Florida Center for Reading Research Guidelines to Review Reading Intervention Programs

A Correlation of to the Florida Center for Reading Research Guidelines to Review Reading Intervention Programs Kindergarten T/R-86B

Introduction This document demonstrates how and where Scott Foresman My Sidewalks on Reading Street Early Reading Intervention meets the objectives of the Florida Center for Reading Research Guidelines to Review Reading Intervention Programs. Correlation page references are to the Teacher s Guides. Scott Foresman My Sidewalks on Reading Street Early Reading Intervention This four-part early reading intervention program requires just 30 minutes a day to improve reading achievement. The scientifically research-based program identifies at-risk children in Kindergarten and Grade 1 with an easy-to-administer Placement Test and check lists to monitor progress. Interactive, systematic instruction in Learning Letter Names and Sounds; Segmenting, Blending, and Integrating; Word Reading; and Sentence Reading provides the structure and support needed to create successful readers..

Scott Foresman My Sidewalks on Reading Street Early Reading Intervention to the Guidelines to Review Reading Intervention Programs Florida Center for Reading Research Kindergarten Overall Instructional Design and Pedagogy of the Intervention Characteristic Yes No Comments (e.g., specific examples, strengths, concerns, questions) Is there a clear road map or blueprint for teachers to get an overall picture of the program (e.g., scope and sequence)? A Scope and Sequence appears in the front matter of each volume. Part 1: xx xxiii Are goals and objectives clearly stated? Each activity includes an objective, shown at the top of the page. Part 2: 88 Are there resources available to help the teacher understand the rationale for the instructional approach and strategies utilized in the intervention (e.g., articles, explanations in the teacher manuals, references, reliable websites)? Teacher's Guides provide explicit and systematic instruction. Scientifically Researched-Based explains Project Optimize, the study on which the program is based. Comprehensive Assessment shows how to monitor progress. Management suggests how to make the most of daily instruction. Part 3: vi xi, xvi xix Is instruction consistently explicit? Each activity models for the teacher what to do and say, shown in separate columns of a chart. Routines are repeated throughout the level. Part 3: 15 Is instruction consistently systematic? Is there a prescribed order of introduction to specific skills such as sounds, letters, phonic elements, story difficulty? The instruction is consistently systematic. Each activity identifies the amount of time it takes, what children will be doing, and what the teacher should do and say. The lesson format includes opportunities for ongoing assessment and reteaching. The Scope and Sequence shows a logical order of introduction to sounds, letters, phonic elements and story difficulty. Part 4: 68 1

Is there a coherent instructional design (e.g., are the 5 components of reading clearly linked within as well as across each component)? Four separate books link the reading skills introduced in the Kindergarten level: Part 1 Learning Letters and Sounds, Part 2 Segmenting, Blending, and Integrating, Part 3 Reading Words, Part 4 Reading Sentences and Storybooks. Are all 5 components of reading included in the intervention? (Some interventions concentrate on one, two or a few of the components.) In addition to the 5 components of reading, are the dimensions of spelling, writing, oral language, and listening comprehension addressed? Are there consistent teacher friendly instructional routines? Teacher-led presentations Explanations Demonstrations Correction procedures Scaffolding The Kindergarten program builds a foundation for the five components of reading, which are addressed in later levels. The Lesson Overview page identifies the oral language and writing and spelling skills covered in the lesson. Part 3: 71 Every activity provides the teacher with a complete instructional plan which includes introducing, modeling, testing, etc. Consistent routines are used for each activity type within the lessons. Many lessons follow the progression from teacher modeling, to teacher leading, to student testing. Part 2: 19 Are there frequent interactions between teacher and students? Are the lessons highly detailed to ensure implementation accuracy? Are student materials aligned with instruction? All activities require constant teacher/student interaction. Part 1: 53 Lessons are scripted and easy-to-follow. Part 3: 121 123 The To Do column for each lesson clearly shows which student materials to use and what to do with them. Part 1: 121 2

Is there a logical organization to the materials so that it s clear in what order the lesson proceeds? Are all of the necessary materials included? Is each day s lesson format the same? Are the components of reading addressed each day? Within each Volume (Part 1, 2, 3, 4), lessons follow the same format as shown in the Lesson Overview. The Lesson Overview provides a glance at all of the materials needed, and each activity shows how the materials are used. The Kindergarten program builds a foundation for the five components of reading, which are addressed in later levels. Part 3: 137 146 Are there ample student practice opportunities? Are all of the activities (e.g., centers) reading related? Do the activities in the lessons reflect their corresponding objectives? Are teachers encouraged to give immediate feedback? Is scaffolding a prominent part of the lessons? Are there specific instructions for scaffolding? Is differentiated instruction prominent? Are there specific instructions for differentiating? Are there guidelines and materials for flexible grouping? Each lesson provides practice in phonological awareness, alphabetic understanding, writing, and spelling for the focus skill. Part 2: 83 Activities in each volume follow a progression of reading skills. Part 1: Learning Letters and Sounds; Part 2: Segmenting, Blending, and Integrating; Part 3: Reading Words; Part 4: Reading Sentences and Storybooks. All activities are specifically designed to reflect the Weekly Objectives. In each activity, Ongoing Assessment notes provide remedies for common errors and problems. Part 2: 107 Many lessons follow the progression from teacher modeling, to teacher leading, to student testing. Part 2: 115 Specific instructions tell teachers how to model, lead, and test students in many activities. Part 3: 64 The Ongoing Assessment suggestions can be used to differentiate instruction. Part 3: 65 The Ongoing Assessment suggestions provide specific instructions at point of use. Part 2: 114 The guidelines and materials listed in the To Do column for each activity can be easily adapted for group work. Part 1: 99 3

Is the intervention comprehensive? Could it stand alone? Does it accompany a core reading curriculum? (Should students receive instruction in both the core program and the intervention, or is the intervention sufficient?) The research-based instruction is designed to be intensive and address the needs of Tier III students. This program is designed to stand alone or be used with a comprehensive core reading program. The concepts, oral language, and vocabulary developed in this program parallel Scott Foresman Reading Street at each level. But this program also works with any core reading program. Does the intervention specify for whom it is appropriate? Students slightly behind their peers? Students more than 1 grade level behind their peers? This program is designed for students who are unable to read and comprehend grade-level material. Does the intervention provide instruction for students with limited English proficiency? Is the intervention taught by a reading specialist, special education teacher, general education teacher, paraprofessional, volunteer, or mentor? Is the intervention taught in a resource room, a computer lab or within the regular classroom? Is there empirical research on the efficacy of this program? Because the Kindergarten program focuses on letters, sounds, and simple words and sentences, the activities are appropriate for English Language Learners. This program was developed for use by a reading specialist, special education teacher, or general education teacher. The intervention can be taught in a resource room, a computer lab, or within the regular classroom. This program is based on a 5-year longitudinal research study investigating the effectiveness of instructional emphasis and specificity on the early reading and vocabulary development of kindergarten children. The research shows that 97% of kindergarten children who were taught with this program experienced faster achievement rates and were able to sustain that level of achievement into second grade. See page iii and vi in the teacher guide and the book Research Into Practice for more information. 4

Phonological Awareness Instruction With an intervention, the most useful PA activities that lead students to an understanding of the alphabetic principle should be prevalent (Phoneme segmentation, blending, manipulation). Characteristic Yes No Comments (e.g., specific examples, strengths, concerns, questions) Overall, does instruction progress from easier PA activities to more difficult PA activities? (This is essential for K) Does PA start with larger units (words and syllables) and progress to smaller units (phonemes)? Does PA start with rhyming and progress to phoneme isolation, blending, segmenting and manipulation? Does PA start with shorter words and progress to longer words? The Lesson Overview pages show that phonological awareness activities progress from sound and letter recognition, to sounds and words, to eventually simple sentence reading. Part 1: 97, Part 2: 205, Part 3: 167, Part 4: 191 In Parts 3 and 4, many phonological awareness activities begin with words and progress to sounds. Part 3: 9 Parts 2, 3, and 4 include many activities that involve blending and segmenting. Part 3: 75 77 The Scope and Sequence for Parts 3 and 4 outlines the word types included in each lesson and shows the progression. Part 1: xx xxiii Is PA taught explicitly every day? Each lesson includes one or two phonological awareness activities. The activities within a lesson are designed to be completed in one day, in about 30 minutes. Part 3: 41 43 Is PA only a small portion of the daily lesson (no more than 30 minutes a day)? Do activities follow the continuum of word types (beginning with short words that contain 2 or 3 phonemes?) Is there teacher modeling of PA as well as guided practice? Does the program include a sound pronunciation guide? Are there instructions to alert the teacher of student readiness pertaining to PA activities? Each lesson includes one or two phonological awareness activities that take no more than 4 to 5 minutes each. Part 2: 107 The Scope and Sequence for Parts 3 and 4 outlines the word types included in each lesson and shows the progression. Part 3: xxii xxiii Most activities involve teacher modeling followed by a student test/practice of the skill. Part 4: 3 A sound pronunciation guide appears in the "Welcome to My Sidewalks" booklet. See pages 31 32. The Lesson Overview includes a list of review sounds at the top of the page. Part 2: 103 5

Does the intervention describe what constitutes mastery? Does the intervention begin instruction using auditory PA activities (without use of letters)? Do PA activities eventually include the use of letters (placing letters in Elkonin boxes for example) to help students make the connection between sounds and print (the alphabetic principle)? Is it clear that the teacher should not begin including letters with PA activities until the student has acquired PA? Are there auditory rhyming activities (recognition and production)? Are there auditory alliteration activities? Do students count the number of words in spoken sentences? Are there activities that involve counting the number of syllables in a word (blending first and then segmenting)? Are there activities for students to blend onsets and rimes? Is phoneme isolation in the following order: initial, final and medial? The Ongoing Assessments included with most activities provide information about identifying errors and giving appropriate support. These can be used to assess mastery. Part 2: 170 Although some analyses suggest that phonological awareness is more effective when taught with letters, this program can be easily adapted to exclude letters at the earlier stages. Part 1: 13 Phonological Awareness activities suggest ways to use written letters along with oral instruction. Part 3: 38 The program can be adapted to meet the needs of individual students and teachers. The introduction of letters can be done at an appropriate point. The segmenting and blending activities help build a foundation for rhyming activities that appear in later levels. Part 3: 199 202 There are many opportunities to include alliteration activities, especially during weeks that focus on initial sounds. Part 1: 211 This specification can be introduced with the sentence reading activities in Part 4. Part 4: 93-95 Many activities in Parts 2 and 3 involve segmenting and blending. Part 2: 79 Part 3: 75 Students identify initial sounds in many one-syllable words in Part 1. Part 1: 43, 84 Several segmenting activities meet this specification. Part 2: 240 241, 250 251, 260 261 6

Is there phoneme blending? Parts 2 and 3 focus on segmenting and blending. Part 2: 271, 281 Is there phoneme segmentation? Parts 2 and 3 focus on segmenting and blending. Part 3: 181-182, 211-214. Is there phoneme manipulation? The blending and segmentation activities in Kindergarten begin a foundation for this specification. Part 3: 211 214 Are there activities using Elkonin boxes, counters, tiles, fingers, auditory cues? Is PA instruction linked with phonics instruction? Are the words used in PA activities found in later word lists and text readings? Does each day s lesson focus on only 1 or 2 PA skills (as opposed to several types of skills)? Does the program help the teacher determine when oral language PA activities should drop out of the curriculum? If it is a computer program, are the sounds pronounced distinctly, correctly, without distortion? Does the program address sound pronunciation, distortion of stop sounds, holding out continuous sounds? Many Phonological Awareness activities use similar manipulatives, such as alphabet cards, picture cards. Part 2: 134, 210 All Phonological Awareness activities are tied to the overall phonics instruction. See the Scope and Sequence on pages xx xxiii for details of skills covered in the program. The Scope and Sequence for Part 4 shows that during a group of lessons, a set of words and sentences are introduced. In the final lesson of the group, these words and sentences appear in a storybook. Parts 1 4: xxiii The Scope and Sequence shows that most lessons focus on 1 phonological awareness skill. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii The Kindergarten activities are designed to develop oral language. The oral language phonological awareness activities can be dropped out of the curriculum in later levels. N/A The Scope and Sequence shows that these concepts appear in Parts 3 and 4. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii 7

Phonics Instruction Characteristic Yes No Comments (e.g., specific examples, strengths, concerns, questions) Are letter-sounds introduced explicitly? Are letters that are auditorily and visually similar separated? Are letter-sounds introduced systematically? Are letter-sound correspondences taught to mastery and reviewed frequently? Is there immediate, corrective feedback and what is the procedure? Does the sequence of letter-sound introduction reduce confusion and emphasize utility? (For example, are auditorily and visually confusing letters and letter sounds separated (b/d; f/v)? Are useful letter-sounds taught first? Are the most common letter-sound correspondences introduced first? Are short vowels taught before long vowels? Does the program teach both consonants and vowels? Are several individual letter-sounds taught before digraphs (letter combinations, vowel pairs)? The Scope and Sequence shows that most letters/phonemes are treated in multiple lessons. Each lesson contains several activities that explicitly introduce the lettersounds. Part 2: 1 55 Most lessons focus on a single sound, as shown in the Scope and Sequence. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii A letter name and sound is introduced in a first activity, and the second activity involves isolating that sound in the initial position. The remaining activities in the lesson get progressively more complex moving from Part 1 through Part 4. Part 1: 74 80 There are multiple lessons that focus on each letter-sound. These lessons also continuously review known sounds. See the Scope and Sequence. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii Ongoing Assessment notes provide information that can be used as constructive feedback. Part 3: 55 The Scope and Sequence shows a logical progression of introducing sounds. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii The Scope and Sequence shows the progression of introducing sounds. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii The Scope and Sequence shows the progression of introducing sounds. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii In this level, short vowel sounds are introduced. Long vowels appear in later levels. Part 2: 239 The Scope and Sequence shows that both consonants and vowels are taught. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii The Scope and Sequence shows that only individual letter sounds are taught at this level. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii 8

Are digraphs taught as a unit of Digraphs are taught in later levels. sound? /sh/, /ch/, /th/, /tch/, /ai/, /ea/ Are spelling patterns (blends, Blends, phonograms, and word families are taught in later levels. phonograms, word families) taught later in the sequence, after individual letter-sounds and digraphs? Are the individual sounds in a Blends are taught in later levels. blend taught? Is an explicit strategy taught to decode words by their individual sounds? In Parts 3 and 4 students are taught to say the sounds and say the words with fingers. Part 3: 29 Once students have mastered a few letter-sounds, do they immediately apply this to reading words, sentences, and texts? Are there frequent and cumulative reviews of previously taught letter-sounds? Does instruction progress from the simple to more complex concepts? Are regular CVC words taught before more difficult word types, incorporating continuous and stop sounds and blends in an appropriate sequence? Initially, are words used that only include letters and sounds the students have already learned? Is there ample decodable text to provide students practice in applying their skills with phonic elements (word lists and connected text)? In Part 4, groups of lessons /review letter-sounds, read words with these sounds, read sentences with these words, then read stories with these sentences. See the Scope and Sequence. Part 4: xxiii Previously taught letter sounds are continuously reviewed throughout the program. Lesson Overviews show what sounds are reviewed. Part 3: 93 The Scope and Sequence shows that instruction progresses from simple to more complex concepts. Parts 1 4: xx xxiii The Scope and Sequence shows that most of the focus of this level is on VC and CVC words. Near the end of Part 4, VCC and CVCC words are introduced. Parts 1 4: xxii xxiii Initially, students learn sounds and say words that begin or end with the sound. The words are taught in the context of a picture. Part 1: 203 The Scope and Sequence shows that students start sounding out words in Part 3. In Part 4 some simple sentences are introduced. Parts 1 4: xxii xxiii 9

Is the symbol to sound association (decoding) and the sound to symbol association (spelling) taught explicitly? The Lesson Overviews show that all lessons include Phonological Awareness and Alphabetic Understanding activities as well as Writing and Spelling activities. Part 3: 37 Is spelling taught during word learning so students are able to make the connection of how sounds map onto print? Does the program differentiate between the two different kinds of irregular words? Does the program clarify that high frequency words can be both regular and irregular words? Are difficult, irregular and high frequency words reviewed often and cumulatively? Does the program directly teach high frequency irregular words and encourage students to use decoding strategies for parts of irregular words that are decodable? (Do they point out the letters that do represent their most common sound as well as the irregularities of certain letters?) Are irregular words kept to a minimum in beginning instruction, using only high utility irregular words at first to prevent the student from being confused or overwhelmed? Are irregular words that look highly similar separated? (eg., where-were; of-off) The Lesson Overviews show that writing and spelling are a part of every lesson. Part 4: 15 This concept can be introduced with lessons on irregular words in Part 4. Part 4: 39 51 This concept can be introduced with lessons on irregular words in Part 4. Part 4: 102 105 After irregular words are introduced, they are reviewed in subsequent lessons. Part 4: 43, 56 In this level, students get direct instruction for reading high-frequency irregular words. The Scope and Sequence for Part 4 shows where these lessons are. Parts 1 4: xxiii In Part 4 the irregular words are all high utility, such as a, the, I, to, he, they, and so on. Part 4: 115 117 Activities that teach and review irregular words do not include highly similar words. Part 4: 126 128 10

Does the program preteach irregular words prior to reading text? Text-reading in Kindergarten only occurs in Part 4, after words have been introduced. Part 4: 138 140 Do beginning passages contain only irregular words that have been previously taught? Are the irregular words being taught evident in the text they are reading? Are phonic and structural analysis (advanced phonics skills) taught explicitly, first in isolation and then in words and connected text? Are students explicitly taught to analyze and blend one syllable words and multisyllabic words with larger phonic elements such as prefixes, suffixes, syllables? Is there an emphasis on reading multisyllabic words fluently? Are similar looking affixes separated to limit confusion? As the students advance (late 2nd and 3 rd grade) are harder affixes and longer multisyllabic words introduced? Does the intervention provide teacher modeling of a think-aloud strategy to aid in multisyllabic word analysis? Passages in Part 4 include only words that have been previously taught. Part 4: 138 140 The irregular words are evident to students. They have received ample practice reading individual sentences before being exposed to the same sentences in a storybook format. Part 4: 161 162, 173 174 Sounds are introduced in isolation, and then in words. The connected text appears in Part 4. Part 1: 126, Part 4: 139 140 The Kindergarten level includes instruction for blending one-syllable words. Part 3: 17 19 The reading of one-syllable words in Kindergarten begins building a foundation for reading multisyllabic words later. Part 3: 53 55 The reading of simple base words in Kindergarten begins building a foundation for reading multisyllabic words later. Part 3: 53 55 NA The modeling of a strategy for reading one-syllable words in Kindergarten begins building a foundation for reading multisyllabic words later. Part 3: 53 55 11

Does the program follow the phases of word learning by Ehri? The work of Linnea C. Ehri was used as part of the research base of the program. See "Welcome to My Sidewalks," page 30. Are students taught the strategy of chunking when trying to decode multisyllabic words? This blending and segmenting activities in Kindergarten begin to build a foundation for chunking in later levels. Part 3: 75 77 Fluency Instruction Characteristic Yes No Comments (e.g., specific examples, strengths, concerns, questions) Is fluency practice introduced after students are proficient at reading words accurately (in word lists, sentences or passages)? In Part 4 students are involved in repeated practice in reading words before reading the same words in sentences and passages. Part 4: 5 10, 69 70 Is fluency instruction integrated into each day s lesson? Does the intervention address all dimensions of fluency (speed, accuracy, expression)? Are research-based fluency strategies included (e.g., repeated readings, peer reading)? Does the intervention encourage the teacher to model prosody? Does fluency practice involve the teacher giving feedback to students? Is there a guide to help teachers determine how to calculate fluency? Are reading rates assessed in wpm? Throughout the Kindergarten level, practice and reviews occur daily which helps build fluency. Part 3: 96 fluency practice in later levels. Part 3: 132 fluency practice in later levels. Part 3: 160 introducing prosody, which occurs in later levels. Part 3: 96 Ongoing Assessment notes provide information that can be used as constructive feedback. Part 3: 160 fluency practice in later levels. Part 3: 96 fluency practice in later levels. Part 3: 132 12

Is a fluency goal of 41 words correct per minute by the end of first grade emphasized? fluency practice in later levels. Part 3: 160 Is a fluency goal of 91 words correct per minute by the end of second grade emphasized? Is a fluency goal of 111 words correct per minute by the end of third grade emphasized? Does the intervention accurately describe to the teacher how to determine independent, instructional, and frustrational reading levels for individual students? Are students reading text at their independent level or instructional level to help build fluency? Are letter-sounds taught to mastery and practiced frequently to promote automaticity? Do fluency-building passages include a high percentage of regular words? Is there an explicit strategy taught as students transition from reading words in lists to reading connected text? Does fluency practice involve text the students can read with 95% accuracy? fluency practice in later levels. Part 3: 160 fluency practice in later levels. Part 3: 160 determining individual reading levels, which is outlined in later levels. Part 3: 160 determining individual reading levels, which is outlined in later levels.he repeated practice with sounds and words in this level builds a foundation for fluency practice in later levels. Part 3: 96 Throughout this 4-part program letter-sounds are introduced and practiced and reviewed extensively. Part 2: 18 19, 28 The passages in Kindergarten include only regular words and basic irregular word which are practiced and reviewed frequently before passage reading occurs. Part 4: 139 140 The sentence-reading activities in Part 4 use sentence cards and pictures. In the beginning activities, the teacher models that sentence, and then tests the students. Later, the modeling is skipped, and students read the sentence without modeling. After reading the sentence, students look at a related picture. Part 4: 151 fluency practice in later levels. Part 3: 96 13

Are ample practice materials and opportunities at appropriate reading levels provided? Lessons use a variety of appropriate reading-level materials, such as word cards, sentence pages, and picture pages. Part 4: 109 Is the decoding strategy taught so that it becomes automatic? Are irregular words taught to be recognized by sight? When reading a word list, are the students asked to reread the list after an error correction? After error correction during sentence reading, are students asked to reread the word and then reread the sentence? During passage or story reading, are the students asked to reread the story? When a story or passage is read for the first time, do students read it orally so teachers hear whether or not they apply the skills they are learning? Is there guided oral reading instruction? Are timed readings used as a method to increase speed and motivation? In Kindergarten, students learn to sound out one-syllable words. This strategy is repeated over and over. Part 3: 121 Students are taught that irregular words are not sounded out. They learn to spell the words. Part 4: 193 197 Many Ongoing Assessment notes suggest that students reread a word after an error correction. Part 3: 181 Many Ongoing Assessment notes suggest that students reread incorrect words and begin the sentence again after an error correction. Part 4: 61 In the Read a Storybook activities, teachers are encouraged to return to the first page and ask students to read sentences. The Teacher Guide also suggests that children get a take-home version of the story to share with families and friends. Part 4: 70 In the Read a Storybook activities, teachers test students on reading the words and sentences. Part 4: 69-70 The teacher guides students through the storybook reading activity. Part 4: 139-140 timed reading in later levels. Part 3: 96 Is reading fluency assessed? assessment of reading fluency in later levels. Part 3: 96 Are there fluency probes for progress monitoring? monitoring progress of reading fluency, which occurs in later levels. Part 3: 96 14

Vocabulary Instruction Characteristic Yes No Comments (e.g., specific examples, strengths, concerns, questions) Is vocabulary instruction specifically addressed? My Sidewalks Early Reading Intervention provides intensive reading intervention based on the Project Optimize Research and therefore targets the Kindergarten Priority Skills of Phonemic Awareness and Phonics. Interactive, systematic instruction in Learning Letter Names and Sounds; Segmenting, Blending and Integrating; Word Reading; and Sentence Reading provide structure and support to create successful readers. Is vocabulary instruction explicit as opposed to implicit? Does vocabulary instruction occur before, during, and after the story? Are listening, reading, speaking vocabulary addressed? Are useful words, important words, and difficult words chosen to be directly taught? Are students given multiple opportunities to work with the new words in reading sentences, paragraphs, or longer text? Are students given opportunities to use the new words in their writing? Are previously introduced words cumulatively reviewed? Are meanings of prefixes and suffixes taught before connecting them to words? Is a strategy taught to determine word meanings based on prefixes and suffixes? 15

Are the various aspects of word study included, either under vocabulary or word recognition? Concepts and word meanings Multiple meanings Morphemic analysis Synonyms Antonyms Homonyms Etymologies Figurative meanings My Sidewalks Early Reading Intervention provides intensive reading intervention based on the Project Optimize Research and therefore targets the Kindergarten Priority Skills of Phonemic Awareness and Phonics. Interactive, systematic instruction in Learning Letter Names and Sounds; Segmenting, Blending and Integrating; Word Reading; and Sentence Reading provide structure and support to create successful readers. Are various word learning strategies directly taught to develop word knowledge? Concept definition mapping Frayer model Semantic feature analysis Semantic mapping Are strategies taught over time to ensure understanding of the strategy process? 16

Comprehension Instruction Characteristic Yes No Comments (e.g. specific examples, strengths, concerns, questions) Is comprehension instruction specifically addressed? My Sidewalks Early Reading Intervention provides intensive reading intervention based on the Project Optimize Research and therefore targets the Kindergarten Priority Skills of Phonemic Awareness and Phonics. Interactive, systematic instruction in Learning Letter Names and Sounds; Segmenting, Blending and Integrating; Word Reading; and Sentence Reading provides structure and support to create successful readers. Is comprehension monitored? Are both narrative and expository texts (informational texts) used? Do texts contain familiar concepts and vocabulary, with simple sentences at an appropriate readability level? Are main ideas and story grammar elements apparent initially in student text and do they gradually become more complex and inferential? Is comprehension instruction explicit (modeling, guided practice, multiple examples)? Is a strategy taught over time to ensure understanding of the strategy process? When a strategy is taught, is it applied frequently so students understand its usefulness? Are the strategies taught such that students can begin to monitor their own thinking processes? Are students taught when, where and why to use a strategy? 17

Are the strategies being taught matched to what a student is required to do in school? Are there any before reading strategies (story prediction, activating prior knowledge, setting a purpose)? Are there any during reading strategies (paired reading, main idea-paragraph shrinking, think alouds)? Are there any after reading strategies (story retell, story grammar, summarization)? Is there modeling and systematic review of main idea, retell, and summarization? Do teachers use effective questioning techniques to guide and monitor students comprehension? (e.g., Bloom s taxonomy) Does instruction include students generating questions to improve engagement with and processing of text? Are students taught to use graphic organizers to illustrate interrelationships among concepts, ideas, and events in text? (semantic maps, concept maps) With informational text, are students taught how to locate and interpret graphs, maps, charts, diagrams? 18

With both narrative and informational text, are students taught: To compare and contrast To locate facts and details To identify titles, chapter headings, etc. Assessment Characteristic Yes No Comments (e.g. specific examples, strengths, concerns, questions) Are assessments included that teachers can use to guide student placement and movement through the program? Comprehensive assessment occurs before (placement test), during (ongoing assessment, progress-monitoring tests, student progress checklists) and after (exit test) involvement in the program. Part 1: x xi Do the assessments measure progress in the five components of reading? The Kindergarten assessments measure progress in skills that build a foundation for the five components of reading, which are addressed in later levels. Part 1: x xi Professional Development for the Intervention Characteristic Yes No Comments (e.g. specific examples, strengths, concerns, questions) Is there adequate time offered for teachers to learn new concepts and practice what they have learned? Pearson Scott Foresman works with each district to customize the staff development plan that will meet the professional development needs of teachers. Fidelity of implementation requires that adequate time is provided to learn new concepts and to practice what they have learned. Is there a plan for coaches, mentors, peers, or outside experts to provide feedback to teachers and follow up assistance as they put new concepts into practice? Are teachers taught how to administer and interpret assessments that accompany the program? Pearson Scott Foresman works with each district to develop a comprehensive plan for coaches, peers, or outside experts to provide feedback to teachers and followup assistance as new concepts are put into practice. Pearson Scott Foresman provides a full staff of trained educational consultants to support successful product implementation. Fidelity of implementation demands and requires a full understanding of all assessments that accompany the program. Pearson Scott Foresman provides full training of each assessment opportunity as well as how to interpret the data. 19

Is PD for the program customized to meet the varying needs of the participants (e.g., first year teachers, coaches, principals)? Does the PD provide support (e.g., principal checklists, follow up in class modeling, a CD for teachers to view model lessons) to facilitate application of content? Pearson Scott Foresman customizes the implementation plan to meet the needs of each district participant. The Pearson Scott Foresman Professional Development plan includes various tools that support fidelity of implementation of the program, such as checklists, opportunities for classroom modeling, and demonstration lessons on CD. 20