Note on review tool version
See the top of the page to confirm the review tool version used for this report:
- Our current review tools are version 2.0. Learn more >
- Reports conducted using earlier review tools (version 1.0 or 1.5) contain valuable insights but may not fully align to current instructional priorities. Read our guide to using earlier reports and review tools >
Report Overview
Summary of Alignment & Usability: Express Steps | ELA
ELA K-2
The Express Steps materials partially meet the expectations for alignment to research-based practices and standards for foundational skills instruction.
The materials include a defined scope and sequence for letter recognition and instructions on explicit letter formation. The materials include a scope and sequence hyperlinked to the lessons within the Teacher Planner. On the Teacher’s Platform, Steps 1-5, Phonological Awareness, there is a Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Map containing a phonological awareness scope and sequence for the Daily Dos. Materials do not contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence of phonemic awareness skills. Phonemic awareness skills do not align consistently with the phonics focus for the week. While there is no complete sequence of phonemic awareness tied to the phonics scope and sequence, phonics lessons generally begin with phoneme instruction and link the grapheme. The materials include limited systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness. Most lessons include some instruction but primarily student practice with limited explicit instruction. The materials provide regular and systematic assessment opportunities over the course of the year in phonemic awareness, providing check-ups, formal assessments, and sound fluency assessments.
The materials do not contain elements of instruction that are based on the three-cueing system for teaching decoding. The materials provide a scope and sequence of phonics skills; however, an evidence-based explanation for the order of the phonics sequence is absent. The materials contain opportunities for systematic teaching of phonics; however, the lessons do not consistently provide explicit instruction. The materials include blending and segmenting, but routines are inconsistent or defined for the teacher. The use of dictation is inconsistent across materials, and no consistent routine is explicitly modeled. The materials provide guidance in the modification section of the lesson plan but do not provide guidance for corrective feedback. Materials provide decodable texts aligned to the phonics focus of each week of instruction. Materials include formal assessments, Check-Ups, and Practice Pages for teachers to use in collecting ongoing data about students’ progress in phonics.
The materials include systematic and explicit instruction of high-frequency words. Lessons include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words, which includes connecting phonemes to graphemes. The materials include student practice for identifying and reading high-frequency words in isolation and context; however, students have limited opportunities to write high-frequency words in tasks. The materials include limited explicit instruction in word analysis.
The materials include frequent opportunities for explicit, systematic instruction in automaticity and accuracy using phonics books and decodable texts. Students have multiple practice opportunities for reading fluency through a variety of reading activities. The materials do not include formal assessments; limited informal assessment opportunities are provided to assess students’ reading fluency.
Kindergarten
View Full ReportEdReports reviews of foundational skills supplements determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to research-based practices and college and career ready standards. This rating encompasses all grades covered in the program.
Alignment (Gateway 1)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating encompasses all grades covered in the program.
Usability (Gateway 2)
1st Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews of foundational skills supplements determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to research-based practices and college and career ready standards. This rating encompasses all grades covered in the program.
Alignment (Gateway 1)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating encompasses all grades covered in the program.
Usability (Gateway 2)
2nd Grade
View Full ReportEdReports reviews of foundational skills supplements determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to research-based practices and college and career ready standards. This rating encompasses all grades covered in the program.
Alignment (Gateway 1)
Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating encompasses all grades covered in the program.
Usability (Gateway 2)
Report for Kindergarten
Alignment Summary
The materials for Kindergarten partially meet the expectations for alignment to research-based practices and standards for foundational skills instruction.
The materials include a defined scope and sequence for letter recognition. Weekly lessons provide systematic and explicit instruction in letter-sound correspondence and upper- and lowercase letter identification. The materials also provide instructions on explicit letter formation and include opportunities to assess letter formation throughout the year.
The materials include a scope and sequence hyperlinked to the lessons within the Teacher Planner. On the Teacher’s Platform, Steps 1-5, Phonological Awareness, there is a Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Map containing a phonological awareness scope and sequence for the Daily Dos. The Phonemic Awareness Map provides a breakdown of each phonological/phonemic awareness skill during the allotted weeks of instruction. Materials do not contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence of phonemic awareness skills. The materials do not contain a phonemic awareness sequence of instruction and practice related to the phonics scope and sequence, and phonemic awareness skills do not align consistently with the phonics focus for the week. While there is no complete sequence of phonemic awareness tied to the phonics scope and sequence, phonics lessons generally begin with phoneme instruction and link the grapheme. The materials include limited systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness. Most lessons include some instruction but primarily student practice with limited explicit instruction. Materials include daily opportunities for students to practice phonological awareness skills through Daily Dos activities, not specifically phonemic awareness. The materials provide articulation instruction for phonemes. The materials provide regular and systematic assessment opportunities over the course of the year in phonemic awareness, providing check-ups, formal assessments, and sound fluency assessments. A variety of assessments are provided to assess students’ mastery of phonemic awareness skills.
The materials do not contain elements of instruction that are based on the three-cueing system for teaching decoding. The materials include a scope and sequence that includes high-utility patterns and/or common generalizations; however, materials do not contain a clear evidence-based explanation for the sequence of phonics instruction. The materials contain opportunities for systematic teaching of phonics; however, the lessons do not consistently provide explicit instruction. The use of dictation is inconsistent across materials and there is no consistent routine explicitly modeled. Materials provide guidance in the modification section of the lesson plan but do not provide guidance for corrective feedback. Materials include decodable texts aligned to the phonics focus of each week of instruction. The materials include formal assessments, Check-Ups, and Practice Pages for teachers to collect ongoing data about students’ progress in phonics. Teachers are provided with information on how to analyze the results of assessments; however, limited information is provided to teachers to respond with follow-up phonics instruction or instructional adjustments to address phonics skills.
The materials include systematic and explicit instruction of high-frequency words within the SOS lessons, including Sticky Words and See-Me-Say-Me words. Lessons include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words, which includes connecting phonemes to graphemes. The materials include student practice for identifying and reading high-frequency words in isolation and context; however, students have limited opportunities to write high-frequency words in tasks to promote automaticity and fluency. The materials include some evidence of syllable-type activities; however, there are missed opportunities for explicit instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis. The materials have regular and systematic assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of word recognition, but not word analysis. Assessments provide limited guidance on student skill levels and recommendations for assessment-based steps to help students progress toward mastery in word recognition.
Kindergarten
Alignment (Gateway 1)
Usability (Gateway 2)
Overview of Gateway 1
Alignment to Research-Based Practices and Standards for Foundation Skills Instruction
See Alignment Summary.
Criterion 1.1: Alphabet Knowledge
Materials and instruction provide systematic and explicit instruction and practice for letter recognition.
The materials include a defined scope and sequence for letter recognition. Weekly lessons provide systematic and explicit instruction in letter-sound correspondence and upper and lowercase letter identification.
Students have multiple opportunities for exposure and practice with letters and their corresponding sounds, such as consonant and vowel sorts, practice tapping letters, and listening activities. Materials include a scope and sequence with a defined routine and focus of the letter for each week. The materials provide instructions on explicit letter formation, including starting and ending points, directionality, and when to pick up the writing utensil. Materials include opportunities to assess letter formation throughout the year. A pre-test and post-test are given for letter name recognition, and Check-Ups on 3-4 letters at a time are given periodically. No guidance on monitoring progress is provided based on assessment results, and support is not provided outside of the assessment platform.
Indicator 1A
Alphabet Knowledge
Indicator 1A.i
Materials provide systematic and explicit instruction in letter names and their corresponding sounds.
The materials include a defined scope and sequence for letter recognition. Weekly lessons provide systematic and explicit instruction in letter-sound correspondence and in upper- and lowercase letter identification. Uppercase and lowercase letters are taught each week and completed in Week 25. Through the practice of the Alphabet Book activity, systematic and explicit instruction is provided in recognizing all upper- and lowercase letters.
There is a defined sequence for letter recognition instruction to be completed in a reasonable time frame over the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16-20, students begin learning letters. A different letter of the alphabet is introduced every day of the week until Week 25, Day 125, when finished with Zz.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, there is a defined sequence of letter recognition instruction that is done in 25 weeks. Weeks 1-3 introduces the alphabet and Weeks 4-25 focuses on one to two individual letters per week.
Week 1 Alphabet
Week 2 Alphabet
Week 3 Consonant and Vowels
Week 4 Vowel Letter: Aa Beginning sound for short vowel /a/
Week 5 Consonant Letter Bb
Week 6 Consonant Letter Cc
Week 7 Consonant Letter Dd
Week 8 Consonant Letter Ee
Week 9 Consonant Letter Ff
Week 10 Consonant Letter Gg
Week 11 Consonant Letter Hh
Week 12 Consonant Letter Ii
Week 13 Consonant Letter Jj and Kk
Week 14 Consonant Letter Ll
Week 15 Consonant Letter Mm and Nn
Week 16 Consonant Letter Oo
Week 17 Consonant Letter Nn
Week 18 Consonant Letter Pp
Week 19 Consonant Letter Qq
Week 20 Consonant Letter Rr
Week 21 Consonant Letter Ss
Week 22 Consonant Letter Uu
Week 23 Consonant Letter Vv and Ww
Week 24 Consonant Letter Xx
Week 25 Consonant Letter Yy and Zz
Materials contain isolated, systematic and explicit instruction for students to recognize all 26 lowercase and uppercase letters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16-20, the teacher displays the letters Aa and Bb. The teacher explicitly tells students that letters make sounds, the type of sound the letter Aa is and where it is usually found in a word.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 7, Days 31-35, the teacher presents the Alphabet book for Dd and explains that some of the pictures on the page start with the /d/ sound, and the letter Dd. The teacher cuts out the pictures and students put their finger on the picture that starts with Dd and say the word in unison.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 26, Days 136-130, the focus of the week is consonant letter review. Directions for whole-class/small-group lessons indicate the teacher chooses a letter to review and says, “b spells /b/” while pointing to the alphabet display for the letter.
Indicator 1A.ii
Materials provide opportunities for student practice in letter names and their corresponding sounds.
The materials include sufficient student practice in all letters and incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce letter names and their corresponding sounds. Students have multiple opportunities for exposure and practice with letters and their corresponding sounds, such as consonant and vowel sorts, practice tapping letters, and listening activities. The materials incorporate a variety of activities to engage students in letter recognition, including alphabet books, identifying pictures that start with that letter, and singing letter names and their corresponding sounds.
Materials include sufficient practice opportunities for students to recognize all 26 lowercase and uppercase letters accurately and automaticity. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 9, Days 41-45, students touch each clipart picture and say the word aloud. Students circle words that start with the letter f.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 10, Days 46-50, the focus is consonant Gg (hard g sound /g/). Students review the letter and sound through a sound song, sound card sort, listening activity number 5, and listen and blend activity numbers 6-7.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Step 1, Week 3, Days 11-15, students name the letter as the teacher points individually to uppercase J and lowercase j.
Materials incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) alphabet knowledge. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 10, Days 46-50, students practice identifying words that begin with the /g/ sound while using hand motions. Students find items that begin with /g/.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 3, Days 11-15, students demonstrate a letter and the teacher writes the letter on a piece of paper that is facing students.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16-20, students sing letter names and songs to the tune of Farmer in the Dell. Students practice, “P spells /p/, P spells /p/”, and repeat for five letters and their corresponding sounds.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 8, Days 36-40, students say the name of the letter and the letter sound as the teacher holds up the letters o and u.
Indicator 1A.iii
Materials provide explicit instruction and teacher modeling in printing and forming the 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase).
The materials include a scope and sequence with a defined routine and focus of the letter for each week. The materials provide explicit instruction in letter formation, including starting and ending points, directionality, and when to pick up the writing utensil. Teacher modeling using a stop-and-go procedure is included. The instruction provides consideration for the development of fine motor skills and alternative extension activities and modifications.
There is a defined sequence for letter formation, aligned to the scope and sequence of letter recognition, to be completed in a reasonable time frame over the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, the Scope and Sequence and Center/Small Group indicates introduction to letters of the alphabet begins in Week 5, Days 21-25 with the letter Aa.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, the defined sequence for letter formation, aligned to the scope and sequence of letter recognition, to be completed in a reasonable time frame over the school year includes:
Week 1- Alphabet
Week 2-Alphabet
Week 3 Consonant and Vowels
Week 4 Vowel Letter: Aa Beginning sound for short vowel /a/
Week 5 Consonant Letter Bb
Week 6 Consonant Letter Cc
Week 7 Consonant Letter Dd
Week 8 Consonant Letter Ee
Week 9 Consonant Letter Ff
Week 10 Consonant Letter Gg
Week 11 Consonant Letter Hh
Week 12 Consonant Letter Ii
Week 13 Consonant Letter Jj and Kk
Week 14 Consonant Letter Ll
Week 15 Consonant Letter Mm and Nn
Week 16 Consonant Letter Oo
Week 17 Consonant Letter Nn
Week 18 Consonant Letter Pp
Week 19 Consonant Letter Qq
Week 20 Consonant Letter Rr
Week 21 Consonant Letter Ss
Week 22 Consonant Letter Uu
Week 23 Consonant Letter Vv and Ww
Week 24 Consonant Letter Xx
Week 25 Consonant Letter Yy and Zz
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Scope and Sequence, Centers/Small Group Activities, lists Road to Writing as an activity that corresponds to the focus letter for the week. Materials indicate Week 4 begins with the introduction of the letter Aa, and includes an activity labeled Road to Writing as a center for the same week.
Materials include clear directions for the teacher concerning how to explain and model how to correctly form each of the 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 5, Days 21-25, the teacher explains the need to understand the correct direction in writing letters. The teacher uses the explanation of green and red lights for where the letter starts and that they do not stop the car until they get to the red stop sign.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 2, Days 6-10, the teacher uses the Road to Write mats to demonstrate the correct directions for students to write 2 -5 letters. The teacher models writing letters Aa - Hh.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 5, Days 21 - 25, the teacher models writing letters Vv - Zz.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 5, Days 21 - 25, the teacher models where to start and stop for writing for the letter X. The teacher explains that the green light is where the student starts. For the letter x, the teacher says, “Go, down diagonally to the right and STOP on the red - stop sign. Pick up the toy. Toy starts on the”2nd” green-go-light, Go, down diagonally to the left, and STOP on the red-stop - sign.”
Materials include teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 10, Days 46-50, Center #3, materials indicate the teacher uses hand-over-hand or guided hand instruction to assist students.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 11, Days 31-35, materials include specific upper and lowercase H guidance that the teacher can use if students struggle with writing the letters including: the teacher helps students form the letter in the air before writing on paper; teacher helps students form the letter on the floor in front of them with their finger before writing on paper, and use a hand-over-hand approach to help students feel the correct motion.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 23, Days 111-115, Extra Activity, the Mini Book provides students with additional practice with forming the letter v or w. The teacher provides support by displaying The Picture Find Book and giving students corresponding sound cards to complete the mini book.
Indicator 1A.iv
Materials provide opportunities for student practice in printing and forming the 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase).
The materials include activities where students write letters based on pictures that start with the letter being practiced. Students have opportunities to practice printing and forming all letters in various ways using Road to Writing and Find it Pages. After all letters have been introduced and practiced, the materials include a review of lowercase and uppercase letter formation.
Materials include frequent opportunities for students to practice forming all of the 26 uppercase and lowercase letters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 7, Days 31-35, students practice writing lowercase d in their Mini Book “D”.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 8, Days 36-40, students practice correct formation of uppercase and lowercase Aa.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 14, Days 66-70, Center #3, Road to Writing, students practice writing uppercase and lowercase Ll.
Materials include cumulative review of previously learned letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 22, Days 106-110, students practice writing letters Oo, Pp, Qq, R r, Ss and Tt using the Road to Writing practice pages.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 26, Days 126-130, is a consonant review week. In the whole group lesson the teacher says, “This week we’ll be reviewing all of the letters and consonants that we have learned.” Students write all of the letters of the alphabet previously learned in Weeks 1 - 25
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 27, Days 131-135, Center 3, Sensory Handwriting, students “use the lowercase side of the Alphabet Checklist to write all the consonant letters” and repeat similar instructions for uppercase letters.
Indicator 1B
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress through mastery of letter recognition and printing letters (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
The materials include opportunities to assess letter formation throughout the year. A pre-test and post-test are given for letter name recognition, and Check-Ups on 3-4 letters at a time are given periodically. Though the materials include an assessment of letter recognition, not all letters are assessed in the check-ups. There is information on student skill levels for some of the assessments. No guidance on monitoring progress is provided based on assessment results, and support is not provided to educators outside of the assessment platform.
Materials regularly and systematically provide a variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of letter recognition, and letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16-20, students are individually assessed on letter names. In the assessment schedule it says in week 23, and week 27 the teacher is evaluating students' letter recognition skills.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16-20, a formal baseline assessment is administered to students. The assessment schedule indicates letter formation is assessed in weeks 28 and 34. Letter names are formally assessed in week 33.
In the Green Teacher Planner, page 44, Assessment, materials include three levels of assessment for letter formation. Levels include tracing, copying a letter into a space without lines, and copying a letter on lines. In each level of assessment, teachers observe formation, directionality, and grip.
Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of letter recognition, and letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Planner, Week 10, Days 46-50, a formal assessment is administered to assess letter formation. Teachers note incorrect formation or directionality.
In the Green Teacher Planner, page 247, Assessment, teachers decide the level of assessment for letter formation based on previous observation. Teachers observe formation, directionality, and grip and document results on an individual handwriting assessment notes sheet, noting observations. The individual sheet shows assessments at different points in time of letter formation students’ have not yet mastered.
Materials support teachers with limited instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students to progress toward mastery in letter recognition and letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16-20, the materials state that teachers can get instructional suggestions using the online assessment platform.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Assessment materials state, “the Records portion of the Online Assessment (Suggested Step) will help teachers place students.”
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 2, Days 6-10, students are given a writing assessment, from which teachers should create small groups.
Criterion 1.2: Phonemic Awareness
Materials emphasize explicit, systematic instruction of research-based and/or evidence-based phonemic awareness.
The materials include a scope and sequence hyperlinked to the lessons within the Teacher Planner. On the Teacher’s Platform, Steps 1-5, Phonological Awareness, there is a Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Map containing a phonological awareness scope and sequence for the Daily Dos. The Phonemic Awareness Map provides a breakdown of each phonological/phonemic awareness skill during the allotted weeks of instruction. Materials do not contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence of phonemic awareness skills. The materials do not contain a phonemic awareness sequence of instruction and practice related to the phonics scope and sequence, and phonemic awareness skills do not align consistently with the phonics focus for the week. While there is no complete sequence of phonemic awareness tied to the phonics scope and sequence, phonics lessons generally begin with phoneme instruction and link the grapheme. The materials include limited systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness. Most lessons include some instruction but primarily student practice with limited explicit instruction. Materials include daily opportunities for students to practice phonological awareness skills through Daily Dos activities, not specifically phonemic awareness. The materials provide articulation instruction for phonemes. The materials provide regular and systematic assessment opportunities over the course of the year in phonemic awareness, providing check-ups, formal assessments, and sound fluency assessments. A variety of assessments are provided to assess students’ mastery of phonemic awareness skills.
Indicator 1C
Scope and sequence clearly delineate the sequence in which phonemic awareness skills are to be taught, with a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected hierarchy of phonemic awareness competence.
The materials include a scope and sequence hyperlinked to the lessons within the Teacher Planner. The scope and sequence provides the sequence of phonological/phonemic awareness instruction. On the Teacher’s Platform, Steps 1-5, Phonological Awareness, there is a Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Map which also contains a phonological awareness scope and sequence for the Daily Dos. The Phonemic Awareness Map provides a breakdown of each phonological/phonemic awareness skill during the allotted weeks of instruction. Materials do not contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence of phonemic awareness skills.
The materials do not contain a phonemic awareness sequence of instruction and practice related to the phonics scope and sequence, and phonemic awareness skills do not align consistently with the phonics focus for the week. While there is no complete sequence of phonemic awareness tied to the phonics scope and sequence, phonics lessons generally begin with phoneme instruction and link the grapheme.
Materials do not contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence for teaching phonemic awareness skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
On the Express Readers Website, Resources/Professional Development, Reading Reinforcement, it states, “Overview of current research on phonics, phonemic awareness, and effective reading practices, as well as realistic approaches to classroom application.” However, there is no link to access this research, and the webpage does not offer any other links or information to find research.
Materials do not have a cohesive sequence of phonemic awareness instruction based on the expected hierarchy to build toward students’ immediate application of the skills. Materials include phonological sensitivity instruction, as well as phonemic awareness instruction. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, pages 4-6, a chart lists the skills (auditory discrimination, language awareness, rhyming, letters, segmenting, or blending) taught during each week of instruction.
Blending:
Weeks 4-6 - compound words
Weeks 7-8 - multisyllabic words
Weeks 9-10 - onset/rime
Weeks 11-13 - 2-3 phoneme words
Weeks 14-16 - 3-4 phoneme words (blends/digraphs)
Weeks 17-18 - blends (l, s, r)
Adding:
Weeks 6-8 - compound words
Weeks 9-10 - multisyllabic words
Weeks 11-12 - onset
Weeks 13-14 - rime
Weeks 15-18 - initial phonemes/onset
Deleting:
Weeks 6-8 - compound words
Weeks 9-11 - multisyllabic words
Weeks 12-16 - initial phonemes
Weeks 17-18 - final phonemes
Substituting:
Weeks 12-14 - compound words
Weeks 15-16 - onsets
Weeks 17-18 - initial phonemes
On the Teacher’s Platform, Steps 1-5, Phonological Awareness, for the Daily Dos, there are Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Maps available to see the breakdown of each phonological/phonemic awareness skill, the weeks the skill is taught, and the specific activities that target that skill. For example, in the Green Teacher Planner, Step 1, rhyming is taught in all weeks of the curriculum. In Weeks 1-20, rhyme repetition is taught in the following activities: Rhyming Rainbow, Rhyming Rhythms, and Rhyme Ride. In Weeks 21-40 rhyme recognition is taught with the following activities: Rhyming Rainbow, Rhyming Rhythms, and Rhyme Ride.
Materials do not attend to developing phonemic awareness skills and avoid spending excess time on phonological sensitivity tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
Auditory discrimination begins in Week 2 and continues through the end of the school year. Rhyming begins in Week 5 and continues through the end of the school year. Segmenting of compound words begins in week 9; while multisyllabic words begin in week 15; and onset/rime begins in week 19. Blending of compound words starts in week 13; multisyllabic words in Week 19 and onset/rime in week 21.
Materials do not contain a phonemic awareness sequence of instruction and practice aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 11, Day 51, the focus of the phonics lesson is on the letter h. The phonemic awareness instruction is listening to the beginning sound in the words bus, kangaroo, bat, and book. The next activity is counting the syllables in the words cupcake, handrail, eggshell, and raindrop.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 10, Day 46, the phonics focus for the week is CVC words with medial short vowels. The phonemic awareness instruction focuses on the following skills:
Segmenting - segmenting the words think, lamb, pop, yard, mouse, and cloud into onset and rime.
Adding - adding syllables to the end of the word man to make the words manmade, manage, manners, and mansion; adding syllables at the beginning of the word nut to make the words donut, walnut, peanut, and coconut.
Indicator 1D
Materials include systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness with repeated teacher modeling.
Materials include limited systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness. The majority of lessons include some instruction but primarily include student practice with limited explicit instruction. Materials include one statement for corrective feedback.
Materials include limited systematic, explicit instruction in sounds (phonemes). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 11, Day 52, the teacher says “We are going to press buttons to make a word. Since words are made of sounds, we will make each button into one sound and say sounds when we press the buttons.” The teacher asks students to pretend like they have 3 buttons: one on their wrist, one in their palm, and one on the tips of their fingers. The teacher asks students to practice pressing each “button” (wrist-palm-fingertips). The teacher says, “I will give you three sounds and we will press one of these buttons one each sound, moving from left to write, wrist-palm-fingertips.” The teacher gives students three sounds, students say each sound, then students blend the word fully and say the complete word as a whole.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 19, Day 91, students are given a word that has three or four sounds. Students segment the word into initial, medial vowel, and final sounds. Students pretend to have three or four buttons on their wrists, palms, pads of the fingers, and tips of the fingers, touching each place on their arms/hands as they say the sounds. After segmenting, students make a fist and “grab” the word, saying the complete word as a whole. Words used include top, wag, mane, sand, sled, and frog. No explicit instruction is provided.
Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 27, Day 132, the teacher says a rime and adds a beginning sound to produce a new word. The words used include cut, guy, hut, rut, and shut.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 11, Day 55, the teacher says “Families can be made up in many different ways. One way is that they share a piece of themselves that is the same, maybe a last name or an eye color or a home. Word Families share a rime, or the ending part of the word including the vowel.” The teacher says the word family sound and then shows the spelling of the word family only to expose students to various spellings and not to read the words. The teacher makes a roof with one hand going above their head for the initial sound and the other hand connecting together above their head for the word family. For example: “The family says ‘/Ak/.’ Add the sound /b/ to the beginning of the word family (one hand goes up to make one side of the roof above students’ heads) /b/ - (the other hand comes up to meet the first hand to make the other side of the roof above students’ heads) /Ak/. ‘Bake’”. The teacher repeats with the following initial sounds: /k/, /f/, /fl/, /l/, /m/, /kw/, /r/, /st/, /sh/, /t/, and /w/.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 15, Day 79, the teacher says “We will be switching parts of words for different sounds. Right now, we are going to switch the first part of the word, the entire beginning of a word, for a new beginning.” The teacher models substituting blend sounds by stating, “If I take the word block, and I switch the sounds /bl/ for the sound /s/, I now get sock.” The teacher says the main word and then says, “Switch___________ for_____________. What do we get? ______________ (answer)”. Words used include crack/black, rug/slug, cat/flat, stop/flop, path/math, and moth/sloth.
Materials provide the teacher with examples for instruction in sounds (phonemes). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 14, Day 66, the teacher explains that reading and knowing sounds help us to write and spell. The teacher models the first word with extreme exaggeration, such as saying the word one time, then saying the word in a verbally segmented way, and finally, saying each sound while stomping but leaving 1-2 seconds between each stomp to show the segmentation. The activity can be modified to smaller body movements if the classroom environment is not conducive to the activity. Example: “The teacher says the word dot quickly, and students say “/d/ (stomp as the sound is being made)…/o/ (stomp with the other foot while this sound is being made)…. /t/ (stomp with the first foot again while this sound is being made).”
Materials include minimal teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 9, Day 45, teachers encourage all answers, correcting or substituting the correct name for an object when needed.
Indicator 1E
Materials include daily, brief lessons in phonemic awareness.
Materials include daily opportunities for students to practice phonological awareness skills through Daily Dos activities; not specifically phonemic awareness. The materials provide articulation instruction for phonemes. The materials do not consistently provide evidence of alignment between the phonemic awareness instruction and skills in phonics instruction.
Daily phonemic awareness instruction does not consistently correlate to the phonics portion of the lesson (phoneme-grapheme correspondence). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 29, Days 141-145, the phonics focus for the week is on short vowel /o/ and short vowel /u/. In the “Can You Hear It?” activity, the teacher says a word and students identify the medial sound. If students hear a short /o/ in the middle, students should put their hands on their head. If they don’t hear a short /o/ sound, they should put their hands on their knees.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 3, Days 11-15, the phonics lessons for the week focus on the beginning sounds /j/, /k/, /l/, /m/, /n/, short /i/, and short /o/. The phonemic awareness instruction focuses on segmenting compound words into two single-syllable words. There are no other phonemic awareness skills, and no skills address the phonics focus for the week.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice connecting sounds to letters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 12, Days 56-60, students listen to a word stated by the teacher. The students identify the first sound in the word big, find the letter and place the letter card on the first spot on the mat. Students listen to the word again and identify the second sound (vowel sound) in the word. Students identify the sound, find the letter card, and add it to the sound mat. The teacher says the word a third time asking students to identify the sound that comes at the end of the word. Students identify the sound, find the letter card, and add it to the mat.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 20, Days 6-10, students state the name of given pictures, isolate the initial sound (/f/, hard /g/, and /h/), identify the letter that makes the sound, and place the picture card under the appropriate letter heading card.
Materials include directions to the teacher for demonstrating how to pronounce each phoneme (articulation/mouth formation). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 9, Days 41-45, the lesson focuses on teaching the phoneme /f/. The materials instruct the teacher to model the articulation by putting their top teeth on their bottom lip and blowing out the /f/. The materials provide two pictures, flowers and fork, to listen for the /f/ at the beginning of the word.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 20, Days 96-100, the teacher tells students that every letter spells one sound or multiple sounds, /s/ makes the snake sound, and the teacher models articulating the sound. The teacher shows two pictures that have the beginning sound /s/ and stress the /s/ at the beginning. The pictures provided are strawberry and sun.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 1, Days 1-5, the teacher explains that /a/ sounds like a silent scream. The materials tell the teacher to exaggerate their mouth being open, saying the sound, and point to their mouth. Students repeat this mouth shape and pronounce /a/.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 2, Days 6-10, the teacher tells students that “B: spells /b/ and the lips start curled in and are forced out by the sound. The teacher practices making the exaggerated sound with the mouth in front of students.
In the Green Level Planner, Week 5, Days 21-25, the lesson introduces /v/, /w/, /ks/, /y/, and /z/. The materials provide the teacher with the articulation instructions for /v/ which is made by placing the top, front teeth on the bottom lip and the sound will tickle the lips. The other phoneme that has articulation instructions is /z/. The materials state the teeth are almost together, and you look like you are grinning. The mouth makes a buzzing sound.
Indicator 1F
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress of phonemic awareness (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
Materials provide regular and systematic assessment opportunities over the course of the year in phonemic awareness, providing check-ups, formal assessments, and sound fluency assessments. There are a variety of assessments provided that assess students’ mastery of phonemic awareness skills such as onset, medial, and final word sounds, phoneme segmentation, and phoneme blending. The scope and sequence indicates when to administer each of these assessments and which assessment to use. Tracking forms are provided to teachers that help with tracking ongoing data about students’ progress in phonemic awareness. The Sound Fluency assessments provide a continuum of phonemic awareness skills providing teachers with 6 levels of assessments. Level 1 starts with beginning sounds, and Level 6 progresses to beginning, final, and medial sounds. Response to Assessment materials provide teachers with information on students’ current skill levels and instructional strategies for reteaching students who have not mastered skills.
Materials regularly and systematically provide a variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence in phonemic awareness. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
On the Express Readers website, Teacher’s Platform, an Assessment Schedule provides an outline for assessments for the Yellow “I Am Ready” program including:
Week 6: Formal Assessment - Rhyming: Recognizing rhyming Words
Week 7: Check Up#1: Auditory discrimination (whole word)/phonemic awareness
Week 8: Formal Assessment - Sound Fluency: beginning sounds/onsets
Week 9: Check Up #2: beginning sounds/onsets
Week 10: Check Up #3:auditory discrimination, rhyming recognition, phonemic awareness
Week 11: Check Up #4: auditory discrimination, rhyming recognition, phonemic awareness
Week 13: Check Up #5: beginning sounds/onsets
Week 15: Check Up #6: beginning sounds/onsets
Week 16: Check Up #7: auditory discrimination, rhyming recognition, phonemic awareness
Week 18: Check Up #8: beginning sounds/onsets
Week 19: Formal Assessment: recognizing rhyming words
Week 20: Check Up #9: auditory discrimination, rhyming recognizing, segmenting syllables/phonemic awareness
Week 21: Check Up #10: beginning sounds/onsets
Week 23: Check Up #11: auditory discrimination (final), blending, adding, letter recognition/phonemic awareness
Week 24: Check Up #12: beginning sounds/onsets
Week 25: Formal Assessment: Sound Fluency - beginning sounds/onsets, ending sounds/final sounds
Week 29: Formal Assessment - sound fluency: beginning sounds/onsets, ending sounds/final sounds, medial sounds
Week 31: Check Up#14: auditory discrimination (medial), blending, rhyming production, letter recognition/phonemic awareness
Week 35: Formal Assessment- rhyming: recognizing rhyming words
On the Express Readers website, Teacher’s Platform, an Assessment Schedule is provided that outlines the assessments for Step 1 including:
Week 3: Check Up #1: auditory discrimination (whole word)/phonemic awareness
Week 4: Formal Assessment - Rhyming
Week 5: Formal Assessment - Sound Fluency
Week 6: Check Up #2: auditory discrimination (whole word), rhyming recognition/phonemic awareness
Week 8: Check Up #3: auditory discrimination (onset), rhyming recognition, segmenting (counting syllables)/phonemic awareness
Week 11: Check Up #4: auditory discrimination (final), deleting
Week 13: Check Up #5: auditory discrimination (medial), blending (3 phonemes), rhyming (rhyme production/recognition)
Week 15: Check Up #6: auditory discrimination (medial), blending (3-4 phonemes), rhyming (production/recognition)
Week 17: Formal Assessment - rhyming/sound fluency
Week 19: Formal Assessment - blending
Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of phonemic awareness. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 20, Days 96-100, Check Up #9 includes the following possible meanings for insufficient scores:
Possible meanings of an insufficient score for #1-4 (2-4 incorrect): students are not hearing how beginning sounds in words are the same or different; students are not processing auditory information with accuracy
Possible meanings of an insufficient score for #5-8 (2-4 incorrect): students are not hearing how the ending sounds and rime in word are the same or different; students are not processing auditory information accurately
Possible meaning of an insufficient score for #9-12 (2-4 incorrect): students are not segmenting syllables in words accurately.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 3, Days 11-15, Check Up #3 includes the following possible meaning for an insufficient score for #1-6 (3 or more incorrect): students are not hearing how sounds in words are the same or different; students are not processing auditory information with accuracy.
Materials support teachers with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students to progress toward mastery in phonemic awareness. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 15, Days 71-75, Check Up 6, instructs teachers on how to reteach the skills to those students who do not adequately perform on the assessment. Guidance states:
Possible meanings of insufficient score for #1-4 (2-4 incorrect): students are not hearing/discriminating and isolating medial (vowel) sounds to hear differences. For practice towards mastery in auditory discrimination (medial/vowel sounds): practice listening skills nad following auditory directions; participate in “Odd Duck” for medial sounds and “Can you hear it?” for vowels frequently.
Possible meanings of insufficient score for #5-8 (2-4 incorrect): students are not able to auditorily blend segmented sounds. For practice towards mastery in blending phonemes: participate in “Buttons” or “Bounce and Blend” frequently.
Possible meaning of insufficient score for #9-10 (1-2 incorrect): students are not identifying the sound of the rime in rhyming and non-rhyming words. For practice towards mastery in rhyming recognition and production: practice with rhyme repetition and coming up with words that rhyme; listen to more read aloud books with rhymes; anticipate the rhymes; participate in “rhyme ride” and/or “rhyming rhythm” frequently.
On the Express Readers website, the Teacher’s Platform includes assessment Check-ups that focus on phonemic awareness skills and Check-Up Response to Scores guidance sheet. In Check-up 1, guidance is given for students who miss 3 or more items on the checkup. The guidance includes: practice listening skills and following auditory directions and participate in the Different or the Same frequently (during a morning meeting, during small group, while standing in line to wait for recess).
Criterion 1.3: Phonics (Decoding and Encoding)
Materials emphasize explicit, systematic instruction of research-based and/or evidence-based phonics.
The materials do not contain elements of instruction that are based on the three-cueing system for teaching decoding. Materials include a scope and sequence, beginning with an introduction of sounds in alphabetic order for 25 weeks. Materials include high-utility patterns and/or common generalizations embedded in the phonics instruction for students. Materials do not contain a clear evidence-based explanation for the sequence of phonics instruction. Materials provide reasonable pacing of phonics instruction, including multiple lessons for newly taught phonics skills and sufficient student practice to work towards automaticity. There is reasonable pacing of the skills, and each skill is practiced throughout the week within both whole and small group settings and in mini-lessons. Materials contain opportunities for systematic teaching of phonics; however, the lessons do not consistently provide explicit instruction. The use of dictation is inconsistent across materials and there is no consistent routine explicitly modeled. Materials provide guidance in the modification section of the lesson plan but do not provide guidance for corrective feedback. Students decode and encode based on the phonics pattern for the week using Express Spelling and Phonics Readers. The materials include spelling lists aligned to the scope and sequence and the spelling focus for the week. Materials include decodable texts aligned to the phonics focus of each week of instruction. Detailed lesson plans provide instructional guidance to teachers to provide opportunities for students to use decodables for multiple readings, including reading in small groups and with a partner. Materials include formal assessments, Check-Ups, and Practice Pages for teachers to collect ongoing data about students’ progress in phonics. Teachers are provided with information on how to analyze the results of assessments; however, limited information is provided to teachers to respond with follow-up phonics instruction or instructional adjustments to address phonics skills.
Indicator 1G
Scope and sequence clearly delineate an intentional sequence in which phonics skills are to be taught, with a clear evidence-based explanation for the order of the sequence.
The materials include a scope and sequence which begins with an introduction of sounds in alphabetic order for 25 weeks. Materials include high-utility patterns and/or common generalizations embedded in the phonics instruction for students. Materials do not contain a clear evidence-based explanation for the sequence of phonics instruction. According to the scope and sequence, materials provide one opportunity for ending sounds. Digraphs and CVCe words are covered in the following grade-level.
Materials contain a clear evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence for teaching phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
No evidence found.
Materials clearly delineate a scope and sequence with a cohesive, intentional sequence of phonics instruction, from simpler to more complex skills, and practice to build toward the application of skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, the Scope and Sequence, indicates the focus of each week is one or two letters in alphabetical order over twenty-five weeks, a focus of medial short vowels for four weeks, and CVC words for five weeks.
The Green Teacher Planner outlines the Scope and Sequence as follows:
Week 1-Days 1-5 Beginning Sound: Short a
Week 2-Days 6-10 Beginning Sounds: b, c, d, f, g, h short e
Week 3-Days 11-15 Beginning Sounds: j, k, l, m, n short i, short o
Week 4-Days 16-20 Beginning Sounds: p, q(u), r, s, t, short u
Week 5-Days 21-25 Beginning/Ending Sounds: v, w, x, y, z
Week 6-Days 26-30 Beginning Sound Review
Week 7-Days 31-35 Medial Short Vowels: short a/short i
Week 8-Days 36-40 Medial Short Vowels: short o/short u
Week 9-Days 41-45 Medial Short Vowels: short e
Week 10-Days 46-50 Medial Short Vowels CVC Words
Week 11-Days 51-55 Step 1 CVC Words
Week 12-Days 56-60 Step 1 CVC Words
Week 13-Days 61-65 Step 1 CVC Words
Week 14-Days 66-70 Step 1 CVC Words
Week 15-Days 71-75 Step 1 CVC Words
Week 16-Days 76-80 Step 1 CVC Words
Week 17-Days 81-85 Step 1 CVC Words
Week 18-Days 86-90 Step 1 CVC Words
Week 19-Days 91-95 Step 1 CVC Words
Phonics instruction is based in high utility patterns and/or common phonics generalizations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 33, Days 161-165, indicates the focus of the week is a review of eleven, two letter vowel-consonant words.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16-20, students learn the beginning sound of letters p, qu, r, s, t, m, and n.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 8, Days 36-40, students work on phonics with sounds short /o/ and /u/.
Indicator 1H
Materials are absent of the three-cueing system.
The materials do not contain elements of instruction that are based on the three-cueing system for teaching decoding.
Indicator 1I
Materials, questions, and tasks provide reasonable pacing where phonics (decoding and encoding) skills are taught one at a time and allot time where phonics skills are practiced to automaticity, with cumulative review.
The materials provide reasonable pacing of phonics instruction which includes multiple lessons for newly taught phonics skills, and sufficient student practice to work towards automaticity. Lessons include intentional review of previously taught phonics. Skills are practiced throughout a week, and there are review weeks for letter sounds. There is reasonable pacing of the skills, and each skill is practiced throughout the week within both whole and small groups settings, and in mini-lessons. Questions and tasks included have appropriate pacing of phonics.
Materials include reasonable pacing of newly taught phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16-20, instruction is focused on sounds for /p/, /q/, /u/, /r/, /s/, and /t/.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 5, Days 21-25, instruction is focused on beginning and ending sounds v, w, x, y, and z through sound fluency exercises, sound collages, and beginning sound cut and paste in small groups.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 7, Days 31-35, instruction is focused on the short a sound.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 8, Days 36-40, instruction is focused on medial short vowel sounds short o, and short u.
The lesson plan design allots time to include sufficient student practice to work towards automaticity. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 2, Days 6-10, Day 6 includes a mini lesson of 10-15 minutes. The mini-lesson reviews sounds for letters a-h.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 3, Days 11-15, the 10-15 minute whole class lesson focus is on beginning sounds, and consonant letters: j, k, l, m, and n, along with short vowels i and o.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16 - 20, the teacher introduces a sound song, short u /u/ for 10-15 minutes, moves into the mini lessons which take 10-15 minutes, and the whole group lesson is outlined for 15-25 minutes. Students spend Monday completing a letter tap for 15-25 minutes, Bean Bag buckets on Tuesday, Sentence Solving on Wednesday, Wonder Words on Thursday, and complete a formal assessment on Friday. Each of these tasks works on short u, and is 15-25 minutes. During the mini lessons, on Monday students practice sound song, Tuesday they sort by sound, Wednesday they do SOS words, Thursday and Friday they repeat the sound song which is 10-15 minutes.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 7, Days 31-35, a mini-lesson is allotted for 10-15 minutes, and 20-25 minutes is designated for whole or small group lessons.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 13, Days 61-65, the Whole Group Book Activity is allotted for 20-30 minutes.
Materials contain distributed, cumulative, and interleaved opportunities for students to practice and review previously learned phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 26, Days 126-130, materials review sounds and practice building and reading CVC words; examples include yam, yak, and yes.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 1, Days 1-5, students work on short vowel a. Then on Week 7, Days 31-35, students work on the short a sound in the medial position.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 2, Days 26-30, materials review beginning sounds for all consonants.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 3, Days 11 - 15, students are introduced to the short and short o sound. In Week 7, Days Days 31 - 35, students work on short i in the medial position, and in Week 8, Days 36-40 students work on medial position of the short o sound.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 6, Days 26-30, materials review letter sounds and provide practice with building and reading CVC words; examples include rug, hen, pen.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 18, Days 86-90, students review sounding out words am, not, and and. Students initially learned am in Week 3, and in Week 7, and not in Week 8.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 19, Days 91-95, students review sounding out words can, get, red. Students initially learned the sound /c/, /d/, /e/ and /g/ in Week 2, /n/ in Week 3, and /t/ in Week 4. Students initially practice reading can in Week 7, get and red in Week 9.
Indicator 1J
Materials include systematic and explicit phonics instruction with repeated teacher modeling.
The materials contain opportunities for systematic teaching of phonics; however, the lessons do not consistently provide explicit teacher instruction. Materials include some teacher modeling of skills prior to student practice, but the majority of lessons are focused on student practice. Materials include blending and segmenting, but routines are not consistent or defined for the teacher. The use of dictation is inconsistent across materials and there is not a consistent routine explicitly modeled. Materials provide guidance in the modification section of the lesson plan but do not provide guidance for corrective feedback.
Materials contain limited explicit instructions for systematic and repeated teacher modeling of all newly-taught phonics patterns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 5, Days 21-25, the teacher displays the Alphabet Display for Bb and explains “we will be learning about the letter bb and we will be beginning to practice what Bb looks like, what sounds spell Bb, and how to write Bb. B spells /b/. The lips start curled in and are forced out by the sound.”
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 25, Days 121-125, the teacher guides students to identify and blend words that contain three phonemes by identifying the sounds and corresponding letters. Words to use include bell, cat, and bird.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 5, Days 21-25, the teacher guides students through a slap/tap routine where they identify letters by name and by sound. The sounds are v, w, x, y and z.
Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 22, Days 10-6-110, the teacher says “Uu spells a short sound a long sound”, and demonstrates both sounds. The teacher states, “The short sound is the sound we will practice.”
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 1, Days 1-5, the teacher tells students that this is the letter A and explains that the letter makes a short, and long sound.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Step 1, Week 10, Days 46-50, the teacher models a vowel sound sort by categorizing sounds, and sorting picture representation of sounds. The cards include one for each vowel, a, e, i, o and u.
Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 12, Days 56-60, the teacher models building the word big. The teacher says to build dig, “we only need to change ONE letter,” and asks, and models changing the letter b to d. The teacher repeats the routine for the words fig, gig.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 18, Days 86-90 the teacher builds the word hip. Then asks what would have to happen if I wanted to build the word hop.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 8, the teacher guides students to build a new word from sun and states, “one sound is different,” asking students to identify the difference between sun and fun.
Lessons include blending and segmenting practice; however, routines are not structured, consistent blending routines with teacher modeling. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 10, Days 46-50, the teacher builds the word bag, using the wonder mat to build the word beginning with the first phoneme, the medial phoneme, and the last phoneme. After the first and initial phonemes /b/ and /a/ have been identified the teacher orally blends the two sounds. Once all three sounds are identified the teacher continuously blends the sound together. This routine is repeated with the words beg and gab.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 13, Days 61-65, the teacher models decoding the word jam, stating the sound of each individual letter, and blending the word jam using the process of continuously blending sounds.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 4, Days 16 - 20, the teacher says a sound spelled by one of the letters and the students put that sound on the Wonder Word Mat. The students build the words as the teacher says the sounds.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 5, Days 21-25, Whole Class Lesson, Activity Wonder Words, the teacher states “we are going to build the word hat,” and continues to state the individual sounds as students build the word.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 6, Days 26-30, Whole Class Lesson, Activity Wonder Words, the teacher states “We are going to build the word hen” and continues to state the individual sounds as students build the word.
Lessons include limited dictation of words and sentences using the newly taught phonics pattern(s). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 12, Days 56-60, the teacher guides students to type each word on the given list on the spelling list keyboard. Teachers write one sentence on the board and students write a short sentence for each of the remaining three words, circling the given word in each sentence.
Materials include teacher guidance for modification but not for corrective feedback when needed for students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 13, Days 61-65, students practice decoding and encoding CVC words containing short /o/. If needed, the materials direct the teacher to work in small groups with students to decode each word on the list, helping students use their finger to track each letter, make the sound,a nd blend the sounds to make a word.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 15, Days 71-75, students practice decoding and encoding CVC words containing short /e/. If needed, the materials direct the teacher to model segmenting each word to be used in each sentence to attach the phonemes to letters for writing sentences. Teachers can also do the sentence page with students, ignore the sentence worksheet, or require students only to copy one of the created sentences.
Indicator 1K
Materials include frequent practice opportunities for students to decode and encode words that consist of common and newly-taught sound and spelling patterns.
Materials include opportunities to decode and encode words words with taught phonics patterns. Students decode and encode words based on the phonics pattern for the week using Express Spelling and Phonics Readers. During spelling practice, students maintain a visible copy of the spelling list in front of them during encoding practice.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to decode words with taught phonics patterns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 11, Days 51-55, students decode a list of ten words including fan, jam, had, and pan.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Step 1, Days 66-70, students practice decoding a list of ten words including cup, mug, tug, and fun.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to encode words with taught phonics patterns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 10, Days 51-55, students practice encoding short /a/ words by typing each word on the spelling keyboard and writing each word one time on the practice writing sheet. Words include: fan, mad, ham, pan, zap, wag, jam, has, and had.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 14, Days 66-70, students practice encoding short /u/ words by typing each word on the spelling keyboard, and writing each word one time on the practice writing sheets. Words include: cup, hug, mud, nut, tug, run, fun, tub, hum, cut.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 15, Days 71-75, students have a list of ten words and practice typing the words on a paper keyboard then write each word on a sheet of paper. During Express Spelling lesson 2, students write sentences using each spelling word; words include men, web, red, and leg.
Student-guided practice and independent practice of blending sounds using the sound-spelling pattern(s) is varied and frequent. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 11, Days 51-55 Step 1, students practice typing CVC words with short a on the Spelling Keyboard.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 12, Days 56-60, students decode CVC words with short /i/.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 13, Days 61-65, students decode CVC words with short /o/.
Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in word-level decoding practice focused on accuracy and automaticity. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 13, Days 61-65, students decode the ten CVC words with short /o/.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 16, Days 76-80, students practice decoding see-me-say-me words in sentences. The words include cat, big, dog, box, and red.
Indicator 1L
Spelling rules and generalizations are taught one at a time at a reasonable pace. Spelling words and generalizations are practiced to automaticity.
The materials include spelling lists aligned to the scope and sequence and the spelling focus for the week. Beginning in Week 11 of the Step 1 Green Teacher Planner, materials also include instruction in spelling in daily lessons. Materials include opportunities to practice the spelling words during whole-group instruction and center time.
Spelling rules and generalizations are aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
On The Teacher’s Platform, the materials state that Express Spelling, Steps 1-5, is an extension of phonics instruction. Students practice using a set of decodable words and activities to match. Since the lists are decodable, the weekly quiz is an assessment of encoding abilities and the transference of the phonics instruction into writing (encoding). Each spelling list has a different set of activities, but each list contains: the large list, a sentence writing page, and a handwriting practice page
In the Green Teacher Planner, Scope and Sequence, the focus for the week is CVC words, and the focus for Spelling List #1 is CVC words containing short /a/.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Scope and Sequence, each week has a focus starting with the alphabet then moving to CVC words Week 10 days 46-50. There is no evidence of spelling rules for any of the lessons with CVC words from Week 10 to Week 19, the last week of Step 1.
Materials include explanations for spelling of specific words or spelling rules; however, spelling rules are generally explained for Sticky Words and not other phonics patterns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 21, Days 101-105, the teacher displays the word “see” and explains that “see spells /s/-/E/, “Ee” together spells the long vowel /E/. It is a vowel team.”
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 23, Days 111-115, the teacher displays the word “wee” and explains that “we should say /w/-/e/. We spells /w/- /E/. This is because it is an open syllable, meaning that there is not a consonant following the vowel.”
Students have sufficient opportunities to practice spelling rules and generalizations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 11, Days 51-55, the focus for the spelling lessons that week is CVC words with short /a/. Students practice spelling CVC words with short /a/ in two whole-class lessons, and on Express Spelling pages 7-14.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 13, Days 61-65, students work on short o sound. In Lesson 1, and 2 in the whole group students practice typing short o words.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Step 1, Week 19, Days 91-95, the focus of the week is CVC words. Throughout the week the students practice with CVC words in a variety of ways including SOS words which focus on writing the words can, get, and red. Then use those CVC words in a sentence. One of the practice pages asks the students to look at various pictures and write the CVC underneath the picture. Another Practice Page activity called Write and Color CVC word lists the objective as practicing encoding CVC words by saying a word, listening for the three phonemes, and using letter-to-sound correlations to write the correct letters for each phoneme.
Indicator 1M
Materials include decodable texts with phonics aligned to the program’s scope and sequence and opportunities for students to use decodables for multiple readings.
The materials include decodable texts aligned to the phonics focus of each week of instruction. Some weeks there may be one text available, while other weeks will have two texts aligned to the focus for the week. Each week, detailed lesson plans provide instructional guidance to teachers to provide opportunities for students to use decodables for multiple readings, including reading in small groups and with a partner.
Decodable texts contain grade-level phonics skills aligned to the program’s scope and sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 7, Days 31-35, the focus is short vowel /a/. Students use the decodable book “The “a” Book” to practice reading words with short /a/ in context.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 11, Days 51-55, the focus is on CVC words. The week contains two decodable texts “Dog Is” and “Pig is Sad”. “Dog Is” contains the CVC words up, in, hot, sad, and dog. “Pig is Sad,” contains the words pig, sad, got, wig, and big.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 13, Days 61 - 65, students are working on CVC words. Students read the decodable text “Bug has a Hut.”
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 18, Days 86-90, the focus is on CVC words. The decodable text for the week is “Pig Was Hot”. The text contains a variety of decodable CVC words including: pig, mud, hot, sun, but, and hid.
Materials include detailed lesson plans for repeated readings of decodable texts to address acquisition of phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 12, Days 56-60, the focus for the week is CVC words. The decodable text for the week is called “Bug Gets Wet.” The teacher reads the book with students first, working on reading the words, pausing at end marks, and modeling proper book handling. The lesson directs the teacher to have the students read the book a second time by taking turns, in partners, switching off by page, or in small groups. At the end of the lesson, extension activities are listed and the first bullet states that after reading as a class or small group, students read the book independently.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 14, Days 66-70, students practice reading the text “Cat Can”. The teacher focuses on SOS words during the first part, and the slow-down sounds. It is suggested to have students read the book independently after they have read it as a whole group.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 16, Days 76-80, the focus for the week is CVC words. The decodable text for the week is called “Dog Gets a Van”. In the whole class lesson the teacher reads the book with students first, working on reading the words, pausing at end marks, and to model proper book handling. The lesson directs the teacher to have the students read the book a second time by taking turns, in partners, switching off by page, or in small groups.
Reading practice occurs in decodable texts (i.e., an absence of predictable texts) until students can accurately decode single syllable words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, there are 6 decodable texts that are included in the kit that focus on VC and CVC words for students to read. The books are, “Cat’s Hat”, “Cub Hid”,” I Am”, “I Am Bug”, “Dog Is”, and “Pig is Sad".
In the Green Teacher Planner, Scope and Sequence, it states the decodable text that will be used weekly to align with each week’s phonic focus. Step1 lasts 19 weeks, and contains single syllable CVC words. Each week has at least one decodable text, and many of the weeks have more than one decodable text or passage. For example, Week 19 has two decodable texts “Cub and The Nap” and “Cat Got Wet”. Week 18 has two decodable texts, “Pig Was Hot” and “Dog and The Gum”. Week 16 has one decodable text “Dog Gets a Van”.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Step 1, Teacher Planner Kit, there are 8 decodable texts that are included in the kit. They are,“Dog Gets a Job”, “Pig Was Hot”, “Bug Has a Hut”, “Cup and The Nap”, “Pig Has a Pet”, “Bug Gets Wet”, “Dog Gets A Van”, and “Cat Can”.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Weeks 7-9, students read short vowel books each week, with the teacher modeling, and instructing how to decode text as students follow along. Then in Weeks 11-19, students read Phonics Books that practice the phonics skills they have learned so far that year. In Week 11, Days 51-55, students read the phonics books “Dog Is”and “Pig is Sad”.
Indicator 1N
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress of phonics in- and out-of-context (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
The materials include formal assessments, Check-Ups, and Practice Pages for teachers to use in collecting ongoing data about students’ progress in phonics. Some Check-Up assessment items address phonics skills, and there are formal phonics assessments at the beginning and end of the unit where students can demonstrate mastery and independence of phonics skills. Teachers are provided with information on how to analyze the results of assessments; however, limited information is provided to teachers to respond with follow-up phonics instruction or instructional adjustments to address phonics skills.
Materials regularly and systematically provide a variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students progress toward mastery and independence in phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 1, Days 1-5, teachers assess each student with the Baseline testing for phonics. This assessment assesses student knowledge of letter names, letter sounds (consonant and short vowels), blending real and nonsense words, and decoding simple sentences. Teachers guide instruction based on the outcome of each students’ assessment. The instructions state that this assessment round is baseline testing to define a beginning point for each student and to monitor phonics acquisition progress throughout the year.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 16, Days 76-80, students complete a spelling assessment that has words that work on the phonics skill CVC words.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 17, Days 81-85, the phonics focus is on CVC words. One of the decodable texts for the week is “Bug Can”. The teacher planner states that this decodable short story can be used as an informal assessment of the students’ ability to decode phonetically regular words.
Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, several assessments are administered over the 19 weeks of instruction.
Week 1: Formal Assessment, Phonics - tests students’ knowledge of letter names, consonant and vowel sounds, blending real and nonsense words, and reading sentences.
Week 11: Check-Up 4 - tests letter identification; the teacher says a letter, and the students circle the corresponding letter.
Week 13: Check-Up 4 - tests letter identification; the teacher says a letter, and the students circle the corresponding letter.
Week 15: Check-Up 4 - tests letter identification; the teacher says a letter, and the students circle the corresponding letter.
Week 19:
Formal Assessment, Phonics - tests students’ knowledge of letter names, consonant and vowel sounds, blending real and nonsense words, and reading sentences.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 1, Days 1-5, a baseline assessment is completed to determine the students’ current skills of phonics/letter names. The assessment assesses student knowledge of following:
Letter names for all 26 letters
The most basic sound for all 21 consonants
The most basic sounds for the five short vowels
Blending real words, CVC
Blending Nonsense words, CVC
Simple Sentences, CVC
The planner instructs the teacher to discontinue if students receive 10 or less on any part of the letter names or letter sounds assessment, aside from the vowel section. If the students receive 3 or less on any of the other sections within the assessment, teachers are advised to end the assessment. The teachers should guide instruction based on the outcomes of each student’s assessment. The levels given in the Records portion of the Online Assessment, Suggested Step, helps teachers place students within the Steps for optimal learning.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 14, Days 66-70, the planners state that Practice Pages can be used for informal assessment. Allowing students to complete a page independently after giving instructions and using the completed work to see if students can apply the phonics and skills learned. The phonics focus for the week is CVC words. One of the practice pages’ objective is to practice sound to letter correlations to decode CVC words in a sentence. On the next page students decode CVC words and match the word with a picture.
Materials support teachers with limited instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students progress toward mastery in phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 15, Days 71-75, the teacher administers Check-Up 6 to students. In Response to Assessment the following information is provided to teachers for practice towards mastery in letter recognition:
Practice pointing out letters and providing the name of the letter (not just producing the sound).
Participate in I Spy frequently. Teachers say a letter and the case of the letter (lowercase or uppercase). Students find that letter somewhere in the room, in a wall display, in a book, etc.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 14, Days 66-70, the phonics focus for the week is spelling CVC words with the short /u/. The planner states that an assessment needs to be planned for the end of the week after working with the spelling and the completion of all corresponding activities with or by students. The spelling list contains these words: cup, hug, mud, nut, tug, run, fun, tub, hum, and cut. Teachers can take note of the speed of students during this assessment for possible accommodations for specific students in time needed for assessment. Specific adjustments to instruction following the assessment are not provided.
Criterion 1.4: Word Recognition and Word Analysis
Materials and instruction support students in learning and practicing regularly and irregularly spelled high-frequency words.
The materials include systematic and explicit instruction of high-frequency words within the SOS lessons, including Sticky Words and See-Me-Say-Me words. Lessons include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of the high-frequency words, which includes connecting phoneme to grapheme. During SOS lessons, students have multiple opportunities to practice identifying and reading high-frequency words in isolation. The materials include student practice for identifying and reading high-frequency words in isolation and in context; however, students have limited opportunities to write high-frequency words in tasks to promote automaticity. The materials include some evidence of syllable-type activities; however, there are missed opportunities for explicit instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis. The materials have regular and systematic assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of word recognition, but not word analysis. Assessments provide limited guidance on student skill levels and recommendations for assessment-based steps to help students progress toward mastery in word recognition.
Indicator 1O
Materials include explicit instruction in identifying the regularly spelled part and the temporarily irregularly spelled part of words. High-frequency word instruction includes spiraling review.
The materials include systematic and explicit instruction of high-frequency words within the SOS lessons, including Sticky Words and See-Me-Say-Me words. Lessons include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of the high-frequency words which includes connecting phoneme to grapheme. Students have multiple opportunities to practice identifying and reading high-frequency words in isolation at the conclusion of the SOS lessons, which includes students practicing with flash cards, reading sentences with the high-frequency words, and searching for high-frequency words within practice pages or text. There are forty-four total high frequency words taught in Step 1.
Materials include systematic and explicit instruction of high-frequency words with an explicit and consistent instructional routine. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
On the Express Readers website, in the Teachers Platform under the links I Am Ready and Steps 1-5, there are links entitled Sight Words. These links provide lessons, visuals, and printable activities to teach, learn, and practice sticky words (words that cannot be decoded at the skill level of the student or that have irregular spellIngs) and see-me-say-me words (high frequency words that are decodable). The program refers to these types of words as “SOS words.” The links include Sight Word Maps that outline all of the sight words that will be taught each week in I Am Ready, Weeks 4-35, and in Step 1, Weeks 3-19.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 15, Days 71-75, in SOS Words Lesson 1, the teacher explains “a sticky word is a word we get stuck on. A sticky word is STICKY! A word can be sticky, because we cannot sund the word out until we have learned more sound spellings OR because the word has an irregular spelling.”
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 8, Days 36-40, SOS Words Lesson 1, the teacher reviews what sticky words and see-me-say-me words are. The teacher writes or displays the words not and up. The teacher says the sounds in the words, asking students to blend the sounds with him/her. The teacher gives examples of using not in a sentence and asks students to give examples as well. The materials instruct the teacher to clarify, “Not is a word that means a negative or canceling out. This is not the same word as knot, because it is spelled differently.”
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 17, Days 81 - 85, the teacher tells students that the y in you is spelled as it has been learned. The Y spells /y/ when it starts a word. The teacher then explains however, that the o and u do not make the /oo/ according to rules/sounds learned. The teacher then gives the students two different examples, and that you talks about the person you are talking to.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 18, Days 86-90, three words are explicitly taught: one, two, and three. The teacher segments the words into phonemes and provides an explanation of each word and the irregular pieces of the words. For example, the explicit instruction for three is as follows: Teachers explain that “three” sounds like it should but has higher-level phonics; Th spells /th/ (unvoiced); R spells /r/; The vowel team ee spells /E/.
Materials include teacher modeling of the spelling and reading of high-frequency words that includes connecting the phonemes to the graphemes. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 8, Days 36-40, SOS Words Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the sticky word be. The teacher displays the Sticky Word Card for be and explains that be should say /b/-/e/. The teacher tells students that be spells /b/-/E/. This is because it is an open syllable, meaning that there is not a consonant following the vowel. The teacher gives other examples to help, such as: he, me, go, so, no, and hi. The teacher tells students that not all words follow this rule, such as: the, do, and to. The teacher gives examples of sentences containing the word be.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 12, Days 56-60, SOS Words Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the word is. The teacher writes or displays the word is, and the materials direct the teacher to explain that sometimes when a word ends in s, the sound made is /z/. The teacher says the sounds in the word is. Then the teacher gives an example of using is in a sentence, and asks students to give samples as well.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 6, Days 26-30, SOS Words Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the sticky word for. The teacher maps the sounds /f/ and /or/. The teacher displays the word and explains that for is spelled f-o-r. That the o combines with the r to spell the /or/ sound. Then the teacher displays the see-me-say-me words: in and on, “The teacher will say the sounds in the words, asking students to blend the sounds with them.”
Materials include a sufficient quantity of high-frequency words for students to make reading progress. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
On the Teacher’s Platform, Sight Words, the “Sight Word Informational Document” includes an outline of what high-frequency words are taught in the I am Ready, Yellow Level, Program. There are 21 high-frequency, sticky words, taught throughout the instructional year. There are 22 high-frequency, see-me-say-me, words, taught throughout the instructional year.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Sight Word Map, there are 42 SOS words that students learn including me, can, big and be. Instruction starts in Week 4, includes 24 review weeks, and a total of 21 weeks of instruction around varying words.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Sight Word Map, starting in Week 1 there is one word that students learn until Week 3. Then in Week 3 they begin to work on three or more a week. There are review weeks on Week 10, 14, 17, 18 and 19. The following sticky words are found in Step 1 phonics books: I, a, be, for, from, go, he, the, to, too, was. (11 words)
The following sticky words are found in Step 1 phonics books:
We, me, my, see, you, are, one, two, three, blue, yellow (11 words)
The following see-me-say-me words are found in Step 1:
Am, an, in, on, if, it, is, as, at, can, and, not, up, run, red, big, but, get, ran, did, his, us ( 22 words)
22 sticky words and 22 see-me-say-me words total are taught in Step 1
Indicator 1P
Instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and gain decoding automaticity of high-frequency words.
The materials include student practice for identifying and reading high-frequency words in isolation and in context. Each week, most of the high-frequency independent tasks during the SOS activities have students tracing, coloring, finding, or reading the high-frequency words. However, students have limited opportunities to write high-frequency words in tasks to promote automaticity.
Students practice decoding high-frequency words in isolation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 11, Days 51-55, the lesson focuses on identifying and reading the high-frequency words I, a, be, the, and go, as well as the words am, an, at, and as. Students identify the words and trace the words with 2-5 different colors of crayons tracing the words up to 10 times. Students take out their flashcards with the words I, a, be, the, and go, and the teacher says a sentence or phrase with one of the words. The students respond by putting their hand on the word they hear. The teacher repeats this 5-10 times.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 3, Days 11-15, students play I spy, reading the words am, and an.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Lesson 10, Days 46-50, students practice high-frequency words I, a, the, to, be, for, see, and go. Students have word cards in front of them. The teacher calls out a word and the students slap their hand down on the spelling of the word they hear. Then students color each high-frequency word a certain color when they find it on the practice page. See is colored red, go is colored blue, for is colored yellow, be is colored green, to is colored orange, and the word the is colored pink.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 15, Days 81-85, students learn the words but and us. Students complete the I Spy page and locate the words but and us within a grid as many times as possible.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to read high-frequency words in context. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 5, Days 21-25, in SOS Words Lesson 2, in the activity Read the Phrase (a, an), the teacher completes SOS Words page 15 with the students. The teacher points to a box and asks a volunteer to read the phrase. The teacher rereads the phrases with all students, while students track each word with their fingers. In the activity Read the Sentence (an), the teacher reminds the students about the sticky word I and the see-me-say-me word am. Students circle the word am and an in each sentence. The teacher rereads the sentence with all students, while students track each word with their fingers.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 11, Days 51-55, the activity focuses on identifying and reading the high-frequency words am, an, at, and as. Students read sentences with the words in them and draw a picture illustrating that sentence in the box.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 12, Days 56-60, students practice reading the sticky words the, and go in the decodable text “Bug Gets Wet”
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 15, students read the book, “Dog Gets a Job,” which includes SOS words: to, for, and be.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 19, Days 91-95, students practice reading the sticky words the, too, to, for, and he that have been taught prior in instruction in the decodable text. All five words are found in the decodable text “Cub and The Nap”.
Lessons provide students with limited opportunities to write high-frequency words in tasks, such as sentences, in order to promote automaticity of high-frequency words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Green Teacher Planner, Lesson 18, Days 86-90, students practice writing sentences with high-frequency words. Students “free write” and write about whatever topic they wish. The only rule, outside of writing sentences correctly, is that students must use the words on the jellybeans somewhere in their writing. Students color the jellybeans once they have used the word. Students draw an illustration for their writing in the empty box provided.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 11, Days 51-55, students practice with the Sticky Words too, and to. Students read a sentence and complete the sentence by writing the correct word either too, or to, so the sentence makes sense.
Indicator 1Q
Materials include explicit instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis and provide students with practice opportunities to apply learning.
The materials include some evidence of syllable-type activities. However, there are missed opportunities for explicit instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis.
Materials contain limited explicit instruction of syllable types and syllable division that promote decoding and encoding of words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 10, Days 46-50, the teacher displays the Sticky Word Display Card for “go” and explains that go follows the rule of the open syllable where the o is a long o.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 23, Days 111-115, the teacher displays the Sticky Word Display Card for “we” and explains that we is an “open syllable meaning that there is not a consonant following the vowel.”
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 15, Days 71-75, the teacher displays the Sticky Word Display Card for “be” and explains that the e spells the long vowel sound because it is an open syllable.
Materials contain explicit instruction in morpheme analysis to decode unfamiliar words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
No evidence found.
Multiple and varied opportunities are provided over the course of the year for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis strategies. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
No evidence found.
Indicator 1R
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress of word recognition and analysis (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
The materials include regular and systematic assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of word recognition, but not word analysis. Most of the opportunities assess high-frequency words and sight words, but there are few opportunities to assess word analysis skills of decodable words. Assessments provide some guidance on student skill levels and recommendations for assessment-based steps to help students progress toward mastery in word recognition. The recommendations provided refer teachers back to previously taught activities.
Materials regularly and systematically provide a variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of word recognition but not word analysis. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Yellow Teacher Planner includes four assessment opportunities: Week 14 - SOS Check 1; Week 22 - SOS Check 2; Week 30 - SOS Check 3; Week 35 - SOS Check 4.
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 30, Days 146-150, students complete SOS Check 3. This assessment assesses students’ knowledge and retention of the high-frequency words am, and, at, as, if, it, is, in, on, can, and, red, his, not, up, get, us, ran, run, and did, and the sight words I, a, the, go, be, he, to, too, for, was, me, my, see, we, from, one, two, and three.
The Green Teacher Planner includes three assessment opportunities: Week 10 - SOS Check 1; Week 14 - SOS Check 2; Week 19 - SOS Check 3.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 14, Days 66-70, students complete SOS Check 2. This assessment assesses students’ knowledge and retention of all previously taught high-frequency words and sight words. Students are also evaluated on short u, with encoding and CVC words through the Express spelling activity.
Assessment materials provide the teacher and students with information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of word recognition and word analysis. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 14, Days 66-70, SOS Check 1 assesses student knowledge of the high-frequency words (see-me-say-me words), and sight words (sticky words). Guidance states that the student’s score does have significance in the assessment, “But the actual words that are read incorrectly or the inability to read the words with fluency/accuracy is more important.” Students who score 0-6 correct words, “are inaccurately identifying sight words with fluency.” Students who score 7-10 correct words, “are adequately identifying sight words but need review and further study of words learned.” Students who score 11-14 correct words, “are effectively reading sight words with fluency and accuracy.”
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 30, Days 146-150, SOS Check 3 guidance states that the student’s score does have significance in this assessment, but the actual words that are read incorrectly or the inability to read the words with fluency/accuracy is more important.
Students who score: 0-20 correct words are “inaccurately identifying previously learned/mapped sight words with fluency.” Students who score 21-27 are “adequately identifying previously learned/mapped sight words but need review and further study of words learned.” Students who score
28-37 are “effectively reading sight words previously learned/mapped with fluency and accuracy.”
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 14, Days 66-70, SOS Check 2 guidance states: Students who score 26 or more ‘are proficiently retaining the words and gaining fluency.” Students who score 15 - 26 “are developing their sight word vocabulary but need further practice to master and gain fluency.” Students who score 15 or less “are not retaining a sufficient number of the words being taught and practiced. Teachers should reteach the introductions to the words and do some of the following [activities] to support practice and learning (and then reassess).”
Materials support the teacher with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students progress toward mastery in word recognition and word analysis. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Yellow Teacher Planner, Week 14, Days 66-70, instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps for the SOS Check 1 are included in the materials. The suggestions include reteaching the introductions to the words and doing the following to support practice and learning, followed by re-assessing:
Use Splat Sounds Board - Students write the word into a set of boxes. Students identify and color letters and spellings that sound as they should by coloring them green. Students “SPLAT” the sounds that do not sound as they should (according to learned phonics rules/sounds/spellings).
Play Slap/Tap with students several times a week in a quick game of review for the sight words learned.
Create opportunities for students to read those words in a text, such as pointing to the word in a read aloud and asking if students can read that word for teachers.
Ask students to find and circle a focus sight word on a page of text or a book being read in class.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 10, Days 46 - 50, in the SOS words assessment, if students get a 14 or less it tells teachers to have the teacher create opportunities for students to read the words in text.
In the Green Teacher Planner, Week 19, Days 91-95, instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps for SOS Check 3 are included in the materials. The suggestions include reteaching the introductions to the words and do some of the following to support practice and learning (and then reassess):
Use Splat Sounds Board - Students write the word into a set of boxes. Students identify and color letters and spellings that sound as they should by coloring them green. Students “SPLAT” the sounds that do not sound as they should (according to learned phonics rules/sounds/spellings). Words mapped for Splat Sounds Boards can be found in the TGB pgs. 33-34.
Play Slap/Tap with students several times a week in a quick game of review for the sight words learned.
Create opportunities for students to read those words in a text, such as pointing to the word in a read aloud and asking if students can read that word for teachers.
Ask students to find and circle a focus sight word on a page of text or a book being read in class.
Overview of Gateway 2
Usability
Criterion 2.1: Guidance for Implementation
Materials are accompanied by information that provides the teacher with guidance for implementation of daily lessons and information to enhance teacher knowledge of foundational skills.
Indicator 2A
Materials provide teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials and ancillary materials to support students' literacy development.
Indicator 2B
Materials contain full, adult-level explanations and examples of the foundational skills concepts included in the program so teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, as necessary.
Indicator 2C
Foundational skills lessons are well-designed and take into account effective lesson structure and pacing. Content can reasonably be completed within a regular school year, and the pacing allows for maximum student understanding.
Indicator 2D
Materials include publisher-produced alignment documentation of the standards addressed by specific questions, tasks, and assessments and assessment materials clearly denote which standards are being emphasized.
Indicator 2E
Materials contain strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the foundational skills program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.
Criterion 2.2: Student Supports
The program includes materials designed for each child’s regular and active participation in grade-level/grade-band/series content.
Indicator 2F
Materials provide strategies and supports for students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English to meet or exceed grade-level standards to regularly participate in learning English language arts and literacy.
Indicator 2G
Materials provide strategies and supports for students in special populations to work with grade-level content and to meet or exceed grade-level standards that will support their regular and active participation in learning English language arts and literacy.
Indicator 2H
Materials provide a balance of images or information about people, representing various demographic and physical characteristics.
Indicator 2I
Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning.
Criterion 2.3: Intentional Design
The program includes a visual design that is engaging and references or integrates digital technology, when applicable, with guidance for teachers.
Indicator 2J
Materials integrate technology such as interactive tools, virtual manipulatives/objects, and/or dynamic software in ways that engage students in the grade-level/series standards, when applicable.
Indicator 2K
The visual design (whether in print or digital) is not distracting or chaotic, but supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject.
Indicator 2L
Materials provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable.