Kindergarten - Gateway 1
Note on review tool versions
See the series overview page to confirm the review tool version used to create this report.
- Our current review tool version is 2.0. Learn more
- Reports conducted using earlier review tools (v1.0 and v1.5) contain valuable insights but may not fully align with our current instructional priorities. Read our guide to using earlier reports and review tools
Loading navigation...
Alignment to Research-Based Practices
Alignment to Research-Based Practices and Standards for Foundation Skills Instruction| Score | |
|---|---|
Gateway 1 - Partially Meets Expectations | 68% |
Criterion 1.1: Alphabet Knowledge | 9 / 10 |
Criterion 1.2: Phonemic Awareness | 8 / 16 |
Criterion 1.3: Phonics (Decoding and Encoding) | 26 / 32 |
Criterion 1.4: Word Recognition and Word Analysis | 5 / 12 |
The materials provide systematic and explicit instruction in letter names and sounds, prioritizing lowercase letters first. Students engage in structured practice activities such as ABC charts, letter-matching games, and guided handwriting exercises. Teachers receive clear guidance on letter formation, and students are assessed regularly on letter recognition and handwriting. However, there is no additional guidance for supporting struggling students beyond whole-class instruction.
Phonemic awareness instruction follows an evidence-based sequence influenced by David Kilpatrick's work, progressing from blending and segmenting to more advanced phoneme manipulation. However, phonemic awareness instruction is not fully systematic and does not always align with phonics instruction. The Large Group and Small Group Manuals are not fully integrated, making instruction more dependent on teacher discretion. Daily phonemic awareness lessons are included but do not always correspond with phonics instruction. Additionally, while students are assessed multiple times a year, teachers do not receive guidance on how to support struggling students.
Phonics instruction is systematic and explicit, following a clear scope and sequence based on high-utility phonics patterns. Lessons emphasize blending, segmenting, decoding, and encoding, with cumulative review embedded throughout. Decodable texts align with phonics instruction, but small-group instruction follows a separate scope and sequence, potentially leading to inconsistencies in skill coverage. While spelling instruction aligns with phonics, it does not begin until the third quarter, and students do not independently write sentences using newly learned phonics patterns—they only copy them.
High-frequency word instruction is systematic, explicit, and incorporates structured routines. Students practice reading these words in isolation and in context, but the program does not include opportunities for students to spell high-frequency words in context independently.
Instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis is limited. Some lessons cover syllable division for spelling, but explicit instruction in syllable types is primarily found in the Small Group Manual. The program does not include morpheme analysis, and assessment opportunities for word recognition and analysis are minimal. While there are some supports for struggling students, they lack specificity beyond general recommendations such as adjusting pacing or using flashcards.
Assessments are frequent and include benchmark spelling and nonsense word tests, but there are no assessments for decoding in context. A rubric categorizes students as on track or at risk, but small-group intervention lacks explicit lessons or instructional strategies.
Criterion 1.1: Alphabet Knowledge
Materials and instruction provide systematic and explicit instruction and practice for letter recognition.
The materials provide systematic and explicit instruction in letter names and their corresponding sounds, including both uppercase and lowercase letters, with a primary focus on lowercase letters first. Students engage in a variety of practice activities, such as identifying letters on an ABC chart, letter-matching games, and targeted exercises in large and small groups. The program includes clear teacher guidance for modeling and explaining letter formation, with an emphasis on lowercase letters in alignment with the scope and sequence. Students practice forming all 26 letters throughout the year with ongoing review, and frequent assessments monitor progress in letter recognition and handwriting. Formative handwriting assessments occur one to two times per quarter, and students are assessed on letter recognition four times a year. A summative assessment scoring rubric is included to assist in forming small groups. However, the materials do not provide guidance on how to support struggling students in small groups beyond what is already included in whole-class instruction.
Indicator 1a
Alphabet Knowledge
Indicator 1a.i
Materials provide systematic and explicit instruction in letter names and their corresponding sounds.
The materials include a clear sequence for systematic and explicit instruction in letter names and their corresponding sounds. The instruction focuses on the names and sounds of uppercase and lowercase letters and all vowels, as well as the name, articulation, and written form of each letter.
There is a defined sequence for letter recognition instruction to be completed in a reasonable time frame over the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, the Quarterly Literacy Plan with PTR contains the following sequence for lowercase weekly letter instruction:
Week 1-m
Week 2-n
Week 3-f, v
Week 4-p, b
Week 5-Review
Week 6-t,d
Week 7-c, q, k
Week 8-c, q, k, g
Week 9 - Review
Week 10-s, z
Week 11-j, u
Week 12-s, j, z
Week 13-l, r, o
Week 14-Review
Week 15-w, e
Week 16-h
Week 17-y
Week 19-Review
Week 20-Review
In the Large Group Manual, the Quarterly Literacy Plan with PTR contains the following information for Handwriting which contains the introduction of uppercase letters beginning Week 19:
Week 19-Capital Look-Alikes C, O, S
Week 20-Capital Look-Alikes V, W, Xx
Week 21-Capital Look-Alikes K, U, Z
Week 22-Capital Look-Alikes Assessment
Week 23-Capital Straight Lines E, F
Week 24-Capital Straight Lines I, T
Week 25-Capital Straight Lines L, H
Week 27-Capital Review
Week 28-Capital Slanted Lines A, M
Week 29-Capital Slanted Lines N, Y
Week 31-Capital Circle to the Right B, P
Week 32-Capital Circle to the Right D, R
Week 33-Capital Clock Letters J, Q, G
Materials contain isolated, systematic and explicit instruction for students to recognize all 26 lowercase and uppercase letters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 3, Day 1, the teacher introduces the letter name and sound for the lowercase letter f. The teacher models the sound by saying, “Let’s talk about a new sound today. Watch my mouth: /f..../. You make the sound.” Students review the ABC chart and sing the song but stop at the letter Ff.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Day 2, the teacher introduces the names of the vowel letters after learning all the vowel sounds. The teacher explains that all vowel sounds have vowel letters. Beginning with the letter Aa, the teacher shows the letter and asks students the name and to prove it by using the ABC chart to sing to the vowel. The teacher asks students the sound it represents and describes the mouth shape for each vowel. The teacher repeats this for each of the vowels.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 29, Day 2, the teacher introduces the capital letter Y. The teacher explains that students have been learning about capital letters with slanted lines and the letter Yy is the last letter in this group. The teacher has a student come up to the Laminated ABC chart and circle the capital and lowercase y before providing explicit instruction on how to write the letter.
Indicator 1a.ii
Materials provide opportunities for student practice in letter names and their corresponding sounds.
The materials include a variety of practice activities in letter names and the corresponding sounds. Practice occurs both in large groups and in small groups. Activities include finding letters on an ABC Chart, identifying specific letters in a set of letters, and many games. While students have opportunities to do this with both lowercase and uppercase letters, it is important to note that there are more opportunities to practice with lowercase letters than with uppercase letters.
Materials include sufficient practice opportunities for students to recognize all 26 lowercase and uppercase letters accurately and automatically. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 2, Day 2, students use the ABC Chart to practice identifying the letters m and n. The teacher picks a student to point and sing the ABC song, stopping when they reach the letter m and repeats this for the letter n.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 8, Day 1, students practice naming lowercase letters c, k, q, and g. The teacher draws a letter from a bag and then has a student name it “lightning fast.” Then, students find it on the ABC chart and say the sound.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 22, Day 1, students point and sing to the letter G using the capital letter ABCs chart, singing the ABC song. This is repeated on Day 4. On Day 2, the same routine happens but with a focus on the letter Q. Students point and sing the ABC song using the capital letter ABCs chart from A to Q. This is repeated on Day 5.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1, Lesson 2, students practice naming letters from a set. A student is given two letters, and the student names one of two letters. Then, the student “proves it” by finding the letter on the ABC chart. The letter set includes m, n, f, v, p, b, and a.
Materials incorporate a variety of activities and resources for students to develop, practice, and reinforce (through cumulative review) alphabet knowledge. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 1, Day 2, students sing the ABCs to “Mary Had a Little Lamb” while pointing to the letters on an ABC chart.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Day 1, students review letters m, n, f, v, p, and b using a game called Wild Horses. Students pretend the letters are wild horses, and they must give the sound of each letter before the letter crosses the line or mountain. If students say the correct sound, they go into a corral. If not, they continue to run free until they provide the correct sound.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 16, Day 1, students practice spotting vowels in word cards that the teacher holds up. The students name the letter and sound.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 1, Lesson 3, students play a game called Cross the River. A student pulls a letter from a cup. The student names the letter and then passes the cup to the next student to pull another letter to name. The letters for practice include m, n, f, v, p, b, and a.
Indicator 1a.iii
Materials provide explicit instruction and teacher modeling in printing and forming the 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase).
The materials provide the teacher with clear directions on how to explicitly explain and model letter formation of all 26 upper- and lowercase letters. The program focuses on explicit instruction of lowercase letters first, which is aligned to the scope and sequence for letter recognition. The program materials tell the teacher when to monitor and assist students with letter formation and provide guidance for teachers to give corrective feedback.
There is a defined sequence for letter formation, aligned to the scope and sequence of letter recognition, to be completed in a reasonable time frame over the school year. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Large Group Manual, the Quarterly Literacy Plan includes the Scope and Sequence for handwriting, which aligns with when lowercase letters are introduced. The Scope and Sequence is:
Week 2 - m, n
Week 3 - f, v, a
Week 4 - p, b
Week 6 - t, d, i
Week 7 - c, q, k
Week 10 - s, z
Week 11 - j, u
Week 13 - l, r, o
Week 15 - w, e
Week 16 - h
Week 17 - y
Week 19 - Capital Look-Alikes C, O, S
Week 20 - Capital Look-Alikes V, W, Xx
Week 21 - Capital Look-Alikes K, U, Z
Week 23 - Capital Straight Lines E, F
Week 24 - Capital Straight Lines I, T
Week 25 - Capital Straight Lines L, H
Week 28 - Capital Slanted Lines A, M
Week 29 - Capital Slanted Lines N, Y
Week 31 - Capital Circle to the Right B, P
Week 32 - Capital Circle to the Right D, R
Week 33 - Capital Clock Letters J, Q, G
Materials include clear directions for the teacher concerning how to explain and model how to correctly form each of the 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase). Examples include, but are not limited to:
L.K.1.A Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 2, Day 1, the teacher explains how to write a lowercase m. The teacher says, “First, we’ll draw a straight line. Start at the top and pull it down. Backtrack (that means go back up that line) and circle to the right and pull a line down-one hump. Backtrack again and circle to the right and pull it down. The letter -m has two humps.”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 13, Day 2, the teacher explains how to write lowercase letters l and o. The teacher says, “Let me show you how to write l on our writing lines. l is a tall letter. So, I’ll start at the top and pull a straight line all the way to the bottom line and stop.”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 20, Day 1, the teacher explains how to write the uppercase letter U. The teacher explains that uppercase U is a “look-alike” letter and says, “It starts on the top line. Pull a straight line down to the bottom. Circle to the right and pull the line up to the top. Backtrack and pull a straight line down to the bottom.”
Materials include teacher guidance for corrective feedback when needed for students. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 2, Day 1, the teacher is instructed to assist students during all handwriting practice for the lowercase m. The teacher is instructed to “Model and verbalize pencil movements for the letter” (I, do). Then, “Hold and move the student’s hand as verbalize and model directions or have the student stand side by side and mimic the teacher’s hand movements and verbal directions” (we do). Finally, “have the student independently verbalize and write.” The gradual release process, embedded throughout the materials, includes explicit modeling (“I do”), guided practice (“we do”), and opportunities for independent practice (“you do”).
Indicator 1a.iv
Materials provide opportunities for student practice in printing and forming the 26 letters (uppercase and lowercase).
Throughout the program, students practice printing all 26 letters, with cumulative review found throughout the year. The materials introduce all of the lowercase letters before the uppercase letters. Students have multiple opportunities to practice letter formation throughout the year, with an emphasis on lowercase letters.
Materials include frequent opportunities for students to practice forming all of the 26 uppercase and lowercase letters. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Large Group Manual, there are 32 weeks of instruction. In the first 18 weeks, students practice forming lowercase letters. Uppercase letter instruction begins in Week 19. For example:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 8, Day 3, students practice writing the letter g. Students are given a worksheet with dotted letters to practice.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 12, Day 3, students practice writing the letters s and z.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 5, students practice Ss and Oo. Students are given a Handwriting Sentences worksheet. The sheet contains two sentences, each written twice. After hearing the teacher read the sentence, the students trace each sentence and write down the last word, Otto and Sam.
Materials include a cumulative review of previously learned letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 8, Day 4, students practice writing the lowercase letters c, q, k, and g on a worksheet. The letters c, q, and k were taught in Week 7.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 23, Day 1, students are introduced to B, and on the handwriting sheet for practice, students also write b.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 27, Day 3, students review uppercase letters A, D, G, M, N, and K with the Big Fish Little Fish Match Set 1 worksheet, where students write the capital letter that matches with the preprinted lower case letters on the worksheet. On Day 4, students use the same procedure with the Big Fish Little Fish Set 2 worksheet with preprinted lowercase letters to match with the uppercase letters P, R, J, L, E, and H.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 30, Day 2, students are given a worksheet with uppercase letters on the left column, and students write the lowercase letter. Then, it has lowercase letters on the right column, and students write the uppercase letter. All letters have been previously taught.
Indicator 1b
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress through mastery of letter recognition and printing letters (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
The materials include frequent assessment opportunities to measure student progress in letter recognition and printing letters. One to two formative handwriting assessments are included per quarter. Students are assessed in letter recognition four times a year in both lowercase and uppercase letters. The materials include a scoring rubric for the summative assessment that the teacher can use to form small groups. However, the materials do not include guidance for the teacher on what to do in the small groups or how to provide additional support outside of what is already happening for students who struggle to make progress with letter recognition or letter formation.
Materials regularly and systematically provide a variety of assessment opportunities over the course of the year to demonstrate students’ progress toward mastery and independence of letter recognition and letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Large Group Manual, the Quarterly Literacy Plan includes a Scope and Sequence that indicates when the teacher should formatively assess letter identification and writing. The Scope and Sequence includes:
Quarter 1, Week 5: Assess m, n, f, v, p, b, a
Quarter 2, Week 12: Assess s, z, j, u
Quarter 2, Week 18: Handwriting assessment
Quarter 3, Week 22: Capital Look-Alike Assessments
Quarter 3, Week 26: Capital Straight Line Assessment
Quarter 4, Week 30: Capital Slanted Lines Assessment
Quarter 4, Week 34: Capital Assessment
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Days 1 - 3, the teacher conducts a formative assessment for letter recognition and printing of the letters m, p, n, v, b, f, and a. The teacher observes students printing letters m and p on Day 1, n and v on Day 2, and letters b, f, and a on Day 3.
In the Assessment Manual, a One Minute Letter Naming Assessment is included: one for uppercase letters and one for lowercase letters. The materials suggest that it should be given four times throughout the year, every nine weeks.
Assessment materials provide teachers and students with information concerning students’ current skills/level of understanding of letter recognition and letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Assessment Manual, the materials include a scoring rubric for the One Minute Letter Naming assessment. For both uppercase and lowercase letters, the rubric gives a score of 1 if students identify 0 - 15 letters, a 2 if they identify 16 - 19 letters, a 3 if they identify 20 - 22 letters, a 4 if they identify 23 - 25 letters, and a 5 if they identify all 26 letters. The rubric also indicates what score students should receive based on the time of the year. For example, students should identify at least nine letters in the first nine weeks of school and more than 22 letters in the third nine weeks of school.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Day 4, the teacher observes students writing the letters m, n, f, and v. The materials state that the teacher gives students a plus sign if they begin the letter at the correct starting point and a check mark if they begin writing the letter at the incorrect starting point.
Materials support teachers with limited instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students progress toward mastery in letter recognition and letter formation. Examples include, but are not limited to:
The Assessment Manual indicates that the teacher should use the scores to form small groups and support students with letter recognition if needed.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Lesson 2, teachers are directed to administer the Unit 3 Key Skills Assessment after Vowel Practice 1 to independently pronounce vowel sounds to determine if students are ready to progress to the next unit.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Day 2, the materials indicate that the teacher should assist students as needed and plan time to practice with them after assessing students writing the letters n and v. The materials do not provide additional information on what teachers should do in small groups to support students.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 9, Days 1-5 Handwriting Cross the Log, the materials explain the week is intended as a review of Pool 2 t, d, c, k, g, i and review a from Pool 1. The handwriting practice pages are designed for independent work to enable the teacher to test a few students each day. The materials lack explicit guidance on specific small group strategies for supporting students who require additional help with letter recognition or formation.
Criterion 1.2: Phonemic Awareness
This criterion is non-negotiable. Materials must achieve a specified minimum score in this criterion to advance to the next gateway.
Materials emphasize explicit, systematic instruction of research-based and/or evidence-based phonemic awareness.
The materials provide an evidence-based sequence for phonemic awareness instruction, drawing from the work of David Kilpatrick. Instruction begins with blending and segmenting, progressing to manipulation of initial, final, and medial sounds, and later to adding, omitting, and substituting syllables in multisyllabic words. However, phonemic awareness instruction is not fully systematic and does not align consistently with the phonics scope and sequence.
Explicit instruction is primarily provided in large groups during the first nine weeks, with ongoing instruction in small groups throughout the year. Activities such as Segment and Write and Old Word, New Word support phoneme segmentation and grapheme connections, but explicit blending and segmenting instruction is only emphasized in the first quarter. The Large Group and Small Group Manuals are not fully aligned, with the latter following a mastery-based approach. The Advanced Oral PA Manual also lacks full integration, making instruction more dependent on teacher decisions.
Phonological and phonemic awareness lessons are included daily but do not consistently align with phonics instruction. Early-year lessons from the Flip and Assist Book provide phonemic awareness practice, but the word lists do not match phonics lessons in the Large Group Manual. From Week 10 onward, instruction transitions to the Advanced Oral PA booklet, which follows a mastery-based structure separate from phonics lessons.
Students engage in phoneme articulation instruction, and two assessment opportunities are included. Kilpatrick’s Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) is recommended multiple times a year, and an assessment after Lesson 19 in the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual requires students to score 9/10 to advance. However, the materials do not provide instructional guidance 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 blending and segmenting and moving to manipulation of the initial, final, and medial sounds. Toward the end of the year, instruction focuses on adding, omitting, and substituting syllables in 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 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 contains the following sequence of phonemic awareness instruction.
Week 1 & 2 - Stretch and Blend
Week 3 - Blend and Segment
Weeks 4 - 8 - Segment
Week 9 - Rhyming
Weeks 10 - 21- Follow Advanced Oral PA Development Pacing
Lesson 1- Count syllables
Lesson 2 - Blend syllables in compound words
Lesson 3 - Omit one syllable from a compound word
Lesson 4 - Blend two syllables to form 2-syllable words
Lesson 5 - Omit one syllable from 2 -s syllable word
Lesson 6 - Add an initial consonant to form the CVC word
Lesson 7 - Add initial consonant for form CVC word
Lesson 8 - Omit onset from CVC word
Lesson 9 - Omit rime from CVC word
Lesson 10 - Substitute onset in CVC word
Lesson 11- Substitute rime in CVC word
Lesson 12 - Add an initial consonant to form the CCVC word
Lesson 13 - Omit initial consonant from CCVC to form CVC word
Lesson 14 -Substitute initial consonant in CCVC word
Lesson 15 - Add a final consonant to form the CVC word
Lesson 16 - Omit a final consonant from CVC to form a CV word
Lesson 17 - Add a final consonant to form a CVCC word
Lesson 18 - Omit a final consonant in a CVCC word
Lesson 19 - Substitute a final consonant in a CVC word
Weeks 22 - 32 - Onset and Rime.
In the Large Group Manual, the PTR Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Continuum provides guidance on progression and alignment between phonemic awareness and phonics skills.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Lesson 3, word lists are consistent with the phonics scope and sequence. The materials list words in the model lesson as follows: Spell: man, pan, an, ap. Read: nap, fap, vap, van.
Materials attend to developing phonemic awareness skills but spend some time on phonological sensitivity tasks. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Weeks 1 - 9 of the program, instruction begins with blending and segmenting.
Throughout the program, 22 weeks are spent on phonological awareness activities such as syllables and onset and rime. 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 include some explicit instruction in phonemic awareness; however, the instruction is not systematic. Large group instruction focuses on the first nine weeks, while explicit phonemic awareness instruction continues in small groups starting in Unit 1 and extends throughout the year. Students engage in phonemic awareness activities such as Segment and Write and Old Word, New Word, which include oral segmentation of words into phonemes and grapheme connections. The focus of instruction is on onset and rime or phoneme manipulation with explicit instruction related to blending and segmenting during the first quarter of the year only. 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 examples and guidance systematic, explicit instruction in sounds (phonemes). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
RF.K.2d Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Day 1, the teacher introduces the Snail Chomp activity, where students segment the final sound. The teacher models with the word fan and says, “/n/ is the last sound. /n/ Yummy, yummy /n/. Gulp.”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 8, Day 1, the teacher isolates the initial sound in the word can.
Blend and segment words with two and three phonemes.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 7, Day 2, the teacher models segmenting the word tip and cat.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 21, Day 1, the teacher writes the rime -ab and shows students the magnetic letters -c, -d, -f, -g, -j, -l, -n, and -t. The teacher puts a magnetic letter in front of the rime and models blending.
In the Flip and Assist Model Segmenting Words, Head, Shoulders, Waist, and Clap activity, the teacher models segmenting three sounds. The materials state that this is only a modeling activity and that most of the students are not ready or expected to do the segmenting on their own.
RF.K.2e Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, Lesson 14, the teacher models how to substitute the initial consonant in a CCVC word. The teacher says frill and tells students to “say frill but change the /f/ sound to /t/.”
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, Lesson 15, the teacher says, “Say pay but say /n/ last.” The teacher holds up their pointer finger and says the word, moving slowly through each phoneme.
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, Lesson 19, the teacher tells students there are two sounds in ace and places two squares on the board as they run their fingers under each and say the word slowly. The teacher tells students to change the s to k, asks for the new word, and tells students they will check the sound. The teacher tells students they need to change the s to k as they push up the initial last square and replace it with the new colored one telling students, “Now the word is ae….k.” as they run their fingers under the squares and slowly say the new word.
Materials provide the teacher with examples for instruction in sounds (phonemes). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, First Quarter, Teacher Preparation Tab, the materials include steps for the teacher to teach /p/ and /b/. The instruction includes making the sound, talking about the air, asking about the position of the tongue when making the sound, talking about the spelling of the sound, and describing the sound as loud or whispery.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 6, the teacher models putting the hand close to the mouth while saying /t/, asking what part of the mouth makes the sound and where the tongue is positioned. The materials include pictures.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Lesson 3, Old Word-New Word Student Assist, during phoneme blending instruction, the teacher prompts students to transition from segmenting to blending saying, “You’re pulling the sounds apart. When you read a word, you want to squish the sounds together. Can you try that?” The teacher encourages students to keep their voice on, as if singing the word.
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 5, Day 5, if students say the last sound in the word incorrectly, the teacher should say: “Let’s do that word together and double check the last sound. When the snail gets to your wrist, notice whether the last sound uses your lips or tongue. Ready?”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 6, the materials include a column of recommendations on how to provide specific feedback if students provide incorrect answers or need assistance, including “Let me say your word; watch for the first sound when my mouth is over this circle.”
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. At the beginning of the year, lessons come from the Flip and Assist Book, which provides repetition of phonemic awareness skills, but the words provided do not align with the phonics lessons in the Large Group Manual. Beginning in 2nd Quarter, Week 10, phonological and phonemic awareness instruction occurs in the Advanced Oral PA booklet. The pace of instruction depends on student mastery and does not necessarily align with the phonics lesson. The Old Word - New Word and Segment and Write routines explicitly connect phonemes to graphemes by guiding students through word manipulation and phoneme segmentation. The materials do 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 Large Group Manual, Week 4, Day 1, the focus of the lesson is on the letter p. The teacher tells students that p says /p/, and then discusses where the letter is on the alphabet chart and identifies words that start with the letter p. Then, on Day 2, students review the /p/ sound and complete a Sound Maze, where they go through a series of pictures with the teacher and segment the first sound. If it begins with /p/ they put a colored dot on it.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 10, Day 1, the teacher introduces the Advanced Oral PA lessons. In Lesson 1, students count the number of syllables in words. However, on Day 1 in the Large Group Manual, students learn /s/.
In the Flip and Assist Book, some activities could correlate to the phonics lesson but are not specific. For example, there is an activity called Stretch with the Bubble Gum, where students stretch the sounds in words and then snap them back together to pronounce the word. In Flip and Assist, there are two different word lists to use, but this list is for the entire program, and the word lists are not specific to a particular phonics lesson.
Materials sometimes provide opportunities for students to practice connecting sounds to letters. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 2, Day 5, the teacher reviews the letters m and n. The students name each letter, make the sound, and describe the mouth action for each letter. Students also complete a Sound Sort where they circle words that start with m or n, but letters are not involved in the activity.
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Book, Lesson 18, students omit the final consonant in CVCC words. The teacher says a word, tells students which sound to omit, and then the students say the new word. Students do not see graphemes during this activity.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Lesson 3, Old-New Word, the teacher models phoneme manipulation by changing the word “man” to “pan.” The teacher first models the process while students observe, then students remove the m and replace it with p on their boards to reflect phoneme change.
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 2, Day 1, the teacher explains the /n/ sound is a nose sound and tells students to pinch their noses to check.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 4, Day 1, the teacher focuses on the articulation of the letter m and says, “The first sound in map is a nose sound that uses the lips. /m...ap/.”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 5, Day 1, the teacher introduces vowels and explains some are smile-shaped and some are wide open. The teacher shows pictures of different mouth positions and introduces different vowel sounds. Students discuss if the vowel makes a smile or are wide open.
Indicator 1f
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress in phonemic awareness (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
The materials include two assessment opportunities related to phonemic awareness. The materials recommend that David Kilpatrick’s Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) be given several times a year. There is an assessment given after Lesson 19 in the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, on which students are expected to receive nine out of 10. When students meet this benchmark, they move on to the next lesson. If they do not, they continue in the lesson they are currently working on. 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 19. The assessment includes 10 items. There is also a basic syllable assessment and onset-rime assessment.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 8 is David Kilpatrick’s Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST). This assessment measures basic phonological awareness and some more advanced skills. It is suggested that teachers give this assessment at the end of the second nine weeks and the end of the fourth nine weeks.
Assessment materials provide teachers and students with minimal 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 by mid-kindergarten, students should only get one wrong on basic syllables, and by late-kindergarten, students should only get one wrong on onset-rime questions.
In the Advanced Oral PA Development Manual, the materials state that a student is considered automatic when they respond to nine out of 10 items correctly in two seconds or less. The teacher uses this for each lesson and only moves on to the next lesson when students meet these standards. There is no interpretation of current skills based on the assessments.
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, “Students behind these norms should be provided additional oral PA exercises and additional PTR instruction.” Materials do not include specific instructional suggestions.
Criterion 1.3: Phonics (Decoding and Encoding)
This criterion is non-negotiable. Materials must achieve a specified minimum score in this criterion to advance to the next gateway.
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 includes a reasonable pacing of phonics skills, allowing sufficient time for explicit instruction and practice to build automaticity. Instruction is delivered through both large- and small-group lessons, with cumulative review embedded throughout.
Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is provided, including one-to-one letter-sound correspondences and blending routines. Students practice decoding and encoding words using routines like Old Word-New Word and Read and Agree, but they do not write sentences using newly learned phonics patterns, only copying them. Spelling instruction, aligned with the phonics scope and sequence, begins in the third quarter and includes explanations and practice opportunities.
Decodable texts are included and align with the phonics scope and sequence, but pacing varies based on student ability, meaning not all students may cover every skill or text. Small-group instruction follows a separate scope and sequence from large-group instruction, and decodable texts align specifically with small-group lessons. Lesson plans support repeated readings of decodable texts, with different focuses such as accuracy and meaning.
Assessments include benchmark tests administered every nine weeks, focusing on spelling and nonsense word reading. However, there are no assessments to measure decoding in context. A rubric identifies students as on track or at risk, but while small-group instruction is recommended for struggling students, the materials do not provide specific lessons or instructional strategies for intervention.
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, Scope and Sequence, the phonics skills are taught in the following sequence:
Week 1: /m/
Week 2: /n/
Week 3: /f/, /v/, /a/
Week 4: /p/, /b/
Week 6: /t/, /d/
Week 7: /c/, /q/, /k/
Week 8: /g/
Week 10: /s/, /z/
Week 21: Spelling with c or k
Week 22: Digraph th
Week 24: spell/read with a_e
Week 25: Digraph sh
Week 26: Spell/Read o_e
Week 29: ch
Week 30: ee
Week 31: i_e
Week 32: u_e
It is important to note that there were some discrepancies between what was listed in the scope and sequence and what the lesson focused on. For example, in Week 22, the materials state that the focus is on digraph -th. However, the focus of the actual lessons is digraph -ck.
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 22, Day 1, students learn -ck and learn to use it “when the /k/ sound is last in a word right after a one-letter vowel.”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 23, Day 1, students are introduced to -e at the end of the word. The teacher tells students, “Screech is going to tell them something tricky that happens with a_e,” as they model with the word game. The teacher then says, “He wants you to know that it sure would be nice, if the -e got to stay right next to the -a, but in the English language the -e has to move to the end of the word.” The teacher calls it “What’s your name -e”’ because that is what it yells to the vowel a.
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, Weeks 1 - 20 introduce all lowercase letters, including the letter name, the letter sound, and the letter handwriting.
In the Large Group Manual, Xtend Pools 1 and 2 are introduced between Weeks 21 and 26. Xtend Pools are letter pools that include digraphs and long vowel sound spellings. During this time, students learn th, sh, a_e, o_e, and when to use c versus k.
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, Second Quarter, the materials recommend 30 - 40 minutes for large group instruction. In Week 15, Day 4, 25 minutes is dedicated to phonics skills w and e. Students spend five minutes for letter identification, then ten minutes practicing reading CVC words such as wet and dog.
In the Large Group Manual, Third Quarter, the materials recommend 20 - 30 minutes a day of large group instruction. In Week 24, Day 1, students are introduced to th for 10 minutes, and then they spend 10 minutes decoding and encoding words with ath and the onset letters v, p, b, and m.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 4, Day 3, ten minutes are allocated to introducing /b/.
In the Large Group Manual, the Week 31 overview states the phonics skill for the week, which is wh. Students have practice opportunities with creating and reading rime unit words including ones with ame, ick, eed, ope, and ish.
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 1, the teacher reviews the letters and their corresponding sounds for m, n, f, v, p, b, and a. Five minutes are allocated to playing the game Wild Horses.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 14, Days 1 - 5, students review the letters and sounds for s, z, j, u, l, r, and o. The students play Letter Naming Fun.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 2, students review the vowel sounds. The teacher asks students to state vowel sounds, cover letters of words and ask how the sound was spelled, and locate the vowel within a word and say its sound.
Indicator 1j
Materials include systematic and explicit phonics instruction with repeated teacher modeling.
The materials contain systematic and explicit phonics instruction. Students receive explicit instruction in one-to-one letter-sound correspondences, including vowels, and have the opportunity to blend phonemes to read words with a consistent routine. The materials include corrective feedback guidance for teachers for a variety of student errors. While the program provides students with the opportunity to spell words in isolation, students do not have the opportunity to write sentences with newly learned phonics patterns. Students copy sentences but do not segment words in a sentence to write them.
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.K.3a Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 2, Day 1, the teacher introduces the /n/ sound by discussing articulation and then links the sound /n/ to the letter n.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 7, Day 1, the teacher introduces the /k/ sound that is represented by c or k. The teacher begins by making the sound and asking students to describe the sound. Then, they discuss the articulation, and the teacher shows a picture. Next, the teacher provides the letters, and students sing the ABC song, pointing to the letters that make the /k/ sound.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 13, Day 1, the teacher introduces the sound /l/. The teacher models the sound, asks students if they use the lips or tongue to make the sound, shows a picture of a mouth making the sound, states the letter for /l/, and then shows pictures of words that begin with the letter l.
RF.K.3b Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 3, Day 5, the teacher explains that vowels are special because every word in English has at least one. The teacher models how the mouth looks when making the sound /ă/ and explains that it is represented by the letter a.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 8, Lesson 1, the teacher holds up the letter a and says, “My name is /ae/,” and tells students, “When a vowel has a sound like its name, it’s called a long vowel.”
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 11, Lesson 2, the teacher reminds students of “what’s your name e vowels,” which are vowel consonant e words. The teacher shows the word robe and tells students, “What’s your name -e has to go at the end of the word,” and makes the /oe/ sound.
RF.K.3d Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 14, Days 1 and 2, the teacher places letters for the word sat on the board and tells students, “We’re going to change the onset and create rhyming words.” The teacher calls on a student to change the letter s for one of the other letters provided (b, c, f, m, p, r). The teacher asks students for the new onset and the new word. This is repeated with all of the remaining letters.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Lesson 3, the teacher introduces Old-Word-New Word by telling students they are going to think about sounds in words. The teacher models changing man into the new word pan by saying, “We have to take away the /m/ sound and bring in the /p/ sound.” The teacher follows the same procedure to change pan into an.
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 Large Group Manual, Week 10, Day 2, the teacher models reading using fingers to blend /a/ and /t/. Then, the teacher models blending /f/ with /at/.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 10, Day 4, the teacher models blending words by identifying the vowel, blending the vowel to the rime, and then blending the onset with the rime. The teacher models with the words zip, bus, and sod.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 5, Teach, Lesson 3, the teacher models segmenting before writing the corresponding letters in the words pick and sock. The teacher asks students what the initial sound of pick is, and then has a student place the letter tile for /p/ on the first sound dot. The teacher then asks students for the next sound in pick and asks a student to place the letter tile for /i/ on the second sound dot. The teacher then asks students for the last sound in the word pick. The teacher explains that /k/ can be spelled with ck and explains the spelling rule for ck at the end of a word. Then the teacher has the student place the ck on the last sound dot. The teacher then repeats the process for students to write the letters, telling students, “Let’s point and say the sounds in pick.”
Lessons include dictation of words but not sentences using the newly taught phonics pattern(s). Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 23, Day 3, the teacher gives students pictures of lake, pop, bag, nine, shop, and rope. Students identify the picture, segment the sounds, identify how to spell the vowel sound, and then write it in the short vowel column or the long vowel column.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 32, Day 1, students spell words with long and short vowels. Students look at a picture, decide if it is a word that needs an e at the end or not, and write it in the designated column.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Practice 1, students use the Segment and Write routine with the words nap, ban, and pab. Students identify the number of sounds, segment the sounds, and then spell the word with magnetic letters.
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 6, Day 1, if students read the words incorrectly, the teacher repeats the word and asks students to watch for the first sound and if the first sound uses the tongue like /t/.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 10, Day 3, there are seven different ways to provide corrective feedback. For example, if the student says /l/, then the teacher says, “Check if /l/ has the teeth together like /z/. Eyes ready? /l...../ /z...../. Did I have the teeth together like /z/?”
In the Large Group Manual, Week 16, Day 4, the teacher is provided with a Student Assist in the lesson to respond to student decoding errors, using the Flip and Assist book. There is a section for decoding errors on single-syllable words that includes corrective feedback if a student pauses on a word, starts to read by segmenting, uses an incorrect vowel, omits a sound, adds a sound, replaces a sound, uses optional sounds for c/g, and if students decode with letter reversals.
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 has a blending routine where students read the vowel, then the vowel with the rime, and finally the whole word.
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 30, Day 5, students practice decoding words on an I Spy worksheet that has both long and short vowels. Words on the sheet include feet, cape, pig, day, and bike.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Lesson 3, students engage in the Old Word - New Word activity, where students change the vowels and consonants in CVC or VC words and then read them. Words include nap, fap, vap, and van.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 10, Lesson 3, students practice reading Unit 10 words that include words with th and a_e. There are three different word lists, and each includes eight words, including math, moth, late, cape, game, this, plate, thin, and with.
The Dive Into Reading Book provides decodable word lists, sentences, passages, and stories for Small Group Manual Units 1 - 13 that provide practice with an embedded phonics skill. For example, the word lists for Unit 12 include words with key phonics skills ch, tch, and ee. Words included in the word lists are beef, teeth, check, much, catch and pitch.
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 29, Day 3, students complete a sound sort sheet with a focus on ee. Students review the sound spelling, circle pictures with the ee sound spelling, and then spell each word on the line provided. Words to spell include sheep, feet, and seed.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 3, Lesson 3, students use the Old Word-New Word activity to change the vowels and consonants in CVC or VC words to make them into new words. Students use a letter board to manipulate and spell the words. The word list includes man, pan, an, and ap.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 5, Lesson 2, students use the Old Word-New Word activity to change the vowels and consonants in words to make new words. Students use a letter board to manipulate and spell the words. Words include kit, kin, can, and cap.
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 Large Group Manual, Week 11, Day 4, students read the word jig using the Reading Word Plan. Students first locate and say the vowel sound and then read the vowels to the end, blending the /i/ and /g/sounds, and finally blending /j/ /ig/ to read the word. Students repeat the process with the word sad.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 17, Day 4, students read the word yak. Students underline and color the vowel, a second student underlines and colors the rime, and a third student underlines and colors the onset before blending the sounds in the word to read it. Students repeat the process with the word pet.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 4, Lesson 5, students read words using the Reading Word Plan. Students locate and identify the vowel, then read the vowel to the end of the word, and finally read again with the onset. Students practice this blending routine with words such as fed, rip, tin, din, pat, and did.
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 practice reading a series of words in 5 minutes with the goal to get quicker. This activity is called Snap Read, and the teacher hands the student a word, and the students hand the word back as soon as they read it, as quickly as possible.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 5, Lesson 4, students practice reading words with a partner in a Read and Agree activity. One student is the student, and one is the teacher. The “student” reads the word, and the “teacher” either agrees or disagrees. If the teacher disagrees, the student explains why they disagree with the accuracy of the word.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 6, Lessons 4 and 5, students work in pairs to practice reading words using the activity called Read and Agree. Each pair of students uses the three-step word reading strategy by first determining the vowel, then reading the rime, and finally reading the word. Students use the Unit 5 Word Reading Cards.
Indicator 1l
Spelling rules and generalizations are taught one at a time at a reasonable pace. Spelling words and generalizations are practiced to automaticity.
The materials provide opportunities for students to learn spelling rules and generalizations that align with the phonics scope and sequence in the Large Group Manual. Additional instruction and practice opportunities can be found within the Small Group Manual. Spelling instruction aligns with the phonics scope and sequence and includes explanations of spelling rules and practice opportunities. Spelling instruction begins in the third quarter.
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 23, the phonics scope and sequence focuses on words with short and long vowels, including a_e words. On Day 2, students review words with a_e and segment and write the word tame with teacher guidance.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 25, the phonics scope and sequence lists the /sh/ sound. Students practice reading words with sh and have the opportunity to use magnetic letters to spell sh words.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 32, the phonics scope and sequence lists the skill u_e. Students learn how to segment words by writing the word cut, changing it to cute, and then changing it to jute.
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 22, Day 1, the teacher introduces -ck by explaining that when a one-letter vowel is followed by the sound /k/, it is spelled with a ck.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 26, Day 1, the teacher introduces how to spell words that have a vowel consonant e. The materials instruct the teacher to tell the students, “when the vowel says its name, the -e has to go to the end.”
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 22, Day 1, students are given a Rime Spelling Sheet. Students practice spelling words with rimes ak, -ik, and -ock.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 29, Day 5, students complete a vowel sound sort worksheet where they circle or color the picture words with a_e and then spell the words the best they can. Images/words included are cane, bone, cape, seed, and rake.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 30, Day 1, students spell words using chaining. They spell rid, then ride, and then reed and red.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 32, Day 1, students spell words on a Sort and Spell sheet, with a focus on vowel consonant e. Students place words in the category of needing an e or not needing an e. Words to practice spelling include bone, hat, dime, sun, bed, and wave. They complete another worksheet again on Day 3 and again on Day 5.
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. 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. Students have the opportunity to practice reading a text more than once and are given a focus for each reading, such as accuracy and 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 5, the phonics focus is on c, k, and ck. In Lesson 4, students read “The Cap,” which includes the decodable words am, Pat, bat, bag, and mad.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 10, the phonics focus is on th and a_e. In Lesson 4, students read “The Case of the Lost Vase,” which includes the decodable words jade, vase, fake, sale, came, take, and them.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 13, the phonics focus is wh, i_e, and u_e. The Unit 13 Story, “What Will They Do,” includes words such as ride, bikes, pine, whiff, while, wheel, and June.
Materials include detailed 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 5, students read the decodable text “The Cap” and underline words they do not know. Then, students echo read in phrases and reread the decodable.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 11, Lessons 4 and 5, students read the decodable text “The Cliff in the Cove.” In Lesson 5, the students reread the first paragraph and scoop phrases as they read, then, they answer questions about the text before moving on to the next paragraph.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 12, Lesson 5, students reread the story “A Two-Way Street.” Students reread the first paragraph and scoop phrases during the reading through echo reading. Then, students individually reread the second and last paragraph.
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, Lesson 5, students read the decodable story “The Map,” which contains 10 decodable words, including map, pit, sad, dig, zig, and zag.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 8, Lesson 4, students read “The Cab,” which follows the phonics patterns taught in Unit 8 and Set 2 SNAP words. The text does not include illustrations.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 9, Lessons 4 and 5, students read “If You Give a Kid a Pet.” The words in the text align with the small group phonics focus. The illustrations are in black and white and are not predictable.
Indicator 1n
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress of phonics in- and out-of-context (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
The materials include benchmark assessments given three or four times a year assessing spelling and reading of nonsense words. These tests are the only form of assessment found in the program that measure students’ progress in phonics in isolation. No assessments are included to measure decoding in context. The program includes several benchmark tests that are given every 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 and instructional implications are not provided.
Materials 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 5, Word Spelling, students are assessed on their ability to segment words into phonemes and the student’s letter sound knowledge. Students are given 30 seconds to write each word. There are two forms of this test, administered at the end of the second nine weeks, the third nine weeks, and the fourth nine weeks.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 6, Nonsense Word Reading, students are assessed on their ability to independently decode new CVC words. Students are given five seconds to read each word. There are 10 words given at the end of the third nine weeks and another 10 words given at the end of the fourth nine weeks.
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 seven tests, including Word Spelling and Nonsense Word Reading. The rubric gives levels for high risk, at risk, nearing target, on target, and above target, depending on the number of questions. For example, in Test 6, Nonsense Word Reading, getting zero - five items correct is considered high risk, six items correct is considered at risk, seven items correct is nearing target, eight - nine items correct is considered on-target, and 10 items correct is above target.
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 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, there are instructional demands provided for students who are not on track for Word Spelling and Nonsense Word Reading. Each of these tells the teacher to provide daily small group instruction; however, there are no detailed steps or lessons to help students progress toward mastery.
In the Assessment Manual, Test 6, Nonsense Word Reading, the materials state that if students perform poorly, the pacing may be too fast. The teacher should check the placement guide and ensure that students are meeting in small groups three to four times per week.
Criterion 1.4: Word Recognition and Word Analysis
Materials and instruction support students in learning and practicing regularly and irregularly spelled high-frequency words.
The materials provide systematic and explicit instruction in high-frequency words using a consistent instructional routine. Instruction includes teacher modeling of spelling and reading, with connections between phonemes and graphemes. Students engage in structured activities such as segmenting sounds, analyzing spellings, and identifying expected or irregular phoneme-grapheme correspondences. A sufficient number of high-frequency words are included, with regular review opportunities.
Students practice decoding high-frequency words both in isolation and in context. In isolation, they work with SNAP words, while in context, they encounter high-frequency words in sentences and decodable texts. However, the program does not provide opportunities for students to spell high-frequency words in context independently. During handwriting practice, students copy sentences containing high-frequency words but do not write them without a model.
Explicit instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis is limited. While some lessons guide students in identifying syllables for spelling, explicit instruction in syllable division is primarily found in the Small Group Manual, and morpheme analysis is not included.
Assessment opportunities for word recognition and analysis are minimal. A quarterly assessment for high-frequency words categorizes students as high-risk, nearing target, or above target. However, there are no assessments for syllable division or affixes. The provided instructional guidance for struggling students is general, such as adjusting pacing or using flashcards, but lacks specific strategies to support students who need additional help with word recognition and analysis.
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, including reviewing words regularly.
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 Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 3, the teacher introduces the words his and as. The teacher holds up the word, states the word, and asks for the first sound and the letter that spells the sound. The teacher repeats this process for each sound in the word, stopping to discuss when the letter says an unexpected sound.
In the Large Group Manual, Week 28, Day 2, the teacher introduces the word this. The teacher goes through each sound and discusses what letter(s) represents the sound. This is repeated with the word they.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 9, Lesson 5, the teacher introduces the SNAP Set 3 high-frequency words. The teacher tells students that in each word, there is one sound that is not spelled the way it should be spelled. For example, the teacher introduces the word would. The teacher asks for the first sound and what letter represents the sound. The teacher then explains that the rest of the word sounds like /ood/. The teacher explains that the word could follows the same rule but has a different initial sound.
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 Large Group Manual, Week 19, Day 5, the teacher maps the high-frequency word for by holding up the word, reading it, and using it in a sentence.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 4, Lesson 4, the teacher asks students to look at words to, do, and into. The teacher first asks students what the first sounds in to and do are, and then asks what letters the words have in common and explains, “In all of these words the o has the /oo/ sound as in moon.”
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 Large Group Manual, PTR Quarterly Literacy Plan, the materials list the number of high-frequency words. Each quarter, students are introduced to a SNAP Word Set. There are a total of 99 SNAP Words taught throughout the year.
In Quarter 1, students learn the words a, I, and, an, at, in, it, is, his, as, has, to, do, into, the, they, that, this, with, of, was, you, have, from, for, are.
In Quarter 2, students learn the words can, if, did, but, up, on, not, get, had, wil, come, some, he, be, we, all, call, one, two, find, said, word, were, what, your.
In Quarter 3, students learn the words him, when, them, then, than, make, made, long, so, go, no, would, could, may, way, day, down, now, how, my, by, who, water, there, their.
In Quarter 4, students learn the words which, like, time, write, more, use, see, these, number, over, other, her, she, been, out, about, look, fist, part, oil, each, or, many, people.
In the Dive Into Reading Manual, it notes that the kindergarten program includes twenty-five of the most frequent words. In quarter one, students learn the words the, of, a, to, and, in, and in quarter four, students learn they, at, have, from, be, and this.
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 Large Group Manual and the Small Group Manual. In isolation, students practice a set of words called SNAP words, which are high-frequency words. In context, students practice high-frequency words in sentences and decodable texts. However, the materials lack opportunities for students to practice spelling high-frequency words in context to promote automaticity. During handwriting practice, students copy sentences that contain high-frequency words, but there are no opportunities for students to write high-frequency words independent of copying them down.
Students practice decoding high-frequency words in isolation. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 2, Day 2, students learn SNAP Olympics, where 25 of the most common high-frequency words are taped around the room for students to read. The teacher points to a word, and then the students read the word.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 6, Lesson 3, students point to and echo read a set of high-frequency words, including come, some, he, be, we, all, and call.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 9, Lesson 2, students practice reading a set of high-frequency words, including now, how, down, my, by, who, water, their, and there.
Lessons provide students with frequent opportunities to decode high-frequency words in context. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the Large Group Manual, Week 29, Day 2, students read two sentences to practice the high-frequency words they and from, including the sentence Are they from you?
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 4, Lesson 4, students read the sentence Bam! Bam! Nab the pan from Pam!, which includes the high-frequency words the and from.
In the Small Group Manual, Unit 12, Lesson 5, students read the decodable text “Help for Those in Need,” which includes the high-frequency words people and other.
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:
No evidence found
Indicator 1q
Materials include explicit instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis and provide students with practice opportunities to apply learning.
The materials lack explicit instruction in syllabication and morpheme analysis. While there are lessons where the teacher helps the students identify the number of syllables in a word to divide and spell it, there is limited explicit instruction in syllabication and syllable division, with examples only found in the Small Group Manual. Additionally, the program does not include morpheme analysis.
Materials contain limited 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 Small Group Manual, Unit 11, Lesson 5, the teacher shows the words number, over, other and explains that the words have two syllables or two chunks. The teacher models tapping each syllable on his/her hand and tapping the sounds in each syllable. The purpose of this instruction is the er at the end of words.
Materials contain frequent explicit instruction in morpheme analysis to decode unfamiliar words. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
No evidence found
Multiple and varied opportunities are provided over the course of the year for students to learn, practice, and apply word analysis strategies. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
No evidence found
Indicator 1r
Materials regularly and systematically offer assessment opportunities that measure student progress of word recognition and analysis (as indicated by the program scope and sequence).
The materials provide minimal assessments for word recognition and analysis. The program includes one quarterly assessment for high-frequency words. Assessments for word analysis, including syllable division or prefixes/suffixes, are not present. The quarterly assessment for high-frequency words provides 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. Still, guidance is not specific enough to meet the needs of students who are not yet proficient in word recognition and analysis.
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 7, Sight Word Test, students are tested one-on-one and given five seconds to read each of the six high-frequency words before being shown the next one. This test is given at the end of each nine weeks.
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 7, Sight Word Test, a scoring rubric is provided. There is one rubric for the quarterly assessment and another rubric that can be used at the end of the year for all high-frequency words. There are five different levels depending on the score. For example, students are on target if they score a five on the quarterly assessment and a 21 - 23 on the end-of-year assessment. Students are considered at risk if they score 0 - 2 on the quarterly assessment or 0 - 14 on the end-of-year assessment.
Materials minimally support the teacher with instructional suggestions for assessment-based steps to help students progress toward mastery in word recognition and word analysis. Examples include, but are not limited to:
In the Assessment Manual, Test 7, Sight Word Test, there are some instructional implications provided, such as if a student segments easily and identifies letter-sound correspondences, then the teacher should have the student practice mapping with Read, Cover, and Spell for incorrect words. Similarly, if students score poorly on decoding phonetic words, the teacher should adjust the pacing. Specific guidance or lesson plans are not provided.