Sistema EDUSPARK Pre-K

Evaluation for 2.1
Materials are cross-curricular and integrated in an authentic way to support students’ unified experience throughout the day and/or unit.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include some intentional and purposeful cross-curricular connections to create a unified experience for students. The materials have 18 lessons, and each lesson has seven sections that can be completed in any order and provide some support for a unified experience throughout the unit. The “Scope and Sequence” in the “Teacher Guide” provides some evidence of how the lessons are organized by theme. For example, the materials have six theme-related units. Each unit has three lessons related to the theme of the unit to support language and communication. The first theme is “Me and my school/Yo y mi escuela,” with three language and communication lessons to support the theme. “Lección 1” is “Vamos a la escuela,” “Lección 2” is “Reglas en la escuela y en la casa'' and “Lección 3” is “Un Mundo de colores.” The unit includes activities and lessons for science, math, language and communication, and fine arts. For example, Leccion 1 is part of the unit students learn about school. The “lenguaje y comunicación” section introduces vocabulary that is related to school. The lesson includes vocabulary words such as “escuela,” “maestra,” “salón de clases,” “ lápiz,” alfabeto, “reglas,” and “salir a jugar” to name a few. Then, in the “Habilidades de arte y motricidad fina” section, the students create an art project that ties to the school theme and create a daily schedule. In “Ciencias,” the students study objects such as a clock, eraser, ruler, and crayons and explain their color, shape, and materials they are made of. “Leccion 14” also includes some cross-curricular connections and is organized around a common theme. For example, the topic for the “Lenguaje y comunicación” section is days and the months of the year, and the “Matemáticas” topic is passing through time. In the “Habilidades de arte y motricidad fina” section, the teacher engages the students in thinking about special events that occur throughout the year by displaying a calendar with visuals. The students are to think of special events that happen each month, which is not a developmentally appropriate activity for four-year-old students. Although these activities provide somewhat of a unified experience for students, the materials do provide direct guidance for teachers to help students make cross-curricular connections during the activities or connect learning from one section to another.

There is some evidence to support the instructional materials name which domains are purposefully developed or reinforced in each learning activity in the materials. Each lesson for each theme in the materials contains a “Competencias” tab that lists the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines that are addressed in the activities for that specific lesson. For example, in the “Lenguaje y Comunicación” section for “Lección 6,” several language and communication and one phonological awareness skills are listed that come directly from the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. However, the materials do not name the domains in each learning activity within each lesson in the materials, and it is not clear whether all guidelines are covered.

Evaluation for 2.2
Materials utilize high-quality texts as a core component of content and skill integration.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The instructional materials do not provide a variety of texts to support content and skills across multiple domains. The lessons in the materials include videos with text and some digital books that support some content and skill development. Lessons 1–18 begin with a song in the form of a video with text embedded. For example, the teacher guide states, “Lessons 1–18 contain a rhythmic story video. This is a story presented with music and rhyming words. The rhythmic story video is a guided reading story that integrates a category of words.” The videos are located in the language and communication, math, and science sections of the lessons. 

The materials do not have a list of physical texts or read alouds to support the themes or units that are being taught in the classroom. The materials do not include a mixture of translated materials and those originally written in Spanish. The materials mostly consist of videos, vocabulary activities and games, songs, and activities in the “Cuaderno de Trabajo.” There is no evidence that physical texts are included in the materials. In addition, the instructional materials do not include texts that are culturally relevant and diverse. There is some evidence of adapted digital books in Lessons 16 -18. Each lesson has one digital book adapted in Spanish. However, the stories have the same characters, and the content is not culturally relevant and diverse. The characters in the instructional videos throughout the lessons are non-realistic and look the same as well. There is also no evidence of books that represent people of various backgrounds.

Evaluation for 2.3
Materials support developmentally appropriate practice across all content domains.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials are accessible through an online learning platform and do not provide opportunities for purposeful play across content areas. The materials include online matching and memory games that do not support student exploration or active play. For example, the workbook and matching games in the language and communication section include activities that mostly require the student to listen and repeat words. The student workbook states, “Escucha y repite las palabras. Pedir al niño señalar con su dedo.” The student workbook also contains various worksheet activities that do not support learning through purposeful play and student choice. The teacher guide suggests that the workbook activities can be used during center time, but the materials do not provide a list of purposely planned centers that should be in place or additional guidance regarding centers. The materials cite a brain-based learning model approach to learning, but it is not clear how it supports play as a method of teaching or learning. 

The materials provide limited guidance for teachers to organize activities to ensure that the learning objectives are met. The teacher guide includes a recommendation on the organization and routine of activities to promote effective learning. For example, the teacher guide suggests the amount of time and activity that the child should work on during the day and provides a checklist for the teacher to document if a student worked on the materials. However, the materials do not include explicit guidance for teachers on how to organize large group activities or set up small groups to support instruction. 

The materials do not provide a balance of direct and indirect instruction and are limited in student choice opportunities. The teacher guide suggests that the activities in Lessons 1–18 are to be used either in a large group setting or in a computer lab. Each lesson is intended to be 10–15 minutes. There is no evidence that the instructional practices in the materials follow a gradual release model to support students’ understanding of concepts and skills. The full-day schedule in the teacher guide suggests child-directed play during the allotted centers time. However, the lessons do not include clear ideas or teacher guidance for how to set up learning centers or interactive learning activities to support the units.

Evaluation for 2.4
Materials fit within a developmentally appropriate programmatic structure.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Teacher Guide” specifies that the lessons are designed for three- or four-year-old children. The teacher guide states, “Teachers can choose content that is best suited to the age (3–4 years) and needs of their students.” However, there is no evidence in the actual lessons that specify whether they are for three- or four-year-old children. There is also no evidence of differentiated activities or scaffolds for each age group embedded in the lessons. For example, the student workbook in “Lesson 9” guides the teacher to have children describe the images in the picture using a variety of words. However, there is no evidence of teacher guidance to scaffold or differentiate instruction for three- and four-year-old children. The teacher guide states, “The instructional design of EDUSPARK Kiddos is appropriate for 3-year-old to 4-year-old students. The real difference in how much guidance is required to use a tablet, smartphone, or computer at this age.” Although the materials are intended for three- and four-year-old children, there is very limited evidence that the materials differentiate instruction for different levels of development and diverse student populations. 

The differentiation guide provides some ideas on how teachers can differentiate instruction by age, but again specific supports are not embedded in the lessons. The differentiation guide states, “Teachers can use EDUSPARK Kiddos resources to differentiate instruction by age, level of development, and student populations. When a teacher delivers a lesson, they need to take into consideration that not every student is at the same proficiency level. For this purpose, we have identified students as Advanced Four-year-olds, which means they are above grade level, and Three-year-old, which means that they need much support because naturally are at a low developmental level than four-year average students.” 

There are also some suggestions for differentiation for three- and four-year-old children for the student workbook, math, science, fine motor skills, songs, games, videos, and evaluations. For example, the Teacher Guide suggests videos on each lesson can be used as a whole group to present a concept or as a hookup. Advanced four-year-olds can watch the video and create a project based on the concept. Four-year-old students can watch the video with support from the teacher. Three-year-old students need extra support. The teacher can show them the video. This is the extent of the guidance found for guidance on differentiation based on the level of development of the students.

There is some evidence the materials provide recommendations for half-day and full-day schedules for prekindergarten programs. The teacher guide provides a schedule for a half-day program and a full-day program. The schedule provides a list of activities, the order in which they can be performed, and the number of minutes it should take. However, the schedules do not describe specific lessons and student activities to implement for a half-day or full-day program. The half-day schedule includes Arts and Fine Motor skills, circle time, Language Development, Science, Math, and Physical development. The Full day schedule includes lunch, another large group time in which the teacher is given the choice of what subject to cover, a second session of Physical Development, another session of Fine Motor skills, outdoor play, and centers. The schedules are for a span of two weeks (10 days). Overall, the materials do not fit within a developmentally appropriate programmatic structure. 

Evaluation for 2.5
Materials include detailed guidance that supports teacher’s delivery of instruction.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials do not provide teacher guidance that supports explicit instructional strategies for teaching prekindergarten skills. There is some evidence of teacher guidance in the “Teacher Guide;” however, the suggestions do not include detailed and explicit guidance for teacher and student actions that support development and proficiency of content and skills. The Teacher’s Guide includes information on the importance of brain development and how their instructional design and methodology are based on brain-research principles to achieve effective learning. The Bloom’s Taxonomy graphic demonstrates the levels of developmental skills as they correspond to Bloom’s Taxonomy; however, there is no detailed and explicit teacher guidance for how to apply this to the lessons and materials. The Teacher Guide states, “ We strongly recommend that the teacher follow this extended taxonomy to create and make other activities to reinforce skills.” The Teacher Guide also states, “Teachers may choose selected materials to add in the learning path for specific students' needs or population.” This is the extent of the guidance found.

The materials do not provide detailed guidance on how the students can connect their prior experiences to new learning. For example, most of the “cuaderno de trabajo” activities begin with the teacher jumping immediately into the activity with the students. In “Leccion 5” for the “Los oficios” activities in the workbook, the teacher guidance for each activity begins with the phrase: “Pedir a los niños” (Ask the students to…). Depending on the activity, the guidance prompts the teacher to ask the students to point, name, observe, or listen and repeat. The activities do not include prompts for teachers to ask what they already know about the topic/skill or provide tips on how to connect student’s prior learning to the activity.

Evaluation for 2.6
Materials are supported by child development research on children’s development within and across all domains.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide some evidence on how the curriculum is supported by child development research. The “Teacher Guide” describes how the curriculum was developed based on a brain-based learning model. The Teacher Guide states, “The instructional design and methodology is based on brain-research principles to achieve effective learning. An example is the integration of rhyming language, visual perception techniques for instant word and image recognition, integrate vocabulary into categories, frequent and fast-paced stimuli, high-speed reading techniques, and songs with academic concepts.” The Teacher Guide also provides information on the importance of brain-based practices in education and a video to demonstrate the importance of oral language development. In addition, the materials cite a study from Harvard University that talks about the importance of providing experiences so that the brain can make strong neurological connections. Although the materials include some descriptions of how the curriculum is supported by brain research, the materials do not explicitly connect the activities to the research. Furthermore, the materials do not provide a clear description of how the curriculum is supported by the most current child development research.

The materials do not provide research-based guidance for instruction that enriches educator understanding of early childhood development and the validity of the recommended approach. There is no evidence of teacher guidance on how to apply research-based instructional approaches in order to plan their lessons and to meet the needs of individual students. The Teacher Guide states, “The teacher’s role is to facilitate the learning; however, the software is doing most of the teaching.” The Teacher Guide describes the importance of the brain-based practices; however, the materials do not provide information for educators to enrich their understanding of instructional strategies as it relates to early childhood. 

Some of the research included in the materials is not current and applicable to Texas-specific context and demographics. The Teacher Guide provides a case study that shows the effectiveness of the curriculum; however, the research was conducted in Mexico and not Texas. The cited research does not make connections to the diversity of languages spoken across the state of Texas. The materials do include a bibliography in the teacher guide where research is cited from reputable sources, but the research is not always current. For example, the materials cite research from Harvard University, John Medina, and Bloom’s taxonomy. John Medina’s Brain Rules was published in 2008. The Bloom’s Taxonomy research was published in 1956. The materials also cite an article titled “The Growth of Nerve Circuits,” dated back to 1959. The materials also include case studies by Jesus Amaya, Ph.D., from 2003-2005. One of the sources that does address the diverse language needs for Texas students is written by Thomas and Collier, who are an authority in this field.

Evaluation for 3.1
Materials include direct social skill instruction and explicit teaching of skills.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

In Lesson 1, the materials include two worksheets that contain a table of activities and a song to help children practice self-regulation skills. There are no directions or guidance for teachers directly correlating to social skill-building. Lesson 1 includes a daily schedule activity to support students as they identify, express, and understand feelings. For example, students use class rules cards to practice classroom rules. While the materials provide students with the opportunity to use the class rules cards to practice, specific teacher guidance on modeling these behaviors is not included. The materials recommend using colored popsicle sticks to reinforce the classroom rules. The materials do not include any texts to support the development of these social skills and competencies.

In Lesson 2, the materials provide outlines for social building opportunities. For example, children will watch a video about rules, play a memory game that supports proper behavior, complete an evaluation, and complete printable worksheets. The materials provide guidance for the teacher on completing the worksheets. These activities lack guidance and opportunities for the teacher to model social skills and do not include opportunities for children to practice the skills in authentic settings.

In Lesson 8, the materials include printable worksheet activities that help children practice building relationships with others. These activities do not include any texts to support the development of these social skills and competencies.

Evaluation for 3.2
Materials include repeated opportunities for students to practice social skills throughout the day.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

In Lesson 1, the materials include an activity to learn and practice social skills. For example, students create different emotional faces on popsicle sticks to practice social and emotional skills. Lesson 1 includes another opportunity for students to practice social skills: an activity using picture cards that illustrate emotions to practice understanding feelings. While the materials provide students with the opportunity to practice social skills, these materials are not applied to learn, practice, or apply social skills throughout the day. 

In Lesson 5, students engage with each other by sharing their likes and dislikes for different types of animals. The teacher asks questions that allow students to reflect and demonstrate empathy for others. There is also a list of suggested activities that include singing songs with different emotions. 

In Lesson 11, the materials include an activity that focuses on taking care of classroom materials. For example, students use a worksheet to cut and glue pictures that illustrate practicing social skills. These materials lack opportunities to authentically integrate practice throughout all other content domains. 

Evaluation for 3.3
Materials include ideal classroom arrangements that support positive social interactions.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include online guided reading videos, games, activities with visual and fine motor supports, and a parent guide. Lessons include printable materials for fine motor development; online games to practice the classroom rules; activities with visual supports to teach classroom procedures; and online videos to engage students in content-based topics. Lessons also include a daily schedule picture that contains learning centers, with suggested titles, for self-regulation guidance; memory games to teach critical thinking skills; and matching games to teach language skills using pictures. The materials do not include daily opportunities to practice social skills in daily learning centers. The materials do not provide suggestions for how to engage students in the classroom arrangement to promote student ownership of the space. 

Lesson 1 includes a printable activity with pictures of “thumbs-up” and “thumbs-down” to teach communication strategies. The materials do not consider a variety of factors and components of the physical space or their impact on students’ social development. 

Lesson 2 includes an online video, a memory game, a matching game, and a workbook activity to teach the importance of following rules. The materials do not provide teacher guidance on classroom arrangements to support teacher-student or student-student interactions. 

Lesson 6 includes a role-play activity: The teacher divides students into groups to act out a fairytale. The materials do not provide an easy or effective implementation for classroom arrangement to support positive social interactions.

Evaluation for 3.4
Materials include activities to develop physical skill and refine motor development through movement.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

In Lesson 1, the materials include an activity to develop gross motor skills. For example, students are instructed to stand like a soldier while moving their arms. Lesson 1 also includes an activity to develop fine motor skills by practicing cutting printable worksheets. While the materials provide students with some opportunities to develop gross motor skills and fine motor skills, they do not provide daily opportunities for students to develop these skills. 

In Lessons 5 and 6, the materials include activities to develop gross motor skills with dancing and a movement game. The dancing activity encourages students to listen to suggested songs and move to the music. The movement game provides instructions for students to coordinate a series of movements. For example, students are asked to bend, grow, and get up, and turn around. While the materials do provide some opportunities to develop gross motor skills through movement, there are no daily opportunities to develop these skills. In Lesson 7, the materials include an activity to develop fine motor skills by making puppets. This activity provides students the opportunity to cut out puppets using scissors. 

In Lessons 10 and 14, the materials include activities to develop fine motor skills. For example, students have the opportunity to make sculptures using sand. Additionally, students have the opportunity to cut and glue a printed calendar and fold paper to create origami animals. While the materials provide students with some opportunities to develop fine motor skills, there are no daily opportunities for students to develop these skills.

Evaluation for 3.5
Materials include activities that develop safe and healthy habits in students.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

In Lesson 2, the materials include a printable worksheet activity to develop physical and mental health. In this activity, students name body parts as the teacher points to each part using the provided visual support. While this provides an opportunity for teachers and students to identify physical features, the materials do not communicate the connection between physical and mental health and do not include teacher guidance. 

In Lesson 7, the materials include online videos, games, and activities that develop healthy habits in students. For example, students have the opportunity to watch a video about eating healthy foods. An extension to the video is a memory game that uses vocabulary words and pictures of healthy food options. While the materials include some activities for healthy habits, no activities are included for safe habits, and there is no teacher guidance. 

Evaluation for 4.1
Materials provide guidance on developing students’ listening skills.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The instructional materials provide the teacher with some guidance on modeling active listening for understanding. Under the section “Recursos del maestro,” the Teacher's Guide gives the teacher “sugerencias para el desarrollo de una clase.” The instructions provide some suggestions for the implementation of the lessons, such as “ Ver y escuchar el video o canción para que se familiaricen con el contenido y repitan el vocabulario clave.” However, the materials do not provide explicit guidance on what active listening should look like.

The materials partially support and scaffold daily opportunities for students to listen for understanding. They provide the students with multisensory materials to allow them to demonstrate listening skills. At the beginning of each lesson, the students can watch a video that introduces new vocabulary. Students listen to vocabulary accompanied by visuals in the “Juego de memoria.” For example, the student is instructed to, “Haz click en las teclas que corresponda a la posición de la tarjeta.” By clicking on the cards, the student will reveal a picture card, and the program says the word out loud.

The materials provide some opportunities for students to listen for understanding. In the “Recursos del maestro,” the activities promote student participation to sing songs and use rhythmic movements or use of body language to represent vocabulary. Another opportunity for students to listen for understanding is in Lesson 6 when students learn about different professions. The video introduces the lesson with a little boy saying, “Hoy hablaremos de lo que puedo estudiar cuando crezca y entre a la universidad.” However, there is no interaction between the student and the teacher to check for understanding. 

The instructional materials provide opportunities for students to hear sounds, appropriate sentence structure, and grammar. In the assignments section, there are a few videos such as “Mi Ciudad” and “Los Oficios,” where the students can listen to a song that explains each vocabulary word and what it means. In addition, songs provided in the materials rhyme, which supports listening skills. There are also a few digital books. These digital books provide grammatically correct sentence structure. For example, in Lesson 18, students can follow along with the digital book “Salir a jugar” by advancing through each page as it is read aloud. The students also have the option to “volver a leer” each page as needed. 

The materials provide limited evidence of opportunities to listen to conversations that may follow conversation norms. In lesson 17, “Proyecto: La tiendita,” students assume roles as a cashier, the buyer, the baker, etc., explain what it means to be a consumer, and identify items humans need to live. However, there is no teacher guidance to support conversations among students.

Evaluation for 4.2
Materials provide guidance on developing students’ speaking skills.

Evidence Includes but is not limited to:

The “Pre-K Differentiation Strategies” provide some suggestions for small group instruction activities that support the use of appropriate grammatical sentence structures as well as opportunities for students to practice producing sounds. For example, one of the suggestions is to use the “Cuaderno de actividades” to provide opportunities for students to build on their vocabulary by working in pairs. This activity increases in “difficulty to build vocabulary, language, and pre-reading skills.” It also suggests that younger four-year-olds can work on the activities in small groups, and three-year-olds can work with teacher guidance. Throughout the lessons, the students watch a video introducing new vocabulary. The video introduces new words through a rhyming song that the students listen to throughout the week. The Differentiation Strategies document suggests that “Four-year-olds can sing aloud the song, and try to identify a few vocabulary words in the song.” 

The materials offer little teacher guidance on setting up and facilitating activities for students to practice producing a variety of sounds, appropriate sentence structure, and grammar. For example, the Pre-K Differentiation Strategies provide minimal directions for teachers. The materials state, “Advanced four-year-old students can make in pairs the complete workbook which includes 13 activities with gradual difficulty to build vocabulary, language, and pre-reading skills.” However, the materials do not provide teacher guidance for students to engage in discussions using conversation norms while working in pairs. 

The materials in the curriculum partially provide teacher guidance on speech production. For example, the materials in Lesson 2 (“Reglas en la escuela y en la casa”) provide visuals and modeling for students to choose responses based on differing verbal skills. The instructions state, “Pedir al niño identificar lo que hace en la escuela y lo que hace en la casa. Observar si el niño responde correctamente a las instrucciones orales.” The materials in Lesson 4 also provide an opportunity for the practice of oral language skills while discussing a family photo. The instructions state, “Pedir al niño observar la imagen y nombrar lo que ve. Pedirle comparar la imagen con una foto de su familia. Evaluar que el niño se comunica haciendo uso adecuado del lenguaje.” These examples provide some support for the teacher to develop students’ use of appropriate sentence structure and grammar, but do not provide examples nor guidance for the teacher to give corrective feedback.

In Lesson 6, the “Cuaderno de Trabajo” provides guidance for teachers to support students’ differing levels of speaking ability while discussing jobs. The text states, “Pedir al niño señalar con su dedo cada personaje que se menciona. Pedirle decir frases utilizando palabras para describir lo que ve cómo con qué trabajan. Observar si el niño responde correctamente a las instrucciones orales. Recordar a los estudiantes hablar con un tono de voz suave y pausado.” Even though the materials provide some activities that may support the production of sounds and use appropriate sentence structure, they do not provide sufficient and varied opportunities for students to develop speaking skills.

Evaluation for 4.3
Materials support expanding student vocabulary.

Evidence Includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide some evidence that supports expanding student vocabulary. The materials have 18 lessons in the main menu, and within each lesson, there is a language and communication section. The sections contain a Pre-Test, Video, memory game, matching game, and two vocabulary tests to support vocabulary development. However, there is no evidence to support that the materials follow a progression of vocabulary development that is age and sequentially appropriate.

Many of the sections in the lessons begin with a Spanish video that introduces the vocabulary for the activities within the section. The vocabulary is presented through a story in the form of a song with rhyming words. The video presents the vocabulary at high speed using animations to help the child understand the new vocabulary. For example, in Lesson 3, the video connects colors to different things in the environment (green are the grassy fields, blue is the sky, and white is the moon). These videos provide some support to expand student vocabulary. However, the materials do not guide the teacher to access one language to build vocabulary in the other language within the lessons. 

According to the “Pre -K Differentiation Strategies” document, the Memory and Matching games are used “to practice vocabulary words, pronunciation, and develop their Phonemic & Phonological Awareness.” In the memory game “Cuidando el planeta,” the student clicks a card to reveal the vocabulary word. As the card turns over, the program says the vocabulary word aloud. The Teacher’s Guide states that the teacher will ask students to repeat each word during the memory games. The goal of the game is to find matching pairs while listening to new vocabulary. In the matching game, the student hears a vocabulary word from the lesson and selects the corresponding image. The audio will indicate if it is correct. When it is incorrect, the student will hear the name on the card and a message that it is incorrect. These activities support vocabulary development, but only at a surface level.

The “Cuaderno de trabajo'' contains some evidence of vocabulary practice and provides some opportunities for students to interact with vocabulary. For example, in Lesson 18, the teacher engages the students in discussing how to take care of our planet. The materials recommend the students respond by saying: “Yo puedo apagar la luz cuando salgo de una habitación, yo puedo cerrar la llave del agua cuando terminó de lavarme las manos, etc.” 

The vocabulary tests instruct the student to listen to audio and select a corresponding image or observe the image and select the corresponding word. Even though these tests assess vocabulary covered within each section of the lessons, there is no guidance for the teacher on how to use the results to reinforce and expand students’ vocabulary.

Evaluation for 4.4
Materials include appropriate strategies for supporting students’ biliteracy development.

Evidence Includes but is not limited to:

The materials do not include appropriate strategies to support students in developing biliteracy proficiency. The curriculum provides thematic units with Spanish vocabulary but does not provide discussion opportunities, visual supports, and wait times when discussing or eliciting responses. There are no opportunities for the student to practice listening or speaking in English. There is no evidence of English activities or prompts included in the instructional materials. The lessons throughout the materials have the same format that begins with a pretest to see what the student knows, followed with a video introducing new Spanish vocabulary. The videos and activities included in the instructional materials are only in Spanish. Throughout the thematic units, Spanish vocabulary is introduced, but the materials do not provide strategies or lessons to support vocabulary development in English. The materials do not allow the students to apply newly learned vocabulary or support the transfer of vocabulary from the primary to the second language. There is also no evidence to support that the instructional materials guide students to compare content vocabulary in both English and Spanish.

The materials offer some support to develop Spanish language proficiency, but not English proficiency. For example, in Lesson 1, the teacher asks the students to point to certain objects in the class environment. The teacher observes the students to see if they respond correctly. However, it is not clear if the students simply point or are expected to say the object’s name aloud. In addition, Lesson 5 introduces the students to different jobs such as barrendero, jardinero, carpintero, cartero, mecánico, panadero, taxista, policía, and bombero. The students listen to a song that explains each of the oficios. For example, the song says, “El barrendero mantiene limpia la comunidad, y gracias al jardinero luce hermosa la ciudad.” This video is repetitive with the vocabulary, but there is no opportunity for the students to apply it orally and practice language development. The activities that follow the video are matching activities. In one activity, the students hear a word in Spanish and match the two pictures showing that word. In the next activity, the students hear the word, and they have to choose the right picture from three choices. For practice, the students complete a variety of worksheet type activities and an electronic assessment related to the vocabulary. The activities allow the students to learn new Spanish vocabulary but do not highlight opportunities for students to make cross-linguistic connections or leverage students’ prior knowledge in each language as an asset.

In the Lesson 8 Cuaderno de trabajo, the materials guide the teacher to engage the students in a discussion about the zoo. The materials state: “Pedir al niño observar la imagen. Pedir al niño conversar con su par sobre un paseo al zoológico. Comentar cuál es su animal preferido. Recordar a los estudiantes hablar con un tono de voz suave y pausado.” This lesson supports Spanish language proficiency at a basic level. However, there is no guidance to leverage students’ prior knowledge in another language (if spoken) or make cross-linguistic connections to support the conversation.

In the Lesson 12 Cuaderno de trabajo, the lesson guides the teacher to discuss sea animals. The materials state: “Nombra cada imagen y menciona una característica. Pedir al niño describir las imágenes, por ejemplo, la ballena está nadando en aguas profundas. Pedir al niño usar una gran variedad de palabras al describir las imágenes. Pedir al niño usar oraciones con detalles.” The materials provide some guidance to develop the students’ primary language but do not extend the students' knowledge to the second language.

Evaluation for 5.1
Materials provide opportunities for students to develop oral language skills, including through authentic text conversations.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials do not provide opportunities for students to listen actively, ask questions, and engage in discussion to understand the information in texts. The teacher guidance is limited and does not support the development of oral language skills. The “How to Access and Navigate Guide” states, “The curriculum is a fully digital program for Pre Kindergarten. The program provides skills-based learning experiences based on [more than] 1,100 videos, interactive games, activities, and evaluations.” Although the materials include a variety of online videos with text, the texts are videos with words read to the students and do not provide teacher guidance for engaging students in active listening or discussion. 

The instructions in the student workbook provide minimal direction for teachers to teach and support active listening. The workbook in “Lección 8” tells the teacher to remind the students to speak in a soft voice and to listen and repeat words. The materials state, “Escucha y repite las palabras.” The workbook in Lección 8 also states, “Pedir al niño describir las imágenes, por ejemplo, el oso café, la jirafa alta, el elefante grande. Pedir al niño usar una gran variedad de palabras.” This is the extent of guidance provided to teachers. There are no guiding questions to support oral language development. 

The materials do not provide consistent opportunities for students to engage in discussions that require students to share information and ideas about the texts. There is no evidence of suggested read-alouds to accompany the lessons. The materials do not include think-alouds to support encouraging open-ended discussions related to information in the digital texts or videos available through the online platform. The “Teacher Guide” states, “Guided Reading is embedded into the rhythmic story video.” Even though Lessons 1–18 include rhythmic story videos with text, the videos introduce new vocabulary words and do not provide an opportunity for the students to engage in conversation about the learning. 

The materials do not provide support and guidance on how students can work collaboratively to engage in meaningful discussions. The Teacher Guide provides guidance on how the teachers can use the vocabulary lessons. For example, the Teacher Guide states, “You can use the videos to practice vocabulary words or to introduce a concept. Use the games to practice vocabulary words and pronunciations. Students can play these games individually or in pairs.” However, the guidance does not encourage students to work collaboratively to engage in discussion about words or the concepts covered in the lessons.

Evaluation for 5.2
Materials provide direct (explicit) instruction and opportunities for student practice in phonological awareness skills.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials do not follow a research-based developmental continuum of how children acquire phonological awareness and do not include a variety of types of activities that engage students in identifying, synthesizing, and analyzing sounds. The Teacher Guide states, “The teacher will be able to move the order of the lessons.” The lessons can be completed in any order based on what the teacher decides, and there is no guidance on a continuum of skills. The materials include letter tracing worksheets that show students how to form a letter of the alphabet and include two or three words that begin with the same sound of the letter of the alphabet. The worksheets are located in the fine motor skills section of each lesson. The worksheets contain instructions for teachers to read as a whole group, or the worksheet can also be assigned as homework or individual practice. However, the materials do not include phonological awareness activities that can be used to support the letter tracing worksheets. There is no evidence of phonological awareness activities that increase in complexity or are reviewed throughout the year. 

There is very limited evidence the materials take into consideration characteristics of Spanish phonics and their implications when teaching phonological awareness. The alphabet video in the teacher guide shows each letter of the alphabet with audio to teach the name and sound of each letter. However, some of the sounds on the video are hard to understand, and others are pronounced incorrectly. The video is not supported by additional phonics instruction. The student workbook in “Lección 4” displays a picture and a word with spaces between each of the syllables. The student is expected to clap the syllables, identify the first syllable, and then match it to the letters that make up that syllable. Although this lesson involves both phonological awareness and phonics, the phonics skills are not appropriate for students in prekindergarten. 

There is very limited evidence the materials connect phonological awareness to letter knowledge instruction. In “Lección 2,” the workbook activity states, “Encierra en un círculo la letra con la que inicia el nombre de cada imagen.” The child hears the beginning sound of the picture, identifies the corresponding letter, and circles the letter. After, the students provide an additional word that begins with the same sounds as those practiced in the activity. Although these types of lessons incorporate some listening aspects in connection to letter knowledge, the materials do not provide opportunities for students to practice phonological awareness skills in isolation.

Evaluation for 5.3
Materials provide direct (explicit) instruction and opportunities for student practice in alphabetic knowledge skills.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The alphabet activities in the materials follow somewhat of a strategic sequence for the introduction of alphabetic knowledge in Spanish. However, which research was used to support this sequence is unclear.  The letters are grouped as follows: AEI, OU, BPML, TSDN, CGFK, RHJ, and VYZ. 

In reviewing the “Teacher’s Guide” and lessons there was evidence of Spanish alphabet letter tracing activities that provide some opportunities for students to practice alphabetic knowledge skills. The 18 lessons in the materials include a fine motor skills section with letter tracing activities of the Spanish alphabet that include practicing letter names and sounds, including digraphs. The letter tracing instructions state, “Escucha y repite las palabras y su sonido inicial. Traza las letras siguiendo el orden de los números.” Students repeat the letter name, sound, and repeat two words that begin with the sound. For example, the worksheet for the letter Aa has the words “Ana” and “avión.” The Teacher’s Guide suggests allowing students to complete this activity independently. The Teacher’s Guide also includes a video that shows each letter of the alphabet with the name and sound. However, the alphabet video provides very limited direct teacher guidance. The teacher guide states, “Muestre el video y pida a los estudiantes escuchar y luego repetir el nombre y sonido de las letras del alfabeto.” There is no additional information on additional ways to use the video to support alphabetic knowledge. Overall, the materials provide the teachers with limited guidance on introducing, modeling, and using letter names, digraphs, and sounds through additional developmentally appropriate strategies for students to practice alphabetic knowledge skills.

Evaluation for 5.4
Materials provide direct (explicit) instruction in print knowledge and concepts and opportunities for student practice.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include three digital books and videos of songs with text through the online platform where the words are read aloud to the students. The digital books and videos with text do not include introductions, suggestions for questioning, and prompts to use before, during, and after to support children’s knowledge about print. The “Pre-K Teacher's Guide” states that teachers can use the “Rhythmic story videos” as a “guided reading story.” The “Differentiation Strategies” guide also suggests that the teacher can use the videos to “work with sounds, blending, or segmenting.” There are no additional stories, poems, or book lists included in the materials. Hence, the materials do not provide direct instruction in print awareness and connecting print awareness to books/ texts. 

The materials do not provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of the everyday functions of print in context to the students’ experience at school. There is no evidence to support the materials include recommendations for students to engage with and experience authentic print throughout the day. 

The materials do not include a research-based sequence of foundational skills instruction and opportunities for sufficient student practice. The materials state, “Teachers can choose content that is best suited to the age and the needs of their students, as well as the district’s yearly plan lesson guide.” The materials can be used in any order, so there is no strategic sequence for the lessons to be taught throughout the scope of the school year. Therefore, it is evident that the materials do not follow a developmentally appropriate continuum for the development of print awareness knowledge.

Evaluation for 5.5
Materials include a variety of text types and genres across contents that are high-quality and at an appropriate level of complexity.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials do not provide a variety of texts that meet the different levels of complexity of student development. The text selections are limited to three digital books in “Lecciones” 16–18 and rhythmic videos with songs that introduce vocabulary in each lesson. The digital book in “Lección 16” is about a boy visiting his grandfather’s farm. The digital book in “Lección 17” is about a little girl’s hide and seek game before bedtime. The third digital book is about what a student sees when he goes out to the playground. The digital books provide a limited amount of content that is engaging to prekindergarten students. The rhythmic story videos are described as a guided reading story that integrates words. The Teacher Guide states, “The rhythmic story video is used to develop discussion opportunities about the topic in whole group and discuss words in a global reading of the vocabulary words and individually to identify images, words, and sounds.” The songs in the videos contain text so that the students can follow along. 

The materials do not provide a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts, and there is no evidence of additional literature that would allow the students to explore the different genres. The materials do not include poems, nursery rhymes, early childhood favorites, or popular current titles. The materials are limited to the digital books and rhythmic story videos. In addition, the materials do not mention the use of purposeful environmental print throughout the classroom.

Evaluation for 5.6
Materials use a variety of approaches to develop students’ comprehension of text read aloud.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials only include digital text and rhythmic story videos with text. Even through these digital resources, the materials do not include guidance for the teacher to connect texts to children’s experiences at home and school. In reviewing the lessons and “Teacher Guide,” there are no suggestions for classroom experiences that would support children making connections to the digital text or rhythmic story videos. The digital texts are also limited and are found in the “Lenguaje y comunicación” section of “Lecciones” 16–18.

In addition, the materials do not include guidance for the teachers on basic text structures and the impact it has on the students' understanding of the text. The materials do not support the teacher in scaffolding questions to support individual student’s language proficiency levels. The students listen to the digital text and rhythmic story videos on their own. There are no follow up activities/discussions to go along with these resources.

Evaluation for 5.7
Materials include appropriate strategies for supporting English Learners (ELs) in their development of emergent reading skills.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials do not provide opportunities for students to make cross-linguistic connections. The lessons are fully Spanish, and there is no evidence to support the materials include strategies for English literacy development. The materials do not engage children in making connections from Spanish to English through the workbook, games, letter tracing activities, digital texts, and rhythmic videos. These resources focus on developing Spanish skills. The materials do not guide the teacher to leverage the student’s knowledge of literacy in each language as an asset to support the transfer of literacy skills from Spanish to English.

Evaluation for 6.1
Materials include a variety of experiences through which students can engage with writing.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include online videos, songs, quizzes, and printable worksheet activities to develop writing skills. 

In Lesson 1, the materials include a printable worksheet activity: Students trace the letters Aa and Ee and then trace circles around illustrations to develop writing skills. The materials do not include opportunities for children to generate independent writing. 

In Lesson 7, the materials include a printable worksheet activity: Students trace the letters Qq and Rr and then trace circles around illustrations to develop writing skills. The materials do not include direct (explicit) instruction or opportunities for children to imitate adult writing. 

In Lesson 9, the materials include an activity for students to draw the main character in a story to engage with writing. While the materials do provide some opportunities for drawing, they do not include a variety of experiences for children to engage in writing. 

In Lesson 12, the materials include a lesson for students to draw and copy the writing done by the class to engage with writing. The materials do not include opportunities to write in response to reading nor make explicit the connection between reading and writing.

In Lesson 16, the materials include an activity for students to look at pictures of a farm trip and then contribute their ideas about the trip in a group writing activity. Students draw a picture of what they remember from the field trip pictures, write a draft, and then share their writing with the class. The materials do not include opportunities to write in response to reading; they do not make explicit the connection between reading and writing.

Evaluation for 6.2
Materials instruct students along the developmental stages of writing.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include printable worksheet activities to develop writing skills. 

In Lesson 1, the materials include a printable worksheet activity for children to trace the letters Aa and Ee and then trace circles around illustrations to develop writing skills. The materials do not provide guidance for teachers on how to nudge students along the continuum for writing development. 

In Lesson 7, the materials include a printable worksheet activity for students to trace the letters Qq and Rr and then trace circles around illustrations to develop writing skills. The materials do not include guidance for teachers on how to include appropriate student contributions to writing and the writing process, as specified by the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines.

In Lesson 9, the materials include an activity for students to draw the main character in a story to engage with writing. The materials do not follow the developmental continuum of how children learn writing.

Evaluation for 6.3
Materials support fine motor development alongside and through writing.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include printable worksheet activities to develop writing skills. 

In Lesson 1, the materials include a printable worksheet activity for children to trace the letters Aa and Ee and then trace circles around illustrations to develop writing skills. The materials do not provide differentiation and guidance on how to develop students’ fine motor skills towards writing. 

In Lesson 7, the materials include a printable worksheet activity for students to trace the letters Qq and Rr and then trace circles around illustrations to develop writing skills. The materials do not provide a variety of opportunities for children to develop their fine motor skills.

In Lesson 14, the materials include a printable worksheet activity for students to trace letters in a word to support fine motor skill development. The materials do not prescribe a variety of tools and surfaces for student writing experiences.

Evaluation for 7.1
Materials follow a logical mathematical continuum of concrete, pictorial, then abstract representations.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include online videos, songs, and printable worksheets to develop mathematical skills. 

In Lesson 1, the materials include a song about counting from 1 to 10 using visuals to represent objects being counted, a video with visuals of unifix cubes for practicing counting from 1 to 10, and two quizzes to assess students’ knowledge of counting to 10. While the materials do provide some pictorial representations and mention using concrete manipulatives, specifically with three-year-olds, there is no evidence that the materials move along the continuum of concrete, pictorial, then abstract. 

In Lesson 5, the materials include a worksheet activity to match a group of objects with the corresponding number, a worksheet activity to draw objects to match the correct quantity displayed, a worksheet activity to trace the name of the corresponding number, and a connect-the-dots activity. The materials do not include instruction in all mathematical competencies that progress from concrete to pictorial to abstract, and they do not place the greatest emphasis on using concrete manipulatives. 

In Lesson 15, the materials include a video about comparing the weight of different objects; students must choose the object that weighs more.

In Lesson 17, the materials include a video about identifying solid shapes in a supermarket; students are presented with visuals of familiar objects and must find the solid shapes. While the materials do include some activities to build understanding in geometry and measurement, they do not include a variety of activities that build conceptual understanding in counting, adding to, taking away, geometry, spatial sense, measurement, classification, and pattern skills, as indicated by the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines.

Evaluation for 7.2
Materials promote instruction that builds on students’ informal knowledge about mathematics.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include online videos, songs, quizzes, and printable worksheet activities to develop mathematical skills. 

In Lesson 1, the materials include a song about counting from 1 to 10 using visuals to represent objects being counted, a video with visuals of unifix cubes for practicing counting to 10, and two quizzes to assess students’ knowledge of counting to 10. The materials do not support the use of the classroom environment or materials as vehicles to explore math concepts and skills. 

In Lessons 1, 4, and 5, the materials include science content activities and videos that provide some integration of mathematics skills. In Lesson 1, the materials include a science video that uses visuals and audio for students to recognize colors, shapes, and sizes of familiar objects. In Lesson 4, the materials include a science worksheet activity for students to measure the length, weight, or capacity of objects. In Lesson 5, the materials include a worksheet activity for students to predict, by counting, how many objects will fit in a container. While the materials do provide some cross-curricular opportunities to integrate mathematics, there is no evidence throughout the materials of these opportunities for cross-curricular integration. 

In Lesson 15, the materials include a video about comparing the weight of different objects; students must choose the object that weighs more. The materials do not prompt teachers to inquire about students’ developmental status or mathematical knowledge.

Evaluation for 7.3
Materials intentionally develop young children’s ability to problem solve.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include online videos, songs, quizzes, and printable worksheet activities to develop mathematical skills. 

In Lesson 1, the materials include a song about counting from 1 to 10 using visuals to represent objects being counted, a video with visuals of unifix cubes for practicing counting to 10, and two quizzes to assess students’ knowledge of counting to 10. The materials do not develop children’s capacity to ask thoughtful questions. 

In Lesson 5, the materials include a worksheet activity for students to match a group of objects with the corresponding number, a worksheet activity for students to draw objects to match the correct quantity displayed, a worksheet activity to trace the name of the corresponding number, and a connect-the-dots activity. The materials do not develop children’s capacity to recognize problems in their environment. 

In Lesson 15, the materials include a video about comparing the weight of different objects; students must choose the object that weighs more. The materials do not develop children’s capacity to use mathematical reasoning with familiar materials in the classroom and the world outside the classroom.

Evaluation for 7.4
Materials build students’ number sense.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include online videos, songs, quizzes, and printable worksheet activities to develop mathematical skills. 

In Lesson 1, the materials include a song about counting from 1 to 10 using visuals to represent objects being counted, a video with visuals of unifix cubes for practicing counting to 10, and two quizzes to assess students’ knowledge of counting to 10. The materials do not provide guidance for teachers on building conceptual understanding in math.

In Lesson 5, the materials include a worksheet activity for students to match a group of objects with the corresponding number, a worksheet activity for students to draw objects to match the correct quantity displayed, a worksheet activity to trace the name of the corresponding number, and a connect-the-dots activity. While the materials do provide some activities to build number sense, the materials do not provide frequent, spiraled, and varied opportunities for students to participate in activities that build number sense, as outlined in the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines, including activities for subitizing, counting one-to-one, comparing set size and numbers, counting on, and finding one more than a number.

Evaluation for 7.5
Materials develop students’ academic math vocabulary.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include online videos, songs, quizzes, and printable worksheet activities to develop mathematical skills. The materials provide ample opportunity to hear math vocabulary but lack the authentic ability to use the vocabulary and are, at times, not developmentally appropriate. For example, some lessons focus on addition by asking the child to solve addition with two single-digit numbers. Other lessons involve time vocabulary. 

In Lesson 1 and 3, the materials include a song about counting from 1 to 10 using visuals to represent objects being counted, a video with visuals of unifix cubes for practicing counting to 10, and two quizzes to assess students’ knowledge of counting to 10. The materials do not include guidance for teachers on how to scaffold or support students’ development and use of academic math vocabulary.

In Lesson 4, the materials include a science worksheet activity for students to measure the length, weight, or capacity of objects. This activity includes an opportunity for students to measure their peers and compare, using mathematical vocabulary such as taller than, longer than, and shorter than. While the materials do provide some opportunities for students to practice using math vocabulary, there are not repeated opportunities for practicing math vocabulary.

In Lesson 14, the materials include songs, videos, and activities about time. In Lesson 15, the materials include a video about comparing the weight of different objects; students must choose the object that weighs more.

In Lesson 17, the materials include a video about identifying solid shapes in a supermarket; students are presented with visuals of familiar objects and must find the solid shapes.

Evaluation for 8.1
Materials build science knowledge through inquiry-based instruction and exploration of the natural world.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

In Lesson 1, the materials include an online video that describes different objects’ color, shape, and size. Then, students have the opportunity to explore the property of matter in objects with hands-on activities. Students explore objects in a mystery bag using their sense of touch and then describe and classify the items in the mystery bag. 

The materials provide some opportunities for children to explore physical science, life science, and earth and space science through hands-on experiences. 

In Lessons 4 and 5, the materials include activities for children to develop science knowledge using scientific tools. The materials include an activity for children to measure the length, weight, or capacity of objects using ribbon, paper, a ruler, and cubes. In another activity, students measure how many cups a plastic container can hold. 

In Lesson 8, the materials include guidance for children to observe and discuss animals and their habitats. 

In Lesson 10, the materials include an activity for students to build landforms using wet sand. Students mix sand and water and then build model landforms. The materials thus provide some opportunities for students to observe and question their environment. 

In Lesson 14, the materials include an online video about planets to build science knowledge. The video introduces the eight planets and the sun. 

In Lesson 16, the materials include a printable workbook activity for students to investigate and describe earth materials and their uses. The materials provide some opportunities to develop children’s ability to communicate ideas.

Evaluation for 8.2
Materials build social studies knowledge through study of culture and community.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include online videos, games, evaluations, and printable worksheet activities for developing social studies knowledge. The Teacher's Guide states that the materials are structured in a way that the topics start with self and move toward family, community, and the natural environment around them. Unit one is all about self-knowledge moving into learning about families and community in Unit 2. Units 3 and 4 discuss animals and plants in the natural environment. Then Units 5 and 6 talk about space, sky, and protecting the planet. While the materials do follow a continuum, the continuum lacks city, state, and country. 

In Lesson 3, materials include an art project for students to practice coloring and drawing the USA and Texas flags; students also recite the USA and Texas pledges. 

In Lesson 4, the materials include an online video, a matching game, evaluations, and printable worksheet activities about families to develop social studies knowledge. The online video uses visuals and audio to show and describe different family members attending a family gathering. The matching game, worksheets, and evaluations provide family vocabulary practice for students. The materials do not provide opportunities for students to explore commonalities and differences in individuals. 

In Lesson 14, the materials include a song and video about time, describing the changes that happen to a person (i.e., showing the transition from being a baby to being like grandpa). The materials do not provide a variety of opportunities for students to learn about routines and events, both past, present, and future.

In Lesson 17, the materials include online videos, games, evaluations, and printable worksheets about a supermarket to develop social studies knowledge. The online video uses vocabulary words to provide an overview of items that can be purchased at a supermarket. The memory game and worksheets include supermarket vocabulary practice; students match pictures to the corresponding word. The materials do not provide opportunities for students to explore the roles of consumers in their community.

Evaluation for 8.3
Materials expose children to fine arts through exploration.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include online songs, activities, and printable worksheets to expose children to fine arts. The online songs give students the opportunity to engage in rhythm and movement daily, and art projects are suggested for each lesson. However, these art projects focus more on fine motor skills rather than the creative process. 

In Lessons 1 and 4, the materials include printable worksheet activities for students to color, cut, and glue pictures to develop fine arts skills. The materials do not emphasize the students’ engagement in the process of creating rather than the product that is created. 

In Lessons 8 and 12, the materials include printable worksheet activities for developing art and fine motor skills. In both lessons, students cut, color, and glue printed materials to create animal masks and puppets. The materials do not include a variety of daily experiences through multiple mediums (dance, music, dramatic play, painting, sculpture, drawing, and other movement).

Evaluation for 8.4
Materials include technology applications.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials provide an online curriculum, which contains videos, games, and a printable workbook for student engagement. The materials provide vocabulary cards for the words; computer, mobile phone with apps, iPad or tablet, projector, and printer. Additionally, there are suggestions for creating vocabulary cards and/or shapes in PowerPoint or taking a picture using a mobile phone. While there are some opportunities for students to learn about different types of technology or explore those technologies, they are not age-appropriate or hands-on. 

The materials provide some opportunities to link technology into the classroom experience. In Lesson 1, students complete a guided reading activity, a memory and matching game, and an assessment. In Lesson 5, the materials include a digital read-aloud that provides students the opportunity to listen to and replay the story.

In Lesson 6, students have the opportunity to develop vocabulary skills using a digital read-aloud, a memory and matching game, and an online video.

In Lessons 10, 12, and 13, the materials include online videos, games, and printable workbook activities that use technology to support and enhance student learning. The online videos and games allow students to easily navigate, learn, and repeat as needed. The technology supports and enhances student learning as appropriate, as opposed to distracting from it; however, the materials do not include appropriate teacher guidance.

Evaluation for 9.1
Materials include developmentally-appropriate diagnostic tools (e.g. formative and summative progress monitoring) and guidance for teachers, students, and administrators to monitor progress.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The instructional materials include a limited variety of diagnostic tools that are developmentally appropriate for prekindergarten. The materials include 18 “Lessons,” and each lesson contains three main assessments. The assessments are accessible online. Each lesson contains one vocabulary pre-test and two vocabulary assessments. The vocabulary pretest and two vocabulary assessments are located in the language and communication section of the lessons. There is very limited teacher guidance for supporting the assessments. For example, the materials recommend the assessments should be used after the concept taught has been explained and practiced thoroughly. The teacher guide also states, “The pre-assessments and assessments can be used by the teacher to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses. It can also serve as a self-assessment for students.” In the vocabulary pre-test and post-test 1, a student will listen to a word and click on the picture that matches the audio. However, in the vocabulary post-test 2, the student listens to the audio and selects the corresponding written word. The student receives a score based on the percentage of correct answers that they selected in the assessments. Lessons 1–18 also include a math quiz with 5–10 multiple choice questions to “help evaluate the abstract thinking to solve math problems.” Although these tools provide a method to progress monitor vocabulary and math skills, the materials do not include diagnostic tools that measure all content and process skills for prekindergarten, as outlined in the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines.

The materials provide limited guidance on how to support consistent and accurate administration of diagnostic tools. For example, the teacher guide states, “The quizzes can be used periodically to evaluate the progress over time (example at the beginning of the year every six weeks monthly or weekly as a teacher prefers are as indicated by your Administration).” However, the materials do not provide more detailed information for this tool and the vocabulary pre-test and post-tests.

The instructional materials include some evidence of how students can track their own progress and growth. For example, the teacher guide states, “Evaluations can serve as a self-assessment for the students. Advanced four-year-old students can use the evaluations to self-assess themselves and to identify areas they need more work on.” Though the materials include tools for students to monitor their own growth, all the tools are not developmentally appropriate for typically developing four-year-olds.

Evaluation for 9.2
Materials include guidance for teachers and administrators to analyze and respond to data from diagnostic tools.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials do not provide detailed recommendations or guidance to support teachers with adjusting their instruction to meet individual child needs based on data collected from developmentally appropriate assessments. For example, the teacher guide states, “Evaluations should be used after the concept taught has been explained and practiced thoroughly. Advanced four-year-old students can use the evaluations to self-assess themselves and to identify areas they need to work on. Four-year-old students can benefit from evaluations so that the teacher and student can assess where they need more work. Three-year-old students can benefit from the evaluations presenting the teacher with a clear understanding of the areas where each student needs more support, re-teach or reinforcement of concept.” However, the guidance is limited and does not support how a teacher can strategically use data to plan and adjust instruction. The materials do provide some recommendations for the teachers in adjusting instruction in the context of a lesson. For example, the workbook in the lesson “Profesiones” states, “Observar si el niño responde correctamente a las instrucciones orales.” In another lesson, “Vegetales,” the materials guide the teacher to evaluate “si el niño es capaz de identificar los sonidos iniciales de las palabras.” However, this is the extent of the recommendations found.

The vocabulary assessments and math quizzes in the materials do not yield meaningful information for teachers to use when planning instruction and differentiation. The results of the vocabulary assessments and math quizzes are limited to percentages of questions responded correctly. The percentages do not support understanding of the child's developmental levels because the result is only one percentage rating. For example, in “Lesson 1,” once the evaluation is complete, the program identifies the student’s percentage of correct answers but does not support specific instructional adjustments. 

The materials do not provide a variety of resources or teacher guidance on how to leverage different activities to respond to student data. The results of the vocabulary assessment and math quizzes do not support the teacher in identifying activities in the materials that need modification or that they can use to target areas of need because the scores are limited to a percentage and do not identify specific skills. In addition, the materials do not provide any guidance for administrators to support teachers in analyzing and responding to student data. In reviewing the lessons, the teacher guide, and a section labeled administrator in the online platform, no evidence was found. This section for administrators only allows the user to access grades.

Evaluation for 9.3
Materials include frequent, embedded opportunities for monitoring progress.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials include some progress monitoring opportunities to measure and track student progress through online vocabulary and math assessments. The online vocabulary assessments for each of the 18 “Lessons” include a vocabulary pre-test and two vocabulary post-tests. These types of assessments are only located in the “Lenguaje y Comunicación” sections of the Lessons. Although these types of assessments are provided, these assessments only measure the vocabulary associated with each lesson, and the words are limited to tier 1 words.

The materials also include math quizzes with visual support located in the math section of the lessons. The teacher guide says, “Quiz: Contains 5 to 10 questions with multiple choice. (Single or multiple answers) or drag and drop answers.” The students select the best answer choice when completing the assessments and receive a percentage score. The teacher guide recommends the assessments should be used after the concept taught has been explained and practiced thoroughly. The teacher guide also says, “The math quizzes can be used as a formative assessment administered by the teacher or as a self-assessment. Students can take the assessments on their own in a computer lab or during a learning center.” Even though these progress checks are provided in the materials, it is not clear how teachers use this information to accurately measure and track progress.

The materials do not include multiple forms of assessments to track and monitor student progress. The students take the assessments provided online, and the results may not always be reliable due to the fact that the students take it on their own. Again, the materials assess math and vocabulary development; however, the format for assessment is not always developmentally appropriate. The frequency of progress monitoring is not appropriate for the age and content skill as students only access assessments through an online platform. The materials do not include explicit guidance for teachers to administer a variety of assessments in order to track student knowledge in each content area. In reviewing the lessons and teacher guide, there are also no suggestions for tracking progress over time to support appropriate assessment practices.

Evaluation for 10.1
Materials include guidance, scaffolds, supports, and extensions that maximize student learning potential.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The instructional materials do not provide recommended targeted instruction and activities for students who have not yet mastered the content. In the “Guia para el maestro” under the “Differentiation Strategies Guide,” the materials provide some guidance for the teacher to “differentiate instruction by age, level of development, and student populations;” however, the guidance applies to all the lessons and does not support targeted instruction and activities for students who have not yet mastered the content. 

There is no evidence of differentiation to meet the needs of students of different academic levels in the materials. However, the materials provide some opportunities for non-verbal children of different abilities to express themselves. For example, “Lesson 1” (“Habilidades de arte y motricidad fina”) has icons of a thumbs up with the word “si” as well as the thumb down with the word “no.” The materials suggest that the student can use the visuals or hand gestures to express themselves if they are non-verbal. The student can express something they like with the thumbs up, something they don’t like using the thumbs down icon, and their feelings using either the thumbs up or down. Although the materials provide some evidence for children of different abilities to express themselves, they do not provide enough supports to maximize student learning potential.

The materials do not provide targeted instruction and activities for students who have mastered the content. The teacher guide provides general suggestions on how to use the “Cuaderno de trabajo” for different age groups, but it is not targeted towards students who have mastered the content. In addition, the materials do not include teacher guidance for ways to enrich and extend content to support students who have mastered the content. 

The sections in each of the 18 lessons provide different activities to support the learning; however, it is not evident that any of these activities include targeted enrichment activities or are meant to extend the learning. Overall, there was not enough evidence to support targeted instruction and activities to maximize students’ learning potential.

Evaluation for 10.2
Materials provide a variety of instructional methods that appeal to a variety of learning interests and needs.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The instructional materials include some developmentally appropriate multimodal instructional strategies to engage students. The materials primarily focus on auditory and visual learners and provide some support for tactile and kinesthetic learners. For example, the water cycle activities in “Lesson 3” guides the teacher to set up a science experiment about changes in matter when heated or cooled. The activity card states, “Coloca agua caliente en un bote de plástico transparente. Coloca un plato con hielo para tapar el bote de plástico. Observa y describe lo que sucede.” This activity promotes using concrete, hands-on materials to support the learning. 

The materials incorporate a variety of instructional approaches to engage students in the mastery of the content. For example, the workbook for “Lesson 4” encourages student participation and provides an opportunity for students to engage in learning to segment syllables through movement. The activity page states, “Pedir al niño palmear las manos al decir cada sílaba que compone la palabra.” In “Lesson 5,” the “Herramientas para medir otras propiedades,” provides a hands-on approach and demonstration for children to interact with materials in meaningful ways. The teacher leads the students to identify which of two containers hold more water. This demonstration provides the opportunity for students to see the experiment in action; however, it is not clear whether the students join in to try out the experiment for themselves. In the rhythm and movement section in “Lesson 6,” the teacher uses dance and movement to engage students. The lesson says, “Cantar y hacer una ronda con movimientos de agacharse, crecer y levantarse, girar, cerrar el círculo al centro, abrir el círculo, seguir girando con el ritmo de la canción.” This lesson incorporates kinesthetic, auditory, and visual strategies to support physical development. Furthermore, in the sand sculpture activity in “Lesson 10”, the materials prompt the teacher to allow students to use the sand and water table to create different landforms such as “montañas, sierras, mesetas, valles, cuevas.” These activities provide an opportunity for learning through hands-on experiences and support developmentally appropriate instructional strategies. Although the materials offer some multimodal instructional strategies and instructional approaches to support the learning, these approaches are not consistent in every section of each lesson.

There is general evidence to support flexible grouping. The Teacher’s Guide provides a sample schedule that specificies whole group, small group, and center activities using the activities from Lesson 1.  However, the materials do not include additional instructions, suggestions, or teacher guidance to identify how to possibly organize the activities in the rest of the lessons for large or small group instruction and centers each day. The teacher guide offers some suggestions for using the workbook to support individual or small group instruction; however, the support is limited. The student workbook contains worksheets students can complete individually or in a small group setting. There is no evidence that the instructional materials support multiple types of practices and provide guidance and structures to achieve effective implementation. The instructional materials do not follow a gradual release model that allows the students opportunities to practice new skills in a variety of ways. The materials do not provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively or to practice skills in well-developed learning centers.

Evaluation for 10.3
Materials include supports for English Learners (ELs) to meet grade-level learning expectations.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials do not include linguistic accommodations for English learners with various levels of English language proficiency. The materials are Spanish, and there is no guidance or support for English instruction. Lessons 1–18 in the materials support Spanish language acquisition through the use of songs, videos, movement, and visuals. However, there is no evidence that the materials provide accommodations for English learners with various levels of English proficiency. The materials do not encourage strategic use of students’ primary language as a means to develop linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic skills in the target language. 

Evaluation for 11.1
Materials include year-long plans with practice and review opportunities that support instruction.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include an online curriculum with lessons that provide instruction through the use of songs, games, evaluations, and a printable workbook with activities. The materials do not include a cohesive, year-long plan to build students’ concept development and do not consider how to vertically align instruction that builds year to year.

In Lessons 1, 4, and 5, the materials include science- and math-themed activities, using videos and songs to develop students’ content knowledge. The materials do not provide review and practice of knowledge and skills in all domains throughout the span of the curriculum. 

Evaluation for 11.2
Materials include implementation support for teachers and administrators.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include a “Teacher Resource” tab that provides a scope and sequence aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. The scope and sequence include the order in which the essential knowledge and skills are taught, presented, and revisited. However, the scope and sequence do not include teacher guidance or support to understand the progression across the early childhood continuum, and it does not define how knowledge and skills build and connect across grade levels. 

The materials include a quick start video, system navigation guide, list of topics, vocabulary, and system teacher training to support and help teachers implement the materials as intended. These can be found in the Teacher Resource tab. 

The materials do not include resources and guidance to help administrators support teachers in implementing the materials as intended. 

The materials include 18 themed lessons throughout the online curriculum to provide a school year’s worth of Pre-K instruction. However, the materials do not include a pacing guide or routines for instruction.

Evaluation for 11.3
Materials provide implementation guidance to meet variability in programmatic design and scheduling considerations.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

In the “Teacher Resource” section of the curriculum, the materials include some recommendations for introducing and teaching skills and content in a progression that follows the learning continuum.

In this section, the materials include a daily schedule that can be used for half- or full-day prekindergarten programs. The “Scope and Sequence” document contains a schedule with lessons and activities for each component of the daily schedule. The materials are somewhat designed in a way that allows LEAs the ability to incorporate the curriculum into district, campus, and teacher programmatic design and scheduling considerations. 

Evaluation for 11.4
Materials provide guidance on fostering connections between home and school.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

The materials include an online curriculum with videos, songs, games, evaluations, and a printable workbook with activities. Across the materials, the printable worksheets include an embedded house icon; however, there is no guidance or instruction for how to use these materials. The materials do not specify activities for use at home to support students’ learning and development. 

The materials do not support the development of strong relationships between teachers and families. 

Evaluation for 11.5
The visual design of student and teacher materials (whether in print or digital) is neither distracting nor chaotic.

The evidence from the English materials in this report can be verified in full within the translated Spanish materials.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

In each lesson, the materials include a video, song, games, evaluations, and printable worksheets to support student learning and engagement. The materials do not include appropriate use of white space and design that supports and does not distract from student learning. The pictures and graphics are not supportive of student learning and engagement without being visually distracting.