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Curriculum Design

Overall design and approach to our curriculum

IL EL Education K-5 is grounded in research-based instructional practices that intend to build students’ mastery and independence in reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and presenting. The program prioritizes close and deep reading of diverse text formats; developing vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and fluency; speaking and listening through rich discussions on complex texts and topics; and writing as a process of thinking deeply and explaining ideas.

Curriculum Components:

• K-5 Module lessons: Explicitly teach and formally assess reading comprehension, writing, speaking and listening, and language.
• K-2 Labs: Reinforce literacy skills, content knowledge, and habits of character taught in the module lessons and provide teachers with additional time to document students’ progress toward particular standards.
• K-2 Skills Block: Teaches and assesses all reading foundations standards and language standards associated with spelling and letter formation.
• 3-5 ALL Block: additional time to work with texts, ideas, and skills that are introduced in the module lessons.

Evidence-based practices or research that guided the development of our curriculum

Strong literacy skills are the cornerstones on which positive economic and health outcomes are built. In addition, reading skills measured in elementary school are highly predictive of future academic outcomes. Despite these findings, only 36 percent of students currently reach proficiency in reading by the fourth-grade. Furthermore, gaps between strong and weak readers increase over time.

EL Education’s curriculum meets these challenges by addressing each of the five essential components of reading as defined by the National Reading Panel (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension).

Students receive explicit and systematic instruction through a structured phonics approach in the curriculum that is based on Dr. Linnea Ehri’s four phases of reading and spelling development. As students move through the phases, their ability to automatically read familiar and unfamiliar words increases, improving fluency, the bridge between foundational skills and comprehension.

For more information on case studies and external evaluations, visit www.eleducation.org.

Components included in our curriculum by grade level

The following codes are used to identify the priorities. If a component is not included in a particular grade-level, N/A will be displayed in that cell.

• C = Core Universal Component
• T = Targeted Support/Intervention for some students
• I = Intensive Support/Intervention for few students
• X = Not addressed

Unaddressed components in our curriculum for any given grade-level and supplements to meet the DDOE definition of K-3 HQIM

The instructional materials demand knowledge of grade-level phonic patterns and word analysis skills. Materials contain instructions of syllabication patterns, morphology, and word recognition consistently over the course of the year. The Curriculum Maps show that the foundation skills for phonics and word recognition are integrated throughout four modules. The 3-5 ALL Block has students read complex text to gain deeper content knowledge of the topic and deeper familiarity with the structures, syntax, and vocabulary of complex texts. ALL Block lessons allow students to practice with morphology of words as it relates to word meaning and syllabication patterns and more complex spelling patterns with many different activities, including vocabulary games, vocabulary squares, and Frayer Models.

The five essential components of reading instruction are explicitly taught and formally assessed in the following locations:

Skills Block (K-2)

• Fluency
• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics

Module (K-5)

• Comprehension
• Vocabulary

All Block

• Comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Oral Language

EL Education bases its approach to supporting all students’ learning needs on the principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which is all about providing equal opportunities for all students to learn. EL Education includes a range of differentiated supports for English Learners and students reading below grade level. These core instruction scaffolds can also be incorporated into Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention targeted to content and skills for which students have documented weaknesses in core instruction learning needs. These include collaborative multiple reads, use of text-dependent scaffolding questions, and tools and graphic organizers as additional supports for student comprehension.

Readers in intermediate grades benefit from a more contextualized approach to teaching phonics and word recognition. Thus, there is an increased focus on the morphology of words related to word meaning, word study, and vocabulary as working with words from complex texts and use of vocabulary protocols, routines, and tools to figure out the meaning of new words. Grades 3-5 see a shift in explicit instruction of phonics toward supporting students in their needs for decoding and building reading fluency. In grades 3-5, phonemic awareness instruction shifts to enhancing the foundational reading skills for students who need extra support.

How our curriculum is aligned to the science of reading

Each grade level contains an explanation of each component. If a component is not included in a particular grade-level, “N/A” will be displayed.

How our curriculum aligns with the common core state standards and shifts

IL EL Education’s module lessons explicitly teach and assess all reading comprehension, writing, speaking and listening, and language standards and strands of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts and literacy.

When we talk about daily lessons, we often use the organizing principle of the read-think-talk-write cycle, which gives students an opportunity to synthesize evidence, play with ideas, develop arguments, and practice various forms of communication during lessons (or sequences of lessons). EL Education’s Grades K–5 Language Arts curriculum has been created with substantive content understanding—science and social studies—at its heart. Students deepen their understanding of that content and they simultaneously acquire all the key literacy skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language required by the standards, which are carefully embedded within the content.

How our curriculum support students’ achievement of grade-level content

IL EL Education curricula provide a coherent collection of carefully sequenced, connected texts that build knowledge within and across grades through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language study. The materials also include teacher guidance on how to engage students in reading and acquiring knowledge, whether it be assigned texts or texts of their choosing.

The Read-Think-Talk-Write framework is central to the K–5 curriculum modules, ensuring opportunities for students to regularly engage in evidence-based discussions and writing to support textual analysis in alignment with grade-level standards. There are opportunities for on-demand writing, process writing, and short, focused projects through various instructional tasks. On-demand writing addresses various text types and purposes and is included in each module’s end-of-unit assessment. To demonstrate understanding of the text, students on-demand write and draw in response to text through instructional tasks in the Module Lab Lessons.

Embedded supports included in the curriculum for students with diverse learning needs

The curriculum uses the Universal Design for Learning framework to ensure that all materials and supports are accessible for all types of learners. Each lesson provides evidence-based scaffolds and various levels of support to ensure all students can interact with complex grade-level text. Specifically, the materials target English language learner needs through supports that aid students in understanding and using complex language structures present in academic discourse.

The program digitizes the curriculum’s scope and sequence with embedded pedagogical resources at point-of-use to support educators’ planning and teaching. Teachers can curate lesson plans to personalize the experience to meet individual student needs. Data and reporting provide teachers with the tools needed for strategic and differentiated instruction and prepare students for end-of-year assessments.

Embedded teaching notes includes

• Pacing estimates for each activity
• Directions for how to orchestrate the lesson
• Possible student responses
• Differentiation for ELL/struggling students
• Embedded links to protocols used during instruction

Curriculum Topics

Alignment of Curriculum to Curricular Aims as Outlined in Delaware Law

The study of Black History serves to educate students about how Black persons were treated throughout history. Please describe how and to what degree your curriculum attends to the following curricular aims as outlined in Delaware law:

• Examines the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and intolerance
• Prepares students to be responsible citizens in a pluralistic democracy
• Reaffirms the commitment of free peoples to the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Minimum Requirements Included in Grade K-3 Curriculum

C=Core, S=Supplemental, I=Independent

Professional Learning

What competency-based professional learning our organization offers on our curriculum

Each grade level contains an explanation of each component. If a component is not included in a particular grade-level, “N/A” will be displayed.

How our professional learning is aligned to Delaware’s definition of high-quality professional learning

EL Education’s curriculum-aligned professional learning supports the implementation of high-quality instructional materials. These HQIM have received the highest rating from EdReports, receiving a score of meets expectations for alignment and usability. The HQIM is predicated on the belief that all students are capable of growth, attainment, and success in school and beyond. It is strengths-based, leverages students’ assets, and provides scaffolds to support all students in reaching grade-level standards by the end of the year.

How our professional learning is grounded in Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning

EL Education’s professional learning is embedded with equity and human-centered design principles. EL believes that HQIM+HQPL supports educator growth in service of equitable outcomes across our three dimensions of student achievement- mastery of knowledge & skills, high-quality student work, and character. Our professional learning promises that participants will engage as a community of learners, explore a research-based, equity-centered approach, enhance their knowledge while contextualizing their learning, and evolve their practice and impact as equity-centered educators.

SB4 requires that the competency-based professional learning provided to educators on reading instruction be provided during the school day. How our professional learning can be facilitated through a coaching model

A key offering in EL Education’s professional learning scopes of service is school-based coaching for teachers. During these sessions, an EL Education curriculum expert joins a school based leadership team to: align on walkthrough indicators (classroom ‘look fors’), observe instruction in action, and lead individual coaching sessions (with teachers) or a debrief session (with the leadership team) to determine trends to inform ongoing PL cycles in alignment with the school/district’s strategic goals.

Embedded professional development is included with the purchase of student digital licenses. Additional professional development sessions (virtual or onsite) will be a separate purchase.

How we demonstrate that educators have not only completed the required professional learning called for in the legislation, but that teacher practice has positively changed in order to improve student literacy

EL Education uses a comprehensive walkthrough tool to monitor the quality of implementation with integrity and consistency across a
school/district. Many indicators on this tool address teacher practice and high leverage instructional practices, a key focus in teacher PD. As EL Education experts support leaders and coaches with collecting implementation data via frequent learning walks, leaders are able to monitor teacher practice gains and improvement. Additionally, EL Education provides attendance data for PL events.

BetterLesson’s EL Education Learning Walk tool gives leaders the opportunity to get into classrooms to learn about trends in how the curriculum is playing out for teachers and students. They will look for trends in the use of the curriculum materials, how students are accessing and engaging with the tasks, and how teachers are supporting students to become proficient readers and writers. The Learning Walk tool was initially built using Student Achievement Partners’ Instructional Practice Guides as a model, and adapted over time by BetterLesson expert coaches. The tool contains measurements of indicators across four targets: Fundamentals of Curriculum Implementation, Making Learning Meaningful, Student Engagement, and Supporting All Students. Indicators include “The teacher uses learning targets throughout the lesson as a driving force for instruction,” “Students use targeted language from the lesson with supports (e.g. sentence frames, word walls, etc both orally and in written form),” “Teacher uses sequenced questioning to guide students to delve deeper into the texts and reading skills,” and “Students work together or independently to practice skills at their microphase during rotations” to name just a few.

EL Education provides instruction in the core 6 areas of literacy instruction identified by the National Reading Panel. Phonological awareness and phonics skills are covered in the K-2 Skills Block, while comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, and writing are embedded throughout the ALL Block (3-8) and Modules (K-8). Based on the progression of our professional learning experiences, educators are taken through a research-aligned process for adult learning where they build awareness, understanding, application, and then finally ownership of the Science of Reading based instructional components, routines, practices, and protocols within the EL ELA curriculum. Additionally, outside of our in-person 6 hour workshops and 2 hour virtual workshops that are facilitated by our own certified instructional coaches, we offer asynchronous professional learning experiences that allow educators to gain additional understanding on narrow, specific topics through our 1-hour courses or by exploring the strategies within our BL Lab. 1:1 instructional coaching on a biweekly basis can also provide personalized guidance to build knowledge in SOR. By completing the full series of our EL Education Professional Learning experiences, educators develop a deep pedagogical knowledge of the science of reading.

How our Professional Learning attend to the differences in the Science of Reading for students who are Multilingual Learners, specifically students with varied levels of English Proficiency and students being educated in dual language programs

EL Education offers explicit coaching and resources in language dives and other scaffolding activities that support multilingual learners. Focus on text complexity scaffolds and use of grade-appropriate complex text to build background and content knowledge provide support for these learners. EL’s PD resources support teacher practice in these key areas of support.

The EL Education K-2 Reading Foundation Skills Block is a one-hour instructional block that is based on a structured phonics approach, grounded in the Phase Theory of Dr. Linnea Ehri. Students engage in whole group, small group, and independent work to progress through the foundations of reading and spelling. There are benchmark assessments, weekly cycle assessments, and daily snapshot assessments that allow teachers to continuously monitor student progress and plan responsive instruction that meets the needs of all learners. The skills block systematically supports MLLs by providing differentiated phonics instruction that targets their individual needs and utilizing oral language development protocols that support MLLs with practicing and developing the four domains of language. BetterLesson’s PL supports quality implementation of the Skills Block by having educators unpack the “built in” supports and materials that target specific skills MLLs require to be successful readers and writers.

Our planning workshops provide an opportunity for educators to go deeper into the science of reading based instructional components, routines, and protocol as they use the EL Education assessment data to plan differentiated, strategic small group instruction designed to meet the needs of individual students. For example, the Language Dives instructional component of EL Education supports multilingual learners to explore and understand the syntax and semantics of the English language through both small and whole groups settings. BL provides a workshop focused on Language Dives where teachers unpack and plan for an upcoming Language Dive lesson. Additionally, when coaches join BetterLesson, they share what their expertise areas are from their prior work experience, and go through a certification process to ensure they are equipped to support teachers and leaders in those areas of expertise, including working with English Language Learners. When focusing on supporting students from specific populations, we provide coaches with strategies and information they need to coach teachers and leaders through maintaining high and realistic expectations, providing differentiated instruction, and using the Universal Design for Learning framework. The certification and guidance we provide for our coaches supports them to feel confident, comfortable, and prepared to engage with specific populations.

Assessments

Our curriculum assesses students’ mastery of grade-level content

IL EL Education curricula include formative assessments, pre-assessments, performance-based assessments, mid-unit assessments, and end-of-unit assessments. Teacher guides provide an assessment overview, which outlines the unit’s final performance task, mid-unit assessment, and end-of-unit assessment. Each module and 3-5 ALL Block lesson include opportunities to assess student progress as outlines in the teaching notes for each lesson. Students produce work that shows mastery of several different reading, writing, speaking, and listening standards at the appropriate grade level.

The components of our balanced assessment system (universal screeners, diagnostics, and progress monitoring) including frequency of administration during the school year

Grades 3-5 units include a mid-unit and end-unit assessment that builds the knowledge and skills students need to be successful in completing the final performance task for each module. The instructional materials provide routines and guidance that point out opportunities to monitor student progress. Every module integrates progress monitoring formative assessments using mid- and end-unit assessments, performance tasks, ongoing assessment suggestions within each lesson, and scaffolded instruction. Additionally, informal checklists help collect evidence of progress.

House Bill 304 with HA1 identifies “Universal reading screener” as a tool used as part of a multi-tiered system of support to determine if a student is at risk for developing reading difficulties and the need for intervention and to evaluate the effectiveness of core curriculum as an outcome measure

Explain how your curriculum leverages universal reading screening to measure the following:

1. 1. phonemic awareness,
   2.  phonological awareness, 
   3. symbol recognition, 
   4. alphabet knowledge, 
   5. decoding and encoding skills, 
   6. fluency, 
   7. and comprehension.

This program does not have a Universal Reading Screener. Core instruction scaffolds can be incorporated into Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. In addition to offering clear instructional options, suggestions for additional small-group instruction are made within the K-2 Skills Block component.
Benchmark Assessments in the K-2 Skills Block component:

• Provide guidance for choosing lessons to best fit a student’s needs
• Gauge whether the student is on grade level
• Track students’ progress and measure mastery of end-of-year goals

Our curriculum will identify students who have a potential reading deficiency, including identifying students with characteristics of dyslexia:

The curriculum does not offer assessments or items that would identify characteristics of dyslexia or students with a potential reading deficiency. Rather, the Reading Foundational Skills Block contains benchmark assessments, cycle assessments, and daily assessments. Benchmark Assessments include letter name and sound identification, phonological awareness, spelling, decoding, and fluency.

Timely data collection and reporting of universal screening is a required curriculum component from House Bill 304 with HA1

1. Identifies the number and percentage of students
2. Disaggregates scores by grade
3. Disaggregates scores by individual school

A Data Dashboard provides a view of aggregated digital assessment and lesson use data. The Data Dashboard:

• enables analysis of assessment performance by different breakdowns
• provides quick callouts for standards that may require investigation

Professional learning provided to educators on how to use the assessments included in our curriculum

EL Education offers professional development for teachers that seamlessly links curriculum, assessment, standards, and professional learning opportunities—an approach that ensures teachers can translate learning into student achievement gains. Teacher coaching is sustained, intense, and focused on building capacity for effective instructional practices and improving student learning—all requirements for improving student achievement.

Additional professional learning and assessment information