ARC Core en Espanol - Kindergarten

Evaluation for 2.1
Materials include high-quality texts for SLAR instruction and cover a range of student interests.

The materials include high-quality texts for SLAR instruction and content topics for different student interests. Texts are represented by  experts in various disciplines, with a heavy focus on science, and translated or transadapted into high-quality Spanish. The materials also contain well-crafted and content-rich texts written primarily as Spanish versions. There are also many complex traditional, contemporary, and classical texts and books emphasizing multicultural diversity.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Texts provided with ARC Core en Español are high quality, engaging, and diverse in genre, culture, and topic, with a heavy focus on Science. In Kindergarten, books for classroom use fall into two categories: read-aloud and independent reading. The read-aloud collections for each unit include well-crafted and content-rich texts that engage different student interests and emphasize multicultural diversity. The independent reading collections include a thematically relevant library of books that are relevant to the core instruction. These independent reading texts follow the developmental reading taxonomy called ENIL or “Estructura para la Evaluación del nivel independiente de lectura,” which is built on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The ENIL taxonomy is used to identify each student’s independent reading at grade level in Spanish.

There are four units, each with a collection of books based on its topic: Unit 1 “Laboratorio de lectoescritura,” Unit 2 “Zoologia,” Unit 3 “Ecologia,” and Unit 4 “Entomologia.” The Unit 1 Read-Aloud collection contains 100 published books of a variety of genres, interests, and levels. Unit 1 also includes a Classroom Library where color-coding indicates complexity based on the ENIL developmental taxonomy. Likewise, Units 2–4 include a Unit Research Library with 75 titles per unit and a collection of big books and read-aloud texts (Unit 2: 7 Big Books, 43 Read-Alouds; Unit 3: 4 Big Books, 46 Read-Alouds; Unit 4: 5 Big Books, 46 Read-Alouds). All units contain texts which range in levels of complexity.

Unit 1 includes a lyrically written text called Llámame arbol by Maya Christina Gonzalez. In this story, students join a child on a journey of self-discovery, finding a way to grow from the inside out, just like a tree. In the same unit, students explore the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter in the text La isla: Continuación de Abuela by award-winning author Arthur Dorros. This book includes vivid illustrations engaging students on a magical journey where they fly to Abuela’s hometown of “la isla.”

Unit 2 provides an example of a book with engaging elements, colorful pictures, and predictable patterns. The book Leones de Africa by Lucia M. Sanchez features realistic photos of parts of a lion’s body on each page. Also in Unit 2, students learn about different types of animals. They finish the unit learning specifically about mammals. The text ¡Los hipopótamos son colosales! by Jonathan London provides an informational and engaging reading experience with accessible language and mixed-media illustrations exploring the world of hippos, messaged as one of the deadliest animals in Africa. In the same unit, students learn that animals are just like them in ¿El canguro tiene mamá? by Eric Carle. This text employs the use of repetitive phrases, creating a lyrical and informational experience for students. Students also explore nonfiction text ¡Animales extraordinarios! by Grace Hansen, where they learn about eight unique animals and get exposure to text features like a table of contents, glossary, captions, and an index.

In Unit 3, students read informational texts about various habitats and living things.  Students engage with the science-based read-aloud ¿Animado o inanimado? by Kelly L. Hicks where they explore  the differences between living things and nonliving things.  Additionally, in this unit, students explore different habitats like deserts and tropical rainforests. The Desert is My Mother/El desierto es mi madre by Pat Mora is an award-winning bilingual picture book that explores the relationship between people and nature, and Los bosques tropicales by Precious Mckenzie explores rainforests, teaching students information about endangered habitats.

In Unit 4, students engage in fictional texts full of facts and information, combining the knowledge and skills they picked up in previous units with fiction texts and informational texts. Students read ¡Achíss!: La importancia de polen by Shennen Bersani, in which they explore pollen, pollination, and even allergies through the lens of a baby bear who struggles with allergies. Students also read La abeja de más by Andrés Pi Andreu, in which they read about working conditions in a beehive through the lens of bees who feel cramped up due to too many of them living together.

The materials provide examples of multicultural and diverse texts, including the award-winning Todo acerca by Monica Brown, Latin American titles such as La Manta de Maya, texts featuring Latinx people such as Pelé, and texts discussing cultural differences such as Marisol MacDonald no combina. 

Evaluation for 2.2
Materials include a variety of text types and genres across content that meet the requirements of the SLAR TEKS for each grade level.

The materials include opportunities for students to recognize characteristics and structures of literary texts as well as informational and persuasive text features that are mostly connected to science topics. The materials also include opportunities to analyze the use of print and graphics and features of digital and multimodal texts. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, students have opportunities to recognize the characteristics and structures of literary texts. In the “Literacy Lab,” Week 1, students study two texts (literary and informational), and the teacher models how the texts are different in their purpose and characteristics: “¿Qué sucedió en la historia? or ¿Qué aprendiste acerca de...?” La escuela de Elizabeti by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen is another literary text. Provided questions connect the reader with features of narrative text; the teacher asks, “¿Quién puede decirnos las cosas más importantes que ocurrieron en esta historia en orden? ¿Cuál era el problema? ¿Se resolvió o no? ¿Cómo lo sabes?” These questions help students recognize the structures and characteristics of text. 

The materials also offer a total of 100 read-alouds that cover topics such as welcome-to-school, family roles, relationships, animals/pets, and transportation; they feature a heavy emphasis on informational and persuasive texts that are connected to science topics. In Unit 2, the book Animales llamados mamíferos by Bobbie Calman makes specific connections to informational text features in the content area of science. The teacher says, “Voy a leer la tabla de contenidos. Levanten la mano cuando escuchen el nombre de una sección que responda la pregunta, ¿Cuáles son las características de los mamíferos?” In Unit 3, with Las praderas, students study characteristics of informational text by identifying the title, the central idea, and the supporting evidence. 

Students have opportunities to analyze the uses of print and graphics. For example, in Unit 2, “Zoología,” after reading Animales llamados mamíferos by Bobbie Calman, students search for photos of mammalian characteristics. They then draw a diagram and label it correspondingly in their notebooks. Additionally, in the “Evaluación del nivel independiente de lectura (ENIL)” Green level book basket, El árbol de chocolate contains print features such as “titulo, subtitulo, rótulos, glossario.” The Red level book in ENIL, El planeta azul, includes a table of contents, side panels, illustrations, charts, maps, tables, a glossary, and an index.

In Unit 4, students have the opportunity to study persuasive texts with teacher guidance to frequently ask the questions, “El autor/a nos está diciendo que _____. ¿Qué razones nos da para convencernos?”

The materials feature digital and multimodal texts. For example, in the “Literacy Lab,” there is a “Digital eLibrary.” The “SchoolPace” announcements tab states that “students have access to hundreds of e-books on the web, android devices, iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch” with the eLibraries subscription. These online e-books are (described as) an opportunity for students to read at their own pace and manipulate the text; however, the e-book library is not part of the review materials.

Evaluation for 2.3
Texts, including read-aloud texts in K-2 and shared reading in Grade 2, are appropriately challenging, and are at an appropriate level of complexity to support students at their grade level.

The materials include read-aloud texts in K–2 and shared reading in grade 2 that are challenging and that come accompanied by a text complexity analysis provided by the publisher. Texts are at the appropriate quantitative levels and have the appropriate qualitative features. Read-aloud and shared reading texts are above the complexity level of what students can read independently.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The text complexity analysis, found in the “Introduction” of Unit 1, states that students progress from “Read Aloud Immersion (for non-readers) to Active Reading Strategies & Initial Letter/Syllable sounds (for emergent readers).” Under “Text Complexity and Title Selection,” the publisher's note that the “Independent Reading Level Assessment” (IRLA) or “Evaluación del nivel independent de lectura” (ENIL) is a system developed by the publisher in the last 20 years and is a result of evaluating a 150,000-title database in English and Spanish. They state: “This system combines a quantitative analysis (using Lexile, AR [Accelerated Reading], and any other such systems to analyze the text).” On the “Schoolpace” platform, the “Book Database” tool provides an IRLA/ENIL measurement. 

In Unit 2, “Laboratorio de lectoescritura,” the read-aloud text collection includes Animales llamados mamíferos by Bobbie Kalman. Lexile levels and IRLA/ENIL indicate quantitative information such as sentence length and word frequency. Qualitative measurements for each book are aligned to reading objectives presented with each unit. For example, the book ¿Sabes algo sobre los mamíferos? by Buffy Silverman includes a lesson about compare and contrast; students use a Venn diagram to differentiate between carnivores and herbivores. In Week 1, the read-aloud and shared reading texts are above the complexity level of what students can read independently. For example, the read-aloud A Lola le encantan los cuentos by Anna McQuinn has an “ATOS (Readability Formula) Book Level” of 2.2 (second month of second grade). In Unit 4, Las hormigas by Aaron Carr has an ATOS of 2.6.

Evaluation for 3.A.1
Materials contain questions and tasks that support students in synthesizing knowledge and ideas to deepen understanding and identify and explain topics and themes.

The materials provide text-dependent tasks and questions that build conceptual knowledge and help students synthesize new information. The materials also include formal and informal assignments that require close attention to the meaning, thus growing students’ understanding of topics and literacy skills over the course of each unit. Materials provide opportunities for students to evaluate and discuss information by making connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, Week 1, “Laboratorio de lectoescritura,” the materials provide text-dependent tasks and questions that build conceptual knowledge. For example, during the whole group read-aloud of A Lola le encantan los cuentos, students look at the text to answer the following questions: “¿Qué hace Lola los martes, cuando va a la biblioteca? ¿Quién quiere decirnos las cosas más importantes en orden? ¿Cómo se siente Lola cuando va a la biblioteca? ¿Cómo lo sabes?” The material supports evaluating and discussing information. The chart “Building Instruction in ARC Core: Reading, Writing, Thinking” allows teachers to evaluate whether they have fulfilled instructional components in each unit section by answering “yes” or “not yet.” This section also guides teachers to ensure that students do the majority of talking, thinking, and learning. Instruction follows a sequence of “Reunión de la mañana. Lectura en voz alta interactiva. Taller de lectura. Música/Drama.” This activity repeats in every unit, as shown in the tabs across the top of each lesson. The chart exemplifies how the materials support evaluating and discussing information. 

In Unit 2, Theme 1, Lesson 1, after-reading discussions and questions can apply to any book in the unit in order to build conceptual knowledge and grow students’ understanding. For example: “¿Cuál fue el ser vivo más chévere/asqueroso/fascinante que vieron en este libro? ¿Notaron algún objeto inerte? ¿Había más seres vivos o más objetos inertes? ¿Por qué creen que eso es así?” In Theme 2, Lesson 1, text-dependent tasks include adding new words or ideas to a “Mamíferos T-chart,” adding new vocabulary to the “Mural de vocabulario,” and writing about an animal from the “Mural de los mamíferos.” Students have opportunities to gain an understanding of topics and literacy skills over the course of a unit. For instance, in Theme 2, Lesson 2, teachers read a “Big Book” about animals to introduce the key concepts of the lesson; they check prior knowledge with questions such as “¿Qué saben ustedes sobre los bebés de los mamíferos?” and “Vamos a comenzar primero pensando en los bebés humanos.” Other activities in this unit that support students’ growth in understanding include a picture walk and the Mural de vocabulario. The materials promote connections to personal experiences, such as in “Comparación y contraste de mamíferos”: Students make connections by responding to questions such as “¿Cuál es el animal más popular en este salón? ¿Qué animal fue el más popular? ¿Y segundo? ¿Qué animal fue el menos popular? ¿Cuántos votos más tiene el...que...?”

In Unit 3, activities require close attention to the meaning and inference. For example, in Theme 2, Lesson 2, for the “Adaptations Graphic Organizer and Learning Objectives,” students find text evidence to fill in the chart as follows: “Un lugar para esconderte en un pastizal es...porque….” The materials also provide teacher guidance for evaluating and discussing information. For example, students give their opinions about what they have learned and provide reasons to support their opinions with sentence frames such as “El animal más inteligente del pastizal es...porque…. El mejor cazador del pastizal es...porque….” The materials also include formal and informal assignments that require close attention to meaning, as shown in the final part of the activity: “Debate Games.” 

In Unit 4, Theme 1, under the subheading: “Datos increíbles,” students direct their attention to meaning and inference by discussing what interests them, going back to reread part of the texts, observing pictures, speculating, asking questions, and providing facts. In Theme 5, students discuss and make a list of the benefits of bugs for people. Students share their own experiences and ideas about the content, and relate the content to their own lives.

Evaluation for 3.A.2
Materials contain questions and tasks that require students to evaluate the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts.

The materials contain questions and tasks that require students to evaluate the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts. Materials support students in analyzing the literary/textual elements of the texts.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Building Instruction in ARC Core: Reading, Writing, Thinking” section demonstrates that materials require students to evaluate individual texts. For example, “Questions Worth Asking” include “Text Dependent Questions,” “Key Questions/Focus Standard Questions,” and “Rubrics.” For instance, the following questions help students analyze literary texts and textual elements of the text: “¿Escuchaste una palabra nueva para ti? ¿Qué crees que significa? ¿Qué te hace pensar eso? ¿Qué crees que significa eso? ¿Qué te sugiere acerca del personaje?” Students also evaluate the language, key ideas, details, craft, and structure of individual texts. The teacher asks generic, text-dependent questions to establish comprehension and help students internalize basic questions that can be applied to any text. For example, students make predictions about the text Los dibujos de David by Kathryn Falwell, using questions such as “¿Cómo crees que se resolverá el problema? ¿Qué te hace pensar eso? ¿Por qué crees que David hace otro dibujo del árbol que había visto? ¿Qué lección crees que nos está enseñando esta historia? ¿Qué página te hace pensar eso?”

In Unit 1, questions and tasks support students’ analysis of the literary/textual elements of texts. For example, in Week 2, in the “Laboratorio de lectoescritura,” “Los lectores y escritores son pensadores,” materials state: “Enfoque: Los estudiantes hacen y responden preguntas acerca del texto.” El nabo gigante by Aleksei Tolstoy y Niamh Sharkey includes questions such as “¿Escuchaste una palabra nueva para ti? ¿Qué crees que significa? ¿Qué te hace pensar eso? ¿Qué crees que significa eso?”

In Unit 2, materials highlight text features and structures as follows: “Using a good illustration from one of the books, model using observation to decide if an animal is a mammal: Look very closely at the picture. Tell what you see.” Under “Laboratorio de ciencias,” after a read-aloud about mammals’ life stages, students provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Teachers ask, “¿Qué aprendieron en este libro sobre el ciclo de vida de los mamíferos?, ¿Cómo saben que eso es cierto?, ¿Qué más han aprendido?” Other questions help to connect with the author’s purpose (e.g., “¿Cómo representan los científicos un ciclo de vida?”)

In Unit 3, in the Laboratorio de ciencias, students compare and contrast the stated or implied purposes of different authors’ writing. For example, students use a Venn diagram to identify and organize the similarities and differences between “Bosque” and “Ciudad.” Materials state: “Give students clipboards with blank paper with Ecosistema del bosque written at the top. Have students look through the books in your collection to draw and collect observations and questions about forest ecosystems. Bring them back to share their drawings and notes with each other and the group. Have them compare the forest ecosystem in their pictures with where they are living now. One way to do this is through the use of a large Venn diagram or Matrix chart. Fill in the diagram with words and drawings to show the differences and similarities between the forest regions and the students’ own ecosystem.” 

In Unit 4, Theme 2, Lesson 3, students compare and contrast Dichos de los bichos by Alberto Blanco and Las mantis religiosas by Aaron Carr. The materials suggest: “As students get familiar with how an insect’s behaviors help it live/have babies, you may want to have them compare and contrast different insects’ behaviors.”

Evaluation for 3.A.3
Materials include a cohesive, year-long plan for students to interact with and build key academic vocabulary in and across texts.

The materials include a year-long plan for building academic vocabulary and applying words in context. The materials appropriately use scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Materials include scaffolds and supports for teachers to differentiate vocabulary development for all learners in the “Evaluación del nivel independiente de lectura” (ENIL), a color-coded and leveled resource. "A complete guide on how to scaffold support for students below, on, and above level is located under “Herramientas para el desarrollo de destrezas fundamentales.” Students move to level 1A "when they can remember a pattern and replace the word that changes in each page of an Amarillo book using their vocabulary." At 2A, students track words at the same time they read. “Classroom Setup and Materials” contains pictures/photographs of animals, large posters, and “New Center Suggestions” that help differentiate instruction. 

In Unit 1, Week 1, a year-long plan for building academic vocabulary begins to unfold. For example, there is a key vocabulary side panel to be used with each unit. The materials also provide vocabulary word lists that emphasize meaningful and concrete experiences, such as Vivos, inerte, ser, objeto, ilustración, organizador gráfico, diagrama T, ejemplo. 

In Unit 2, Theme 1, Lesson 1, students use a “Mural de vocabulario,” which is intended to collect vocabulary concepts throughout the whole year. In addition, the materials provide teacher guidance for using vocabulary charts, graphs, and diagrams such as “Organizador gráfico: Tabla de los animales de la granja,” “Predictable Charts,” and “Mural de palabras con poder.” Palabras con poder (power words) are color-coded by levels. This list can be found in the “Manual de instrucción.” The “Listado alfabético de nombres de animales” helps develop vocabulary and science terms. There are opportunities for students to learn, practice, apply, and transfer words into familiar and new contexts. For example, the materials suggest strategies such as “Lado a lado y Espalda con espalda” and taking turns as “reader and coach.” Materials also suggest that “students might want to write their own books using the same pattern” (e.g., “Veo un….”)

In Unit 4, Theme 1, Lesson 1, the materials include a year-long plan for building academic vocabulary, including ways to apply words in appropriate contexts. For example, this lesson states: “Use basic science terms and topic-related science vocabulary: insecto, antrópodo, exoesqueleto, vertebrado, invertebrado. Highlight key vocabulary. Add key vocabulary to your ‘Mural de vocabulario.’” This mural continues to be a resource in every unit. In Theme 5, Lesson 2, the materials suggest: “Use and discuss basic science terms and topic-related science vocabulary: polen, polinización, polinizador, pistilo, reproducir, néctar, fertilizar.” These words are used for the following activity: “Retelling of the steps of pollination in the correct sequence, focusing on how the insect helps the plant reproduce. Primero, la flor hace un polvo que se llama polen….”

Evaluation for 3.A.4
Materials include a clearly defined plan to support and hold students accountable as they engage in self-sustained reading.

The materials include a clearly defined plan to support and hold students accountable as they engage in self-sustained reading. Materials provide adequate support for teachers through procedures and/or protocols along with a plan for students to self-select texts and to read independently. The materials also support students’ accountability in achieving independent reading goals.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

“Patrones de práctica de lectura” shows the relationship between the number of minutes read per year and the number of words gained in vocabulary. This information is used to inform parents about the system of counting steps (15-minute periods of sustained reading), not books. “Reader Recognition” provides color-coded awards for completing milestones every 100 steps. Students also complete 15–30 minutes of self-selected reading in the “Laboratorio de investigación.”

In Unit 1, there is a clearly defined plan for students to self-select texts and to read independently. The materials support students’ accountability in achieving independent reading goals. For example, in every lesson, a “Lectura independiente” section reminds teachers: “Make sure that every student reaches the goal of 30 minutes of independent reading. This can be over multiple sessions if necessary.” In Week 1, teachers receive support through procedures and protocols. Materials provide directions to help find books, identify labels, and return books to the same place by matching the label of the book with the label on the basket. Routines for independent reading start off in the “Reading Workshop”; the class uses the “Reading Stamina Racing” poster to track time spent reading.

In Unit 2, there is an organized system for reading at home: “Give each child a folder and have children place the books and their Reading Log in their folders. You may want to create little ‘Amarillo’ books for the students to take home.” Teachers let students self-select books from the “Amarillo” basket. Materials promote student interaction with the texts whether they are reading with the teacher or independently. For example, in “Los científicos se hacen preguntas,” questions include “Pensemos en algunas preguntas interesantes sobre los zoológicos. Yo tengo una pregunta: ¿Dónde consiguen animales para el zoológico? ¿Qué aprendiste en este libro sobre los zoológicos, o sobre los animales que viven en ellos? ¿Qué más aprendiste?” Teachers hold students accountable for independent reading. For example, students use “Registros de lectura” to write down the title of the book and the date and/or time they read; parents then sign this log. 

In Unit 3, there is a clearly defined plan to support and hold students accountable as they engage in self-sustained reading. For example, in “Introducción a los ecosistemas,” materials guide teachers to help students choose their books: “Call students together for Readers’ Workshop. If you have 100BC Wide Reading Baskets, use these. If not, use your ‘Biblioteca de investigación’ baskets. Estos son nuestros libros de práctica. Tenemos 3 canastas de libros: Amarillo, 1 Verde y 2 Verde. Estos son los libros que van a ayudarnos a aprender a leer. No vamos a leerlos solo una vez. Los leeremos una y otra vez hasta que nos los sepamos bien. Yo voy a leerles alguno de estos libros cada día, y ustedes van a leer otros solos o con un compañero/a.”

In Unit 4, during a Reading Workshop, the materials include a clearly defined plan to support and hold students accountable as they engage in self-sustained reading. For example, the “Lectura independiente y en parejas” states: “Durante la lectura, traten de encontrar las Palabras con poder que hemos aprendido hoy. Have students read as many books as their attention spans allow. Have them read beside their partners or to stuffed animals. Have them try to read the titles. Make sure every student is noticing and learning the Power Words, no matter what it takes.”

Evaluation for 3.B.1
Materials provide support for students to compose across text types for a variety of purposes and audiences.

The materials provide support for students to compose across text types. Students have opportunities to write literary texts, such as personal narratives and poetry, for multiple purposes and audiences. The materials include opportunities to write informational text and to practice correspondence by dictating or writing thank-you notes and letters.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In “Taller de escritura,” students write literary texts for multiple purposes and audiences. Students learn to identify the title of a story and write about their favorite animal. Teacher directions support students growing in their composition skills. For example, in Unit 1, Week 6, writing composition objectives target compare and contrast. Students compare a character from a story to themselves: “Usa un diagrama de Venn para compararte y contrastarte a ti mismo con (character).” Composition instruction and practice varies, focusing also on narrative elements such as setting, characters, and events in the stories students write. The materials also support students when they are writing a personal narrative: “Writing can take many forms and anything is ok as you are learning. Ahora que tengo mi dibujo, voy a empezar a escribir en la línea. Me gusta nadar. Mi oración tiene tres palabras: me, gusta, nadar.” In the “Literacy Lab,” students practice correspondence. For example, at the beginning of each lesson, there is a “Morning Message.” Directions suggest: “Use interactive writing to compose a morning message related to what students will do today or what they did yesterday: Queridos estudiantes: nuestro libro favorito de ayer fue…. Hoy vamos a leer un libro acerca de….” 

In Unit 2, materials provide guidance for writing informational text using different strategies such as “Cuaderno de investigación as well as t-charts, life cycle diagrams, Venn’s diagram, and 3-column charts for K-W-L writing activities.” In Theme 6, Lesson 5, students compare two animals during “Escritura interactiva”: “Hoy vamos a escribir sobre nuestros dos animales favoritos y sobre sus semejanzas y diferencias.” The materials suggest: “Piense en voz alta mientras planifica su escritura, piense en voz alta mientras dibuja, piense en voz alta mientras escribe.” 

In Unit 3, during “Interactive Reading,” the materials offer different prompts for informational writing: “En mi barrio hay muchos seres vivos: niños y niñas jugando, muchos pajaritos...La pelota será uno de mis objetos inertes.” For “Independent Writing,” the teacher asks students to write their own stories: “Ahora cada uno de ustedes va a pensar en los seres vivos que viven su barrio. ¿Listos?” Students share their ideas and then start to write. In the “Reptile Engineering” section, students “design a dream reptile using body parts from other reptiles.” Teachers ask questions to support the writing process for informational text, such as “Quién ha decidido ya sobre qué va a escribir?” Materials state: “Give each student a dated sheet of writing paper as soon as they are able to say what they are going to draw/write about. Encourage students to express themselves in drawing/writing in whatever way they can. They will probably draw first.” In 

Week 5, students write first person narratives while learning about the adaptations of animals. During “Interactive Writing,” the teacher models think-alouds: “Hoy voy a escribir imaginando que soy la jirafa, así que digo: soy el animal más alto de la tierra. Mis patadas son mortales. Ni los animales salvajes se acercan a mí.” Then, students select their own animal to write about, and materials guide: “As soon as a student can tell you what s/he is going to write, hand him/her a writing paper and a pencil and have/him begin writing.”

In Unit 4, the Morning Message states: “Buenos días y bienvenidos de nuevo, entomólogas y entomólogos.” The teacher models writing using a prompt: “Ayer aprendimos que la entomología es el estudio de bichos….” This Morning Message is an example of opportunities offered for writing correspondence.

Throughout the school year, the materials include guidance or scaffolds to support the writing process. For example, the materials suggest establishing a “Centro de escritura.” This “Writing Center” is for one-on-one conferences during which teachers can highlight students’ writing skills (“Conferencias individuales de escritura y subrayados”). Teachers are to make notes on a few aspects of the student’s writing that approximate conventional spelling, grammar, and/or punctuation.

Evaluation for 3.B.2
Materials engage students in the writing process to develop text in oral, pictorial, or written form.

The materials offer explicit instruction in the writing process. Students are engaged in text development with opportunities to connect learning to their own writing. The materials facilitate a coherent use of the writing process elements (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and sharing/publishing).

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, the materials offer explicit instruction in the writing process. For example, students write and draw every day for sustained periods of 15 to 30 minutes. In Week 1, Day 1, the materials guide teachers: “Start from where each child is and systematically support his/her growth. The focus is not on conventional forms of writing; the focus is on communicating information and learning to use oral speech to map written language.” In Week 2, students start with a picture and use their words to tell the teacher what they want to write about. The teacher initiates a shared writing lesson: “Ya tengo mi dibujo, así que ahora voy a escribir: “Yo juego con sombra cada día [teacher displays a dog].” The teacher asks, “¿Cuántas palabras tiene mi oración?” The teacher then focuses on capitalization of the word yo, as it will be the first word of the sentence. Then the teacher asks for student assistance during the shared writing: “¿Alguien puede ayudarme a escribir yo? bien, después de yo necesito un espacio.” The materials provide guidance to build students’ confidence by validating each student’s current developmental stage of writing: “Yo sé que ya son escritores. Muéstrenme en el aire: Ondas, zig zag, nuditos, líneas mágicas, cosas que parecen letras.” 

In Unit 2, Lesson 5, students write about pets. During “Interactive Writing,” there are examples of how to start writing by “representing thoughts with drawing and writing.” All elements of the writing process are introduced in a systematic way over the course of the year. The writing process in kindergarten begins with the planning phase in “Centros.” “Sugerencias adicionales para hoy” provide a sentence stem for student use, which is included in the “Amarillo” color-coded text library (e.g., “Este pez es un….”) In the “Escritura independiente” section, the teacher guides students to create a title for their self-selected fish story and to write a draft of what they know about fish. In “Taller de escritura,” the materials provide suggestions on how to encourage students to write and improve their writing skills by working in small groups, “Conferencias individuales de escritura y subrayados.” Students have opportunities to continue writing and finishing their illustrations in the “Writing Center.” Finally, students continue to publish and share by creating picture books.

Evaluation for 3.B.3
Over the course of the year, students are provided opportunities to apply grade-level standard Spanish conventions to their writing.

The materials somewhat integrate writing with academic language and provide some ways for students to use conventions when speaking and writing. There are a few examples of punctuation, grammar, and usage being taught systematically, both in and out of context.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, the materials offer some ways for students to write about their learning and apply punctuation and grammar. For example, in Week 2, the materials suggest: “Invite children to plan what the writing will say, stretch words jointly with children using visual aids such as Elkonin boxes, segment the sounds and demonstrate the sound’s letter or letter pattern, demonstrate for children how to use classroom resources such as word walls, demonstrate how to find examples of punctuation and capitalization from shared reading to use in their writing.” However, there is no evidence that students write varied responses where they can apply what they have learned about the writing process and grammar rules. There is no evidence that the SLAR TEKS K.10 strand is explicitly taught. In addition, research by Kathy Escamilla does not support the use of Elkonin boxes for Spanish writing as Spanish is considered a syllabic language, and single phoneme sounds are not considered predictors of successful writing development in Spanish. 

The materials give teachers some instructions on how to model punctuation, grammar, and usage by teaching systematically, both in and out of context. For example, in Unit 1, materials guide teachers in writing instruction: “As you write, model: writing words from left to write, top to bottom, putting spaces between words, starting new sentences with a capital letter, and ending sentences with a punctuation mark, using word walls and other print in the room to help you as you write.” Unit 2 exposes students to writing during “Mensaje de la mañana,” which can be used for writing and incorporating ideas from the day before. In “Escritura independiente,” students practice expressing their ideas on a piece of paper using drawings or words depending on their writing development stage. The materials provide teachers with some guidance to support composition skills. For example, in “Escritura,” “Ortografía basada en la fonética,” the materials guide: “Continue to support students as they write developmentally appropriate approximations of oral language.” However, writing assignments using the conventions of academic language are missing; so is the use of elements to support systematic instruction, such as graphic organizers, writing templates, sentence starters, grammar rules charts, and rules for punctuation cheat sheets.

Evaluation for 3.B.4
Materials include practice for students to write legibly in print (K-1) and cursive (Grade 2).

Materials include some instruction and practice for students to write legibly as well as some instruction in print (K–1) and cursive (grade 2) handwriting. However, the materials do not include a plan for procedures and supports for teachers to assess students’ handwriting development.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In “Spanish Foundational Language Skills,” section 1-3A, the materials offer varied activities to support instruction in print and opportunities for students to practice their writing. For example, “Formación de letras y caligrafía” includes patterns so that students can practice writing each letter by tracing dotted letters on paper. 

In Unit 2, students may use letters to match sounds. Teachers focus on the information in the writing and not the letters or forms. In Week 1, students “sky write” (write syllables in the air) and trace over syllables on cards with a finger. 

In Unit 3, “students trace in the air or write on sand the new letter while stretching out the sound that it makes.” There is no evidence that the materials provide diverse opportunities for students to practice handwriting legibly in print. In Week 2, the materials do not offer any elements to create a plan for procedures and supports for teachers to assess students’ handwriting development. For example, students take the “Hipopótamo” test, which shows teachers the stage of writing each student is at; however, this is in terms of the writing development stage and not handwriting. 

In summary, the materials are missing a variety of ideas for students to be able to take ownership of their handwriting development. There is also no guidance for teachers to check students’ handwriting development.

Evaluation for 3.C.1
Materials support students’ listening and speaking about texts.

The materials include instruction and practice for the grade and grade-band-specific reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking skills. The materials provide opportunities for students to listen actively and to ask questions to understand information to deepen comprehension of texts and topics. Students use grade-level literacy skills to engage in discussions that require them to share information and ideas about the topics they are discussing.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, the materials provide opportunities for students to listen actively and to ask questions to understand information. In “Rutinas del laboratorio de lectoescritura,” models, roleplay ideas, and visual supports make “Accountable Talk” comprehensible. In “Conversación responsable,” students share with a partner and with the class. The teacher acts as a coach and uses feedback to monitor comprehension. In Week 1, “Música/Drama,” the teacher helps students retell stories through roleplay: “Oso pardo, oso pardo, ¿Qué ves ahí? Maestro, maestro, ¿Qué ve ahí? ¿Veo a…(student name) mirándome a mí?” In Week 4, the materials use the cover of the book Un día de nieve as a visual support to introduce the abstract concepts of story elements (characters, setting, events). In Week 5, during shared writing, the teacher uses the anchor chart “Relatar” to model how to retell the story: “Al principio...(personaje) y...en...(escenario).... El problema fue que…. Se resolvió….” 

In Unit 2, students apply grade-level literacy skills to engage in discussions that require them to share information and ideas about the topics they are discussing. For example, in “Mensaje de la mañana,” the teacher asks, “¿Alguno de ustedes sabe lo que significa zoología?” and students discuss. In Theme 1, Lesson 4, “Lectura en voz alta interactiva: Granjas,” teachers first check for prior knowledge using guiding questions such as “¿Qué es una granja?” “¿Para qué sirven las granjas?” “¿Qué han desayunado ustedes esta mañana?” and “¿De dónde vienen estos alimentos?” In order to help students deepen understanding, the materials suggest: “Hacerse preguntas: Have students generate questions about farms. Help them learn to wonder about farms.” For “Discussion,” students respond to the questions “¿Qué has aprendido en este libro sobre las granjas y sus animales? ¿Qué más has aprendido?” In another Lectura en voz alta, students discuss what they have learned about Animales bebés. Questions that help students engage in discussion include “¿Qué aprendieron de los bebés de...? ¿Qué más hay interesante sobre ellos?” 

In Unit 3, during the “Taller de escritura,” students engage in interactive writing about “Organismos en mi vecindario.” They use pictures of living and nonliving organisms and grade-level literacy skills to engage in discussions. After drawing pictures of different examples, each child shares and asks questions. The teacher explains and models: “Hoy vamos a escribir sobre los seres vivos y los objetos inertes en nuestro barrio. ¿Quién quiere mostrarnos lo que ha escrito?” The teacher selects one or two students to pose a question to the child who is sharing, using words such as “¿Qué? ¿Quién?, [sic] ¿Dónde?”

In Unit 3, Week 6, students are able to listen actively and ask questions to understand information to deepen comprehension. Materials instruct teachers: “Circulate among groups of students asking questions such as ¿Por qué? ¿Qué te hace pensar así? ¿Puedes encontrar evidencia del texto o de las ilustraciones que apoya a esta opinión? ¿Entonces qué? ¿Por qué importa?”

The “Conversación responsable” appears in every unit. Students practice introducing a self-selected book by telling each other about the topic of the book, cover, title page, and so forth. Materials provide guidance. For example, to assist students in talking about a part of the book, they instruct: “Ask him/her to hold up the book so everyone can see the cover. Ask him/her to tell one thing s/he liked about that book or to “read” one page s/he liked out loud.” 

Evaluation for 3.C.2
Materials engage students in collaborative discussions.

The materials include opportunities for students to engage in collaborative discussions. They provide protocols for students to practice speaking and listening using standard conventions of the Spanish language. In addition, the materials offer grade-level-appropriate opportunities for students to develop social communication skills.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, students have opportunities to engage in collaborative discussions during “Morning Message.” The materials guide the teacher to “ensure student participation using turn and talks.” The materials include protocols for students to practice speaking and listening using the standard conventions of the Spanish language. For example, the class picks a topic and uses a sentence starter: “Vamos a hablar de comidas que nos gustan. Me gusta comer….” Also, in Week 1, in “Conversación responsable: intercambio en parejas,” students work in pairs to rehearse oral responses to questions such as “¿Cuál fue tu parte favorita del libro? ¿Porqué? Pareja 1 levanta un libro que leíste hoy. Dile a tu pareja: Mi parte favorita de este libro fue...porque…. Cambien. Intercambio en grupos.”

In Unit 2, students again have collaborative discussions during “Conversación responsable.” Pairs talk about what they have learned. Questions to facilitate conversations include “¿Eres un ser vivo? ¿Es un mamífero?” The materials offer grade-level-appropriate opportunities for students to develop social communication skills. For example, the “Taller de escritura” includes a mini-lesson in which students take turns sharing their writing. Teachers praise students’ writing, and students use the “5 Ws” (i.e., “Quién, Qué, Cuándo, Dónde, Por qué”) to ask questions. In “Acción dramática,” students have the opportunity to pretend to be a parent mammal, while the rest of the class asks questions to “interview” them. In “Music and Drama,” students retell stories through roleplay: “Vamos a cazar un oso…. …, vamos a cazar un oso (student echoes).” Other songs are “Si te sientes muy feliz,” “Está aquí,” “Bienvenidos al tren,” and “Hola.”

In Unit 3, Theme 4, students play “Lanzar la pelota: Sustitución de fonemas.” The teacher says a word such as caballeto (instead of caballito) and throws the ball. The student that catches it responds using the following pattern: “No es..., Es….” In Week 5, students retell stories using the anchor chart “Relatar” and conventions of the Spanish language: “Al principio,...(personaje) y...en….(escenario). El problema fue que…. Se resolvió….” Students then practice retelling the story in pairs. 

In Unit 4, a list of “Debate Games” includes “Debate en comunidad, debate en campaña, clasifica la evidencia, desafío de investigación, a favor o en contra, pasar la pelota, no podría estar menos de acuerdo, la contienda, cuatro esquinas, debate en pecera, debate de tres tarjetas and tenis de rebatida.” Provided sentence starters include “El insecto más interesante es….”

Evaluation for 3.D.1
Materials engage students in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for different purposes.

Materials provide support for students to deepen comprehension using both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes in order to be able to ask and generate general questions. The materials also include instruction for students to generate and follow a research plan and to identify relevant sources based on their questions. Students practice communicating ideas and information in accordance with the purpose of the research. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials offer a “TEKS map” for each unit, which includes a strand called “Inquiry and Research.” Instructions for teachers target scientific research and reasoning questions, which support students’ ability to deepen comprehension using both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes. In Unit 2, Lesson 3, in the “Animales del zoológico” section, students “generate questions about zoos.” The teacher states: “Los científicos se hacen preguntas. Pensemos en algunas preguntas interesantes sobre los zoológicos. Yo tengo una pregunta: ¿Dónde consiguen animales para los zoológicos?” Materials instruct: “Do not answer the question. Let the children think about them. The questions are more important than the answers.” The materials also include instruction for students to generate and follow a research plan. For example, in “Laboratorio de ciencias,” the teacher encourages “Investigación independiente.” Instructions state: “Have the students find books about birds, looking for information about the stages of the bird life cycle. Read as many of them (together, in pairs, individually) as the class energy allows. ‘¿Quién ha encontrado nueva información sobre los ciclos de vida de las aves?’” The materials offer support in identifying relevant sources based on students’ questions. For example, in Lesson 4, during the “Laboratorio de ciencias,” “Animales de granja,” students sort books into different categories: “Have students separate out all of the Amarillo Books on animals that might be on a farm. Read as many of them. ‘¿Quién ha encontrado información interesante sobre las granjas o sobre los animales que viven en ellas?’” For “Clasificación de libros,” students use the books to support Investigación independiente. Mini-lessons show students how to review the sources for quality and include graphic organizers that students can use to organize their ideas. For example, in “Lectura en voz alta interactive [sic],” teachers guide the students to complete the KWL and SQA graphic organizers as part of the inquiry process.

In Unit 3, Lesson 5, the teacher helps students complete the KWL/SQA charts by generating questions about who eats whom in the ocean. In Unit 4, Theme 3, “Introducción de conceptos clave,” students generate questions and learn to wonder: “What can we learn from the way…? How would the world/the situation be different if…? I wonder why the...works/looks/acts like that. What if we…?” Students also conduct research based on the learning goal for each day. Instructions state: “Hoy vamos a comenzar el estudio del ecosistema llamado pastizal. Vamos a aprender qué tipos de seres vivos y objetos inertes viven en un pastizal.” A similar sequence repeats each day, and students have daily opportunities to make connections across lessons and topics. 

In Unit 4, Week 2, during “Accountable Talk,” the teacher uses the graphic organizer “Se busca” to record new questions student researchers generated about their topic. Also, during a “Science Lab,” there are instructions for observation, exploration, and taking notes leading to independent investigation. The lesson includes an introduction, background information about the topic, read-alouds, completion of a KWL/SQA chart, and a class discussion about the topic. 

Evaluation for 3.E.1
Materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge.

The materials contain interconnected tasks that build student knowledge and allow them to apply skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. The materials include components of vocabulary, comprehension, and syntax and provide opportunities for increased independence.

Evidence includes but is not limited to: 

In Unit 1, students have opportunities to apply skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, and language. For example, in Week 4, students listen to the suggested story Sílbale a Willy by Ezra Jack Keats. After reading different books by the same author, students discuss the similarities with their partners. The teacher facilitates the conversation by telling students: “Dile a tu pareja: ¿Qué te ha llamado la atención de estos libros? ¿Ves algo que tienen en común?” Students think about the elements of the story (characters, setting, and events). The teacher guides the students to write: “Hemos estado pensando acerca de los personajes, el escenario y los acontecimientos en las historias. Hoy van a escribir sobre un personaje, acontecimiento y escenario ya sea de historias que hemos leído o de una que ustedes inventen.” In the “Conciencia fonológica” section, students build knowledge and apply language skills by playing rhyming games. 

In Unit 2, Theme 2, the lesson “Salvajes vs. doméstico” begins with a “Morning Meeting,” which includes opportunities for listening and speaking. The teacher tells students to work with their partners: “Ayer investigamos las diferencias entre los seres vivos y los objetos inertes. Quiero que cada uno de ustedes le diga a su compañero/a de al lado: un ejemplo de un ser vivo, un ejemplo de un objeto inerte ¿Cómo sabes cuál es cuál?” In the section “Lectura en voz alta interactiva [sic],” students create their own writing (pictures) and then use a T-chart to distinguish between “animales salvajes y animales domésticos.” Students respond to questions such as “¿Quién puede nombrar un animal salvaje? ¿Quién puede nombrar un animal doméstico? ¿Cuál es la diferencia?” The read-aloud lesson includes opportunities for students to discuss key vocabulary in the context of the story ¿Sabes algo sobre mamíferos? by Buffy Silverman. For instance, teachers ask: “¿Quién puede decirnos alguna de las cosas que comen los mamíferos? Algunos mamíferos sólo comen plantas, ¿Les gustaría comer solo [sic] carne o comer solo [sic] plantas? ¿Por qué?” In Theme 5, the teacher guides the students during writing by saying “Quiero que me ayuden a escribir un resumen de lo que aprendimos ayer.” In this task, the teacher asks the students to give a good title for the review, read the message together, and underline words in the message that “will support their ability to express ideas in print.” This activity includes questions such as “¿Cuántas palabras con poder puedes encontrar en el mensaje? ¿Cuál es la palabra más larga en nuestro mensaje? ¿Cuántas letras tiene? ¿Cuántas oraciones tenemos en nuestro mensaje? ¿Cómo lo sabes?” Students also practice building knowledge and language skills when the teacher asks, “¿Con qué sílaba comienza rana? ¿Qué letra hace el sonido /r/ [sic].” Students engage in listening and speaking during “turn and talk”: “¿Qué sabes acerca del ciclo de vida de la rana? Díselo a tu pareja. ¿Puede alguien explicarnos lo que significa la palabra ‘metamorfosis’? Díle a tu pareja lo que sabes.” Materials support thinking skills: “¿Por qué los anfibios pasan por un proceso de metamorfosis? ¿Cómo serían nuestros cuerpos si tuviéramos que vivir debajo del agua?” For “Investigación independiente: Práctica de lectura,” students read in a group, in pairs, or independently. The teacher asks, “¿Qué información nueva has encontrado acerca de los anfibios?” The unit includes components of vocabulary, comprehension, and syntax. For example, during the game “Four Corners,” students demonstrate comprehension when they move to the corner that contains the information requested. Students practice vocabulary by testing each other using flash cards; they also use reading log entries to support increased reading independence. While reading a selected book on “Ciclo de vida de los anfibios,” the teacher makes pauses as needed to introduce or to emphasize vocabulary using the “Drop In” vocabulary strategy. The vocabulary taught during the lesson is practiced through oral games such as tongue twisters, rhymes, and syllable clapping. 

In Unit 4, Entomology, during the read-aloud of Dichos de los bichos by Alberto Blanco, students practice listening and speaking. The teacher uses the chart “Cartel de datos INCREIBLES,” and students answer questions such as “¿Cuál es el dato más increíble/asqueroso/fascinante que han aprendido en este libro?” The teacher “shares the pen” for an interactive class writing activity on bugs. Students practice reading on their own (either in small groups, pairs, or individually) as well as recording facts they learn from either the words or the pictures in the book. Students participate in a “Conversación responsable” session with a partner, reading and discussing each other’s notes. During a read-aloud, students join in on the parts they know how to read. 

Evaluation for 3.E.2
Materials provide spiraling and scaffolded practice.

The materials provide distributed practice over the course of the year. The design includes scaffolds for students to demonstrate integration of Spanish literacy skills. 

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials provide spiraling and scaffolded practice. Beginning on the first day of instruction, students are engaged in literacy skill development. There are multiple opportunities every day for students to read, think, write, speak, comprehend, and practice language skills. This development is primarily done at the beginning of the year with read alouds and gradually moves to students reading and writing more independently as the units progress. There are daily opportunities for students to engage in distributed practice with built-in scaffolds to demonstrate the integration of spiraled literacy skills. Scaffolds help the teacher to support students when they are first introduced to new skills. Scaffolding opportunities, such as activating prior knowledge, modeling thought processes, and using a think-aloud, are built into the components of the daily instructional framework with guidance provided for the teacher. Many of the routines built early in the school year continue; students know and understand the level of support they can receive, as well as the expectations for their individual work—for listening, speaking, thinking, reading, and writing throughout the day. Examples of the routines that continue across all units during the course of the school year include but are not limited to partner sharing and “Accountable Talk.”

Practice is distributed across the year by unit as follows: poetry in Unit 1; text features in Unit 2; characteristics of literary texts and main idea and details in Unit 3; persuasive texts in Unit 4. In Units 2, 3, and 4, under the heading “TEKS for Spanish Language Arts & Reading: Kinder,” the materials include the distribution of the TEKS over the school year: “K.1—Oral Language, K.2—Beginning reading and writing, K.3—Vocabulary development, K.5—Comprehension, K.6—Response to text, K.7—Literary elements, K.8—Genre, K.9—Author’s purpose, K.10—Writing process, K.11—Composition, and K.12—Research.  For example, in Unit 1, students are expected to write, but it is noted that writing may look very different for different students. Some may scribble, some may draw, some may be writing letters that represent sounds. Underwriting by the teacher is a strategy used in conferencing with students about their writing and provides scaffolding for writing skills. Underwriting is a strategy used in conferencing throughout all units over the course of the school year.

The materials provide distributed practice over the course of the year; students practice reading and writing daily. The skills that students are introduced to progress along a clearly defined scope and sequence presented in the introduction of each framework. In Unit 3, students learn about the grasslands and how plants and animals form food webs. Throughout the lesson, students are asked to use multiple literacy skills with support from either the teacher or their classmates as they engage in whole group discussion, partner chat, and independent reading and writing. Differentiation is built into “ARC Core en español,” supported by the ENIL and conferencing. Suggestions provided in the teacher frameworks serve to support teachers differentiating across a potentially wide range.

In Unit 2, the materials provide some spiraling and scaffolded practice. The section “Evaluación y recogida de datos [sic]” includes informal assessment and teacher observations that can be recorded in the “Status of the Class Chart.” The materials also provide a folder for students to be able to collect their work for their final project (i.e., “Libro de ciencias del estudiante”). The “Focus Standards Assessment Records” allow teachers to record students’ progress throughout the year. This unit also includes some scaffolds for students to demonstrate some integration of Spanish literacy skills. The materials support phonemic awareness practice by providing samples of rhymes and songs in Spanish in the “Canciones y rimas” section (e.g., “La paloma azul,” “Los pollitos,” “La marcha de las letras,” “El coquí”). The materials also include opportunities for students to associate letters with sounds, identify uppercase and lowercase letters, and recognize that words are made up of syllables. Additional practice integrating Spanish literacy skills, such as vocabulary families, is provided in the ENIL Herramientas frameworks, with activities that include reading, writing, word play, and morpheme analysis.

Each “ARC CORE en español” Kindergarten unit includes a "Guía de planificación" that identifies the scope and sequence of specific Composition and Foundational Language Standards by each Theme and Topic within the unit.In Unit 3, materials teach students to decode and spell by introducing one-syllable, two-syllable, and multisyllabic words. For example, students first “share the pen” with the teacher and help to write the “Morning Message.” During the read-aloud, using sentence starters, students are gradually released to begin working on their own. When reading the text Un hábitat de desierto by Kelley MacAulay and Bobbie Kalman, the materials provide sentence starters such as “Yo pienso que el autor/a quiere que sepamos que...(the author’s point/message—either read directly from the text or inferred). Pensemos sobre las razones el autor/a nos da para apoyar su idea de que....”

As the year progresses, the material scaffolds utilize a gradual-release approach and integrate some literacy tasks along with opportunities to practice previously taught skills. For example, in Unit 4, Theme 1, Lesson 3, the letter-sound review includes whole group, small group, and individual practice. In Theme 5, Lesson 3, the materials include tasks such as “make a running list of all the benefits bugs have for people.” Initially, writing about bugs was supported with the use of sentence stems: “Esto es un…. Tiene mas patas que un….” Although a portion of each unit is devoted to the discussion of prior knowledge, this is just one way to scaffold for students who may not be familiar with the topic.

Evaluation for 4.1
Materials provide explicit instruction in print concepts and opportunities for student practice (K-1 only).

The materials provide explicit instruction in print awareness. Students are able to connect print awareness knowledge to texts.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, the materials provide explicit instruction in print awareness. For example, at the beginning of each lesson, during the “Morning Message,” materials direct: “Begin each day with a morning message using interactive writing. Post messages around the classroom to create a print-rich environment for reading and rereading.” The materials also include activities that help children connect print awareness knowledge to text by demonstrating that print represents spoken language. The teacher says: “Leamos de nuevo nuestro mensaje. ¿A quién le gustaría ayudarme a señalar cada palabra saltando los espacios? Voy a poner dos rayitas debajo de cada punto o interrogación final. Contemos cuántas oraciones tiene nuestro mensaje.”

In Unit 2, Themes 1–3 and 6, materials include explicit instruction to teach about the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book (TEKS K.2.D.i). For example, in “Introducción a los animales,” in the “Taller de lectura,” there is a “Review” that includes the directionality, function, and parts of a book. The script for the teacher states: “Read an ‘Amarillo’ book aloud modeling how you use the pictures for clues.” “Use the cover, back cover, title page, etc., to state the topic of the book.” This activity supports students’ ability to connect print awareness knowledge to texts.

In Unit 3, in section “Estándares de Composición y Destrezas fundamentales del lenguaje,” the materials include the “Picture Walk” pre-reading activity. Using the read-aloud Las mejores amigas del Sol by Hyeon-Suk Kim, the teacher introduces “the title and other parts of a book” and connects concepts of print. 

In Unit 4, the materials provide explicit instruction in print awareness. For example, in the “Print-Rich Environment” section, instructions state: “Post messages around the classroom to create a print-rich environment for reading and rereading. After you have finished writing and reading the basic message, have students come up and point out things they notice (e.g., letters, words, punctuation marks). Count the sentences, words, or letters. Have someone find some words s/he can read, including ‘Palabras con poder’ (underline).”

Evaluation for 4.2
Materials provide explicit instruction in phonological skills and opportunities for student daily practice (e.g., rhyming, syllabication, blending, segmenting, manipulation) (K-1 only).

The materials provide explicit instruction in phonological skills, opportunities to practice oral language, explicit instruction in each newly taught sound and sound pattern, and opportunities to practice each newly taught sound/phoneme and syllable pattern. Students practice using blending spoken phonemes to form syllables and syllables to form multisyllabic words as well as segmenting spoken words into individual syllables and manipulating syllables to form new words.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In ENIL 1-3A, under the heading “Herramientas para el desarrollo de Destrezas fundamentales,” the materials provide explicit instruction in phonological skills, beginning with opportunities for students to practice oral language. For example, the “Conciencia fonológica, conciencia silábica” section states: “Compruebe la conciencia fonológica de sus estudiantes. Segmentar sílabas: Di elefante. Separa las sílabas: e-le-fan-te. Juntar sílabas: Di: e-le-fan-te. Junta las sílabas. ¿Qué palabra es?” In this same resource, under “Conceptos de palabras 2A,” the materials include explicit instruction in each newly taught sound and sound pattern. For example, instructions include how to identify each word, segment isolated syllables, blend spoken syllables to repeat the word, and replace the initial syllable to form a new word: “Contar sílabas, quitar la primera sílaba de una palabra de dos sílabas, quitar la última sílaba de una palabra de dos sílabas, aislar la sílaba inicial. Producir otras palabras que comiencen por esa sílaba.” Under “2A Seguimiento,” materials state: “Señalar una palabra en la página por cada palabra que se dice, haga una pausa después de tres palabras.” This activity continues offering opportunities for students to practice newly taught syllable patterns: “El/la estudiante suple una palabra que rime: Seta, meta, paleta,.... Oso, hermoso, goloso….” Students also practice newly taught sounds/phonemes: “Miren cómo Robi ha usado una ‘a’ para la palabra “abuela.” Efectivamente, “abuela” empieza por /a/).”

In Unit 2, students have opportunities to practice oral language. For example, in “Practica de conciencia silabica,” the materials suggest playing games to retain patterns of spoken language. The teacher guides students: “Jueguen a algo que requiera que los estudiantes retengan y usen una oración patrón: ‘Permiso,’ ‘¿Puedo?,’ ‘Veo,veo,’ and ‘Red Rover.’” In the “Conciencia fonológica/fonémica” section, the materials include explicit instruction in phonological skills: “Recognize that print represents spoken language. Be able to clap or tap individual words within a spoken sentence.” In the “Escuchar una secuencia de sonidos” section, students identify sounds: “See if students can identify a sequence of sounds. Have them cover their eyes. Make two noises, one after the other. See if they can identify the sounds. Sometimes allow the whole class to answer at once. Other times call on just one student.” Materials also support student practice of blending spoken phonemes to form syllables and syllables to form multisyllabic words in order to form sentences. Students use two-syllable words to make sentences like “La vaca hace muu. La vaca da leche. La vaca tiene terneros. La vaca nos da cuero.” Teachers say, “Escuchen con atención la oración que voy a decir (speaking very slowly with clear pauses between words). Repite la oración palabra por palabra, tal y como la he dicho. Pon en el piso un bloque por la palabra en la oración (work from left to right). Señala un bloque por cada palabra que dices (work from left to right).”

In Unit 3, students practice segmenting spoken words into individual syllables and manipulating syllables to form new words. For example, they play “¡A batir las palmas!” where they “clap the syllables of longer and more interesting words such as e-le-fan-te, ri-no-ce-ron-te, etc.” Other ways to play the game are, for instance, “snapping with the fingers, tapping on their desks, stomping with their feet.”

Unit 4 provides explicit instruction in each newly taught sound and sound pattern, along with opportunities for students to practice each newly taught sound/phoneme and syllable pattern. For example, students play “Cambiar el sonido (Consonante/Grupo de consonante[s]).” The teacher picks a word related to the life cycle of the insect (e.g., ninfa). The teacher then guides students to remove initial sounds: “Si le quitamos el sonido al principio /n/, ¿cuál parte de la palabra nos queda?” The teacher guides students to change the initial sound: “Si cambiamos la /n/ a [sic] una /s/, ¿cuál sería la nueva palabra? ¿Es una palabra de verdad (thumbs up/down)? ¿Qué tal si cambiamos la /s/ a [sic] /gr/? Repeat using other initial consonant sound/blends.”

Evaluation for 4.3
Materials provide explicit systematic instruction in phonetic knowledge and opportunities for students to practice both in and out of context (K-2).

The materials include a research-based sequence of grade-level foundational skills instruction and opportunities to practice and achieve grade-level mastery. In addition, the materials systematically develop knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns as addressed in the SLAR TEKS for grades K–2. Students apply grade-level phonetic knowledge to connected texts. Materials include spelling goals as identified in the SLAR TEKS.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In “Herramientas para el desarrollo de Destrezas fundamentales” 1-3a, the materials include a research-based sequence of grade-level foundational skills instruction and opportunities to practice and achieve grade-level mastery. For example, on pages XX and XI, a chart shows the sequence of grade-level foundational skills taught at the “Amarillo” level. In “Conciencia fonológica” and “Conciencia silábica,” students practice breaking words into syllables (e.g., “Di elefante. Separa las sílabas. Di e-le-fan-te. Junta las sílabas. ¿Qué palabra es?” The “Phonics Developmental Sequence (3A-2R)” states that “basic principles of reading acquisition are based on phonetic, phonological, morphosyntactic, and semantic features relevant in Spanish, and in principles decoding consistent with those features.” In addition, the “Sentence Level” section states: “Hear the sentence. Remember it. Omit the one word that changes on each page and substitute a new word that makes sense given the context (syntax/ graphics).” This activity is entirely oral, and students are not reading the text. For “Word Level,” materials state: “Tell how many words they hear in a simple sentence.” For “Syllable Level,” the materials state: “Clap out syllables in words” as suggested activities for “Book Awareness and Engagement.” 

The “SLAR TEKS Foundational Language Skills Scope & Sequence,” which appears in the introduction of every unit, includes a progression for teaching phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, morphology to communicate, decoding, and spelling. Opportunities to practice include small groups that offer support to each student at their level: At Level 3A, (Amarillo), students learn initial letters and CV syllable sounds (vowels; CV syllable families with m, p, l, s, n, t; CV syllable families with b, f, v, d, r, c; remaining CV syllable families with z, g, j, h, q, y, x, ñ, k, w, ch, ll), K.2(B)(i)(ii). At Level 1V (“Verde”), students learn to decode CVCV words K.2(B)(ii)(iv); recognize at least 25 1V “Palabras con poder” (high-frequency words); blend and chunk CVCV words; and the first 60 Palabras con poder.

In “Estructura para la Evaluación del nivel independiente de lectura” (ENIL), 1-3A, the materials systematically develop knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns as addressed in the SLAR TEKS. For example, for “Sílabas abiertas (CV),” in Lesson 7, teachers ask, “¿Qué son las letras y para qué las necesitamos? In Lesson 8, students are introduced to the first vowel, Aa. They practice recognizing the letter Aa in the alphabet chart used in the previous lesson. Next, the teacher explains the strategy: “Cuando vemos una A al principio de una palabra, sabemos que la palabra empieza por el sonido /a/. Usa la primera letra como pista para poner tus labios en posición de ‘despegue.’” In subsequent lessons, the teacher prompts children to look at the teacher’s mouth to see how lips move together to produce the /m/ sound: “Miren cómo preparé mis labios para decir el sonido /m/ (cierre los labios). Ahora ustedes. Mientras preparan sus labios, piensen en una palabra que comience con el sonido /m/. Esperen. Cuando cuente hasta tres quiero que todos digan su palabra: 1, 2, 3. ¿Cuál fue tu palabra con eme?” ENIL Amarillo books allow students to apply grade-level phonetic knowledge to connected texts. For example, students use the book En el zoológico to practice a repetitive pattern with the high-frequency words Veo, en, el. In “1V Requisitos de entrada: Control de palabras de dos sílabas abiertas,” students use letter-sound relationships to decode one- and two-syllable words (e.g., al, el, mi, gusta, esa, esta); materials thus provide word context for syllable decoding. 

In Unit 1, materials systematically develop students’ knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns. For example, “Cultura de lectura” includes a chart that explains the reading skills developed at each level. The first three levels (1A, 2A, 3A) are for readiness before students decode words. In Week 2, activities include “Juego de nombres,” in which students clap to identify syllables in words. In Week 3, students engage in “Sílabas secretas” (syllable blending) and “La más fuerte” (syllable splitting). In Week 4, instructions state: “Once your students are comfortable counting syllables, you can introduce games that require producing words with a certain number of syllables.” These games are “Rayuela” and “Avanza, avanza.” In Week 5, activities include “Syllable Dropping”: “Puedes decir sopera sin so?” In Week 6, students continue with syllabication activities such as “Rima, no rima.” 

In Unit 2, materials continue to develop students’ knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns systematically. In Theme 1, the materials explain that the unit “continues to be largely focused on syllabication, with an added component of attention to the beginning sounds of words.” In Theme 2, the focus is on the initial sounds; there are activities such as “Adivina quien es (sonidos de letras iniciales).” In Themes 3 and 4, practice continues with the same skill (“Initial Syllable Sounds”). In Theme 5, practice includes initial syllable sounds and syllabication using “A dar palmas!”: “Have the children clap the syllables of longer and more interesting words.” The materials include spelling goals as identified in the SLAR TEKS. In “Way to Help Students Retain Power Word,” “1V: Palabras con poder” include 60 words (e.g., al, con, esa, que, soy, vamos, voy). The materials suggest four ways to practice: “Fernald Method (VAKT: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Tactile)”; “Sandwiching”; “Adrenaline”; and “Food.” For VAKT, materials instruct: “Write the word in heavy black crayon, and have the student trace the word as s/he says it several times. (Be sure s/he does not say the letters, only the whole word.) Have him/her write the word (correctly from memory).”

In Unit 3, materials continue systematically developing students’ knowledge of grade-level phonics patterns. In Theme 1, the materials introduce letter sounds. In Theme 2, materials suggest: “Have the children clap the syllables of longer and more interesting words.” In Theme 3, practice includes “Sílabas abiertas y palabras sencillas.” In Theme 4, materials present the initial sound /f/, and students practice with Sílabas abiertas y palabras sencillas. In Themes 5 and 6, the materials suggest practicing the initial sound /m/. In this unit, materials also include the ideas to support spelling goals as identified in the SLAR TEKS. For example, materials suggest using food such as Goldfish, crackers, raisins, animal crackers, M&Ms, and Cheerios to help students learn the words. Materials instruct: “Roll a die and move a marker around the circle of cards. When s/he lands on a card, if s/he can correctly read the word at Flash Speed, s/he gets to take the card and eat the treat.”

In Unit 4, Theme 1, activities explore individual sounds of words (e.g., “mosca, /m/ /o/ /s/ /k/ /a/). In Theme 2, the letter-sound activity is “Di muy bajito el sonido que hace la letra m.” In Theme 3, materials introduce consonant blends “in order to be ready for first grade.” In Theme 4, there is a “repaso de grupos de consonantes.” In Theme 5, the materials suggest, “Figure out simple CVCV words if necessary by first breaking the word into syllables.” This type of practice allows students to apply grade-level phonetic knowledge to words and also includes spelling goals as identified in the SLAR TEKS.

Evaluation for 4.4
Materials provide frequent opportunities for students to practice and develop fluency while reading a wide variety of grade-level texts at the appropriate rate with accuracy and prosody. (Grades 1-2 only)

Evaluation for 5.1
Materials include developmentally-appropriate diagnostic tools (e.g. formative and summative progress monitoring) and guidance for teachers, students, and administrators to monitor progress.

The materials include developmentally appropriate diagnostic tools and provide guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration. In addition, students can track their own progress and growth in all content and process skills for SLAR K–2, as outlined in the SLAR TEKS.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In the “Evaluación del nivel independiente de lectura (ENIL) Formative Assessment” handbook, materials include developmentally appropriate diagnostic tools. For example, in Kindergarten, the assessment is used to evaluate the independent reading level of the students in “Amarillo Level 1A.” This ongoing assessment of each student’s reading level throughout the year provides data about phonics, word recognition, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Guidance is included to ensure consistent and accurate administration of the ENIL tool included in the “User Guide,” which provides an overview of the assessment. On page VII of ENIL, “Cómo usar el ENIL” includes “Protocolo para la evaluación inicial.” The protocol includes step-by-step guidance to investigate the student’s current relationship with reading by asking questions such as “¿Te gusta leer? ¿Por qué o por qué no? ¿Conoces a alguien a quien le gusta leer?” In addition, all SLAR content and process skills are outlined in the “Kindergarten SLAR TEKS,” where each assessment-recommended goal is matched to the outcome desired. On page 5 of ENIL, the materials include the specific TEKS that the Amarillo Level 1A assessment measures. For example, the teacher selects a cold reading text, which can be any Amarillo text. The evaluation begins as follows: the teacher reads a sentence (e.g., “Veo el dólar”) and asks, ¿Puedes leerme esto?” If the student can read the first sentence independently, the teacher stops the test because the student is probably at level 1V or higher. If the child cannot read the first sentence independently, the teacher reads it to them, pointing at each word and saying, “Aquí dice: ‘Veo el dólar’” and repeats for the next page. Students not able to repeat the pattern after the teacher models reading two more times must remain at the “Léeme-a-mí” (LAM) level, as they are not yet ready for 1A. 

In Unit 1, students can track their own progress and growth through the use of “Conferencias y evaluación formativa.” This section includes a “Conference Record Form” for teachers to keep track of the students’ “Power Goal” along with information about how to support students to achieve these goals. The “Literacy Lab” section includes the following articles as part of the introduction: “What Is Inquiry Through Apprenticeship and Why Should We Teach this Way?” by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm and “An Inquiry Culture Within and Across Classrooms.” Students learn to inquire into their own reading and writing, learn about expert practice, monitor their own progress, and share expertise with others through the use of modeling and peer response.

ENIL includes other informal ways to measure students’ progress, such as a checklist for specific reading skills according to the color-coded levels (i.e., “Amarillo, Verde, Azul, Rojo”). The materials offer rubrics to evaluate reading development (e.g., “2A Evaluación de nivel independiente de lectura,” “2A Destrezas fundamentales del lenguaje,” “Transición 3A: Letra inicial y sílabas abiertas.” 

In Unit 2, developmentally appropriate observational and anecdotal evaluations can be found in the “Student Notebook,” including a collection of artifacts in the “Cuaderno de investigación” and a portfolio of graphic organizers that showcase students’ progress. The materials also provide guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration and record-keeping of the students’ reading stages. For example, in “Amarillo: Texto A para Lectura en frío,” teachers select a text at the Amarillo level in order to test for specific strategies. This testing may include screening measures that provide the teacher with a baseline understanding as well as instructions such as “Requisito de entrada: registro acumulativo,” “Destrezas fundamentales del lenguaje,” and “Amarillo: Registro continuo.”

In Unit 4, there are tips and recommendations to support other developmentally appropriate diagnostic tools. For example, the “Evaluación de Palabras con poder” states: “As you circulate, collect information about how many ‘Palabras con poder’ each child knows using a recording tool (see Appendix for examples). At this point, students are expected to know ALL 60 ‘Palabras con poder.’ Identify any common gaps so that you can address them with the whole class early on in the Unit.”

Evaluation for 5.2
Materials include guidance for teachers and administrators to analyze and respond to data from diagnostic tools.

The materials include guidance and support for teachers to respond to individual students’ needs in all domains, based on appropriate measures for their developmental level. Diagnostic tools yield meaningful information for teachers to use when planning. A variety of resources and teacher guidance support leveraging different activities. The materials also provide guidance for administrators to support teachers in analyzing and responding to data.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, there is guidance and support for teachers to respond to individual students’ needs in all domains, based on measures appropriate for their developmental level. For example, in the “Leeme-a-mi (LAM) Intervention [sic]” section, the materials provide guidance and support to help students who are not yet able to handle kindergarten-level textbooks. These books are labeled “Amarillo Level (1A),” and specific instructions can be found under “Additional Practice.” The materials instruct: “Listen to 20 books read aloud every day. This will be 500 books in one month.” The materials suggest reading aloud books from baskets 2Az–1R and providing reading time with a “Buddy” or an “Adult Reading Coach” one-on-one. The parallel “Expert Coaching” provides guidance to respond to students’ needs, such as “Understand and enjoy stories read aloud to the entire class… Laugh at the funny part… Make connections… Make predictions… Retell or summarize a simple story (2Az/1R).”

The electronic “Estructura para la Evaluación del nivel independiente de lectura (ENIL)” “SchoolPace” platform contains diagnostic tools that yield meaningful information for teachers to use when planning. This online performance management system provides student performance data. Assessment results can be utilized to understand the learning of a specific student or of a group of students. It can also be used in order to enhance overall knowledge of students’ development and to improve educational programs for students while supporting continuity across grades. The system helps teachers to select one “Power Goal” for a group of students who need to achieve this goal. The “Basic Instructional Sequence” suggests: “Explain to students their goal. Model to the students how to practice the Power Goal, provide Guided Practice to help students during their own practice.” There are also instructions to divide the goal into “smaller, simpler portion[s] of the original goal.” The last step is to “Transfer Responsibility to the Students,” by providing ways to practice and specifying dates on which the goal will be checked for progress. Teachers are guided to record notes and scores in ENIL. In addition, Schoolpace assists in accessing resources and supporting children with specific needs based on assessments objectives such as “1A Evaluación del nivel independiente de lectura .01–.09,” which comes with “Registro de entrada: Control de la integración patrón-ilustración,” “Amarillo: Registro continuo,” and “Transición a 2A: Correspondencia uno por uno/Seguimiento.” The “Herramientas para el desarrollo de Destrezas fundamentales” section offers a variety of resources and teacher guidance to leverage different activities. For example, under the heading, “What You Get,” teachers can find all resources that can be used to reinforce the development of the literacy skills students need to improve at each level. 

In “Requisitos de entrada,” there is modeling and practice for teachers to help students to identify the individual words in a spoken sentence as shown in “1A Oración patrón y lectura de ilustraciones.” The “Correlation with Other Leveling Systems” section provides guidance for administrators to support teachers in analyzing and responding to data. For example, this correlation includes “Lexile levels, Fountas and Pinnel levels, EDLS2, and Accelerated Reader reading levels.” Data about assessment results is presented as follows: “Alfabeto, Conciencia fonológica, Escritura, Lectura.” These reports are customizable to allow teachers to see developmental gaps at the student and the whole class level. The following reports identify students’ individual needs by objective and can be used for communication with families: “Letter-Sound Record,” “Status of the Class Report,” “Alphabet Assessment,” “Zoología: Objetivos de Ciencias.”

The “Independent Reading Level Assessment Framework” includes more guidance and support for teachers to respond to individual students’ needs in all domains, based on measures appropriate for the developmental level. For example, this separate resource shows teachers steps for using data to group students with similar levels and to offer varied intervention support activities based on student needs. “Coaching Moves” suggest activities for small groups as well as instructional strategies to assist students with one-on-one support. 

Evaluation for 5.3
Materials include frequent, embedded opportunities for monitoring progress.

The materials include frequent, embedded opportunities for routine and systematic monitoring that accurately measures and tracks student progress and is appropriate for the age and content skill.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The “Estructura para la evaluación del nivel independiente de lectura” (ENIL) toolkit resource includes frequent, embedded opportunities for routine and systematic progress monitoring. For example, the teacher is prompted to create “Power Goals” for each student. The teacher follows ENIL’s protocol to monitor reading growth as follows: “Every student receives a 1:1 conference in each 2–3 week cycle to assess a student’s Independent Reading Level and to determine appropriate Power Goals.”

In Unit 1, the materials include opportunities to measure and track student progress accurately. For example, in the “Introducción” section, the materials include a “Pacing Guide,” which consists of a timeline routine used to check student progress. The “Criteria for SUCCESS in Literacy Labs” section provides a checklist that includes tasks and actions that guide teachers to identify the next step. The materials provide instructions to ensure success (e.g., “Use formative assessment as a feedback loop to own effectiveness [whole group, small group, one-on-one].”) The “Conference Schedule” provides a routine to schedule most frequent meetings with students at risk and in “Emergency.”

All units in the program include a connection to the ENIL toolkit that measures and tracks student progress in ways that are appropriate for the age and content skill. For example, at the end of every week of instruction, the “Friday Reflection” section has a chart aligned to ENIL levels. It states: “Use everything you’ve learned from student reading, writing, speaking, and listening so far (see Status of the Class and ENIL Conference Notes) to organize and plan interventions for the start of the next week.” In addition, there is specific guidance to address intervention goals: Under the subheading: “Children who…,” there are five categories aligned to ENIL levels: LAM- 1A- 2A, 3A, 1V, Already in 2V or higher. Suggestions for struggling students read: “Can’t yet: Read at least 25 Power Words”; “Remediation (very small strategy group—1–3 students.”

All the units use the ENIL toolkit. For instance, in Unit 4, there are frequent, embedded opportunities for routine and systematic progress monitoring. At the end of the first week, a “Blend/Digraph Record Chart” is used to collect information from each student to determine growth. Instructions read: “Use this chart to record how many initial consonant blend/digraph sounds each student knows (horizontal) and to tally which ones most students know at any given point in the Unit (vertical).” Every week, the materials state: “Review data you’ve collected this week on how many letter sounds, syllable families, and high-frequency words each student knows.” This progress monitoring is frequent and appropriate for the age and content skill. The same approach is used to monitor students’ writing progress in the unit. For example, the “Carpeta de escritura” allows students to collect their writing artifacts: “Each student’s work should be saved in his/her Writing Folder to become part of that child’s book for this week.” At the end of each week, teachers use the “Taller de escritura,” which states: “Store students’ writing in their Writing Folders and in the Writing Center.”

Evaluation for 6.1
Materials include guidance, scaffolds, supports, and extensions that maximize student learning potential.

The materials contain guidance, scaffolds, supports, and limited extensions that maximize student learning potential for students who have not yet mastered content and students who have mastered content. A greater emphasis is placed on small group instruction, strategic grouping, and intervention support for students who have not yet mastered the content. The materials provide some enrichment activities for all level learners. 

Evidence includes, but is not limited to: 

In Unit 1, the ARC Core en Español overview states, “supports go far beyond the traditional below, on, and above” levels. The ARC classroom libraries usually have six to eight reading levels. In the first week of Unit 1, directions are provided for developing “Read-to-Me Action Plans” for students reading below level that include “500-Book Kid Read-Aloud Immersion,” “Student Read-Aloud Coaches,” “Adult Coordinators,” and an “RTM for ELL Students Skills Card.” The teacher is provided with a “Reader/Writer Engagement Check” to monitor students. The materials support identifying each student’s reading level to make sure students are reading at the correct level to ensure growth. The teachers set up their SchoolPace account in order to track students’ levels and growth. The 100-book challenge provides students opportunities to read books at their level. Students log their reading. 

The materials provide teachers with specific guidance, activities, and suggested modifications for students who have not yet mastered the skills. For example, in Unit 1, the directions include slowing down the pace, modifying the questions, or providing specific students opportunities to practice. It also includes a shared reading section with guidelines for teachers to model lower-level reading using the sentence from the first page to read the whole book or say a word that matches each page’s picture.

Unit 2 includes six themes to support teacher instruction in understanding the foundations of reading skills. Materials include recommendations for teachers on how to organize centers based on skills in order to appropriately target instruction and activities for students who have and have not yet mastered content. The materials include instructional routines such as: “Reunión de la mañana,” “Lectura en voz alta interactiva,” “Laboratorio de Ciencias,” “Escritura, Centros, Taller de lectura and Música/ Drama /Literatura.” In “Salvajes vs. Domésticos,” the implementation of “Centros” promotes self-directed activities that focus on demonstrating understanding, writing messages, or using language for a variety of purposes. Teachers are encouraged to start from where each child is and systematically support their growth, thus supporting both students who have mastered and students who have not mastered content.

In Units 2–4, all students explore the same topics throughout the units, but the levels of texts read independently differ for students. Students have multiple opportunities during the day to engage in independent reading at their proficiency level, like Science Lab, Centers, and Reader’s Workshop. During Reader’s Workshop, students engage in side-by-side and partner reading, which provides students who demonstrate proficiency above grade level opportunities to extend their learning as a peer coach.

In Unit 4, Entomología, “Taller de Lectura” and “Lectura en Voz Alta,” there is a “Safety Net” section, which includes suggestions for students who have not yet mastered the skills.  The suggestions include a series of steps to practice “Power Words.”  Teachers are provided with actions  to support students, such as reading, chanting, or tracing in the air. 

The materials include some enrichment activities located in the ENIL handbook that allow all students to explore and apply new learning in various ways, follow a logical sequence, allow for depth, focus, and sustained time to explore or apply a new skill. The choice of activities includes games such as “Lotería,” “Palabras con poder car race,” “Caja de palabras,” crosswords, and word play.

The ENIL is designed to determine the needs of all readers and help them grow in their reading skills. Through the ENIL assessments, the teacher identifies the needs of students and develops “Power Goals” for small group instruction. The lessons in the ENIL Herramientas Frameworks provide a systematic approach to moving students from one reading level to the next.

Each unit contains formative assessment and progress monitoring tools such as the Kinsey Development Writing Scale, Letter-Sound Records, and Focus Standards Assessment Records. Embedded “Formative Assessments” throughout the units allow the teacher to use evidence to clarify or reteach immediately within each lesson and plan for instruction the next day.

Evaluation for 6.2
Materials provide a variety of instructional methods that appeal to a variety of learning interests and needs.

The materials include various instructional approaches to engage students in achieving mastery while promoting the use of developmentally appropriate multimodal strategies. There are also opportunities to support flexible grouping and multiple practices with guidance and structures to achieve effective implementation.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, "Reading Workshop," the materials promote developmentally appropriate multimodal strategies. For example, students develop oral language using "Accountable Talk," which is first demonstrated by the teacher and then practiced with peers in a shared-partner routine. In the book Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills Activity by Carreker, S. and Birsh, J., music and drama activities are included, and chants and songs reinforce content and concepts. For example, children sing The Hola song and the A, E, I, O, U chant to learn each other's names. 

In Unit 2, "Zoología," the materials use multiple instructional approaches for teaching literacy skills, such as using letter books like "El Libro de la B," which uses the syllabic method. Other approaches include direct instruction and kinesthetic activities such as "lanzar la pelota," and "sustitución de fonemas," which require physical movement.

In Unit 3, “Ecología,” the materials include inquiry as an instructional approach and guide the teacher to use Inquiry Through Apprenticeship And Why Should We Teach This Way? by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm with questions such as: “¿Qué es? ¿Qué hace? and ¿Para qué sirve?” The materials suggest beginning with a whole group activity, followed by an example of a small group activity identified as “centros” and ending with “Escritura independiente” as an independent practice. Under the section “Taller de Lectura,” the materials offer multiple types of practices and guidance to achieve effective implementation by modeling the skills through mini-lessons. A read-aloud with an informational text is included and followed by collaborative and independent work. 

Later in Unit 3, students engage in acting out activities: “Vamos a imaginar que somos grandes robles, alarguen mucho sus brazos…?” Stories such as Oso Pardo are used to promote role play by retelling. In another lesson, the materials provide hands-on activities to support student development. The materials guide the teacher to use "Fun shapes for writing paper: Your students may enjoy cutting their writing paper into the shape of a tree or a squirrel or a hawk and then writing on it." 

The materials support flexible grouping using seven sections, "Reunion de la manana, Lectura de Voz Alta Interactiva, Laboratorio de Ciencias, Escritura, Centros, Taller de Lectura, Música/Drama/Literatura," with opportunities to work in small groups throughout the day.

Evaluation for 6.3
Materials include supports for English Learners (ELs) to meet grade-level learning expectations.

The materials do not include accommodations for various levels of English language proficiency and lack suggestions to encourage the use of students’ primary language to develop skills in the target language.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In the Guide to IRLA: Independent Reading Level Assessment Framework Coaching with Multilingual Learners, the materials do not include accommodations for linguistics (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with various levels of English language proficiency. For example, this manual explains how the program supports teachers and students, offering a series of practices and rubrics to build English language skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. In Appendix 1, the materials include a statement that explains that the materials comply fully with the conclusions of the National Literacy Panel (2006), about Cross-Language Relationships. However, the materials do not contain any evidence to support teachers using the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). There are no specific directions that include the ELPS levels or accommodations for various English language proficiency levels.

In Unit 2, Zoología, the materials acknowledge the importance of using the students’ primary language skills. For example, in “Trabajo con estudiantes multilingües,” the materials provide suggestions for teachers who work with students who speak a language other than Spanish. “Herramientas para el desarrollo de destrezas fundamentales,” includes specific information about language transfer: “Las destrezas de conciencia fonológica se transfieren de un idioma a otro.” However, the materials do not offer instructional practices that develop linguistic, affective, cognitive, and academic skills in the target language.

Evaluation for 7.1
Materials include year-long plans with practice and review opportunities that support instruction.

The materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to build students’ literacy concept development by providing spiraled review and practice of knowledge and skills in the curriculum.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, “Introduction a ARC Core en español: Panorámica del año completo,” the materials include a cohesive, year-long plan to build students’ literacy concept development. ARC explains the teacher’s role as a “Learning Coach,” and each unit includes the “Stages of Implementation as Measured by Outcomes.” In the ENIL goals and “Cultura de la Lectura” guidance for planning lessons, the scope and sequence explains how teaching phonics is a system that is “explicit, organized, and intentionally sequenced.” In the “ARC Literacy Lab, Kindergarten Pacing Guide,” teachers can find a week-by-week guide that includes six-week periods in which a SLAR TEKS Focus for the Week can be found. Finally, under the heading: “PLC Focus,” teachers determine the next steps at the same time that they preview what is expected in the next unit. 

The materials provide a spiraled review and practice of knowledge and skills in the curriculum. For example, teachers begin in Week 1, where it states: “actively engage [children] in group reading activities (K.4) and learn to read Yellow books. (K.2.D).” The teacher takes the first steps to begin the Reading and Writing Community using the technique “Kidwatching” to develop the Action Plan for students in RTM (Read To Me or pre-kinder level). In Week 2, students are encouraged to read independently for 15 continuous minutes and write independently for 15 minutes. The spiraled review and practice include a target: “95% On-Target for Home Reading” by Week 6. More examples of review and practice of knowledge and skills include “Juego de nombres,” which is about clapping words to identify the syllables. In Week 3, students focus on syllables with “Silabas secretas (syllable blending)” and “La mas fuerte (syllable splitting).” In Week 4, there are games that require producing words with a certain number of syllables. These games are “Rayuela” and “Avanza, Avanza.” In Week 5, students are introduced to “Syllable dropping,” which states: “Puedes decir sopera sin so?” In Week 6, the skills knowledge and practice ends with syllabication activities such as “Rima, no rima.” 

In Unit 2, Zoology, the year-long plan included in the materials builds students’ literacy concept development using the flexible “ARC frameworks.” This structure targets a community of readers and writers established through modeling and coaching essential inquiry practices, such as: “active participation, open-ended questioning, curiosity risk-taking, etc.” Each student’s goals are reviewed by the fourth month of the school year. The unit’s “Guía de planificación” provides information for every six weekly topics taught. Other examples of review and practice of knowledge and skills are found in Theme 1 when syllabication adds a component of attention to the beginning sounds of words. In Theme 2, the materials continue to focus on the initial sounds using activities such as “Adivina quien es (sonidos de letras iniciales).” In Themes 3 and 4, materials suggest the continued practice of the same skill: “Initial Syllable Sounds.” In Theme 5, the practice returns to syllabication with an activity called: “A dar Palmas!” and states: “Have the children clap the syllables of longer and more interesting words.” In Theme 6, the review ends with “sonidos de letras/silabas iniciales.”

In Unit 3, Ecology, the materials provide a spiraled review and practice of knowledge and skills in the curriculum with a gray side panel dedicated exclusively to explaining to teachers that they should review the previous units to ensure each student knows it. The section “ENIL, Reading Growth” includes an analysis of data in order to be able to identify the students who have moved to the next level by reviewing performance goals. The year-long plan included in the materials builds students’ literacy concept development using foundational reading in this unit. Students cover the following: Theme 1, letter sounds; Theme 2, clapping syllables of longer and more interesting words; Theme 3 and 4 the materials include “Sílabas abiertas y palabras sencillas”; Theme 5, practicing initial sounds; and Theme 6, the final literacy development includes a practice of the initial sound /m/. 

In Unit 4, Entomology, the year-long plan included in the materials builds students’ literacy concept development using foundational reading as follows: 

• Theme 1: Individual sounds of words (e.g., mosca /m/ /o/ /s/ /k/ /a/)
• Theme 2: Emphasis on letter sounds, stating, “Di muy bajito el sonido que hace la letra m.”
• Theme 3: Consonant blends
• Theme 4: “Repaso de grupos de consonantes” 
• Themes 5 and 6: Syllable activities (e.g., “Figure out simple CVCV words if necessary by first breaking the word into syllables”)

Evaluation for 7.2
Materials include implementation support for teachers and administrators.

A SLAR TEKS-aligned scope and sequence accompany the materials, and it includes support to help teachers implement the materials. The materials also provide resources and guidance to help administrators support teachers with a school year’s worth of instruction, including realistic pacing guidance and routines.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In the introduction to each of the four kindergarten units, the materials are accompanied by a SLAR TEKS-aligned scope and sequence, "Example Yearlong Scope & Sequence." This section includes the units' "Focus Standards," outlining the essential knowledge and skills taught in the program. The document is divided into columns, and each column includes the unit title or quarter (Q) along with the suggested time (in weeks) to teach each unit. For example, the first quarter (Q1) takes between 6–8 school weeks. Q2 is implemented during weeks 9–17, while Q3 is for weeks 18–26, and Q4 for weeks 27–36. In order to support and help teachers with implementation, this scope and sequence is divided into eight rows as follows “Múltiples géneros, Destrezas fundamentales del lenguaje, Composición, Habilidades de comprensión, Habilidades para responder, Propósito y arte del autor, and Indagación e investigación.” In the "ENIL Reading Growth, Reading Culture, and Lesson Plans," teachers find a handbook that includes a series of questions that invite teachers to analyze student data to determine the course of study. The data analyzed include class reading levels and progress in each student's writing to make an action plan for each unit. 

Using the scope and sequence along with the ENIL Handbook, the materials provide resources and guidance to help administrators support teachers with a school year's worth of instruction, including realistic pacing guidance and routines as established by each unit. For example, in Unit 1, "Laboratorio de Lectoescritura," there is a chart that shows the order in which the TEKS are presented across the whole year. Also, under the heading: "Framework for Best Practices," teachers receive guidance to implement the reading and writing routines as well as instructions on how to become an ENIL and PLC expert. 

Unit 2, "Zoología," focuses on recognizing the characteristics and structures of informative texts (K.8.D). The skills are specific for each quarter, targeting beginning reading and writing. In Q1, teachers go over developing the knowledge of words' structure, demonstrating phonetic knowledge. In Q2, teachers go over demonstrating and applying phonetic knowledge to decode one-syllable words. In Q3, teachers go over decoding digraphs and words with "sílabas trabadas." Under the subheading: "Secuencia de instrucción," the materials include realistic pacing guidance at both the unit and lesson level, which are aligned to Kinder TEKS.

In Unit 3, under the heading: "Estructura para la Evaluación del nivel independiente de lectura (ENIL) Metas de Kinder” the reading goal is to reach the ENIL 3A level. Under the section “Como usar el ENIL” the materials offer guidance on how to use the ENIL including protocols for assessing growth such as “metas con poder." The materials also include “Usar el ENIL para enseñar/entrenar,” “Usar el ENIL para guiar su selección de Metas con poder,” and “Instrucción en grupos pequeños flexibles (en lugar de la lectura guiada tradicional),” with specific guidance on how to use the materials with appropriate instructional practices such as: “Introducción, Lectura/Discusión de texto complejo, Taller de lectura, y Apoyo diferenciado.”

In Unit 4, "Entomología," under the heading: "Introducción a la Entomología," the materials offer more examples of the school year's worth of instruction, including realistic pacing guidance and routines. In this unit, the materials include "Background information, objectives, classroom setup, materials, and supplies." In Theme 1: "El Mundo Salvaje de Los Bichos," the introduction includes sufficient background information for teachers along with the details about materials for centers (Reading, Science, Writing, Block[s], Math, and Art) and all the supplies needed for the entomology unit. 

The materials include other resources and guidance to help administrators support teachers. For example, in the "SchoolPace" and specifically in "School Dashboard," there are feedback templates to assist administrators in providing effective feedback to classroom teachers. This feedback is specifically aligned to the publisher's materials' implementation by including detailed student performance information per classroom. 

Evaluation for 7.3
Materials provide implementation guidance to meet variability in programmatic design and scheduling considerations.

The materials offer a programmatic design that follows a sequence of content taught in a specific developmental progression. The materials also incorporate the curriculum into district, campus, and teacher using scheduling considerations.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

In Unit 1, “Laboratorio de Lectoescritura,” the materials offer a programmatic design that follows a sequence of content taught in a specific developmental progression. For example, Week 2 begins with identifying syllables. The sequence continues with syllable blending and syllable splitting in Week 3. Later, in Week 4, students move on to producing words with a certain number of syllables. In Week 5, the progression moves to drop syllables. The materials also incorporate the curriculum into district-view, campus-view, and teacher-view using scheduling considerations as shown in the ARC core section called: “Introduction.” This section includes a chart that shows the TEKS order across the whole year and how adjustments are aligned to the district’s curriculum frameworks. This unit also includes the section: “SLAR TEKS Foundational Language Skills Scope & Sequence,” that is taught using “Estructura para la Evaluación del nivel independiente de Lectura, ENIL” as included under: “Herramientas para el Desarrollo fundamentales.” The sequence in kinder is as follows: begin with sentence patterns and picture reading, continue with one-to-one correspondence, then go over the concept of word, tracking, and initial letter/syllable sounds, and at the end of the school year, students decode, chunk CVCV words, and read at least 25 “1V Power (High frequency) Words.”

Other examples of specific developmental progression are included in the components of kinder lessons such as: “the morning message, interactive read-aloud, integrated science lab (for Units 2 and 4), phonological awareness, phonics/syllable manipulation, reading workshop, centers, writing, music, and drama.” In order to incorporate the curriculum into the district, campus, or teacher programmatic design and scheduling considerations, each unit contains several sections such as: “8 Decisions for Planning a Lesson,” “5 Conditions for an Effective Lesson,” “Checklists for ARC Core Educator Implementation Milestones,” and “Building a Foundation in Reading and Writing.” In Units 3 and 4, the materials include: “Additional Early Childhood Practices and Outcomes,” for reading, writing, vocabulary development, speaking, science, physical education, social development, and art. 

In Unit 4, “Entomología and Herramientas para el desarrollo de Destrezas Fundamentales,” the materials offer a programmatic design that follows a sequence of content taught in a specific developmental progression. For example, the unit includes a section called: “Amarillo: Pasar de leer imágenes a leer palabras,” which presents an explanation of developmental levels. This section also includes the content sequence under the subheading: “Estrategias de Lectura activa” [sic],” which indicates alignment to TEKS. In the “Introducción a la Entomología” section, Theme 1, Week 1, “El Mundo Salvaje de Los Bichos,” the materials provide specific progression on how to structure the lessons. 

The materials guide how to incorporate the curriculum into district, campus, and teacher programmatic design in all four Kinder units. For example, in SchoolPace, there are dashboards for the district, school, and class levels that allow the district to set goals while using the report graphics to stay informed about the percent of students on target, in need of support, and advancing. The resource includes six different pedagogical practice categories to support the acquisition of Spanish as a second language called “The Expert in Your Room,” thus guiding to meet variability in programmatic design and scheduling considerations.

Evaluation for 7.4
Materials provide guidance on fostering connections between home and school.

The materials support connections between teachers and families and include specific activities for use at home to support students’ learning and development.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

Communication between school and home is fostered and supported by “Core en Español” through a variety of ways. Primarily, parent letters in each unit introduce the topic and provide talking points and questions for use at home. “ENIL Home Updates” provide parents with up-to-date progress information on demand. “Coaching Records” support parents in understanding student power goals and ways to support them at home. “ENIL Skills Cards” assist families in engaging in dialogue about the text to foster deep comprehension as well as practice with key Foundational Language skills at each level.

In Unit 1, the materials include activities to connect home and school. In the “Cultura de Lectura” section of materials, the materials provide parents with activities they can do at home to support their children’s learning. These activities include the 100-book challenge, back-to-school night, family workshops, and parents and families as volunteers. The materials also include a rubric to help parents know the expectations of specific reading levels. In Week 5, “Establish Home Reading Routines,” the materials provide the kit, “Materials to Support Academically Successful Home Routines.” These home routines are aligned with the teacher’s classroom version of “Classroom Routines to Support Academically Successful Home Routines.” The materials include a “Surrogate Home Coach” solution for situations when parents cannot provide help at home. Routines, schedules, classroom culture, and expectations established in Unit 1 are done so with the intent to be carried throughout the school year. Markers to remind teachers placed across the subsequent units are intended to serve as reference and reminder of these routines.

The materials provide a home-school connection translated from the English product, such as the “Reading Log” charts available in four languages—English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. The Spanish letter to parents says, “¿Cuánto deben leer nuestros hijos en casa?” The materials include sample letters to send home, such as “Enlisting Volunteers” and “Volunteer Reading Coaches: Making it Fun and Easy.” There is also a “Supporting your child’s reading: 1A-2R” guide with the focus including phonological and phonemic knowledge expectation.

There are activities and guidance provided to parents in the ENIL Handbook. Parents receive a chart with timed activities such as “Lectura en voz alta” for 10 minutes and “Practica de Destrezas” for 5 minutes. Materials suggest that parents practice skills according to the child’s reading level. For 1A, “Oración patrón y lectura de ilustraciones,” for 2A, “Seguimiento,”[one-to-one correspondence], for 3A, “Letras al principio de la palabra” and “Familias de silabas abiertas” from the “Práctica de Fonética.”

Evaluation for 7.5
The visual design of student and teacher materials (whether in print or digital) is neither distracting nor chaotic.

The materials offer a visual design with appropriate use of white space, thus avoiding distraction from student learning. Also, the pictures and graphics are supportive of student learning and engagement.

Evidence includes but is not limited to:

The materials offer a visual design with appropriate use of white space, thus avoiding distraction in the teacher’s edition and all four units. For example, the Teacher’s Guide is designed with patterns that make materials predictable for teachers to know what to expect as they move through different units. This design helps to locate important information for lesson planning and implementation, such as tables, charts, and the like. 

In the ENIL toolkit, the materials offer pictures and graphics supporting student learning and engagement. For example, there are resources such as the Leveled Handbook, the Power Word Kit, the Small Group Texts, and the Power Words Race Track Game. These card sets are designed in a simple, colorful way with different levels, including a “Bananagramas en Español set” for levels 1Az and 2Az. The “ENIL Home-Coach Practice Cards” include home resources featuring practical designs and graphic organizers with blank spaces for students to write their answers.

In Unit 3, “Zoología,” the materials include pictures and graphics supporting student learning and engagement. For example, under “Cuaderno de Laboratorio,” the materials include a student notebook as a blackline master with graphic organizers and an illustration that depicts every theme’s topic. In the “Informe de lectura” section, there are appropriate visual step-by-step illustrations to make “libros de bolsillo.” Other resources in this unit, such as “Palabras con poder,” are flashcard sets designed practically and colorfully that can be easily matched to the different assignments and activities. 

In Unit 4, “Entomología,” there are pictures and graphics that support student learning and engagement, such as the “Syllable chart: La Familia de la m.” This is an example of how different color shadings help students to notice capital and lowercase letters. While practicing syllable families, the sentence stem “Empieza por…” is provided. This sentence stem is to be completed using nine colorful pictures that show images of words like “mano” and “mono.” These features make the visual design highly appropriate, including the use of white space, thus avoiding distractions.