Name of material evaluated Type of material being evaluated (curriculum, map, product, etc.) Part 1: Support of ELA Standards 1. There is a concise, transparent, high level correlation of the objectives of this program/material/set of maps with the ELA standards for each grade level? There is a document or section of the document that presents a side by side or itemby item correlation between the program/material objectives and the. 2. The ELA standards are addressed comprehensively Reading Standards for Literature RL.K.1 RL.K.6 RL.1.1 RL.1.6 RL.2.1 RL.2.6 RL.K.2 RL.K.7 RL.1.2 RL.1.7 RL.2.2 RL.2.7 RL.K.3 RL.K.9 RL.1.3 RL.1.9 RL.2.3 RL.2.9 RL.K.4 RL.K.10 RL.1.4 RL.1.10 RL.2.4 RL.2.10 RL.K.5 RL.1.5 RL.2.5 TOTAL: / 9 / 9 /9 Reading Standards for Informational Texts RI.K.1 RI.K.6 RI.1.1 RI.1.6 RI.2.1 RI.2.6 RI.K.2 RI.K.7 RI.1.2 RI.1.7 RI.2.2 RI.2.7 RI.K.3 RI.K.8 RI.1.3 RI.1.8 RI.2.3 RI.2.8 RI.K.4 RI.K.9 RI.1.4 RI.1.9 RI.2.4 RI.2.9 RI.K.5 RI.K.10 RI.1.5 RI.1.10 RI.2.5 RI.2.10 TOTAL: /10 / 10 / 10 Reading Standards: Foundational Skills RF.K.1.a RF.K.3.a RF.1.1.a RF.1.3.e RF.2.3.a RF.2.4.a RF.K.1.b RF.K.3.b RF.1.2.a RF.1.3.f RF.2.3.b RF.2.4.b RF.K.1.c RF.K.3.c RF.1.2.b RF.1.3.g RF.2.3.c RF.2.4.c RF.K.1.d RF.K.3.d RF.1.2.c RF.1.4.a RF.2.3.d RF.K.2.a RF.K.4 RF.1.2.d RF.1.4.b RF.2.3.e RF.K.2.b RF.1.3.a RF.1.4.c RF.2.3.f RF.K.2.c RF.1.3.b RF.K.2.d RF.1.3.c RF.K.2.e RF.1.3.d TOTAL: / 14 / 15 / 9 Writing Standards W.K.1 W.K.5 W.1.1 W.1.5 W.2.1 W.2.5 W.K.2 W.K.6 W.1.2 W.1.6 W.2.2 W.2.6 W.K.3 W.K.7 W.1.3 W.1.7 W.2.3 W.2.7 W.K.4 W.K.8 W.1.4 W.1.8 W.2.4 W.2.8 TOTAL: / 9 / 9 / 9 Copyright 2010 by the Core Knowledge Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All Rights Reserved. 1
2. The ELA standards are addressed comprehensively (continued ) Speaking and Listening SL.K.1.a SL.K.4 SL.1.1.a SL.1.3 SL.2.1.a SL.2.3 SL.K.1.b SL.K.5 SL.1.1.b SL.1.4 SL.2.1.b SL.2.4 SL.K.2 SL.K.6 SL.1.1.c SL.1.5 SL.2.1.c SL.2.5 SL.K.3 SL.1.2 SL.1.6 SL.2.2 SL.2.6 TOTAL: / 7 / 8 / 8 Language Standards L.K.1.a L.K.4.a L.1.1.a L.1.2.c L.2.1.a L.2.4.a L.K.1.b L.K.4.b L.1.1.b L.1.2.d L.2.1.b L.2.4.b L.K.1.c L.K.5.a L.1.1.c L.1.2.e L.2.1.c L.2.4.c L.K.1.d L.K.5.b L.1.1.d L.1.4.a L.2.1.d L.2.4.d L.K.1.e L.K.5.c L.1.1.e L.1.4.b L.2.1.e L.2.4.e L.K.1.f L.K.5.d L.1.1.f L.1.4.c L.2.1.f L.2.5.a L.K.2.a L.K.6 L.1.1.g L.1.5.a L.2.2.a L.2.5.b L.K.2.b L.1.1.h L.1.5.b L.2.2.b L.2.6 L.K.2.c L.1.1.i L.1.5.c L.2.2.c L.K.2.d L.1.1.j L.1.5.d L.2.2.d L.1.2.a L.1.6 L.2.2.e L.1.2.b L.2.3.a TOTAL: / 17 / 23 / 20 Copyright 2010 by the Core Knowledge Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All Rights Reserved. 2
Part 2: Qualitative Coverage Are the standards taught through an integrated model of literacy that reflects the developmental nature of language and the interrelation of all aspects of literacy Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking? p. 4; Append. A pp. 26 27 There are explicit standards for the development of oral language, both listening and speaking skills. There is a progression of content and skill development that builds initially at the oral language level and then extends to written language: Students develop competency in oral expression in the early grades before being expected to demonstrate these competencies in independent reading and writing, i.e., students are exposed to content and language rich text by listening to and discussing daily read alouds before they are expected to read complex text; students learn to speak in complete, complex sentences before attempting the same in writing; etc. Language arts skills are taught as a means to acquiring content knowledge, not taught in isolation as an end in themselves. p. 5 Is there focus and coherence in instruction and assessment? There is an underlying framework that connects all lessons within a unit, units within a grade level, and previous and subsequent units in other grade levels. This is evidenced by the inclusion of prerequisite objectives, as well as subsequent objectives, a grade by grade sequence for both skills and content knowledge, etc. Lessons within a given unit are related to one another by more than a single, superficial characteristic. In the development of skills and content knowledge, there is a readily discernible progression from lesson to lesson, whereby the previous lesson serves as a foundation for the next lesson. Lessons and units within and across grade levels include carefully planned repetition and practice to ensure mastery of both skills and content knowledge, as evidenced by topics and skills that spiral and build from early grades and are expanded upon in later grades. A single instructional activity or exercise addresses multiple literacy standards, as well as the acquisition of a coherent knowledge base. Any cross curricular exercises or activities are deeply and meaningfully related to the specific acquisition of the content knowledge and skills objectives identified for a lesson and/or unit. There are regular, periodic assessments of both skills and content knowledge that are directly tied to specific objectives. Copyright 2010 by the Core Knowledge Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All Rights Reserved. 3
Are instruction and materials designed to have significant scaffolding in the early grades and when students are first acquiring certain skills and competencies? the scaffolding progressively decrease in order to increase literacy independence in each subsequent grade? p. 7 Append. A pp. 17 22 There is a comprehensive and systematic approach at the oral level to teaching explicit phonemic awareness and phonics, starting with phoneme identification, isolation, blending, segmenting, etc., which leads to comprehensive knowledge of English phoneme grapheme correspondences. Readers in the early grades read only written text that includes the specific phonemegrapheme correspondences that have been explicitly taught, thereby making the text truly decodable. There is an easily discernible increase in the length and complexity of texts, in terms of both content knowledge and the skills required that students are listening to and reading independently from the beginning of one school year to the end of that year and from one year to the next. Are students exposed to both fiction and nonfiction texts over the course of the year in the early grades, so that by Grade 4, 50 percent of the texts they will read are informational/explanatory texts, and 50 percent are fiction? pp. 4 5 In the early grades, before their independent reading skills are firmly established, students listen to challenging, language rich, nonfiction selections that are chosen and presented in a way designed to build specific knowledge of a topic. Nonfiction selections from one unit in a grade level build upon content knowledge acquired through other nonfiction selections in the same or previous grade levels and then serve as the foundation for subsequent nonfiction selections in the future. When nonfiction and fiction selections are included in a single unit, they are related in a deep and meaningful way so that both genres are interrelated and contribute to building the same content knowledge. Fiction selections over the grades include a wide variety of different types of literature: fairy tales, fables, tall tales, trickster tales, pourquoi stories, legends, myths, poetry, and drama. Nonfiction selections over the grades include a wide variety of informational and explanatory texts and tools: historical fiction, biographies, historical documents and speeches, maps, timelines, etc. Suggestions of specific titles beyond the programmatic instructional materials include high quality fiction and nonfiction texts that align with the content knowledge taught. What It n t Look Like... There are fiction and nonfiction selections in every unit, but the selections are either unrelated to building specific background knowledge or related in only the most superficial ways to one another. Nonfiction selections between units and/or grade levels do not relate to one another topically to build content knowledge; they are included because they are needed to represent the nonfiction genre. Copyright 2010 by the Core Knowledge Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All Rights Reserved. 4
Are the standards part of a coherent, well developed, content rich curriculum designed to build strong content knowledge? pp. 6 7 p. 33 There are specific objectives that indicate exactly what content knowledge is to be learned. Domain (Tier 3) vocabulary is identified. Content knowledge is presented in an age appropriate, engaging way that challenges students. Hands on activities are enjoyable and purposeful exercises designed to further the acquisition of specific knowledge, language, and vocabulary. Language arts skills are anchored to and taught through content knowledge. Over the course of the year, all language arts skills are taught, but the driver in terms of when and how specific language arts skills are taught is the content knowledge. Writing instruction is tied to the specific content knowledge to be learned. Writing genres and activities are selected to demonstrate and reinforce students understanding of a specific topic. Instructional time is used efficiently and effectively because language arts skills and content knowledge are taught simultaneously. Adequate time is devoted to a specific topic within the grade level, i.e., at least two weeks are devoted to reading and/or listening to texts on a specific topic. Content area topics and texts at one grade level serve as the foundation for related topics and texts at subsequent grade levels. There is repeated exposure to domain (Tier 3) vocabulary over the course of a unit to enhance implicit learning of vocabulary. What It n t Look Like... Students spend considerable instructional time doing hands on projects that may result in interesting crafts and/or displays, but do little to advance the students content knowledge or language related to a topic. p. 7 Do students gain knowledge about different cultures and perspectives? Students listen to and read literature representative of different cultures and traditions. Students listen to and read about the history of different countries to build substantive knowledge about those histories and how they are interrelated with different cultures. Copyright 2010 by the Core Knowledge Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All Rights Reserved. 5
p. 7 Are instruction and materials designed to teach students to be discerning readers who use higher level thinking skills? There are specific objectives, exercises, and activities that provide ample opportunity for students to infer, imply, and or reason about literary and informational texts. There are specific objectives, exercises, and activities that provide ample opportunity for students to evaluate literary and informational texts. There are specific objectives, exercises, and activities that provide ample opportunity for students to synthesize information from literary and informational texts. p. 7 Are instruction and materials designed to teach students how to adapt their communication skills in relation to audience, task, purpose, and discipline? Writing activities (e.g., persuasive writing, narratives, friendly letters, etc.) are structured to consider purpose and audience. Oral language activities (e.g., oral presentations, story retelling, etc.) are structured to consider purpose and audience. p. 6 Can instruction and materials be used to meet the needs of ELL and special needs students? Instruction and materials teach the structure of the English language, including phonology. Instruction and materials teach the structure of the English language, including, syntax. Instruction and materials teach the structure of the English language, including semantics. Copyright 2010 by the Core Knowledge Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All Rights Reserved. 6