for students to practice speaking. 

In “Writing Extensions 17—The Wise Crow,” students discuss questions posed by the teacher. They take turns, speak one at a time, and ask clarifying questions. The lesson script includes sentence stems to use in helping students generate questions. The materials have some discussion frames. The materials state, “Trade your writing with a partner. Discuss the following questions as you read your partner’s work. If you need to, you can use the sentence frames to help you discuss. Be sure to take turns speaking one at a time and ask questions to help you understand. What was your favorite part? My favorite part was…. What part was confusing? I was confused when I read…. How could it be improved? One thing that could improve your writing is…. What would you like to know more about? I have some questions about...."

In “Writing Extension 16: The Best Trip (Revise and Edit Your Work),” students trade their writing with a partner and discuss, using sentence and question frames such as “What was your favorite part? My favorite part was.... What part was confusing? I was confused when I read.... How could it be improved? One thing that could improve your writing is....” This lesson is an independent activity, and no protocol is provided for the discussion between student pairs.

In “Writing Extension 20: George Washington Carver,” the materials state, “Trade your writing with a partner. Discuss the following questions as you read your partner’s work. If you need to, you can use the sentence frames to help you discuss. Be sure to take turns speaking one at a time and ask questions to help you understand. What was your favorite part? My favorite part was…. What part was confusing? I was confused when I read…. How could it be improved? One thing that could improve your writing is.... What would you like to know more about? I have some questions about...."

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

The materials provide short-term opportunities but not sustained or recursive opportunities for students to generate questions and gather information from relevant sources. Research assignments appear in stand-alone lessons and do not build into contexts or cumulative tasks. They include limited support for students to identify relevant sources based on their questions and limited support for understanding, organizing, and communicating ideas and information. Guidance for teachers to support students in developing research skills is limited to what is implicit in step-by-step handouts and fillable templates. The materials do not provide explicit instruction in research skills.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials support instruction for students to ask and generate general questions for inquiry through the “Writing Extensions” teacher-directed lessons. After reading George Washington Carver, students list Carver’s inventions and then research one of Carver’s inventions, one of Thomas Edison’s inventions, and one of Benjamin Franklin’s inventions. While the writing prompt does not explicitly direct students to ask and generate questions for inquiry, the graphic research organizer in the lesson packet includes boxes for students to write four questions. Printed instructions state: “Think of at least four questions about your topic that you would like to answer.”

After reading Boats, students “create a research plan and look up information about houseboats using the library or internet.” The graphic research organizer in the lesson packet has boxes for students to record a topic, introduction, four questions and answers, and sources. 

“Writing Prompt 3” for The Three Little Bugs requires students to “create a research plan on your own, or use the KWLS chart, and use the library and/or the internet to research information about the wolf spider. Use both primary and secondary sources to find your information.” There are no student supports or instructions about the components of a research plan or how to use one in writing an expository paper. After writing an expository paper, students create a works cited page, which materials explain is “important because it gives credit to the sources of your information.” While the lesson includes resources for students to note their sources, namely the graphic research organizer and works cited template, the materials lack teacher guidance materials to support students in identifying relevant sources based on their questions.

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

Questions and tasks are designed for students to build and apply knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language; tasks integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking. Teacher-directed lessons include components of vocabulary, comprehension, and syntax and provide opportunities for increased independence.

Students have opportunities to complete interconnected tasks related to a single text, including reading, discussing, and writing. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Cycle 9” “Comprehension Lesson Packet” presents two lessons, each designed to be delivered over two days in a small group setting with students of similar levels. On the first day of “Lesson 1: The Mother Cat and Her Kittens,” the teacher introduces the book and guides student discussion and a picture walk with scripted questions such as “Do you think this story is fiction, which means made-up, or nonfiction, which means true?” The teacher records students’ background knowledge and questions about the book on a “KWL” chart and tells students they will refer back to it and add their answers to the “What We Learned” section as they read. In the following comprehension mini-lesson, the teacher tells students to “listen for facts about the mother cat and her kittens. We will use those facts to fill in an organizer to keep them in order. This will also help us when we talk about the answers to questions that we want to learn.” After students read the book, with support as needed, the teacher writes what students learned in the KWL chart. The teacher displays a “main topic and details” graphic organizer and facilitates a discussion about how information from the KWL chart might be included in the graphic organizer. Students use their language and information recorded in the graphic organizer to write sentences about the book. 

On Day 2 of “Lesson 1: The Mother Cat and Her Kittens,” students reread independently; individual students retell the main topic and important details. Students use the important details they learned in the previous lesson to draw conclusions about the text. The teacher guides their thinking with questions such as “What does the author tell us about the kittens and the mother cat? Is there any information on these pages that might help you draw a conclusion about why the kittens sleep a lot? Is there any information that might help you draw a conclusion about why the mother cat needs to rest?” 

In “Fairy Tales: Vocabulary—Idioms,” students learn to “identify and explain the meaning of idioms in a text.” First, the teacher displays and reads aloud a sentence (“My brother told me to hurry downstairs, and I told him to hold his horses; I would be right there.”) Students turn and talk with partners about what they think the sentence means. The teacher records student responses and compares their thinking to the actual meaning. Students read a fairy tale, “The Story of Cinderella,” and look through the passage to locate idioms. The teacher explains that the sentence “The night flew by, and Cinderella lost track of time,” contains an idiom, asks students to locate it within the sentence, and then prompts partners to discuss and act out the idiom. The teacher records the literal and figurative meaning of the idiom on a two-column organizer for the class. The teacher repeats the procedure with sentences containing the idiom “miles to go and a mile long.” Students work with partners to determine the literal and figurative meanings of one idiom, using a displayed chart to check the correct meaning. 

In “Skill: Vocabulary—Lesson 23, Context Clues,” students use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. First, the teacher models determining meaning by examining the context within and beyond a sentence. Then, in guided practice, the teacher calls on students to identify context clues in additional sentences. In independent practice, students circle clues and record their newly acquired words in a list. 

In “Writing Extensions—Homes,” students use a “KWLS” chart, research their favorite animal, and write a description of the animal’s habitat. Students create a word bank with pictures to help them remember key vocabulary as they write. Teachers remind students that informative writing begins with a topic sentence, provides facts, and includes a closing paragraph or sentence about the topic. Students revise and edit, with a focus on using known word patterns and spelling rules for accuracy. The teacher reminds them to use a dictionary to check spellings as needed. 

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

The scope and sequence indicates that some standards are repeatedly addressed within and across units while others are addressed only once. While some teacher-directed lessons with integrated literacy skills include options for scaffolding and additional practice within the lesson, they do not offer the rigor required to meet the full intent of standards over the year. The materials show evidence of the integration of literacy skills that spiral over a few days, not over the school year. Due to the adaptive nature of the program, students receive skill instruction that they need rather than spiraled practice.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The program’s scope and sequence shows distributed practice for only some literacy skills over the course of the year. For example, materials address vocabulary skills, such as “expand vocabulary through listening to meaningful texts and use vocabulary that is taught directly” in all grade 2 “Cycles of Instruction,” yet they address the following reading comprehension skills in just one cycle each: “sequence story events” (Cycle 5); “identify the main idea and supporting details” (Cycle 6); “identify similarities and differences in characters and events” (Cycle 7); “identify the main problem and its ultimate solution in a story” (Cycle 8). Additionally, materials provide only one teacher-directed lesson for most literacy skills, limiting support for distributed practice over the course of the year. 

Materials support the practice of describing the main character’s internal and external traits (ELA.2.8.B) in one teacher-directed lesson, which does not follow a gradual release model (explicit teaching, guided practice, and independent practice). On Day 1 of “Lesson 1: Bert and Gert” in the Cycle 8 “Comprehension Lesson Packet,” students rely on teacher guidance to identify characters in a story and name traits to describe them. The lesson script directs teachers to facilitate a discussion about Bert’s and Gert’s character traits and record student responses on a T-chart. On the second day, the teacher builds on the T-chart from the previous day to compare and contrast the two characters, facilitating a group discussion and using student responses to complete a Venn diagram. While students practice the skill with teacher support, they do not have the opportunity to apply it independently within this lesson or in other lessons over the year.

The materials’ design includes the spiraling of some integrated literacy skills over the school year. While program documentation indicates some skills will be repeatedly addressed, no evidence of scaffolding of skills within and across cycles of instruction to ensure that students master the full intent of grade 2 standards was found. For example, materials spiral the skill “distinguish fiction from nonfiction” in Cycles 5 and 6, but there is no evidence that the instructional materials include scaffolds and supports for additional practice.

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

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).

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 include a sequence of grade-level foundational skills, but the phonics patterns are not consistently introduced in a manner that builds sequentially. Students do have opportunities to apply phonetic knowledge in decodable texts, but explicit practice tasks exist in isolation, and program texts are not cross-referenced to specific phonics concepts. Students have the opportunity to read high-frequency words in and out of context and to build some spelling knowledge.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

While the materials provide explicit instruction in phonetic knowledge and skills, there is no evidence of opportunities for students to apply acquired phonetic knowledge to connected texts. For example, I Rode Home is a decodable book that features the long vowel /o/ sound, but it is not connected to instruction in long /o/ phonetic knowledge.

Students apply grade-level phonetic knowledge to connected texts (e.g., decodable readers) through the books in each cycle. Cycle 6, Lesson 14, provides instruction in decoding words and substituting initial consonants. The teacher shows the “phonogram” -ive and guides students to say the sounds and read them (remembering that the e is silent). Students then follow the teacher’s prompts to add an initial consonant f to create a word, substitute the f for l, then d, and finally add an r after d to create the word drive. During guided practice, this process is repeated for other phonograms (i.e., -ake, -ute) to create word family words. During independent practice, students read a decoding page of phonogram words to the teacher. 

As an adaptive curriculum, the materials provide lessons and instruction based on individualized student needs. A scope and sequence document presents a list of phonics skills addressed in learning cycles. For example, students practice open syllables in Cycle 7, “Lesson 8: Open Syllables (me, go, by),” and practice variant vowels au and aw in Cycle 10. 

Materials include some lessons to build spelling knowledge as identified in the TEKS. Teacher-directed lessons focus on specific spelling patterns. In Cycle 7, “Lesson 19, Spelling Compound Words,” the teacher introduces the word sunrise and explains how to spell it: “Just think about the spelling skills you have learned and spell each word on its own first and then combine the words together to make a compound word.” The teacher then models how to spell compound words, breaking down flagpole into flag and pole and eliciting student participation in spelling each word and then pushing the two together. Students then practice with partners; they use sound picture cards to spell the compound words bullfrog, cupcake, haircut, pancake, raincoat, windmill, sunrise, and fireman. Students write dictated words from the lesson for independent practice. 

The materials include scope and sequence documents indicating sufficient practice opportunities to achieve grade-level mastery. Through the cycles of instruction, students practice skills including decoding and spelling with variant vowels, digraphs and trigraphs, inflectional endings, and multisyllabic words with open syllables. While the cycle and unit descriptions found in the online “Interactive User’s Guide” indicate the specific skills presented in each cycle, instruction from one cycle to the next does not follow a sequence aligned to the systematic acquisition of grade-level skills. For example, in Cycle 9, students read words with vowel spellings ay, ey, oe, and ie (Lesson 16) before learning digraph ch in Cycle 10 (Lesson 24). 

The Cycle 9 “Comprehension Lesson 1: The Mother Cat and Her Kittens” teacher notes state: “This book contains decodable and high-frequency words that are shown in the chart above. If students do not have control of the majority of high-frequency words, then read the book aloud while students follow along. This lesson is intended for small-group instruction of students with similar instructional needs.” The first teacher-directed lesson for Cycle 10 gives students practice with high-frequency words good, many, their, too, would, and look in context as well as via rapid reading. After the teacher introduces each word, students repeat it and then snap and clap the letters in the word. The teacher summarizes the number of letters and syllables in each word and points out any unique features in the word. Students then play “Letter Deletion,” in which they identify a missing letter from a word written by the teacher. For independent practice, students practice writing each high-frequency word and saying each letter as they write the word. 

In Cycle 11, Lesson 10, the teacher reads aloud a prepared text to students to bring their attention to contractions in the text. The teacher informs students that certain words have apostrophes; these are contractions. The teacher highlights a contraction by circling a word (it’s), then expanding it to show the two words that are made smaller. This process is repeated with other contractions. During guided practice, students share some other contractions they know, then work with a partner to identify contractions in another passage.

Cycle 11, Lesson 11, provides instruction in reading multisyllabic words. The teacher presents header cards with syllable categories written on them (open, r-controlled, closed, vowel-consonant-silent e, consonant -le, and vowel team), then explains what each syllable type is and provides examples. During guided practice, students work with the teacher to sort various syllables into their matching category, then put syllables together to make a word (e.g., pi and lot makes pilot). During independent practice, students use a teacher-provided worksheet called “Syllable Connection.” Students read individual syllables, then put them together to create a word. Students also read multisyllabic words that the teacher randomly points to on a printed list.

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)

While there is explicit instruction in fluency, including rate, accuracy, and prosody, teachers have no routines or opportunities to monitor and provide corrective feedback regularly. The program includes a digital assessment tool that uses voice-recognition technology to score oral reading fluency, but it does not include instructions or routines for teachers to evaluate students’ fluency. Additionally, lessons are designed for interventions in response to assessment data rather than as a comprehensive curriculum for all students. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The program includes a computer-based fluency assessment, described in the “Reading Program Description” as “voice recognition technology to automatically measure oral reading fluency.” During the assessment, students read three passages aloud. Assessment result reports may indicate a need for tiered intervention and list teacher-directed lessons to be delivered as determined by the program. 

The materials include one lesson packet, “ISIP ORF (Oral Reading Fluency)—Priority—1st Grade Practice,” for isolated instruction in each component of fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody) as well as grade-level passages for fluency practice. Each lesson follows the same format for explicit instruction. The lessons are broken into “Demonstrate” and “Practice” components and include passages below and above level for differentiation. The materials have a “Rate Chart.” 

The accuracy lesson objective is for students to “increase the number of words they can read correctly.” The materials provide step-by-step guidance for teachers to deliver explicit instruction in accuracy during the Demonstrate portion of the lesson. In step 1, the teacher projects the passage and provides a copy to students. In steps 2 and 3, the teacher reads the passage aloud while intentionally making miscues that students identify by highlighting or circling on their papers. In steps 4 and 5, the teacher asks students what miscues they identified and facilitates discussion of their observations. In steps 6 through 11, students listen to the teacher reread the passage while making few or no errors and discuss what they heard. Materials direct the teacher to “reinforce how miscues are notated” and “explain how practice and repetition can help improve accuracy and comprehension” before moving on to the
Practice portion of the lesson. Students take turns with a partner in the Practice portion, reading the passage multiple times and marking each other’s miscues.

The prosody lesson objective is “for students to read with prosody with proper phrasing, pauses, and pitch.” Teachers follow numbered instructions to project a portion of a passage, then read the excerpt aloud without expression or cadence. Students assess the reading according to a provided rubric, with supporting explanations for their ratings. Afterward, the teacher explains that fluent readers express emotion and read naturally and that their goal moving forward is to read with prosody. 

All oral reading fluency lessons in the materials direct teachers to monitor students as they work in pairs during the Practice portion of the lesson. For example, the prosody lesson states: “Monitor the groups, ensuring students are on task and are using the rubric correctly. Praise examples of prosody (intonation, proper breaks, expression), modeling as needed.” Then, the teacher asks students what they learned about reading accuracy and how they can apply this knowledge in the future. However, the program does not include direction or support for teachers to evaluate students’ oral reading fluency or provide corrective feedback. 

The Rate Charts are based on grade-level expectations and allow students to compare their first and second reading attempts and chart progress. Instructions state to “use the chart below to indicate the reader’s words per minute (WPM) by shading the chart to the correct number. Write the exact WPM in the appropriate blank above each chart.” 

Materials include three practice passages intended to be used with the lesson packet “ISIP ORF (Oral Reading Fluency)—Priority—2nd Grade Practice”: “Going to the Vet” (420), “Insects” (500L), and “The Water Cycle” (590L). These passages have word counts per line to assist in measuring the rate. While there is space for teacher notes in the right-hand margins, the passages do not include any teacher guidance for monitoring and providing corrective feedback on rate, accuracy, and prosody.

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

The materials include support and direction for teachers to track students’ progress in a foundational skill domain generally. However, the materials do not have the information necessary to monitor students’ growth and mastery of specific skills (e.g., skill gaps in phonetic knowledge). Assessments yield meaningful information for teachers to use when planning small group instruction and differentiation, but they do not have all the foundational skills required for the grade level.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The program includes ongoing assessment opportunities of the “skills most critical to early reading: phonemic awareness, alphabetic knowledge and skills, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.” The “Reading Program Description” explains that the reports are generated based on computer-adaptive student assessment results. They provide teachers with information regarding “individual students, subgroups, demographics, and performance levels.” Reports “inform teachers’ decision-making and intervention strategies,...and generate data that supports teachers in creating differentiated learning groups.”

The “Help” section of the website includes a sample report and an explanation for each type of report. The Priority Report “helps identify students who will benefit from further intervention and provides links to teacher-directed lessons and supplemental materials.” The report groups students for small group or whole group lessons (with links to teacher-directed lessons for intervention) based on performance in the monthly “ISIP” assessment and “Cycles of Instruction.” The program requires teachers to record in the online portal the date of any lesson delivered, along with relevant notes. The note becomes part of the student’s intervention history, following them from year to year. This documentation supports planning for instruction and differentiation in response to assessment data.

Teachers may access multiple reports summarizing students’ monthly, benchmark, or on-demand assessments, to support them in understanding students’ progress and mastery of foundational skills content presented within the computer-adaptive program. For example, the “Skill Growth” report shows student growth in letter knowledge and spelling domains over time. While this report shows progress overall in response to instruction and interventions, it does not include detail on specific skill gaps, such as which letter names or sounds are not yet mastered or which specific spelling patterns a student has not mastered. The sample Skill Growth report is for a grade 1 student, highlighting the “Spelling” section of the report. There are monthly ability scores and trend lines for growth overall, but there are no details on skill gaps or strengths for specific spelling patterns to inform instruction. 

The materials provide teacher-directed foundational skill lessons that direct teachers to assess students’ growth and mastery by providing practice opportunities and observing and charting progress. In the independent practice portion of “Phonemic Awareness—Distinguishing Vowel Sounds in Multisyllable Words,” materials direct the teacher to “distribute Independent Practice page to students and ensure they each have two colors of crayons or colored pencils, preferably the same colors as the sticky notes used as manipulatives.” The lesson includes a teacher observation page for taking anecdotal notes on student reading behaviors and skills.

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 have reporting features that support teachers with guidance and direction to respond to individual students’ literacy needs based on assessments appropriate to the grade level. The program includes assessment opportunities for phonetic knowledge and reading fluency.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials automatically place students in the program’s online adaptive curriculum based on a monthly computer-adaptive assessment. The “Reading Program Description” explains this assessment “helps teachers identify student needs for struggling learners to advanced learners.” The same document explains the reports generated as a result of monthly assessments help teachers “see which specific skills the student struggles with and provide targeted instruction for individuals or small groups. Reports automatically link to additional lessons for further intervention.” Reports show general progress in broad skill domains, such as phonetic knowledge. Still, they do not include details on students’ mastery of specific sub-skills of a domain, such as vowel-consonant-e or r-controlled vowel spelling patterns. 

The program includes a “Priority Report” detailing recommended resources for intervention based on monthly assessment results. Here, teachers find recommendations for student grouping and lessons aligned to the skill or grade level. The program determines students’ performance and guidance for modifications based on student needs. 

According to the Reading Program Description, computer-adaptive assessments for grade 2 include alphabetic decoding, spelling, and fluency, but not phonological awareness. In the “Spelling” subtest, students spell target words using a limited menu of letters. Words indicative of various spelling patterns as well as non-phonetic words are included. In the subtest “Alphabetic Decoding,” students listen for a phonetic nonsense word spoken aloud and choose the correct spelling from a field of four answer choices. 

The program includes a computer-based fluency assessment, described in the Reading Program Description as “voice recognition technology to automatically measure oral reading fluency.” During the assessment, students read three passages aloud. Assessment result reports may indicate a need for tiered intervention, listing teacher-directed lessons.

The materials include one lesson packet, “ISIP ORF (Oral Reading Fluency)—Priority—2nd Grade Practice,” for isolated instruction in each component of fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody) as well as grade-level passages for fluency practice. Each lesson follows the same format for explicit instruction: “Demonstrate” and “Practice” components, as well as passages below and above level for differentiation. The materials also have a “Rate Chart.” “ORF—Progress Monitoring Instructions” provide information about gathering materials, administering the assessment, scoring, and making reading level adjustments for the program’s printable progress monitoring resources for oral reading fluency. These instructions also include an oral reading fluency log to track student progress and readability ranges for each grade.

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

The materials provide some learning opportunities for students who demonstrate literacy skills above that expected at the grade level, specifically in the “Writing Extension” lessons and in the course of the computer-based, individualized program. However, materials provide limited opportunities for teachers to engage students in more sophisticated work than their current grade level demands. The materials focus and prioritize planning opportunities on interventions for students who demonstrate literacy skills below that expected at the grade level, as evidenced in the various reports generated by the program, along with the data-driven lessons embedded in them. There is no evidence of an explicit method to designate students as performing above grade level, nor is there a detailed plan for learning opportunities for this group of students.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The program uses an adaptive curriculum, which places students on a personalized instructional pathway based on their performance on monthly assessments. In this way, students demonstrating proficiency above grade level have differentiated learning opportunities to demonstrate working independently in the online program. 

The “Early Reading Technical Manual” in the materials notes that students scoring above the 40th percentile in these assessments are Tier 1 and “on track or performing above grade level.” However, the materials do not include an explicit or specific plan for students performing above grade level.

The reporting templates and capabilities of the program all emphasize the needs of students who demonstrate literacy skills below that expected at the grade level. As explained in the “Reports” section of “Program Description”: “Teachers can see which specific skills the student struggles with and provide targeted instruction for individuals or small groups. Reports automatically link to additional lessons for further intervention.” This report supports teachers in planning small group and whole group instruction for students needing additional support to meet grade-level expectations. However, the priority report (or any other report) does not similarly provide planning opportunities for students who demonstrate literacy skills above that expected at the grade level. A teacher can use the report to identify students who need extensions and differentiation, but it does not provide recommendations or resources for upward scaffolds. 

As noted in the Program Description, the “Assignments” feature “enables teachers to assign additional practice activities to individuals or small groups of students for completion at home or school. These lessons can be used for extra practice after an assessment or for students to work on at home.” It is unclear whether these assignments are designed to engage students in more sophisticated work and explore more learning or provide additional assignments. Additionally, it is unclear whether materials include specific support for teachers to select assignments for groups of students. The materials do not explain any linkages between the Assignments feature and program reporting.

The grade-level equivalencies of the program’s “Cycles of Instruction” overlap. Cycles 3–7 are aligned to both kindergarten and grade 1; Cycles 5–7 are aligned to kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2; and Cycles 7–10 are aligned to both grade 1 and grade 2. There is no explicit guidance in the materials for teachers to use this information to assign or provide instruction in skills that may be considered “above grade level” based on these cycle alignments.

The materials’ “Stages of Reading” document details the characteristics of readers and texts as well as their approximate corresponding Lexile levels. The document states, “Having a variety of resources that cover skills and strategies at different stages of reading gives educators flexibility to effectively differentiate instruction.” However, it is incumbent upon the teacher to seek out this information and devise a plan of instruction for students who demonstrate literacy skills above their expected grade level. 

Teacher-directed “Writing Extensions” lessons provide some opportunities for students who demonstrate above-grade-level proficiency to investigate grade-level content in greater depth. In “Prompt 1” of “Writing Extension 18: The Hero,” students reflect on two questions after reading the text: “Have you ever known someone whom you wanted to befriend? What would you say and do to grow that friendship?” Then, they write a school newspaper article describing how to be a good friend. Materials include guidance for the teacher to present examples of newspaper articles before students engage in the writing activity. In “Writing Extension 20: George Washington Carver,” students make a list of Carver’s inventions, then research one of Carver’s inventions, one of Thomas Edison’s inventions, and one of Benjamin Franklin’s inventions. Students write about how each invention helped people and which invention is better, and why.

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 planning and learning opportunities for students who demonstrate literacy skills below that expected at the grade level. Assessment reports aid teachers in identifying students struggling with grade-level materials. The materials include small group lessons for students who perform below grade level to meet the grade-level literacy standards. Materials provide planning guides for teachers and opportunities for teacher modeling, guided practice, and independent practice for students who demonstrate literacy skills below that expected at the grade level.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Through three main features (reports, “Teacher Resources,” and “Teacher Station”), the materials guide teachers in identifying students needing intervention and planning for blended learning opportunities that utilize both teacher-directed and web-based lessons in closing performance gaps. The “Priority Report” lists students needing support in specific “Istation Cycles” and reading skills, as evidenced by performance in computer-adaptive assessment and interactive instruction. Students scoring at or below the tenth percentile are highlighted to indicate a need for critical intervention. The report hyperlinks to scripted lessons in PDF format, to be delivered in whole group, small group, or one-on-one settings as needed. Additionally, the “Priority Report” outlines lessons as interventions for each area for students in Tier 3. In this report, the teacher finds a “History” of interventions that includes the lesson provided and teacher notes on student performance. For example, a “Priority Alert” on the Priority Report for grade 2 directs a teacher to utilize “Cycle 11, Reading With Meaning 11.” This lesson packet “helps students use metacognition to increase comprehension of text. Students will use embedded vocabulary to help match sentences they read to the appropriate illustration.” 

The classroom summary report provides data on cycle and skill performance. Teachers can use it to find and assign learning opportunities through the Teacher Station. When students log in to Istation, the assignments appear in a backpack. This feature can be used to give students standalone or multistep assignments as reteach opportunities, workstation activities, small group instruction, and partner work. The “Reading Student Summary Report” provides skill insight into students in Tier 3. The report shows students’ ability level for the following components of literacy: “Overall Reading, Text Fluency, Reading Comprehension, Word Analysis, Vocabulary.” 

After students take the “ISIP,” they are placed on a pathway based on their performance within the “Imagination Station.” Furthermore, teachers access a list of small group lessons as interventions for use in improving students’ performance in the following components: “Overall Reading, Text Fluency, Reading Comprehension, Word Analysis, Vocabulary.” Lessons can be used in a whole group setting or as an intervention for students who have not mastered skills. For instance, the teacher can search for “main idea” and download the “Comprehension—Lesson 10—Main Idea” lesson, which provides a scripted intervention lesson. The teacher explicitly models identifying the main idea and details of a chart story using pre-written statements and then prompts students to do the same. The teacher observes and notes progress toward mastery at the end of the lesson; a reteach section includes another activity for students requiring additional practice.

Istation provides many articles that teachers can search based on keywords. This IUG (Istation User Guide) article gives teachers insight on how to group their students effectively. Small groups are created based on formative assessment data. The group consists of students who share a common instructional need. The teacher addresses the common need of the small group through guided instruction. The IUG also provides articles to help teachers in setting up their literacy workstations, giving small group suggestions, and understanding Istation's interactive instruction.

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

Lessons and activities include some strategies and scaffolds that can benefit English Learners (ELs) (i.e., sequenced, scaffolded instruction and visual supports), but the lessons do not provide linguistic accommodations commensurate with various levels of English proficiency as defined by the ELPS. While pictures are included in materials as a comprehension strategy for all students, materials do not provide scaffolds such as adapted text, translations, native language support, cognates, summaries, pictures, realia, glossaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, or other modes of comprehensible input. There is a Spanish-based reading program, but the English materials do not encourage strategic use of Spanish or any other first languages as a means to linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic development in English. While materials include lessons and activities that target vocabulary acquisition, the program provides limited opportunities for vocabulary development in the context of connected discourse.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include an alignment document titled “Reading: Texas English Language Proficiency Standards,” which shows the correspondence between lessons and the Texas ELPS. Lessons may be designated as EL “Beginner,” “Intermediate,” “Advanced,” or “Advanced High.” However, most do not include explicit instructions for EL accommodations commensurate with various levels of English language proficiency as defined by the ELPS. 

In Cycle 10, the teacher-directed “Lesson 24, Reading for Meaning,” directs the teacher to explicitly model how to comprehend at the word and sentence levels and use pictures for support, but it does not provide linguistic accommodations commensurate with various levels of English proficiency as defined by the ELPS. ELs can only incidentally benefit from the sequenced, scaffolded instruction and visual supports in the lesson.

Materials and lessons from Cycle 11, including The Flying Pizza and Winter Snowstorm, are listed as aligned to ELPS 1F, “use accessible language and learn new and essential language in the process,” but the materials do not contain modifications or suggested scaffolds for ELs.

In Cycle 12, Lesson 10, students use context clues to understand the meaning of vocabulary words. Students also complete sentence stems and engage in discussions to determine the appropriate use of vocabulary. The lesson provides three levels of scaffolding, ranging from multiple teacher-provided prompts to student-provided context clues. However, the supports are for all students and are not specific to ELs. 

While the materials provide opportunities for students to listen, speak, read, and write, there was no evidence found of encouragement of the strategic use of students’ first language as a means to linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic development in English.

There was no evidence found of scaffolds such as adapted text, native language support, cognates, summaries, pictures, realia, glossaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, or other modes of comprehensible input.

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 include assessments and guidance for teachers and administrators to monitor student progress. Assessments are aligned in purpose, intended use, and TEKS emphasis; reports provide support to interpret and respond to student performance. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Program Description” document accompanying materials describes program assessments as “universal screeners and progress-monitoring tools” that “inform instructional decision-making and intervention strategies appropriate for students.” For example, the spelling assessment is aligned to student expectations to spell high-frequency words correctly.

The program automatically administers a monthly computer-adaptive assessment to students during their first online session of each month. The materials present the initial, middle, and last monthly assessments of the school year as summative, benchmark assessments aligned to the “RTI framework.” The assessment is designed to assist teachers in identifying students in need of intervention. The beginning-of-year assessment identifies students with “potential reading problems.” The middle-of-year assessment determines whether students are “making adequate progress” or require further support. The end-of-year benchmark assesses whether students have “achieved grade-level reading standards.”

The same computer-adaptive tool serves as a formative measure. ISIP (Istation's Indicators of Progress) is an automated computer adaptive testing (CAT) system that automatically assigns a monthly assessment to each student (unless otherwise specified through the ISIP Configuration Settings). It can be given more often if desired. The monthly assessments are given the first time a student logs on during a calendar month. For example, if a student logs in on September 1, an ISIP Assessment will be given. If the student does not log in until September 15, an ISIP Assessment will still be given when the student logs in. Additional On Demand Assessments can be given at any time during the school year. ISIP Assessments can be used as benchmarks and as continuous progress monitoring tools. The monthly assessment uses “a sophisticated, adaptive algorithm” to select items based on student ability without consideration of age or grade level. Question difficulty increases or decreases based on previous responses. Grade 2 monthly assessments include vocabulary, reading comprehension, spelling, text fluency, and oral reading fluency. 

Materials automatically score assessments and include the option to review individual student selections and response time, giving sufficient support to interpret and respond to student performance. The “Student Summary Handout” report charts student progress in each grade-level subtest, month to month, using a line graph. The student’s “ability index score” falls within a Tier 1, 2, or 3 range. This report can be generated in English or Spanish and shared with parents. The “Priority Report” lists students in groups according to a common skill need and links to teacher-directed lessons for targeted instruction. The “Program Description” states that “teachers can make immediate data-driven decisions from color-coded reports based on the Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017) national norms.”

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.

While teachers can refer to the program materials using website search functions, a comprehensive teacher edition is not included. The program provides an adaptive curriculum in which students progress through “Cycles” of learning, aligned to their individual needs and independent of age or grade level. While this provides differentiation, it is unclear whether individual student pathways guarantee work with grade-level materials to ensure success. Teacher-directed lessons provide support for students needing additional support but not necessarily for other groups. Ancillary materials, including digital applications, provide support for students and guidance for teachers.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Reading Program Description” explains how students’ entry points in the adaptive curriculum align to “demonstrated ability levels.” Based on monthly assessment results, students are “seamlessly placed” into the program’s online adaptive curriculum and follow “an individualized path at their own pace.” Activities in this digital curriculum provide reteach opportunities as well as accelerated paths, based on the results of “embedded skill checks.” “Instructional Tier Goals” provides a year-long (August–July) view of the program’s proprietary benchmark “ability index scores” for grouping students by tier. 

The materials do not provide a year-long plan of delivery for teacher-directed instruction. There are no supporting documents to indicate how teacher-directed lessons provide comprehensive instruction and attend to differentiation to support students via many learning opportunities. These lessons are presented as stand-alone supplements to the online adaptive program, intended for use in response to ongoing assessment data and reports, rather than as part of an overarching plan for instruction. For example, in Cycle 11, “Lesson 11—Multisyllabic Words” includes reteaching opportunities for students requiring additional practice or instruction. The lesson states: “Provide explicit instruction with modeling and guided practice in small groups. Choose one syllable type to work with at a time. Work with this same type until students are fluent.” The lesson does not include extensions for other student groups, such as language learners, or extensions for those who have mastered the skill. In Cycle 9, “Comprehension Lesson 1: The Mother Cat and Her Kittens” includes reminders to download the printable books, and that the lesson is intended for a small group of students with the same instructional needs. Lesson instructions state that the text “contains decodable and high-frequency words that are shown in the chart above. If students do not have control of the majority of high-frequency words, then read the book aloud while students follow along.” 

The materials do not include a teacher edition or comparable resources to provide a comprehensive overview of lessons or support for engaging students in the materials. Teachers may use the online search function in the “Teacher Resources” section of the program website to find materials. 

Individual teacher-directed lessons include some annotations, which are primarily instructions at the beginning of a lesson packet, rather than notes or guidance throughout the document. Lesson instructions may include an overview of lesson design (teach, guided practice, independent practice, and reteach), directions for grouping students, and steps for presenting lessons to tiered groups of students. While not clearly stated, teacher-directed lessons correlate to the assessment strands within the program’s “Instructional Tier Groupings” document. This document includes guidance to present lessons to small groups of students. If “66% of the students in a class are struggling with the skill...warm up and guided practice lesson components” can be presented as whole group lessons. 

The program includes digital applications for both independent student practice and whole or small group lessons presented by teachers. “Teacher Station” includes games and activities for skill instruction and practice. 

Materials also include resources for at-home use. Students may “continue on their individualized learning path” or engage in learning activities assigned by their teacher. Teachers may choose lessons based on topic, theme, or skill for “individual or small groups” to complete at home, and they can track student progress through their digital account. 

The “Parent Portal,” available in both English and Spanish, provides opportunities for parental involvement in the curriculum their child is learning at school. Parents may access online and printable lessons, track their child’s progression “through easy-to-read online reports,” or, with their child, choose digital books to read. Reading materials include books and passages supporting reading skills across instructional cycles and various Lexile levels. The Parent Guide provides a list of all the Ipractice activities available for Istation home.

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

The online, adaptive portion of the curriculum includes a school year’s worth of literacy instruction, but the teacher-directed curriculum does not. The program’s supporting documentation details the TEKS-aligned skills to be taught, but not the order in which they should be presented, or how knowledge and skills build and connect across grade levels. Materials do include additional supports to help administrators support teachers in implementing the materials as intended in the form of professional development and technical support. 

Evidence Includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide a scope and sequence outlining the standards and skills taught in each “Cycle” of learning. The scope and sequence highlights skills that are spiraled across learning cycles. For example, the skill “Decode words with R-controlled vowels in context and isolation” is spiraled across Cycles 7–11. Also, the materials include a correlation document, “Reading Curriculum Correlated to TEKS English Language Arts and Reading Grades PK-5,” which aligns TEKS expectations to both the online, adaptive portions of the program and teacher-directed lessons. However, this document does not indicate the order in which teacher-directed lessons should be delivered. The materials do not include pacing guidance for cycles of instruction, nor does the program include documentation on how teacher-directed lessons build and connect knowledge and skills across grade levels. For example, the program lists six lessons aligned to “blending spoken phonemes to form one-syllable words,” but the lesson titles do not indicate the cycle of instruction they should occur in, nor does the document list a clear sequential order. 

While materials include a school year’s worth of literacy instruction through the computer-adaptive instruction that can be delivered year-round, the materials do not include a school year’s worth of literacy instruction or realistic pacing guidance, routines, and support for 180-day or 220-day schedules through the “Teacher Resource,” or teacher-directed, lessons. The “Reading Program Description” describes that “Cycles of Instruction” begin at a foundational, pre-reader level and advance to a grade 8 level over the course of 16 cycles. Of the nine grade 2 comprehension TEKS, the publisher lists one lesson for each, for a total of nine teacher-directed lessons on comprehension across the school year. The lessons are not organized into units for pacing. Throughout a 180-day or 220-day schedule, one or two lessons per TEKS would not support a school year’s worth of literacy instruction. 

Teacher Resource lessons (also referred to as “teacher-directed lessons”) provide guidance and support to teachers on instruction for targeted skills. Information is provided on the following instructional components: lesson design and instructional cycle, grouping, and how to use reports and data to inform instructional decisions. Support resources include a “Program Description,” including guidance on “Assessments,” “ISIP Reading,” “ISIP Reading Curriculum,” “Reports,” and “School-to-Home Connection.” The Assessments section outlines the various forms of assessments teachers access in the materials, including “Computer-Adaptive Testing” and “On-Demand Testing.” ISIP Reading Curriculum discusses skills critical to building literacy and how these are embedded in the curriculum across grade clusters such as pre-k through 3, but it does not detail how critical skills build across grade levels. In the Reports section, the publisher provides teacher guidance on the purpose of each report and how to interpret the data. School-to-Home Connection includes resources such as printables and videos along with professional development for parents and teachers. 

Information for administrators is in the Reading Program Description resource. Administrators are directed to information on reports, which “provide teachers and administrators with immediate data to inform effective instructional plans for students. Istation reports can be run at the class, school, or district level depending on the level of access and desired information.” This document also details the professional development services included by the publisher to help administrators support teachers in implementing the materials as intended. These sessions “ensure fidelity of program implementation by training educators to differentiate instruction for effective screening and progress monitoring, disaggregate data for instructional use, and track growth toward campus/district goals and initiatives; and help schools drive adoption, boost implementation, optimize usage, and uncover growth opportunities.” Sessions are offered both virtually and in-person and follow a “train the trainers” model to help administrators support teachers by building capacity for implementation across campuses. The publisher offers unlimited technical support for school personnel in all roles, including teachers, administrators, instructional coaches, and support staff. This support is available in English and Spanish.

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

The print and digital materials feature pictures and graphics that are supportive of student learning and engagement without being visually distracting. The materials include appropriate use of white space and design to support student learning.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Cycle 10, “Comprehension Lesson 1: Spiders/Insects,” students enter answers for a “Text Features Scavenger Hunt” in a worksheet featuring columns and rows. The handout provides appropriate space for grade 2 students to write comfortably. 

The texts accompanying teacher-directed lessons are PDFs to be printed, cut, and stapled into book format. These texts feature an adequate amount of white space, and their design does not distract the reader overall. Printable books do include a vertical text box on every other page, listing Lexile level and licensing information. Hero includes multiple lines of text per page and several illustrations, all with appropriately sized fonts and white space for grade 2 students. The design is engaging, does not distract, and helps students understand what they are reading.

The digital components of the program also feature pictures and graphics that are supportive of student learning. For example, during “Text Fluency” assessments, students select their answer from a drop-down menu of choices within a line of text, and the correct word in the blank is provided. Text is a sans-serif black font on a white background. Each blank is highlighted in a bright yellow color for students to easily identify, and text in the drop-down list is the same sans-serif black font on a tan background. An easy-to-notice green arrow at the bottom right of the page allows students to easily advance to the next task.

When students work in the individualized learning portion of the digital application, content is presented thematically. For example, when learning about r-controlled syllables, students see two characters, a person and a dog, dressed in soldiers’ uniforms. The background scene is of a military camp and provides enough detail to interest but not distract grade 2 students. Occasionally the dog barks “Ar” to emphasize this r-controlled syllable. 

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

The materials support and enhance student learning as appropriate through digital lessons, activities, and assessments. They include appropriate teacher guidance on technology features and best practices for use. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include a digital, adaptive curriculum accessed through a downloaded application, which is the primary mode of instruction. The program presents content in a “dynamic game-like” format to enhance and support learning. When students log in to the application, the main menu options include icons linked to the adaptive curriculum, digital books, writing activities, or tasks assigned by the teacher. The navigation and user interface are appropriate for grade 2 students, regardless of technology experience. For example, by clicking on a blue book icon, students enter their individualized path of instruction, and a backpack icon links to the assignments section. Categories in the e-book library are “Beginner Fiction,” “Medium Fiction,” “Advanced,” and “Nonfiction.” Students may read themselves or follow along as a text is read aloud. The program also includes an “At Home” portal for extended learning, where students may continue “Cycles of Instruction,” access work assigned by a teacher, or select e-books to read. 

The program provides appropriate and sufficient guidance for teachers to use the digital application with students via video tutorials and instructions on the program website. For example, the “Interactive User’s Guide” includes sections detailing how to use the application, assessments, e-books, and assignment features. Teachers may also access the “Teacher Station” feature of the application to model how students should use the program. Teacher-directed lessons integrate technology through embedded hyperlinks, projector pages, and interactive whiteboard activities.