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1 | Core Instructional Program Review Phase II: In-Depth Review Submission Information | ||
2 | Date: March 22, 2023 | ||
3 | Name of Provider: Amplify Education, Inc. | ||
4 | Product Title and Edition: Core Knowledge Language Arts, 2e (CKLA2) | ||
5 | Publication Year: 2022 | ||
6 | Target Audience: Kindergarten | ||
7 | Submission ID No.: 2736 | ||
8 | |||
9 | Phase II: In-Depth Review Decision: | Meets Expectations | |
10 | |||
11 | Phase II: In-Depth Core Instructional Program Review Rubric for Kindergarten | ||
12 | Core Instructional Program: A reading program that is used to help guide both initial and differentiated instruction in the regular classroom. It supports tier 1 instruction in the broad range of reading skills required to become a skilled reader. This includes engaging materials to support the development of phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. It contains teacher manuals with explicit lesson plans for whole and small group settings, and provides rich, complex reading and practice materials for students. | ||
13 | Rating Definitions: Reviewers will evaluate core instructional programs based on the rubric below. Each indicator will be reviewed as "Meets Expectations" or "Does Not Meet Expectations" with evidence and/or comments to support the rating. Each indicator is worth one point. Reviewers summarize ratings on the Core Program Summary Tab. | ||
14 | Meets Expectations - Indicates the program meets the standard for the indicator based on instructional materials and other evidence submitted by the provider. | ||
15 | Does Not Meet Expectations - Indicates the program does not meet the standard for the indicator (limited or no evidence) based on instructional materials and other evidence submitted by the provider. | ||
16 | |||
17 | Indicators | Criterion 1: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness | Meets/Does Not Meet |
18 | 1.1 | A detailed scope and sequence of phonological and phonemic awareness skills progresses from easier (e.g., blending compound words or segmenting onset-rime) to more difficult (e.g., segmenting phonemes). | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
19 | 1.2 | New skills are explicitly taught using multiple examples, where the new skill is introduced, defined and/or explained, a model or demonstration is provided, students are given opportunity to practice. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
20 | 1.3 | Lessons include specific and precise teacher language for immediate and corrective feedback. | Does Not Meet Expectations - 0 points |
21 | 1.4 | Students are taught strategies to demonstrate and practice how sounds are connected to letters (e.g. phoneme-grapheme mapping, working toward understanding of the alphabetic principle). | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
22 | 1.5 | Students analyze spoken words at the phoneme level, including segmenting individual phonemes. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
23 | 1.6 | Movement and/or manipulatives are used to make sounds in words concrete. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
24 | 1.7 | Instructional time is focused on high-priority skills such as isolating beginning phonemes, blending, and segmenting. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
25 | 1.8 | Students are taught to pull apart the two phonemes in consonant blends when segmenting. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
26 | 1.9 | Students spend time practicing to listen, identify and produce the sounds at the phoneme level. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
27 | 1.10 | The activities and materials are designed to elicit high levels of responding and engagement. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
28 | 1.11 | Program provides guidance on how to use assessment data (curriculum embedded and/or alternatives) to determine differentiated, flexible groups, based on students' needs and progress. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
29 | Evidence and/or Commentary | This program meets expectations for Phonological and Phonemic Awareness and received a score of 10 out of 11 points. Points were received in the following areas: scope and sequence, connecting sounds to letters, and phoneme-level analysis. The program progresses from easier (awareness of words, tracking) to more difficult skills (blending CVC words, segmenting phonemes) and reviews concepts daily. This progression of skills is evident in the following lessons: Skills 2, Lessons 1 and 2, warm up activities give students practice blending syllables; Skills 3, Lesson 1, students isolate initial phonemes in words; and Skills 4, Lesson 5, students orally segment words with two and three phonemes. Explicit instruction of phonemic awareness typically occurs at the beginning of each lesson with oral blending and segmenting, as well as a sound and spelling review, as evidenced in Skills Unit 3, Lesson 13. The program incorporates movement and manipulatives in various forms to segment individual phonemes. For example, in Skills Unit 2, Lesson 1, students use fingers to count the correct number of phonemes and wiggle each finger while isolating the sound. Direct attention is brought to mouth formation and production of specific phonemes. In Skills Unit 9, Lesson 2, students practice producing vowel phonemes in order, from front to back, then back to front of mouth. Similarly, the “sister sounds” of the digraph th are contrasted as feeling “buzzy” versus “nonbuzzy” in the mouth; see Skills Unit 7, Lesson 5. The program did not receive a point in the area of corrective feedback. Although the program provides sidebar support components and regular checks for understanding, the program lacks a specific structure for responding to errors and providing detailed feedback to students having difficulty. There is minimal guidance on how to respond to or correct student errors in the moment. For example, in Skills Unit 8, Lesson 2, if students have difficulty articulating /a/, /o/, and /i/, teachers are told to use the words gnat, knot and knit before practicing in isolation; no specific verbiage on how to correct the error is provided. | N/A |
30 | Subtotal (11 points max) | 10 | |
31 | Indicators | Criterion 2: Phonics and Word Study: Non-negotiable. In order for the program to receive an overall rating of meets expectations and be included on the Recommended Core Instructional Program Guide, this section must receive a rating of meets expectations. | Meets/Does Not Meet |
32 | 2.1 | There is a detailed scope and sequence of phonics skills that progresses from simple letter-sounds to more complex patterns. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
33 | 2.2 | There is a predictable phonics routine that emphasizes the connection between graphemes and phonemes. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
34 | 2.3 | New skills are explicitly taught using multiple examples, where the new skill is introduced, defined and/or explained, a model or demonstration is provided, and students are given opportunities to practice and apply the new skill with teacher feedback. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
35 | 2.4 | Lessons include specific and precise teacher language for immediate and corrective feedback. | Does Not Meet Expectations - 0 points |
36 | 2.5 | Letter-sound instruction starts with high-utility letters (i.e., m, s, a, r, t). | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
37 | 2.6 | Letter-sound instruction integrates the letter name, sound, and explicitly and systematically how to write the symbol. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
38 | 2.7 | Easily confused letters, letter sounds and words (those that look or sound similar) are not taught in close sequence. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
39 | 2.8 | A few short vowel letter-sounds are taught early so students can blend VC and CVC patterns to read and write words. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
40 | 2.9 | There is an explicit strategy for blending letter sounds into words. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
41 | 2.10 | There are multiple opportunities to practice blending letter sounds for the purpose of reading and writing words. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
42 | 2.11 | Students are taught and practice how to encode regular words for which they know all letter sounds. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
43 | 2.12 | There are sufficient practice opportunities with word lists, phrases and decodable texts to build automaticity. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
44 | 2.13 | Regular word types are introduced first (e.g., VC, CVC, CV). | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
45 | 2.14 | Irregularities are pointed out in high-utility words (i.e., have, I, said) while still focusing attention on the predictable letter-sound combinations. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
46 | 2.15 | Irregular, high-utility words are introduced and practiced to automaticity. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
47 | 2.16 | Words are taught and learned in isolation before practiced in text; words in texts used for independent reading are the ones that have been taught in prior phonics lessons. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
48 | 2.17 | There is cumulative review to build automaticity of known letter-sound combinations and words. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
49 | 2.18 | There are repeated opportunities to read words in controlled decodable text that contain the phonic elements and irregular words students have learned previously. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
50 | 2.19 | Activities and materials are designed to elicit high levels of student response and engagement. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
51 | 2.20 | Program provides guidance on how to use assessment data (curriculum embedded and/or alternatives) to determine differentiated, flexible groups, based on students' needs and progress. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
52 | Evidence and/or Commentary | This program meets expectations for Phonics and Word Study and received a score of 19 out of 20 points. Points were received in in the following areas: scope and sequence, decoding and encoding, practice opportunities, and explicit teaching of skills and irregular high frequency words. The scope and sequence outlines phonics instruction in a logical and sequential manner, with high-utility letters taught first. Similar and easily confused letters and words are not taught in close sequence. The connection between phonemes and graphemes is made through a systematic routine, in which letter sounds are introduced orally, explicitly taught in the first lessons and then linked to the corresponding letter names and formations. Each daily phonics lesson is structured using familiar routines. For example, there is a warm-up, a letter-sound introduction, followed by instruction on letter formation with specific teacher language, and, finally, applied practice in partner or individual work. Unit 3, Lesson 1 provides an example that carries throughout the program. Decoding and encoding are practiced using consistent activities, including large letter card chaining, pocket chart chaining, and teacher chaining for whole group practice. Words are taught in isolation, orally and in print, through lessons focused on segmenting and blending words. Students practice reading learned irregular, high-utility words and those featuring learned phonics skills in word lists, phrases, and decodable texts. Students have multiple opportunities to practice new words and skills in context through decodable books read first in a whole group setting, and then read again during independent and/or partner reading time. Irregular, high-utility words, termed “tricky words,” are taught according to both their known, expected sounds and the irregular features that cannot be decoded, as evidenced in Skills Unit 8, Lesson 1. The program did not receive a point in the area of corrective feedback. While the program provides intermittent guidance on teacher feedback for students in some lessons, a consistent structure or teacher language script to correct student errors is not found. | N/A |
53 | Subtotal (20 points max) | 19 | |
54 | Indicators | Criterion 3: Vocabulary | Meets/Does Not Meet |
55 | 3.1 | There is a detailed scope and sequence of vocabulary skills. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
56 | 3.2 | Words selected for instruction are rich, high-utility words that will appear in conversation and literature, as well as from texts in the program: words that must be learned to understand a concept or text, and words from content area instruction. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
57 | 3.3 | New words are explicitly modeled using student-friendly definitions, multiple examples and non-examples, and students are given opportunity to practice using the words. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
58 | 3.4 | Words that have been taught are repeated multiple times in a variety of contexts. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
59 | 3.5 | New words are integrated into example sentences, and students are prompted to use the new words in sentences in oral and written responses. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
60 | 3.6 | There is cumulative review and practice of previously learned words. | Does Not Meet Expectations - 0 points |
61 | 3.7 | Students are exposed to a breadth of vocabulary words through high-quality text. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
62 | 3.8 | Activities and materials are designed to elicit high levels of response and engagement. | Does Not Meet Expectations - 0 points |
63 | Evidence and/or Commentary | This program partially meets expectations for Vocabulary and received a score of 6 out of 8 points. Points were received in the following areas: scope and sequence, high-utility word selection, repeated exposure with explicit initial instruction, and availability of high-quality text. The scope and sequence for the program’s Knowledge Units are organized around domains, with Tier 2 vocabulary words connected and taught through the lessons. Vocabulary words for Knowledge Unit 2, Lesson 1, My Five Senses include amazing, touch, harm, and sight. In this lesson, the Word Work activity, in which direct vocabulary instruction occurs, utilizes the word harm. Word Work activities follow a predictable pattern for each new word introduced: Teacher highlights where the word was heard in the text, students repeat the word, teacher provides the definition or morphology and examples of the word, and then completes a Follow Up Activity with the class. In Knowledge Unit 3, Lesson 3, Word Work features the word invisible with morphological analysis of the prefix in-. Students encounter vocabulary across a variety of lesson components. The program provides examples of students practicing new vocabulary words orally, but few examples for written practice. The program did not receive points in the following areas: cumulative review and high levels of engagement. Opportunities for students to review words over the course of a unit are not evident. There is one cumulative review option in GK Knowledge 1, Domain review where students are given a key domain concept or vocabulary word such as fable, and they are to brainstorm whatever comes to mind when they hear the word. Responses are recorded for reference. This is the only provided example that shows evidence of cumulative review within a unit. In GK Knowledge 3, Lesson 2, the What Have We Already Learned portion of the lesson reviews what a character is but does not review any of the Tier 2 or Tier 3 vocabulary found in the story. Throughout the unit, Pause Points review concepts but not vocabulary words. Lesson content for kindergarten activities elicit high levels of response with whole group responses but provide minimal evidence of high engagement. In Knowledge Unit 5, Lesson 5 in a Multiple Meaning Word activity, all students put up one finger or two to show the meaning of a word. Another minimally-engaging activity is in Knowledge Unit 3, Lesson 1 during a Making Choices follow-up activity in which students stand up or sit down to show the meaning of a word. | N/A |
64 | Subtotal (8 points max) | 6 | |
65 | Indicators | Criterion 4: Developing Comprehension and Background Knowledge | Meets/Does Not Meet |
66 | 4.1 | There is a clear scope and sequence that guides listening comprehension instruction, in which the goals are explicitly stated and in which the ideas follow a logical order. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
67 | 4.2 | Students are explicitly taught to do an oral retelling of events or stories that were read to them. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
68 | 4.3 | Narrative story structure (e.g., beginning, middle, end) is modeled with multiple examples. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
69 | 4.4 | The use of informational text structure is modeled with multiple examples. | Does Not Meet Expectations - 0 points |
70 | 4.5 | High-utility words are pre-selected and explicitly taught before, during or after a read-aloud. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
71 | 4.6 | Comprehension strategies (e.g., questioning, summarizing, creating mental images) are modeled by the teacher through interactive read aloud of high quality literature and text. | Does Not Meet Expectations - 0 points |
72 | 4.7 | The text selections include guiding questions to ask while reading aloud. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
73 | 4.8 | When students and teachers engage in a read-aloud, the program establishes a purpose for reading. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
74 | 4.9 | The program includes a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction high-quality text with relatable experiences that are developmentally appropriate for the grade level for all students. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
75 | 4.10 | The materials provide a coherent sequence or collection of connected texts that consistently build vocabulary knowledge and knowledge about themes with connected topics and ideas. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
76 | 4.11 | Complex topics are introduced in a carefully planned sequence through teachers reading aloud, discussions, and projects, starting with a basic introduction and building towards a deeper understanding. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
77 | 4.12 | The materials support interactive discussion on a wide variety of topics to expand and deepen background knowledge. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
78 | 4.13 | Activities and materials are designed to elicit high levels of response and engagement. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
79 | Evidence and/or Commentary | This program meets expectations for Developing Comprehension and Background Knowledge and received a score 11 out of 13 points. Points were received in the following areas: scope and sequence, oral retelling, guiding questions during read-alouds, and text variety. The scope and sequence goals range from identifying a single main character to asking students to make and confirm predictions, retell key details, and identify a main topic. The goal of Knowledge Unit 2, Lesson 1 is to identify the features of a main character in a nursery rhyme. The goal of Knowledge Unit 4, Lesson 7 is to identify the main idea of Johnny Appleseed, and the lesson includes both literal and evaluative comprehension questions. Knowledge Unit 1, Lesson 10 asks students to orally retell a fable after students discuss each image from the text. Teacher guidance encourages students to repeat and expand upon their responses using more complex language and temporal words. The texts that are used in this program are representative of different backgrounds and cultures. Additionally, texts within a unit connect to one another by theme or topic and support interactive discussion on a wide variety of subjects to expand and deepen background knowledge. During read-alouds, the program offers guiding questions for the teacher to utilize. In Knowledge Unit 9, Lesson 5, the teacher asks, “What do you think is going to happen when he gets there this time?” Each unit includes an authentic anchor text, which is read aloud at the beginning of the unit to introduce the topic and essential question. For example, the topic of unit 6 is Native Americans, and the connected authentic text is D is for Drum by Debbie Shoulders and Michael Shoulders. This program did not receive points in the following areas: informational text structure and comprehension strategies. While the program offers a wide variety of informational texts, there is no evidence of explicit teaching of informational text features, such as headings, table of contents, and boldface type. Knowledge Unit 9, Lesson 6, includes a timeline feature; however, no explicit instruction of what a timeline is or how it applies to informational texts is included in the lesson. Finally, there is no evidence of comprehension strategies, like predicting and summarizing, modeled during teacher read-alouds. For example, in Knowledge Unit 4, Lesson 7, the teacher asks, “What happens when you plant seeds?” but does not model thinking aloud the answer to the question. | N/A |
80 | Subtotal (13 points max) | 11 | |
81 | Indicators | Criterion 5: Small Group Instruction and Independent Practice | Meets/Does Not Meet |
82 | 5.1 | Program provides small group explicit, systematic, and cumulative lessons that instruct on foundational skills. | Does Not Meet Expectations - 0 points |
83 | 5.2 | Program provides extension ideas to be used for independent practice. | Does Not Meet Expectations - 0 points |
84 | 5.3 | Program provides teacher guidance regarding independent student practice activities to be implemented when teacher is engaged in small group instruction. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
85 | 5.4 | Program provides guidance on the composition of flexible small groups based on data. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
86 | Evidence and/or Commentary | This program partially meets expectations for Small Group Instruction and Independent Practice and received a score of 2 out of 4 points. Points were received in the following areas: independent practice and flexible grouping. In this program, flexible grouping for small group practice is directly tied to students’ strengths and deficits in foundational skills. The introduction in the Skills 8 overview provides some guidance on small group instruction, suggesting that daily observation and analysis of assessment scores is sufficient information to group students according to instructional needs. Groupings should be flexible and allow for movement. The foundational skills assessment in Skills 8, Lesson 16 provides evident of instructional and grouping guidance based on students’ scores. The program outlines suggested independent student practice activities to be implemented while the teacher is engaged in small group instruction. In Skills 5, Lesson 2, one group is reading and writing -at words while another reads, copies, and illustrates each teacher-prepared phrase. It is not explicitly stated in the lesson whether one group is working independently while the other group is with the teacher. This program did not receive points in the following areas: explicit and systematic instruction and extension ideas. No evidence is found to indicate that the program provides explicit and systematic small group instruction. The structure and routine of the small group lesson is consistent throughout the program and includes one group working with the teacher while the other group works independently. However, often both groups are completing the same task. This is evidenced by GK Skills 5, Lesson 3, when both groups are working on CVC word writing. One group is working on the task with the teacher, and the other is working in an activity book. The program does not present specific independent extension activities. The challenge sidebar in GK Skills 6, Lesson 11 instructs students to provide additional rhyming words beyond those used in the text. In the “tricky words’” lesson of GK Skills 8 Pausing Point, all students write the words, and the challenge is to identify and underline the irregular part of each tricky word. | N/A |
87 | Subtotal (4 points max) | 2 | |
88 | Indicators | Criterion 6: Writing | Meets/Does Not Meet |
89 | 6.1 | Program includes a wide range of authentic writing opportunities. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
90 | 6.2 | Program includes text-based tasks that require students to write about the topic and use the vocabulary and language appropriate for their grade level. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
91 | 6.3 | Program includes explicit handwriting instruction in letter formation. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
92 | 6.4 | Program includes explicit instruction in idea generation and oral storytelling that leads to narrative composition. | Does Not Meet Expectations - 0 points |
93 | 6.5 | Program includes explicit instruction in grade-level appropriate skills (e.g., sentence construction, basic punctuation, etc.). | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
94 | 6.6 | Program includes opportunities to write in multiple genres for different purposes. | Meets Expectations - 1 point |
95 | Evidence and/or Commentary | This program meets expectations for Writing and received a score of 5 out of 6 points. Points were received in the following areas: authentic writing experiences, text-based tasks, handwriting, grade-level mechanics, and genre writing. Writing instruction includes opportunities for students to write for a variety of different purposes. Students create a travel journal in GK Knowledge 9, Lesson 1. In GK Knowledge 10, Lesson 1, the teacher creates a Venn diagram to compare colonial times to now, and the challenge sidebar encourages students to volunteer as scribe to write words or draw pictures on the Venn diagram. Students describe what happens to garbage after it is thrown away in GK Knowledge 11, Lesson 2. After sequencing pictures as a group, students write a sentence and draw one picture to show a step in the process. Writing instruction includes opportunities for students to respond to the text. In GK Knowledge 2, Lesson 1, students draw 5 pictures to show each of the senses, and in GK Knowledge 6, Lesson 2 student draw pictures or use simple words and phrases to complete the chart about the Lakota tribe. Students practice forming the letter M in GK Skills 3, Lesson 1. The teacher writes a large lowercase m on the board and describes what they are doing using the phrases provided. (“Start on . . . 1. short line down 2. hump 3. hump.”) Then, "Say the sound /m/." The language and routines in this lesson are consistent with all handwriting lessons. Writing conventions are modeled and explained for students, though there is no evidence found of students having to apply this knowledge to their writing. In GK Skills 5, Lesson 13, the teacher reads the story a second time, pausing to point out uppercase letters and periods, explaining what they are, why they’re used, and what students should do when they see them. The program did not receive points in the following areas: explicit instruction in idea generation and oral storytelling. No evidence was found of students generating ideas in preparation for narrative writing. Students often discuss texts and participate in shared writing activities, but independent idea generation outside of a text was not evident. In Knowledge: Domain 3, Lesson 3 the class participates in a shared writing, narrating events. The program guides teachers to help students introduce the characters and setting based on the text they read, but not to independently generate their own ideas. In Knowledge: Domain 7, Lesson 4, students write their own short story, but it is on the topic of Old King Cole, a text read as a whole group. | N/A |
96 | Subtotal (6 points max) | 5 | |
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