The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 do not meet the criteria that materials support students’ literacy skills (understanding and comprehension) over the course of the school year through increasingly complex text to develop independence of grade level skills (series of texts should be at a variety of complexity levels).

The materials do not provide variety in text complexity to support growth of literacy skills. Students read one text in each of the six units in Semester A, and read three texts and a collection of poetry in the first four units of Semester B. Students do not read any texts in the last two units of the school year. In the units with supplemental independent reading texts, most of the supplemental texts fall below the band recommended for Grade 7. One text had a quantitative level within the grade-level band. Students are rarely asked to analyze texts, but rather read excerpts attached to technology-enhanced questions.

Texts do not increase in complexity across a school year and a variety of complexity across texts in the school year is not evident.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• At the beginning of the year, in Semester A, Unit 1, students read Boy: Tales of Childhood with a 1020L, which is below the 50th percentile Lexile for Grade 7. Throughout the unit, students independently practice literacy skills with lessons on the following topics: identifying the central idea, determining the author’s point of view and purpose, making inferences and generalizations, analyzing character development, and stating and supporting an opinion. In the lesson on stating and supporting an opinion, one of the objectives states, “Students will develop an analysis using relevant evidence from text(s) to support claims, opinions, ideas, and inferences.” However, students do not develop their own claim using evidence to support their analysis and opinions. 
• In the middle of the year in Semester A, Unit 4, students read The Whiskey Rebellion with a 1110L, which falls within the bands recommended for Grade 7. This text is also qualitatively more complex, as it is nonfiction with many Tier 3 vocabulary terms. Students use the text as a model as they write a 3-5 page biography on any historically influential Pennsylvanian. The focus of this unit is on writing, but students are assigned to read the text, and excerpts are used in the lessons. For example, in Lesson 2, “Organizing Claims and Ideas,” students view an organization technique to analyze cause and effect. An excerpt from the text is presented with a technology enhanced graphic organizer that students fill in with causes and effects of an event in Chapter 1. Students do not write their own analysis.
• By the end of year, in Semester B, Unit 5, no supplemental reading text is associated with this unit. In Lesson 6, “Making Comparisons of Authors’ Styles Using Venn Diagrams,” students read two short articles in the DOK Level 2 activity. One is an encyclopedia article, “American Civil Rights Movement,” and the other is the poem, “Harlem Hopscotch” by Maya Angelou. In the activity, students drag-and-drop the following four areas of analysis into a Venn Diagram: Intended Audience - anyone, Tone - formal, informational, factual, Genre- poetry, Author’s Purpose - to inform readers of historical events during the Civil Rights Movement. Students do not write their own analysis.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 do not meet the criteria that anchor texts and series of texts connected to them are accompanied by a text complexity analysis and rationale for purpose and placement in the grade level. 

The publisher did not include a text complexity analysis for the texts used in the materials. There was no rationale for educational purpose and placement in the grade level provided.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 do not meet the criteria that anchor and supporting texts provide opportunities for students to engage in a range and volume of reading to achieve grade-level reading proficiency.

The materials do not clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading a variety of texts to become independent grade-level readers. The materials do not offer a wide range of genres in the texts, nor do they vary much in complexity. In the six units with texts, there is a range of the Lexile band but many are below the Grade 7 stretch band. Six of the twelve units have trade books serving as anchor texts, referred to as supplemental independent reading texts by the publisher. Students are required to purchase text bundles from an online seller. No provisions are discussed addressing what would happen if students did not purchase or could not afford to purchase texts.

In the six reading units, the trade books are the only texts students read. All reading is assigned as independent work at the end of each lesson in the Summary. There is no evidence of guided reading, no instruction for close reading, and rarely are students asked to respond to open-ended comprehension questions and support their analysis with text evidence. There is no mechanism for teachers and students to monitor progress toward grade level standards or to keep track of reading, though sometimes students are asked to make notes in their digital notebooks. It is noted that in the last two units of Semester B, there are no anchor texts, so students are reading less at the end of the year than at the beginning.  

Reading comprehension skills do not build on one another, as they are presented independently of each other and the DOK levels do not always build on the same skill, even within the same lesson. All texts are read as part of the daily curriculum; however, it is not specified whether the students are to read the texts during school or as homework. In addition, no additional self-selected independent reading texts are specified. All students read the same texts throughout the year, which does not provide for individual student text complexity needs.

Instructional materials do not clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in reading a variety of texts to become independent readers at the grade level. The materials also do not clearly identify opportunities and supports for students to engage in a volume of reading as they grow toward reading independence at the grade level.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

In a typical week, students complete five lessons in one unit. In Semester B, Unit 1, students are reading When You Reach Me. Lessons for the first week include: 

• Lesson 1: “ Word Relationships and Meaning”. Students move through DOK leveled activities: Context, Transition Words, and Affixes. Some examples are presented from the text, but students are not assigned to read the text until the Summary where they are assigned to read the first two chapters. They are not given any instructions for tasks to do as they read. No instructions are provided if students annotate or make notes about unfamiliar words they encounter.
• Lesson 2: “Themes and Opinions”. Examples and excerpts are used in the DOK leveled activities on theme, generalizations, and opinions, but students are not assigned to do any reading until the Summary where they are instructed to read the next two chapters, “As you continue to study the text, you'll be able to form judgments about the characters and the plot. You will also be able to recognize the themes that run throughout.” They are not instructed to make any notes or annotate.
• Lesson 3: “Plot Diagram”. In the DOK Level 3 activity, “Falling Action”, there are no references to the supplemental text. Instead, the lesson refers to Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and a short story, “The Lady or the Tiger”. Then in the Summary, students are instructed to read the next two chapters of When You Reach Me, but do not complete any tasks associated with the reading.
• Lesson 4: “Analyzing Character Change and Development”. Examples and excerpts from other texts are used in the DOK level activities, but not from When You Reach Me. Student assignments are stated in the Summary, “You will want to read from ‘Things on Slant’ to ‘Messy Things’ in When You Reach Me before your next lesson.”
• Lesson 5: This lesson includes a Time to Review activity prior to the Unit Exam which is a word-search where students find words related to the skills learned in the previous lessons. It is not clear how finding words will help students understand the concepts. There is a Practice Activity where students complete 12 multiple choice or drag-and-drop constructed response items related to the skills learned in the previous lessons. Two of the questions use examples from the text. Finally, the Weekly Quiz includes 27 multiple choice or drag-and-drop constructed response items related to the skills learned in the previous lessons. No reading is assigned in Lesson 5.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 do not meet the criteria that most questions, tasks, and assignments are text dependent/specific, requiring students to engage with the text directly (drawing on textual evidence to support both what is explicit as well as valid inferences from the text). 

While there are supplemental independent reading texts associated with each unit or lesson, the questions and tasks are mostly focused on the skill for the activity rather than questions about the text. Some of the materials provide opportunities for evidence-based reading and writing to build literacy skills, but the majority of questions and tasks in the materials are not text-dependent. While there are several opportunities for students to engage in independent building of academic vocabulary, the use of the supplemental text to foster growth in literacy development is inconsistent. Some questions and tasks associated with the supplemental text in the three DOK activities and the Daily Assignment are evident, but these usually include a drag-and-drop or matching type activity. Students are not required to create and provide their own answers nor do they choose evidence from the text to support their answers. Sentences and examples used for independent practice are disconnected from the supplemental text and do not build over the course of the year. Instead, students continue to respond with prepared drop-down or drag-and-drop answers to questions instead of forming their own responses.

While the Teacher Portal includes students’ scores on activities, no suggested interventions for struggling students are provided or if students do not answer the questions correctly. For instance, there is no instruction to assist students in using details from the text in their answer, selecting significant evidence, appropriately paraphrasing, quoting, transitioning between paragraphs, citing sources, or further explaining when providing text-dependent written or spoken answers. No guidance is provided to support teacher planning nor assistance with implementation of text-dependent writing, speaking, or completing any activities. The OER/Teacher Resources link takes students to outside sources related to the skill being taught, and are also not text-dependent.

A minority of questions, tasks, and assignments are text-dependent. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Semester A, Unit 1, Lesson 3: “Making Inferences and Generalizations,” students are reading Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl. In the Pre- and Post-Test, students answer the same three questions: In Question 1, students use a drop-down menu to select answers to fill in definitions and strategies for making inferences. In Question 2, students read an excerpt from the novel and are provided an inference about a character. They select the statements from the excerpt that either support or do not support the inference. In Question 3, students read a passage and highlight textual support for a provided inference. In the DOK Level 1 activity, students read excerpts from the text and categorize them as an inference or direct information. In the DOK Level 2 activity, students drag statements about characters into positive or negative impression categories. A student would not need to read the text in order to complete this assignment. In the DOK Level 3 activity, students match inferences from the text with supporting sentences. Though these activities are technically text-dependent, students do not make their own inferences and support them with text evidence. They are matching already created statements. Two of the six questions in the daily lesson are related to the text.
• In Semester B, Unit 3, Lesson 13: “Personification: Meaning and Tone”, DOK Level 1 activity, students sort lines from Robert Frost poems into three categories of personification: animal, thing or object, or idea. In the DOK Level 2 activity, students read the poem, “Departmental” by Robert Frost and complete a cloze activity to constructing an analysis of the poem’s use of personification. A student could complete the activity without reading the poem based on the context cues in the activity. For example, the last sentence says, “The last line of the poem shows that the poet finds departmental work to be a _____ thing, because workers are trained not to care about other workers.” Students could choose “negative” from the list of answer choices even without reading the poem. In the DOK Level 3 activity, students read a poem and use a cloze activity to complete an analysis of the poem. Students are not asked to complete their own analysis; rather they are given a partially completed analysis and fill in blanks. No guidance is provided for the teacher about possible reteaching strategies, only a list of resources on other websites with information about the skill, not additional text-dependent questions.

No teacher guidance is provided for implementation of text-dependent questions and tasks, and intervention after checking student answers.

Examples include, but are not limited to: 

• In Semester A, Unit 1, Lesson 4: “Analyzing Character Development Throughout a Text”, Daily Assignment, students answer six questions. Examples of the types of questions and teacher guidance include: 
• Question 1 (Multiple Choice): “What is sensory imagery?” (Choices: Descriptions that appeal to the five senses, Detail that makes the reader curious, Detail that provides information about characters, or Description that makes characters come alive.)  
• Question 3 (Drop-Down Menu): “Imagery that brings places to life is _________.” (Choices: vivid, historically accurate). 
• Question 6 is the only question referring to the text. Students match inferences they could make about characters from Boy: Tales of Childhood with a quote from the text meant to show indirect characterization. For all similar questions in every lesson, the teacher may view student answers in the Teacher Portal, but there is no instruction to the teacher for how to intervene if the student has not mastered the skill, other than to allow them to retake the assignment. 
• In Semester A, Unit 4, Lesson 1, Summary, students write a 3-5 page biography on any historically influential Pennsylvanians, “Your teacher will inform you of any specific information that they would like you to cover within your biography.” However, reviewers did not find any further instructions for teachers to consult. Students include in-text citations and use a minimum of three credible sources listed on a Works Cited or Bibliography page; however, no rubrics or model papers are provided for the teacher to support students as they write drafts or for teachers to grade and provide feedback.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 do not meet the criteria for sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions and tasks build to a culminating task that integrates skills (may be writing, speaking, or a combination).

The materials do not include sets of high-quality sequences of text-dependent/specific questions that build to a culminating task. Culminating tasks also do not integrates skills, and the culminating tasks do not connect to texts that students read. The questions that students answer during each unit are stand-alone, skill-based questions. There is no evidence of sequencing that builds to the culminating task, though students write the culminating task throughout the unit with little support. The curriculum does not provide tasks of quality that are evident across a year’s worth of material. While all of the units end with a unit exam which covers the skills that were presented in the lessons, these are not culminating tasks that integrate skills. Three of the twelve units include a writing assignment that could be considered a culminating writing task, though they do not include speaking and listening elements. All three units occur in Semester A. The first semester includes culminating projects highlighting integrated writing skills; however, writing is not text-dependent, does not require students to read any specific text, and is not based on any time frame of reading or text-dependent work. Each of the writing tasks can be completed without reading the supplemental independent reading text for the unit. Skills-based lessons include excerpts and examples from the text, but the writing tasks do not ask students to draw from the text. The final unit of the year teaches skills in speaking and participating in a digital presentation, but there are no requirements the students actually produce any work for these skills, and they are not tied to any text.

Culminating tasks are not related to coherent sequences of text-dependent questions and tasks; they may be completed without understanding of the text.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Semester A, the Quarter 1 overview provides evidence that students do not have to correlate any reading or texts to their culminating work, “After reading to analyze and understand the genre, students will demonstrate their understanding by crafting their own personal narratives. They will move on to a focused reading unit of objective nonfiction texts to enhance their overall understanding of the genre.” Completing focused reading of the genre after writing the culminating task does not show a logical progression of text-dependent writing.
• In Semester A, Unit 2, the culminating task is a 2-4 page first-person narrative “about a situation that at first scared you or you struggled with, but eventually taught you a valuable lesson or skill.” Students learn about the writing process throughout the unit while reading the text, Boy: Tales of Childhood. While excerpts and examples from the text are used in the lessons on these writing topics, students could complete the writing assignment without reading and understanding the text. There are very few text-dependent questions where students construct their own responses. Questions are related to skills of lessons using technology-enhanced activities. Lessons focus on writing strategies such as:
• Lesson 4: Using Prewriting Strategies
• Lesson 6: Sequencing Events
• Lesson 7: Using Descriptive Details and Sensory Language
• Lesson 8: Using Dialogue and Pacing
• Lesson 11: Using Transitions to Connect Ideas Clearly
• In Semester A, Unit 4, the culminating task is a 3-5 page biography on “any historically influential Pennsylvanian.” Students read The Whiskey Rebellion, and lessons throughout the unit use examples and excerpts from the text, but students could complete the culminating task without reading the text. There are few text-dependent questions that students respond to in the unit. Questions are related to skills of lessons using technology-enhanced activities. This unit includes lessons on creating a presentation, but it is not clear if or when this will be completed in class. Lessons that focus on the writing skills related to the task include:
• Lesson 1: Identifying the Audience and Brainstorming Ideas
• Lesson 2: Organizing Claims and Ideas
• Lesson 3: Gathering Relevant, Credible Sources
• Lesson 4: Identifying and Citing Credible Sources
• Lesson 7: Supporting Claims with Clear Reasoning
• Lesson 8: Using Quotations Effectively
• Lesson 14: Creating Multimedia Presentations
• In Semester A, Unit 6, the culminating task is a 3-5 page persuasive speech on one of two topics. Option 1: Should school be year round with more breaks to improve education. Option 2: Should school officials be involved in punishing students found guilty of cyberbullying? Students read Ronald Reagan’s speech, “A Time for Choosing” and learn the skills needed to write a persuasive letter. Examples and excerpts are used in the skill-based lessons, however, there are no text-dependent questions for students to answer. Questions are related to skills of lessons using technology-enhanced activities. The culminating task appears to be more focused on the writing, even though it is a speech. There is very little focus on speaking and listening standards and it is unclear if students would present the speeches. Students could complete the task without reading the supplemental independent reading text. Lessons that focus on skills related to the task include:
• Lesson 1: Claims vs. Opinions
• Lesson 2: Identifying Credible Sources
• Lesson 3: Finding Evidence to Support Claims
• Lesson 4: Writing Clear Claims and Arguments
• Lesson 6: Analyzing Evidence
• Lesson 11: Using Clear and Effective Language
• In Semester B, there are no culminating tasks. Although units have the titles Writing Fiction Collections (Unit 2), Writing Poetry (Unit 4), Writing an Academic Essay (Unit 5), and Presenting Original Work (Unit 6), none of these units have an assigned culminating tasks; students learn the skills in isolation.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 do not meet the criteria for materials provide frequent opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions (small groups, peer-to-peer, whole class) that encourage the modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax.

The materials provide few opportunities and protocols for evidence-based discussions and are not robust across the full school year. Four lessons are provided related to speaking and listening in discussion. Each lesson, titled “Engaging in Collaborative Discussions,” introduces students to the theory and practice of having discussions; however, students do not have evidence-based discussions around the text they are reading. The lessons teach protocols and strategies for how to interact with each other when reviewing work related to writing assignments and presentations, but the skills are isolated to these particular lessons. The materials are not clear for when students are to have discussions during class time during the instructional day. While there is not an established plan for using vocabulary in context, the lessons introduce students to content-specific vocabulary related to collaborative discussions. Teacher implementation guidance is not provided to support students struggling with these skills; teacher materials are the same materials that the students see. 

Materials provide few or no questions or supports for evidence-based discussions and few or no prompts or protocols for discussions that encourage modeling and use of academic vocabulary and syntax. Materials do not provide a year’s worth of instructional opportunities. 

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Semester A, Unit 1, “Reading Personal Narratives: Boy: Tales of Childhood”, Lesson 11: “Engaging in Collaborative Discussions,” students learn about discussion techniques in the three skills-based DOK activities:
• In DOK Level 1: “Think-Pair-Share”, students instructions state, “Let's pretend you were asked to do a Think-Pair-Share with a partner to focus on the first chapter you read for today's lesson. In the practice activity, students drag and drop comments about school uniforms into categories of “Appropriate for Think/Pair/Share” or “Inappropriate for Think/Pair/Share”. 
• In DOK Level 2: “Respectful Behaviors”, students are taught about respectful behaviors through a hypothetical discussion on the text, “The most effective way to conduct this discussion is to keep an eye on the clock so that each group member gets a turn to speak. Listening and not speaking at times will be a challenge, especially when you disagree with what someone says; however, you can easily say, I respectfully disagree with you, and this is why. Then go on to explain your reasoning. You should be able to support the opinions you have with evidence from the text.” In the practice activity, students read a discussion between two students and drag-and-drop appropriate responses to each statement. 
• In DOK Level 3: “Respectfully Disagreeing”, students instructions state, “Let's imagine a discussion focused on the chapter Boazers, which you read for today's lesson.” They read a hypothetical discussion where a student disagrees with something that is said in a group discussion. The instructions state, ”...take a few breaths and when it is your turn you calmly say, I disagree and this is why. No matter what you think of what someone else says, spouting off and calling names will only make you look bad. Defend your opinions strongly with textual support. This is how you will be taken seriously.” In the practice activity, students match textual evidence with claims about the text. Students do not practice having a collaborative discussion.

The Summary states, “Collaborative discussions are a rewarding way to express your ideas and develop your speaking skills.” It is not clear when they will be collaborating with peers, nor do they engage with the text during these lessons. There is no guidance for teachers to support students who may struggle with this skill.

• In Semester B, Unit 2, “Writing Fiction Collections,” Lesson 8: “Engaging in Collaborative Discussions: Peer Editing”, students learn about discussion techniques around peer editing in the three skills-based DOK activities. The first two teach what to look for in peer editing. In the Level 3 Activity, constructive criticism is addressed and students learn how to provide helpful feedback or constructive criticism. They are presented the following guidelines: be positive, be specific, be prepared to explain, and be specific and honest, but polite with some helpful sentence stems such as “I see what you were attempting here, but I was confused by…” and “Have you considered adding more details in this scene to make it really come alive?” In the practice activity, student instructions state, “Practice giving feedback for each scenario.” They view provided scenarios such as, “Advise your peer on his introduction, which needs some work.” Students choose from a multiple choice menu of feedback statements. There is no assignment for students to participate in a discussion. There is no guidance for teachers to support students who may struggle with this skill.
• In Semester B, Unit 6, “Presenting Original Work,” Lesson 14: “Engaging in Collaborative Discussions: Group Debate”, students learn the protocols and strategies for a group debate through the three skills-based DOK activities:
• In DOK Level 1: “Structure of a Group Debate,” students learn the vocabulary terms rebuttal, proposition and opposition. They learn the order of presentations for each team. In the practice activity, students drag and drop parts of a debate outline into the correct order.
• In DOK Level 2: “Comparing and Contrasting Group Discussions and Debates”, students view a Venn diagram showing similarities and differences between a discussion and a debate. In the practice activity, they sort sentences into the categories of discussion or debate.
• In DOK Level 3: “Roles of the Group”, students learn about teamwork and the various roles students might play in a group debate. In the practice activity, students “Match the strategy that needs to be used to correct the issues that debate teams run into when working together.”

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 7 do not meet the criteria for materials support students’ listening and speaking about what they are reading and researching (including presentation opportunities) with relevant follow-up questions and supports.

The materials address skills to make students successful when giving speeches, but the curriculum does not provide students multiple opportunities to practice. Speaking and listening instruction is found in some lessons throughout the materials. There are some questions that follow up on the skills of giving presentations or deciphering between formal and informal language; however, it is not applied frequently over the course of the school year. Speaking and listening instruction takes place in discrete lessons and are rarely connected to the texts that students are reading. Students learn strategies for speaking collaboratively or presenting arguments and complete activities reinforcing definitions related to speaking and listening skills. There are no assignments where students take part in a collaborative discussion or present information to their peers; it is not clear if and when students discuss or present. Speaking and listening activities rarely require students to gather evidence from texts and sources. Additionally, no teacher guidance is provided to support students who may struggle, nor does the curriculum provide facilitation, monitoring, and instructional supports for teachers. 

Speaking and listening activities are few and do not span the course of a school year. Materials supporting speaking and listening are repetitive or optional, rather than assured in the instructional materials. Speaking and listening activities are rarely connected to texts students are reading or researching.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• In Semester A, Unit 4, “Writing A Biography”, students write a biography of a historically influential Pennsylvanian. In Lesson 14: “Creating Multimedia Presentations,” students complete three skills-based DOK lessons and activities called: Creating a Multimedia Component, Presenting Your Information, and Sequencing Strategies. At the end of each lesson, student instructions state, “Using this knowledge will help you as you prepare a multimedia presentation and speech to complement your biography.” While these lessons teach the skills of speaking and listening, it is not clear if and when students would make presentations. No further instruction is provided. No instructions for the teacher are provided for evaluating, giving feedback, and no grading rubrics are provided. Presentations seem to be optional and left to the teacher's discretion.
• In Semester B, Unit 4, “Writing Poetry”, Lesson 13: “Presenting Poetry”, students complete three skills-based DOK activities called: Spoken Word Poetry, Presentation Skills, and Formal vs Informal Language. In DOK Level 2: “Presentation Skills”, students learn to “fake confidence” through standing up straight, making eye contact, enunciation, and body language. While these lessons teach the skills of speaking and listening, it is not clear if and when students would make presentations. No instructions for the teacher are provided for evaluating, giving feedback, and no grading rubrics are provided. Presentations seem to be optional and left to the teacher's discretion.
• In Semester B, Unit 6, “Presenting Original Work”, the unit overview states, “The quarter culminates with two major projects: an academic essay and a presentation...The presentation will be a preparation of their previously written work.” In Lesson 1: “Formal vs. Informal Language”, three skills-based DOK activities teach about the appropriate use of formal vs. informal language while speaking or writing. 
• In DOK Activity 1: “Informal v. Formal Language”, the assessment is a drag-and-drop activity in which students identify the difference between statements that use informal language (“Hey, that was totally awesome”) and formal language (“Due to the delay, I am unable to attend the board meeting tonight”). 
• In DOK Activity 2: “Identifying Formal and Informal Language”, students consider the audience in different situations, “In Situation 1, Sam's audience includes his classmates as well as his teacher. He speaks to them using formal language. I know this because he introduces the topic by making a statement that is succinct and open for discussion. Sam looks his group members in the eyes and speaks clearly. When speaking formally, your audience must have your full attention.”  

While the lessons teach the skills of presenting original work, it is not clear if and when students would make presentations. No instructions for the teacher are provided for evaluating, giving feedback, and no grading rubrics are provided. Presentations seem to be optional and left to teacher discretion.