About This Report
- EdReports reviews are one tool to support curriculum decisions. We do not make recommendations, and our reports are not prescriptive.
- Use this report as part of a comprehensive, teacher-led adoption process that prioritizes local needs and integrates multi-year implementation planning throughout.
- EdReports evaluates materials based on the quality of their design: how well they structure evidence-based teaching and learning to support college and career-readiness. We do not assess their effectiveness in practice.
- Check the top of the page to confirm the review tool version used. Our current tools are version 2.0. Reports based on earlier tools (versions 1.0 or 1.5) offer valuable insights but may not fully align with current instructional priorities.
Report Overview
Summary of Alignment & Usability: Pathways to Reading | ELA
ELA K-2
The Pathways to Reading materials partially meet expectations for alignment to research-based foundational skills instruction. The program provides systematic and explicit instruction in foundational literacy skills, including phonics, phonemic awareness, high-frequency words, and decoding, with structured routines and cumulative review. Phonics instruction follows a clear scope and sequence, incorporating blending, segmenting, and encoding, while decodable texts support phonics lessons. However, phonemic awareness instruction is not fully systematic and does not consistently align with phonics, and small-group instruction follows a different sequence, leading to potential gaps.
Students engage in handwriting and spelling practice, but spelling instruction starts late, and they do not write sentences using newly learned phonics patterns independently. High-frequency word instruction is strong but lacks opportunities for contextual spelling practice. Instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis is limited, and while assessments are frequent, they do not measure decoding in context or provide targeted intervention strategies.
Fluency instruction includes structured routines such as echo reading and rereading for accuracy and prosody, but corrective feedback is minimal, and fluency assessments are not systematically included. Assessments occur every nine weeks for phonics and spelling, categorizing students as on track or at risk, but specific intervention lessons are missing. The Quarterly Literacy Plan and Week Overview are misaligned, causing inconsistencies in pacing.
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 1st Grade
Alignment Summary
The program provides strong phonics instruction with systematic and explicit routines for decoding, encoding, and high-frequency words, but phonemic awareness instruction is not fully aligned with phonics. While decodable texts support phonics instruction, small-group instruction follows a different sequence, leading to potential gaps. Fluency instruction includes structured routines like echo reading and rereading for accuracy and prosody, but corrective feedback is minimal, and fluency assessments are not systematically included. Word recognition and analysis assessments are also limited, with no dedicated assessments for syllable division or morpheme analysis. Although students practice spelling high-frequency words, they do not write them independently in context.
1st Grade
Alignment (Gateway 1)
Usability (Gateway 2)
Overview of Gateway 1
Alignment to Research-Based Practices and Standards for Foundation Skills Instruction
The materials follow an evidence-based sequence for phonemic awareness, drawing from David Kilpatrick’s research. Instruction begins with phonological awareness activities, progresses to phoneme manipulation, and concludes with multisyllabic word practice. However, phonemic awareness instruction is not consistently aligned with phonics, as it follows a mastery-based approach rather than a fixed sequence. While explicit instruction is included, it is not fully systematic, with limited focus on segmenting and blending. Much of the instruction relies on teacher implementation, particularly in the Advanced Oral PA Manual, which lacks full integration with other materials.
The program provides systematic and explicit phonics instruction, including letter-sound correspondences, blending routines, and spelling generalizations. The phonics scope and sequence is clear and research-based, but it does not include a rationale for the order of instruction. Decodable texts align with phonics lessons but are paced based on student ability, meaning not all students may cover every text or skill. Small-group instruction follows a separate sequence from large-group instruction, which may create inconsistencies. Spelling instruction aligns with phonics and is supported by the Pathways to Spelling resource, but explicit sentence writing using newly learned phonics patterns is not included.
Instruction for high-frequency words is explicit and systematic, incorporating structured routines and regular review. Students practice these words both in isolation and in context, with additional support provided in the Small Group Manual and Pathways to Spelling Manual. While students do engage in structured spelling activities, they do not have opportunities to spell high-frequency words independently in context. Word recognition and analysis assessments are minimal, with no dedicated assessments for syllable division or morpheme analysis.
Fluency instruction follows a consistent routine, where students reread passages focusing on accuracy, prosody, and meaning. Instruction includes echo reading and guided practice, but corrective feedback is minimal and generic. While fluency development is embedded throughout small-group instruction, there are no structured fluency assessments, and teachers receive limited guidance on how to use fluency data for instruction.
Criterion 1.1: Phonemic Awareness
Materials emphasize explicit, systematic instruction of research-based and/or evidence-based phonemic awareness.
The materials follow an evidence-based sequence for phonemic awareness instruction, drawing from David Kilpatrick’s research. Instruction begins with 11 weeks of phonological awareness activities, progresses to phoneme manipulation (adding, deleting, and substituting), and concludes with five weeks of work on multisyllabic words. However, the phonemic awareness scope and sequence is not consistently aligned with the phonics scope and sequence, as instruction is mastery-based rather than following a fixed structure.
Explicit instruction in phonemic awareness is included but is not consistently systematic. The program emphasizes onset and rime and phoneme manipulation, with minimal focus on segmenting and blending. Students engage in blending and segmenting through Segment and Write and Old Word-New Word routines. Much of the phonemic awareness instruction in the Advanced Oral PA Developmental Manual is guided practice rather than explicit instruction, making it more dependent on teacher implementation. Instruction on distinguishing long and short vowels occurs only in written words, and phoneme segmentation is primarily addressed through manipulation exercises. Teacher guidance for corrective feedback is included.
The Large Group Manual and Small Group Manual are not fully aligned, as the Small Group Manual follows a mastery-based structure. The Advanced Oral PA Manual also lacks full integration, making instruction less explicit and more teacher-dependent. Daily phonemic awareness lessons are included, but they do not consistently align with phonics instruction. Students connect phonemes to graphemes through Old Word-New Word and letter board routines, and instruction covers articulatory features of phonemes.
Assessment opportunities for phonemic awareness are limited. The materials recommend using Kilpatrick’s Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) three to four times a year. Additionally, assessments are included after Lessons 18 and 27 in the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, but there is no guidance on how to interpret or use the data. Progression through lessons is based on students scoring 9 out of 10 items in under two seconds on two consecutive informal assessments. However, the materials do not provide instructional suggestions for teachers on how to support students who struggle with phonemic awareness mastery.
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 contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence for teaching phonemic awareness skills, based on the work of David Kilpatrick. The sequence of instruction begins with 11 weeks of phonological awareness activities and then moves into adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes. The last five weeks of the program focus on phonological awareness work with multisyllabic words. The program lacks consistency between the phonemic awareness scope and sequence and the phonics scope and sequence as the pace of the phonemic awareness work is based on student mastery and is separate from the phonics scope and sequence.
Materials contain a clear, evidence-based explanation for the expected sequence for teaching phonemic awareness skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, the materials reference David Kilpatrick’s book Essentials for Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties and how the scope and sequence aligns with the three levels of phonological awareness. The early level is the ability to rhyme, clap syllables in words, and notice beginning sounds, which is found in the Kindergarten PA exercises. The basic level is the ability to segment and blend, and the advanced level is the ability to manipulate sounds. Materials describe the Segment and Write and Old Word, New Word routines as strategies embedded throughout Units 1-15. These routines require students to orally segment words into phonemes and connect phonemes to correct graphemes.
Materials have a cohesive sequence of phonemic awareness instruction based on the expected hierarchy to build toward students’ immediate application of the skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, the Quarterly Literacy Plan with PTR contains the following information for Advanced Oral PA:
Weeks 2-36 follow Oral PA Lessons and progress based on mastery
Lesson 1 - Blend two-syllable compound word
Lesson 2 - Omit one syllable from a compound word
Lesson 3 - Blend two syllables to form a two-syllable word
Lesson 4 - Omit one syllable from a two-syllable word
Lesson 5 - Blend onset to form CVC word
Level 6 - Blend rime to form CVC word
Level 7 - Omit onset from CVC word
Lesson 8 - Omit rime from CVC word
Lesson 9 - Substitute onset in CVC word
Lesson 10 - Substitute rime in CVC word
Lesson 11 - Add initial consonant to form CCVC word
Lesson 12 - Omit initial consonant from CCVC word
Lesson 13 - Substitute initial consonant in CCVC word
Lesson 14 - Add final consonant to form CVC word
Lesson 15 - Omit final consonant from the CVC word
Lesson 16 - Add final consonant to form CVCC word
Lesson 17 - Omit final consonant in CVCC word
Lesson 18 - Substitute final consonant in a CVC word
Lesson 19 - Substitute vowel in CVC
Lesson 20 - Add 2nd consonant to form CCVC word
Lesson 21 - Omit 2nd consonant from CCVC to form a CVC word
Lesson 22 - Substitute 2nd consonant in CCVC word
Lesson 23 - Add consonant at the end to form CVCC word
Lesson 24 - Substitute consonant at end of CVCC word
Lesson 25 - Add consonant next to end in CVCC word
Lesson 26 - Omit consonant next to end in CVCC word
Lesson 27 - Substitute consonant next to end in CVCC word
Lesson 28 - Add 3rd syllable to a two-syllable word
Lesson 29 - Omit syllable from a three-syllable word
Lesson 30 - Substitute one syllable in a two-syllable compound word
Lesson 31 - Substitute one syllable in a two-syllable word
Lesson 32 - Substitute one syllable in a three-syllable word
Lesson 33 - Add first sound to 2nd syllable
Lesson 34 - Omit first sound of 2nd syllable
Lesson 35 - Substitute first sound in 2nd syllable
Lesson 36 - Omit last sound in 1st syllable
Lesson 37 - Substitute vowel in 1st syllable
Lesson 38 - Omit 2nd consonant in 1st syllable
In the Small Group Manual, the PTR Simple to Complex Skills Continuum provides guidance on progression and alignment between phonemic awareness and phonics skills.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1, Practice 1, word lists are consistent with the phonics scope and sequence provided for teachers. The materials list words in model lesson as follows: Spell: bit, big, bag, bog, fog, og. Read: dog, dig, kig, kid, cad, cud.
Materials attend to developing phonemic awareness skills but also spend time on phonological sensitivity tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, 14 weeks are spent on phonological awareness activities such as onset and rime. Phonemic awareness activities are focused on for 21 weeks of instruction.
The Segment and Write and Old Word, New Word routines integrate phonemic awareness activities across the year, providing opportunities for students to engage in segmenting words into phonemes and connecting phonemes to graphemes.
Materials contain a phonemic awareness sequence of instruction and practice that sometimes is aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, the materials state that teachers present the lessons in the manual in order and move on to the next lesson when students reach mastery, which is “9-10 items answered correctly and fluently.” Because of this, the pace may not be consistent between classrooms and may not always align with the phonics scope and sequence.
Embedded strategies such as Segment and Write and Old Word, New Word enable students to apply phonemic awareness skills in alignment with phonics instruction.
Indicator 1D
Materials include systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness with repeated teacher modeling.
The materials provide the teacher with some explicit instruction in phonemic awareness; however, the instruction is not consistently systematic or explicit. A large portion of instruction is onset and rime or phoneme manipulation, and there is minimal focus on segmenting and blending. Students engage in segmenting and blending activities through Segment and Write and Old Word-New Word routines. Much of the instruction with phonemic awareness in the Advanced Oral PA Developmental Manual is guided practice, and there is no consistent explicit instruction. Additionally, instruction related to distinguishing between long and short vowels is found in written words only and blending and segmenting is done through phoneme manipulation only. Teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed is included in the materials. The Large Group Manual and Small Group Manual are not fully aligned, as the SGM follows a mastery-based structure rather than a fixed scope and sequence. Additionally, the Advanced Oral PA Manual lacks full integration, making instruction less explicit and more teacher-dependent.
Materials provide the teacher with limited systematic, explicit instruction in sounds (phonemes). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
RF.1.2a Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 9, Lesson 3, the teacher writes the words speak, plane, and grand and asks students to identify the vowel sound. The teacher asks why the vowel can say or cannot say its name. This is done with written words and not done orally.
RF.1.2b Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends. (This should be three to four phoneme words and can progress to multisyllabic)
In the Advanced Oral PA Developmental Manual, Lesson 6, the teacher models blending based on onset and rime. The teacher says, “Say /at/. Say /s/ first.”
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, Lesson 20, the teacher models taking a CVC word and adding another sound to blend a CCVC word. The teacher models reading the word cub and then reading club.
In the Advanced Oral PA Developmental Manual, Lesson 25, the teacher models adding a consonant to the end of a CVC word. The teacher models blending and reading jet and then jest.
RF.1.2c Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 3, Day 4, the teacher asks students to think about the word chop. Students identify the first sound, the next sound, and the final sound. There is no explicit instruction, just guided practice.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 14, Day 2, the teacher says the word cent and asks students what the first sound is. There is no explicit instruction, just guided practice.
RF.1.2d Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes).
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1, Lesson 3, the teacher states the word path and asks how many sounds are in the word. Then, the teacher asks for the first sound, the next sound, and the last sound. There is no instruction, just guided practice.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 2, Lesson 1, the teacher asks for a volunteer to help segment the word dish. The student says the sound, and the teacher writes down the letter. There is no instruction, just guided practice,
Materials provide the teacher with examples for instruction in sounds (phonemes) that align with the pure phoneme being taught for teacher modeling. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Teacher Preparation, the materials include information on the /ch/ and /j/ sounds, including how to make the sounds and the action of the mouth.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1, Practice 1, Old World-New Word routine, the teacher explicitly models phoneme manipulation by comparing phonemes in words. The teacher guides students through changing big to bag by saying, “What sound went away? What sound came in?”
Materials include teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Flip and Assist Manual, Free and Match, the materials include guidance on error correction for vowel sounds. The guidance includes telling students the error, telling students why the sound did not match, and demonstrating mouth position to assist students in vocalizing the correct vowel sound.
Indicator 1E
Materials include daily, brief lessons in phonemic awareness.
While the materials include daily phonological and phonemic awareness lessons, there is inconsistent alignment to the phonics portion of the lesson. Instruction occurs through the Advanced Oral PA Development book. Students progress through the material based on mastery, and it is not aligned with the phonics portion of the lesson. Materials provide opportunities for students to connect phonemes to graphemes through Old Word-New Word and letter board routines. The materials provide instruction around the articulatory features of phonemes.
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 Advanced Oral PA Development book, Lesson 1, students begin instruction and move on to the next lesson once mastery is achieved. This does not align with the phonics portion of the lesson. Different skills are integrated throughout the lesson. For example, in Lesson 11, students add initial consonants to make CCVC words. Initial words given in the first list include lye, top, mile, nor, rye, pot, Kate, coop, pine, pun.
Materials include opportunities for students to practice connecting sounds to letters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1, Practice 1, Lesson 4, the teacher instructs students to change the word bit to big. Students compare the phonemes in the two words, identify that the final sound changes from /t/ to /g/, and adjust the letters on their boards accordingly.
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 Large Group Manual, Week 1, Day 3, the teacher reviews the Smile Hill with students. The teacher moves from the top of the Smile Hill to the bottom, reminding students of the articulation of /ee/, i/, /e/, /ae/, /a/, /u/, and /o/.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 2, the teacher reviews previously taught consonants and asks questions such as, “Is that a sound that uses the lips or tongue?” and “Can you find the picture that shows the (lip, tongue, teeth, and tongue, etc) making that 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).
The materials include two assessment opportunities related to phonemic awareness. The materials recommend using David Kilpatrick’s Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) three or four times a year. There is an assessment given after Lesson 18 and Lesson 27 in the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, though information on how to interpret the data and what to do with the data is not included. Throughout the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, the teacher moves on to the next lesson when students answer nine out of 10 items in less than two seconds for two consecutive informal assessment practice lists. Materials do not support teachers with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students progress toward mastery in phonemic awareness.
Materials do not 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:
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, students are given the Basic Phoneme Assessment after Lesson 18 and the Advanced Phoneme Assessment after Lesson 27.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 7 is David Kilpatrick’s Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST). This assessment measures basic phonological awareness to more advanced skills. It is suggested that teachers give this assessment at the beginning of the year, at the end of the second nine weeks, and at the end of the fourth nine weeks. The Large Group Manual states to complete this assessment four times a year.
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 Assessment Manual, the materials include information on how to interpret the results of the PAST. The materials state that students should master basic syllables and onset-rime since those are Kindergarten skills and basic phonemes by early to late 1st grade. Mastery is considered 9 of 10 correct.
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, the materials state that a lesson is mastered when a student gets nine out of 10 correct and gives answers in less than two minutes consecutively for two lists. When this happens, the teacher can move on to the next skill. There is no information on interpreting students’ current skills/level on the Basic Phoneme Assessment, the Advanced Phoneme Assessment.
Materials do not 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 Assessment Manual, the materials state that on the PAST assessment, there are “developmental guidelines for this grade level,” and “students who are behind these norms should be provided additional Oral PA exercises and additional PTR instruction.” Additional information is not provided.
Criterion 1.2: Phonics (Decoding and Encoding)
Materials emphasize explicit, systematic instruction of research-based and/or evidence-based phonics.
The materials provide a clear phonics scope and sequence based on high-utility patterns and generalizations. While they reference research from Linnea Ehri and David Kilpatrick, they do not include a research-based explanation for the order of instruction. The program avoids the three-cueing system and provides reasonable pacing for explicit instruction and practice, allowing students to build automaticity. Phonics instruction occurs in both large- and small-group settings, with cumulative review embedded throughout.
Systematic and explicit phonics instruction includes one-to-one letter-sound correspondences, blending routines, and corrective feedback guidance for teachers. Students frequently practice decoding and encoding words using routines such as Old Word-New Word and Read and Agree. The program also incorporates sound dots for blending and strategies for breaking multisyllabic words into syllables. Spelling rules and generalizations align with the phonics scope and sequence, with instruction provided in the Large Group Manual and additional practice in the Small Group Manual. The Pathways to Spelling resource offers specific encoding instruction, including explanations of spelling generalizations.
Decodable texts align with the phonics scope and sequence but are paced based on student ability, meaning not all students may cover every skill or text. Small-group instruction follows a separate scope and sequence, with decodable texts designed specifically for that setting. Lesson plans for repeated readings of decodable texts are provided in Units 1–3, but after that, teachers must apply the same structure without additional explicit guidance. Students engage in multiple readings of texts with a focus on accuracy, prosody, or meaning.
Assessments include benchmark tests given every nine weeks to measure spelling and nonsense word reading. A rubric categorizes students as on track or at risk, with small-group instruction recommended for struggling students. However, specific intervention lessons are not provided. The Pathways to Spelling program includes weekly spelling tests featuring words in both isolation and context.
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 clear scope and sequence based on high-utility patterns and generalization. The materials include references to well-known researchers such as Linnea Ehri and David Kilpatrick; however, they do not include a research-based explanation for the order of instruction.
Materials have a minimal research-based explanation for the order of the phonics sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Pathways to Reading Website, How Pathways Works, the materials provide an image of the Simple View of Reading.
In the Large Group Manual, Teacher Preparation Tab, the materials include information on Linnea Ehri’s four stages of reading development, including the progression from a reader focused on beginning or ending sounds to a reader identifying words never seen in print, and finally to a reader storing words as a unit.
In the Large Group Manual, Teacher Preparation Tab, there is reference to Kilpatrick’s research highlighting the importance of orthographic mapping to decoding instruction.
In the Large Group Manual, Teacher Preparation Tab, a statement says, “PTR’s continuum of instructional strategies progress from simple to complex, establishing the foundational skills necessary for independent decoding and ensuring the transfer of those skills to decoding and comprehension in context.”
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 Large Group Manual, the scope and sequence includes:
Weeks 1-9:-Consonants and Vowels/Overview
Week 2: th, ck
Week 3: sh, ch
Week 4: ng
Week 5: wh
Week 6: -e, -ee
Week 8: qu, x, y
Week 10: i, a
Week 11: ck, o, e, u
Week 12: ck, a, e, i, o, u
Week 13: th, ch
Week 14: sh, wh
Week 15: ng
Week 16: ll, ff, ss, dd
Week 17: e to 2 ee’s, ae, oe, ee
Week 18: ue=/oo/, ue, ie
Week 19: Long Vowels
Week 20: qu, x
Week 21: y
Week 22: ou/ow
Week 23: oi/oy
Week 24: au/aw
Week 25: oo
Week 26: or, ar, er
Week 27: ir
Week 28: long vowel with r
Week 29: ea
Week 30: oa
Week 31: ai/ay
Week 32: Multisyllable with er
Week 33: Multisyllable with y
Week 34: Multisyllable with double consonants
Phonics instruction is based on high utility patterns and/or specific phonics generalizations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 4, Day 1, students learn the phonics pattern -ng and are told that “ng never has a long vowel preceding it.”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 20, Day 2, students learn that the letter g can represent both the /j/ and /g/sounds. The teacher explains that g is similar to c in that the vowels e, i, and y, make it say the /j/ sound.
Indicator 1H
Materials are absent of the three-cueing system.
Materials are absent of the three-cueing system.
Materials do not contain elements of instruction that are based on the three-cueing system.
Materials do not contain lessons or resources that include the three-cueing system.
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.
Materials include reasonable pacing of newly taught phonics skills. There is sufficient time for explicit instruction and practice to help students work toward automaticity. Students receive phonics instruction in both the large group manual and in the small group manual. The materials also include cumulative review throughout the program.
Materials include reasonable pacing of newly taught phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 3, Day 2, r-controlled vowels ar, er, ir, or, and ur are introduced. Students practice these weekly. Then, students review this in Weeks 19 and 32 of the Pathways to Spelling Manual.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, students learn to read and spell multisyllabic words with two or three syllables. On Day 2, students count and identify syllables, and on Day 3, students look at words and identify whether they are short vowels or long vowels. On Days 4 and 5, students play Vowel Bump, Circle, and Read, where they identify the type of vowel before reading the multisyllabic words.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 14, students are introduced to the -le suffix in Lesson 1, review the suffix in Lesson 2, and practice spelling words with the suffix in Lesson 4.
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 Large Group Manual, Quarters One and Two, students practice spelling phonetically regular words for 10 - 15 minutes during whole-group instruction and then 10 - 20 minutes during Quarters Three and Four. Students also spend 10 - 20 minutes spelling in Quarters One and Two and 20 minutes in Quarters Three and Four.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 6, Days 1 - 5, students practice vowels for five minutes daily. Activities listed for daily practice include -e to the end, Freeze and Match, Freeze and Match in Sets, Say on Own, and Find It, Say it, Cover It, and Spot the Vowel.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 7, students practice the vowel teams ea, oa, ai, ay, and ay. The skill is initially taught in the Large Group Manual and also in the Pathways to Spelling Manual in Weeks 29, 30, and 31. Ea is taught in Week 29, oa is taught in Week 30, and ai and ay are taught in Week 31.
Materials contain distributed, cumulative, and interleaved opportunities for students to practice and review all previously learned grade-level phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Day 2, students review the th, sh, ch, and wh digraphs. The digraph th is initially introduced in Week 1, Day 5. It is then reviewed in Week 2, Day 2, during the Segment and Write lesson plan.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 16, the materials state that students will spell words “utilizing any guides or spellings taught to date.” Students spell the words shake, week, quick, yelp, stung, choke, thresh, lax, truck, and bring, which includes all review patterns.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 21, Days 1 - 5, students review spelling words with g/e, i, y, -ge, -dge, -tch.
Indicator 1J
Materials include systematic and explicit phonics instruction with repeated teacher modeling.
The materials contain systematic and explicit phonics instruction. The materials include explicit instruction in one-to-one letter-sound correspondences, including vowels, and students can blend graphemes to read words with a consistent routine. The materials also include corrective feedback guidance for teachers for a variety of student errors.
Materials contain explicit instructions for systematic and repeated teacher modeling of newly taught phonics patterns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
RF.1.3a Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 2, Day 2, the teacher introduces the /th/ sound by explaining that the sound is spelled with two letters, th.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 3, Day 2, the teacher says, “We learned that /sh/ is spelled with two letters. It’s one of the -h brothers.” So /sh/ is spelled with the letters -s-h.”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Day 1, the teacher introduces w and wh. The teacher provides the sound and spelling for wh and explains, “-wh really has its own sound, which is: /wh/.” The teacher explains that it takes longer to say than words starting with a w.
RF.1.3b Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1, Lesson 4, the teacher models decoding the word tap using a three-step strategy for reading. Students’ first step is to identify the vowel, then they read the vowel to the end, and finally, they read the whole word.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 12, Lesson 3, the teacher explains the concept of plural words. The teacher models turning dog into dogs. The teacher introduces the -s and -es plurals poster.
RF.1.3c Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 6, Day 1, the teacher tells students there are three sounds in the word gate and picks a student to provide the sounds and spell them using Student Assist as needed. The teacher reviews the What’s Your Name -e phonics guide, and students spell the words gate and side.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 1, the teacher places the letters for the word beast in random order and explains there are four sounds in the word, asking students for the first and then second sound and asking students how they usually spell the /ee/ sound. Then, the teacher explains that ea is another way to spell the /ee/ sound.
RF.1.3d Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 3, the teacher reviews what multisyllable means, reviews what they have learned will change when reading multisyllable words, and models with the word stony using the following steps: identify the number of syllables for the word stony, write the letters for the first syllable and the second syllable, and then the class reads each syllable as the teacher circles it on the board. The activity is repeated with the words body, copy, whisper, river, city, paper, shiny, driver, frozen, secret, and open.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 9, Lesson 3, the teacher explains that all words in English have a vowel sound in them and introduces the concept of multisyllable words. The teacher explains, “A multisyllable word is a word with more than one syllable. Just like every word has a vowel sound, every syllable will have a vowel sound.”
RF.1.3e Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 5, the teacher tells students they will learn to read multisyllable words in a trickier way. The students will learn to “eyeball” the vowels in words without the use of placing dots on the vowels. The teacher models with the words painter and faster.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 10, Lesson 4, the teacher reminds students that they have trained their eyes to find vowels in a multisyllable word, and they will begin a list of instant syllables for their eyes to notice with the double consonants chart. The teacher explains that when they see a double consonant, they can find the syllables instantly. The teacher models with the words biggest and kitten.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 10, Lesson 4, the teacher introduces words with consonant -le, explaining that the -le always grabs the consonant before it, and it becomes a syllable.
RF.1.3f Read words with inflectional endings. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 22, Day 2, the teacher tells students they will learn about a new syllable ending and that they will see the ending often when reading. The teacher explains it is wishy-washy and explains it means it’s not sure it wants to be a syllable. The teacher models with the word lifted, sounding out the -ed with all three sounds on the Wishy-Washy -ed poster.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 11, Lesson 3, the teacher introduces the suffix -er and tells students that they will find it at the end of multisyllabic words. The teacher models reading the word logger with students, telling them to divide the word between consonants. In this lesson, the teacher also discusses how to decode -er in words with one consonant, like ruler or driver.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 13, Lesson 1, the teacher introduces the suffix -ed and explains the three different sounds it makes.
Lessons include blending and segmenting practice using structured, consistent blending routines with teacher modeling. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 4, Lesson 1, students segment the word gate and point and say each sound. Then, students use a thumb and finger to point to the a and e at the same time and write the sounds.
In the Flip and Assist, Segment and Write Only Tab, the routine for spelling single syllable words is provided. The routine includes the teacher saying the word, asking students to tap, using sound dots, and then spelling the sounds orally before writing each word sound by sound.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 7, Day 1, the teacher reviews the spelling rule for double consonants f, l, and s. The students spell the words off, miss, will, sniff, and pass using a consistent routine of identifying the number of sounds, saying the first sound, and providing the letter for the sound.
Lessons include dictation of words and sentences using the newly taught phonics pattern(s). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 5, Lesson 1, students use the Segment and Write routine to spell the words whip, sweet, help, and wing. Students say the word, tap and say each sound, and then spell the word, first with magnetic letters.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 6, Day 3, students practice spelling words with -ng, such as long, king, sang, and string. They also write the sentences They sang to the thin kings and Do you have a long red string?
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 14, Day 3, the teacher dictates a list of words with oi/oy, including join, joy, and boy. Then, students write two sentences, including There is a boy with the gold coin.
Materials include teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 1, Day 4, materials direct the teacher to correct a student by repeating the rule of a vowel, saying its name if there is an -e at the end of the word, and asking the student if the target word has an -e at the end.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 4, the teacher writes the word silent on the board. If students do not read the initial vowel correctly, the teacher asks the student if they know the word and then try on the “name hat,” which means reading it with both the short vowel sound and the long vowel sound.
In the Flip and Assist Manual, teacher guidance for corrective feedback is given for a variety of mistakes. For example, if a student names a letter instead of a sound, the teacher asks, “What’s the sound?”
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.
The materials provide students with frequent opportunities to decode and encode words with taught phonics patterns during large-group and small-group time. There are several routines included throughout the program to support this, such as Old Word-New Word and Read and Agree. The program includes the use of sound dots to help with blending and breaking words into syllables to read and spell multisyllabic words.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to decode words with taught phonics patterns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 23, Days 4 and 5, students practice reading multisyllabic words with -ed, -y, -ly, and -er using the multi-syllable decoding strategy. Students identify the “instant syllable,” the suffix, and then read the word. Students decode seventeen words including flipper, loudly, producer, and zoology.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1, Lesson 4, students engage in the Old Word - New Word activity by changing vowels and consonants to make new words. Students decode the words dog, dig, big, kid, cad, and cud.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 14, Lesson 2, students work in pairs to match beginning syllables with the -le suffix to form and read words. Words included are beetle, ratte, bubble, and needle.
The Dive Into Reading Book provides decodable word lists, sentences, and passages for the Small Group Manual, Units 1 - 15, that provide practice with an embedded phonics skill. For example, the word lists for Unit 12 include words with key phonics skills -dge and -tch. Words included in the word lists are hedge, ridge, rage, stitch, hitch, and ditch.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to encode words with taught phonics patterns. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Day 2, students segment and write words with wh. Practice words include whip, which, whim, when, whisk, wham, and whiz.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 4, Lesson 2, students use the Old Word-New Word activity to change vowels and consonants in words to write new words. Words include hike, like, luke, luck, and pluck.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 12, Lesson 4, students encode words that have the suffix -ed. Words included are ones where -ed is added, words where students have to drop the -e and add -ed, words where the -y changes to i, and Double Up words. These words include beep, flake, fan, and cry.
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 Small Group Manual, Unit 2, Lesson 1, the teacher guides students to blend the three sounds in the word dish by using sound dots. They repeat the process with the word shop.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 9, Lessons 3 and 4, students practice reading multisyllabic words using a provided word list. The strategy to read these words is to spot the vowel, do the vowel bump, read each syllable, and then blend to say the word. Words used include tunnel, coffee, kennel, and funnel.
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 Small Group Manual, Unit 4, Lesson 4, students read words in pairs using a Read and Agree method where one student plays the role of the teacher and either agrees or disagrees with the way their partner reads the word. If there is disagreement, students work together on decoding it for accuracy. Each student reads five words from the Word Reading List.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 14, Lesson 3, in Snap and Read, students read words with suffixes as fast as they can. After the student reads the words correctly, they hand them back to the teacher.
Indicator 1L
Spelling rules and generalizations are taught one at a time at a reasonable pace. Spelling words and generalizations are practiced to automaticity.
In the materials, students learn spelling rules and generalizations that align with the phonics scope and sequence in the Large Group Manual. There is a resource called Pathways to Spelling which provides specific instruction around encoding and practice. This instruction includes explanations of spelling generalizations. Additional instruction and practice are found within the Small Group Manual.
Spelling rules and generalizations are aligned to the phonics scope and sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 3, students review the phonemes /s/ and /z/ on Day 1 and segment and write words. On Day 2, the consonant clusters sh and zh are introduced, and students segment and write the word dish with the teacher.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 26, Days 1-5, the Pathways to Spelling Lesson 17 focus is -or, -ar, and -er with one-syllable words including far, hard, sport, her, and world. On Day 2, the focus is on decoding and encoding multisyllabic words with -or, -ar, and -er. Words to spell include answer, water, very, terrible, and carry.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 31, Days 1 - 5, the focus for decoding is words with vowel teams ai- and -ay. In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, the focus is also on vowel teams ai- and -ay.
Materials include explanations for spelling of specific words or spelling rules. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 8, Lesson 10, the focus of the lesson is on qu. The teacher tells students when English words begin with sounds /k/ and /w/, it is always spelled qu.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 16, Lesson 7, students learn to spell with ll, ff, and ss. The teacher tells students that when the letters l, f, and s come at the end of a word with a one-letter vowel, the consonants are doubled.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 20, Day 4, students learn the grapheme -dge. The teacher explains that when the sound /j/ is at the end of the word, it is spelled with a -dge.
Students have sufficient opportunities to practice spelling rules and generalizations. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 4, students segment and write words with ng, such as bang and sing.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 14, students practice writing words with sh and wh, such as shop, rush, shut, wish, and what.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 24, Day 1, students practice spelling words with au and aw, such as hawk, crawl, haul, and claw.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 33, students practice writing multisyllabic words ending in -y, such as study, city, shorty, thirty, and sleepy.
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 containing grade-level phonics skills aligned to the program’s scope and sequence. The pace of instruction varies based on ability, so all students may not get to every skill/decodable. The small group instruction has its own scope and sequence (compared to large group instruction), and the decodable texts align with the small group instruction scope and sequence. Materials include lesson plans for repeated readings of decodable texts to address the acquisition of phonics skills in Units 1 - 3. For the remaining units, educators must use the structure of lesson plans from Units 1 - 3, and no new explicit teaching is done. Students have the opportunity to practice reading a text more than once and are given a focus for each reading, such as accuracy, prosody, or meaning.
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 Small Group Manual, Unit 3, the phonics focus is consonant digraph ng, short vowels, and consonants m, n, l, and r. The Unit 3 reader, “Ding Dong,” includes words such as ping, pong, sing, long, ring, song, bring, swing, and mom.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 6, the phonics focus is -y at the end of the word. Students read “The Duck’s Wish,” and decodable words include spy, shy, fly, dry, by, and cry.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 9, the phonics focus is oi, oy, and oo, as in book and moon. One of the decodable texts is “Off to the Zoo,” which includes words such as zoo, noise, too, food, and enjoy.
Materials include lesson plans for repeated readings of decodable texts to address the acquisition of phonics skills. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 2, Lesson 5, students read the sentence “The pig got the cob from Ted” first for accuracy. Then, students reread the sentence with phrasing as they echo read the sentence with the teacher after the teacher models reading the sentence without phrasing. Then, the teacher models reading the sentence the way they talk using appropriate phrasing.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 4, students read the text “Safe on a Bike” three times. On Day 3, they read with a focus on accuracy. On Day 4, they read with a prosody focus, and on Day 5, they read with a focus on meaning.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 11, Lessons 3 - 5, students read the text “My Smart Car” three times: first with an accuracy focus, then with a prosody focus, and finally with a meaning focus.
Reading practice occurs in decodable texts (i.e., an absence of predictable) until students can accurately decode single syllable and multisyllabic words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 6, students read “The Duck’s Wish.” Words follow current and previously taught phonics patterns such as quick, dry, max, tux, feels, and says. Illustrations are in black and white and are not predictable.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 13, students read “Jump in the Jungle,” which follows the phonics pattern -le. The words in the text also include previously taught phonics skills and high-frequency words. The passage contains no illustrations.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 15, Lesson 1, students read “Lucy’s Picture Adventures,” which includes single and multisyllabic decodable words with patterns that have been taught, such as “Lucy takes pictures for a living.”
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 reviewed for Grade 1 partially meet the criteria for 1n.
The materials include benchmark assessments given three or four times a year assessing spelling and reading of nonsense words. The program includes several benchmark assessments given every nine weeks, and a rubric is used for all of them that indicates if a student is on track or at risk. For students at risk, the materials suggest that a student has small group instruction to work on the skill, but specific lessons are not provided. In addition, there are weekly spelling tests in the Pathways to Spelling program that include words in isolation and context.
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 Assessment Manual, Test 2, Words Spelling - No Guides, students are assessed on their ability to spell eight phonetically regular spelled words. The test includes two different forms and is given every nine weeks, alternating between the two forms.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 3, Word Spelling - With Guides, students are assessed on their ability to spell eight words with various phonics elements taught in the Pathways to Spelling lessons. The words include vowel teams, consonant digraphs, and graphemes such as qu, y, and ge. There are two forms for the assessment, and it is administered every nine weeks beginning in week 18. The assessment does not align with the phonics scope and sequence.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 4, Word Spelling Multisyllable, students write a multisyllabic word that the teacher says. This assessment is given at the end of the second nine weeks and then again every nine weeks after the second nine weeks if they do not receive a score of four or five.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 5, Nonsense Word Reading, students read ten decodable nonsense words, progressing from short vowels after the first nine weeks to long and short vowels, digraphs, and consonant clusters after the second nine weeks. Then, students are tested on vowel teams and clusters after the third nine weeks and vowels, clusters, and multisyllabic words after the last nine weeks.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, it states that each spelling lesson will end with a final assessment, which will contain seven words and one sentence practiced during the week and two additional words not in the week’s list or practiced during the week but still containing the same phonics skill.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1 Practice 1, teachers are instructed to administer Key Skills Assessment 1 to assess students’ decoding skills with recent phonics patterns through Key Skill Assessments, administered periodically to monitor progress and determine readiness for the next unit.
Assessment materials provide teachers and students with some information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Assessment Manual, a scoring rubric is provided for all benchmark assessments, including Word Spelling - No Guides and Word Spelling - With Guides. The rubric gives levels for high risk, at risk, nearing target, on target, and above target. For example, in Test 3, Word Spelling - With Guides, getting 0 - 22 items correct is considered high risk, 23 - 27 items correct is considered at risk, 28 - 31 items correct is nearing target, 32 - 36 items correct is considered on-target, and 37 items correct is above target.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, once a student takes their weekly spelling assessment, the teacher scores it and is told to analyze errors, but information on students’ skill level is not provided.
In the Assessment Manual, there is an Excel Pathways Assessment Report for the teacher to enter scores. The spreadsheet automatically color codes results. Red indicates at risk, orange and yellow indicate nearing target, and green indicates on target.
Materials support teachers with some instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students to progress toward mastery in phonics. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Assessment Manual, teachers are told to adjust groups and/or pacing every nine weeks when assessments are given.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 2, Word Spelling - No Guides, it states that if students show a weakness in vowels, teachers should provide more vowel practice, and if there is a weakness with consonants, they should provide more letter-sound practice as well as additional Segment and Write and Old/New Word practice.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 3, Word Spelling - With Guides, if students do poorly, it states to do additional vowel practice, adjust pacing to six days, and cycle the required skills into different activities. A similar instructional suggestion is given for Test 5, Nonsense Words.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 4, Word Spelling Multisyllable, the teacher is supposed to have students who are at risk practice segmenting and practice multisyllabic spelling. In addition, it states that students should practice reading and spelling multisyllabic words with corrective feedback, but no guidance is provided for the teacher.
Criterion 1.3: Word Recognition and Word Analysis
Materials and instruction support students in learning and practicing regularly and irregularly spelled high-frequency words.
The materials provide systematic and explicit instruction in high-frequency words through a consistent instructional routine. Instruction includes teacher modeling of both spelling and reading, with connections between phonemes and graphemes. Students engage in structured activities such as identifying sounds, segmenting words, discussing spellings, and analyzing phoneme-grapheme correspondences. A sufficient number of high-frequency words are included, with spiraling review to reinforce learning.
Students practice high-frequency words both in isolation and in context, using resources from the Small Group Manual and Pathways to Spelling Manual. In isolation, they focus on a designated set of words, while in context, they encounter high-frequency words in sentences and decodable texts. Additionally, students practice spelling high-frequency words in sentences and proofreading for spelling errors in Pathways to Spelling.
The program explicitly teaches syllable division, including identifying syllables and the -le suffix, though it does not cover specific syllable types. Instruction on morphemes, particularly suffixes, is included and aligns with standards. Lessons on syllabication and morpheme analysis are found in both the Large Group Manual and Small Group Manual.
Assessment opportunities for word recognition and analysis are limited. A quarterly assessment measures high-frequency word knowledge, and another quarterly assessment includes spelling words with suffixes, but no additional word analysis assessments are provided. These assessments categorize students as high-risk, nearing target, or above target. While general instructional suggestions, such as adjusting pacing or using flashcards, are included, they are not tailored to individual student needs based on assessment results.
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 with a consistent instructional routine. Instruction includes teacher modeling of both spelling and reading of high-frequency words that includes connecting the phoneme to the grapheme. Instructional routines include identifying the number of sounds in the word, segmenting the sounds, discussing the spelling of each sound, and determining if the phoneme-grapheme correspondence is expected or irregular. Materials include a sufficient quantity of high-frequency words for students to make reading progress and includes spiraling review.
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:
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 9, Day 1, the teacher analyzes the words said and of. The teacher shows the word, uses it in a sentence, and then shows the number of sounds in the word. The teacher assists with modeling and discussing if the words include ‘cheater’ or irregular letter-sound parts. When writing the medial sound, the teacher asks what sound the students hear, how it is usually spelled, and how it is spelled in this word.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 8, Lesson 4, the teacher analyzes the words would and book. The teacher explains that the vowel sound is /u/ but is spelled with ou in would and oo in book.
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 Spelling Manual, Lesson 3, Day 5, the teacher introduces the words what and who. The teacher begins by segmenting and writing the words on sound dots. The teacher follows a six-step process of introducing the word, including the meaning of the word, the number of sounds in the word, asking the students to say the first sound, asking the students to spell the word, asking the students to write each sound on a sound dot, and then to read the word.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 5, Lesson 3, the teacher introduces the second set of SNAP and Map words to students. The teacher introduces the “Cool Cousin” words that contain words with sound spellings that are tricky to learn. The teacher models with the word word. The teacher thinks aloud about the first sound and then discusses the different ways to spell the second sound. The teacher discusses that the /er/ sound is spelled with -or in this word. Then, the teacher introduces the word world.
Materials include a sufficient quantity of high-frequency words for students to make reading progress. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Dive Into Reading Book, there are 200 SNAP high-frequency words presented in groups of 50. The words are considered one of three groups. The first group is called “You Got This,” which are decodable words. The second group is called “Cool Cousins,” which are words that only have one unexpected grapheme. The last group is called “Lone Star Words,” which are words with two or more graphemes that do not have the anticipated phoneme. The words include:
In Quarter One, students learn the words and, as, at, an, can, back, had, has, man, get, did, him, his, in, is, it, if, long, not, on, but, just, up, with, when, which, will, that, this, then, them, than, thing, to, do, who, into/ other, mother, another, was, they, have, of, the, one, two, from, are, you.
In Quarter Two, students learn: be, he, she, we, so, do, I, hand, land, ask, set, spell, tell, well, end, help, men, went, still, big, off, much, such, must, us, make, see, these, time, like, more, use, each, by, word, work, world, all, small, call, some, come, where, there, any, many, what, were, said, your
In Quarter Three, students learn: name, same, came, made, take, need, here, three, home, line, place, page, year, mean, read, air, way, day, may, say, play, go, no, me, why, my, try, how, now, down, out, look, oil, would, could, should, find, kind, know, show, live, give, been, there, write, new, people, water, very.
In Quarter Four, students learn the words sound, found, our, house, boy, point, good, too, for, or, her, first, turn, part, farm, large, about, around, away, number, over, after, letter, because, before, different, even, little, picture, only, sentence, study, high, right, change, does, great, learn, move, old, put, think, through, want, again, animal, answer, follow, also, America.
Indicator 1P
Instructional opportunities are frequently built into the materials for students to practice and gain decoding automaticity of high-frequency words.
The materials provide students with opportunities to decode high-frequency words in isolation and in context in both the Small Group Manual and the Pathways to Spelling Manual. In isolation, students practice a set of words. In context, students practice high-frequency words in both sentences and decodable texts. In addition, students have the opportunity to spell high-frequency words in sentences in the Pathways to Spelling Manual. Students also have practice opportunities to proofread sentences, looking for errors in the spelling of high-frequency words.
Students practice decoding high-frequency words in isolation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 5, Lesson 4, students practice reading high-frequency words from a set of words, including find and kind.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 8, Lesson 4, students learn and practice new high-frequency words, including would, could, should, been, there, write, people, water, and very.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 11, Lesson 2, students read 14 high-frequency words, including change, want, again, and answer.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to decode high-frequency words in context. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 2, Lesson 5, students read a set of sentences, including The chicks peck to get into the snack bag and One of the ducks from the pond snuck into the shed. Students practice reading the high-frequency words the, to, get, into, one, of, and from.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Lesson 4, students read the passage “A Wish for a Chick,” which includes the set of high-frequency words the, in, at, is, and, you, can, do, and it.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 4, Lesson 4, students read the passage “The Duck’s Wish.” The story contains the high-frequency words the, two, hear, wants, are, they so, and by.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to encode 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 Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 3, Day 5, students spell the sentence I have a gift from his mom, which includes the high-frequency word have.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 11, Day 5, students spell the sentence Why did you yell at my cat?, which includes the high-frequency word you.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 13, Day 3, students proofread the sentence How could I make the round box? The original sentence spells make as mak, which is the high-frequency word.
Indicator 1Q
Materials include explicit instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis and provide students with practice opportunities to apply learning.
The materials explicitly teach students syllable division. The program does not teach students specific syllable types, but it does explain how to find syllables, including suffix -le. The program includes instruction on morphemes, specifically suffixes, which is in alignment with the standards. Instruction for syllabication and morpheme analysis is found in both the Large Group Manual and Small Group Manual.
Materials contain some explicit instruction of syllable types and routines for syllable division that promote decoding and encoding of words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 2, the teacher explains that a multisyllabic word is one with multiple vowel sounds. The teacher models the word river and explains, “I will say the word river slowly and tap a finger for each syllable. Watch.” The students then practice with the word rabbit, and the teacher asks how many syllables.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 3, the teacher reviews the meaning of multisyllable and then introduces the Name Hat Sound Hat Phonics Guide, modeling with the word stony. After having the students identify the syllables, segment, and write the word, the teacher points to the o in stony using the Name Hat Sound Hat phonics guide, asking students what sound the vowel would normally make. The teacher explains, “That guide changes in words with more than one syllable. In multisyllabic words, if a vowel is spelled with one letter, it wears two hats. It might wear its Sound Hat like it usually does on Vowel Town, or it might wear its special fancy Name Hat.”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 24, Day 2, the teacher introduces a new “Instant Syllable” -le. The teacher shows the word handle and asks students how many syllables. The teacher explains this “is a tricky syllable because we don’t hear a vowel, but we are going to stick this -e at the end of the syllable so that it has a vowel in it.”
Materials contain frequent explicit instruction in morpheme analysis to decode unfamiliar words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 25, Day 2, the teacher introduces the suffix -tion, modeling with the word gumption. The teacher explains that it is a tricky suffix and draws two lines on the board. The teacher asks the students what the first syllable is and how to spell it, and then what the last syllable is and how to spell it. The teacher explains that the suffix -tion is not spelled as expected and models that the /sh/ sound is spelled with a ti and the /u/ sound is spelled with an o.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 11, Lesson 4, the teacher models reading with the suffix -er. The teacher models decoding the word logger and then asks students if they recognize a suffix at the end of the word. The teacher points to the -er and explains that it is another suffix that comes at the end of multisyllabic words.
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:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 5, Lesson 4, students engage in the Circle, Bump, and Read Strategy, where students have to circle syllables before reading words. The teacher models with the word faster and students practice with the words beside, empty, fancy, under, morning, and silver.
In the Large Group Manual, Weeks 28 - 34, Day 4, Lesson 3, the teacher explains that multisyllabic words have vowels in each syllable. The teacher also explains that one vowel is sometimes loud and accented and the other is lazy and unaccented and called schwa. Students then practice reading words with a lazy vowel, including away, broken, compare, important, thermometer, asleep, and comma.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 13, Lesson 1, the teacher guides students through word analysis of the word lifted. In this exercise, the teacher asks students to identify the number of syllables in the word lifted, to name the first syllable and spell it, and to name the second syllable and spell it. The teacher reminds students that the suffix -ed tells them that the word is past tense.
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 provide minimal assessments for word recognition and analysis. The program includes one quarterly assessment for high-frequency words. There is another quarterly assessment that includes spelling words with suffixes, but no other assessment is given for word analysis. The quarterly assessments provide a rating based on the number correct to indicate students’ level, such as high-risk, nearing target, and above target. General instructional implications are provided, such as slowing the pacing or using flashcards, but they are not specific for each assessment.
Materials provide a limited variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of word recognition and analysis. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Assessment Manual, Test 4, Word Spelling Multisyllable, there is an assessment that measures students’ ability to segment multisyllabic words into syllables and phonemes. In this assessment, students spell seven multisyllabic words. Syllable endings include -le, -er, -y, -ing, and -tion. There are two forms of the assessment and it is given every nine weeks beginning in quarter two.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 6, Sight Words, students are assessed on both accuracy and fluency of reading high-frequency words. They read a list of 50 words from Fry’s first 200 words within 2.5 minutes each quarter.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, on Day 5 of each lesson, there is an assessment that requires students to spell both phonetically regular words and high-frequency words. For example, in Lesson 24, students are spelling the high-frequency words many and very.
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:
In the Assessment Manual, Test 4, Word Spelling Multisyllable, words are scored by syllable, and a scoring rubric is provided. If students score 0 - 33, they are considered high-risk. If they score 31 - 41, they are considered at risk. If they score between 42 and 47, they are considered nearing the target. If they score between 48 and 54, they are considered on target, and if they score between 55 and 56, they are considered above target.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 6, Sight Word Test, a scoring rubric is provided which identifies students as either high-risk (0-29 correct), at-risk (30-37 correct), nearing target (38-42 correct), on-target (43-48 correct) or above target (49-50 correct).
Materials minimally support the teacher with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students to progress toward mastery in word recognition and word analysis. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Assessment Manual, Test 4, Word Spelling Multisyllable, the only instructional implication is for the teacher to practice with students both reading and spelling multisyllabic words with corrective feedback and to make sure the pacing is not too fast. There is nothing specific about word analysis.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 6, Sight Word Test, instructional implications are provided, such as checking the pacing of the lesson and moving to a six-day instructional cycle. Teachers are also advised to provide feedback on decoding errors. Lastly, the program also encourages the use of flashcards for non-regular high-frequency words. Specific guidance is not provided.
Criterion 1.4: Fluency
Materials provide systematic and explicit instruction and practice in fluency by mid-to-late 1st and 2nd grade. Materials for 2nd grade fluency practice should vary (decodables and grade-level texts).
The materials provide instruction in oral reading fluency, primarily during small-group instruction. The program follows a consistent routine throughout the year, where students reread passages with a focus on accuracy, prosody, or meaning. The instructional format does not change, and both teachers and students refer to a poster outlining the routine for each decodable text. Fluency instruction includes echo reading and practicing sentences with different emotions to develop prosody.
Students have opportunities to build automaticity and prosody in both sentences and passages. Instruction emphasizes echo reading and reading with and without expression, both in small groups and with partners. After guided practice, students also read passages independently. However, corrective feedback throughout the program is minimal and generic, with additional but non-specific guidance available in the PTR Teacher Kit.
The materials lack regular and systematic fluency assessments. Schools are advised to choose and administer a fluency measure three times a year, but the program itself does not provide structured fluency assessments. A teacher observation checklist includes fluency components, but there is little guidance on how to use the data or apply it to instruction.
Indicator 1S
Instructional opportunities are built into the materials for systematic, evidence-based, explicit instruction in oral reading fluency.
The materials include instruction focused on oral reading fluency, primarily during small group instructional time. The program uses the same format of instruction throughout the year, with rereading a passage and having a different focus on accuracy, prosody, or meaning. The instructional routine does not change, and students and teachers are expected to refer to a poster to find the routine for each decodable text. In addition, the program incorporates echo reading and practice reading sentences with different emotions to work on prosody.
Materials include frequent opportunities for explicit, systematic instruction in automaticity, accuracy, and prosody using grade-level decodable connected text (e.g. decodable texts, poetry, readers’ theater, paired reading). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manial, Unit 1, Lesson 5, the teacher reviews how to reread with phrasing. The teacher tells students that they should read like they talk and will read sound words quickly, then pause, and then read another set of words. The teacher models with and without appropriate phrasing.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 2, Practice 1, Lesson 3, the teacher introduces the What to do When poster. In this lesson, the teacher defines and models reading sentences with various punctuation marks, and students echo read the sentences after the teacher models the sentence with proper intonation. The teacher models reading a sentence with a comma, an exclamation mark, a period, and a question mark.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Lesson 5, the teacher introduces the Read in Context Routine using the Read in Context Routine poster. The poster includes information on the accuracy routine and the prosody routine. The Accuracy Routine focuses on cold reads, and students are given the purpose of ensuring they read each word correctly. The routine advises teachers to provide decoding strategy prompts. The Prosody Routine focuses on punctuation and expression. This routine includes scooping and circling punctuation marks. These routines are referenced throughout the program. For example, in the Small Group Manual, Unit 6, Lesson 4, students read “The Duck’s Wish,” and the teacher focuses on the accuracy routine.
Materials provide opportunities for students to hear fluent reading of grade-level text by a model reader. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 2, Lesson 5, the teacher explains what it means to “read the way we talk.” The teacher explains that when we read words together it is called a phrase. The teacher models the sentence “Look at the bird in the tree” in both a monotone voice, flat voice, and again with appropriate phrasing.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 10, Day 4, the teacher reads a paragraph, sentence by sentence, and students echo read.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 11, Day 4, the teacher reads a paragraph, and then students echo read.
Materials include a variety of resources for explicit instruction in oral reading fluency. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 2, Lesson 2, the teacher reviews that punctuation marks convey meaning. The teacher starts with a period and explains that it means to read a statement, and the voice should go down at the end.
In the Small Group Manual, Section 3, there is a Let’s Get Started list of materials to use for oral reading fluency. These materials include the Dive Into Reading booklet with word lists, sentence strips, and paragraphs, as well as Pathways to Reading readers.
Indicator 1T
Varied and frequent opportunities are built into the materials for students to engage in supported practice to gain automaticity and prosody beginning in mid-Grade 1 and through Grade 2 (once accuracy is secure).
The materials include opportunities for students to gain automaticity and prosody in sentences and passages. The majority of instruction focuses on echo reading and reading with and without prosody and expression, both in small groups and with partners. In addition, students have the opportunity to read a passage independently after guided practice with the teacher. Throughout the program, the materials contain minimal and generic corrective feedback. While additional guidance is provided in the PTR Teacher Kit, this feedback is not specific to a lesson and serves as a general guideline for teacher support.
Varied, frequent opportunities are provided over the course of the year for students to gain automaticity and prosody. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 2, Lesson 4, students practice reading with feeling by reading the sentence Zack is sick of his job! as if they are angry. Students are given four sentences to read with different emotions.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 8, Lessons 3 - 4, students practice reading different texts, including sentence strips and the reader “The Race.”
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 9, Day 4, students echo read with the teacher after the teacher explains that when reading words in quotation marks, they make their voice sound like they are talking to someone.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 16, Day 2, students echo read sentences with the teacher. On Day 4, students echo read a paragraph and then reread it independently or with a partner.
Materials provide practice opportunities for oral reading fluency in a variety of settings (e.g., repeated readings, diad or partner reading, continuous reading). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1, Lesson 5, students echo read a sentence and then reread it, focusing on phrasing.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 2, Practice 1, Lesson 4, students read a sentence and then echo read the sentence using angry voices.
In the Pathways to Spelling Manual, Lesson 6, Day 4, students reread a paragraph independently or with a partner after listening to their teacher model read it.
Materials include some guidance and corrective feedback suggestions to the teacher for supporting students’ gains in oral reading fluency. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, there is a section called “Tips on Fluency Practice During Read in Context Practice.” The materials have the teacher prompt the students to restart the sentence if they have made an error.
In the PTR Teacher Kit, the Prosody Routines provide scaffolded strategies for phrased reading practice. These include using scoop lines to model phrasing, guiding students through modeled and repeated practice, and gradually releasing responsibility for independent phrased reading.
Indicator 1U
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress in oral reading fluency (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
The materials do not include regular and systematic assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of oral reading fluency. The program states that schools should pick a fluency measure and administer it three times a year. There is a checklist a teacher can use to observe students’ reading that includes fluency, but minimal guidance is provided on how to use it, and what to do with the data is absent from the materials.
Assessment opportunities are not provided regularly and systematically over the course of the year for students to demonstrate progress toward mastery and independence of oral reading fluency. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Assessment Manual, the program indicates that DIBELS is a no cost fluency measure and provides the website; however, the program itself does not have an oral reading fluency assessment. The manual explains that the district should choose a screener that is given three times a year.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit Key Skills Assessment Overview, it states that the teacher may administer an oral reading passage whenever they desire to measure fluency and accuracy. There is a unit observation form that includes a place to check for accuracy, marked with a plus for no errors, but guidance on how to use the observation form is not included.
Assessment materials provide the teacher and students with minimal information about students’ current skills/level of understanding of oral reading fluency. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Assessment Manual, there is an Oral Reading Fluency chart with Target Rate Norms for grade levels 1 - 8 for fall and winter. A Reading Levels by Word Reading Accuracy chart is also provided with percentages listed for frustration, instructional, and independent levels. These resources are not associated with specific assessment materials.
Materials support the teacher with instructional adjustments to help students make progress toward mastery in oral reading fluency.
No evidence found
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.