Resources

Incorporating the Science of Reading

A comprehensive reading program incorporates five essential components: phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

The Colorado Literacy Framework

Some Elements of the Colorado Literacy Framework:

The integration of the five components of reading must inform CDE’s literacy initiatives.
Research-based instructional approaches fostering communication skills, including oral and written language, promote access, opportunity and academic achievement.
Purposeful, direct, explicit, and systematic instruction is valuable for continuous literacy achievement.

Elementary Teacher Literacy Standards

The Elementary Teacher Literacy Standards are part of the Elementary Education Endorsement (K-6) outlined in the Colorado State Board of Education Rules. In 2016, the endorsement was updated in State Board Rules to ensure alignment to both to the Colorado Academic Standards as well as the Reading to Ensure Academic Success Act (READ Act). The Elementary Teacher Literacy Standards outline and describe practices and competencies for all K-6 teachers to teach students to read proficiently.

Knowledge Base

To learn more about the Science of Reading:

A brief overview of the science of reading
An overview of the Multifaceted Nature of Reading Acquisition, a recorded webinar by Dr. Nancy Hennessey.
Check out The Reading League's comprehensive list of professional learning resources
IES Educator's Guide to Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (PDF)
Check out our Professional Development webpage for additional resources

READ Act Tools & Resources

READ Act Communications Toolkit

This toolkit is intended to be used by district leaders, principals and teachers to communicate with parents about the Colorado READ Act. All resources can be modified and personalized to meet individual needs. Resources include fact sheets, videos, drop-in letters and a sample social media campaign.

READ Act communications toolkit for educators

READ Act Minimum Skill Competencies:

These competencies from the State Board Rules can be used to support classroom instruction and as a tool to assist teachers in writing reading goals for students on a READ plan. The READ Act Minimum Reading Competency Skills serve as a guide for the end of year skills necessary to indicate a student is on track for acquiring basic grade-level reading skills.

The competencies are from the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) and broken down by grade level (K-3) in the following documents:

MATRIX:

The Minimum Reading Competency Skills have been arranged in a matrix as a support for educators to show the progression of minimum reading skills for kindergarten through third grades. Instructional examples, as available, are included in the matrix.

Minimum Skills Matrix all Grades

READ Plan resources

Instructional Supports - System and School Level Resources

Meeting the Need of All Students

The Colorado READ Act Rules defines attributes for instruction at the universal instruction and targeted intervention levels. These resources can be used to support instruction for all students.

Reading Universe Grid

The Reading Universe is not a scope and sequence for reading instruction, however, every teacher should be equipped to teach each of the skills presented and in a systematic, explicit, and sequential way. Each block within the Reading Universe Grid links to an explanation of the skill, videos of exemplary instruction, activities and lesson plans, and other high-quality resources.

Tiers of Instruction

Tiers of Instruction at a glance
Tier 1 Instruction - Guidelines for first/best literacy instruction
Tiers II and III

Outcomes Driven Model

Guiding Questions in the outcomes-driven model is a problem-solving model for reviewing student and system-level data.

Literacy Evaluation Tool

The Literacy Evaluation Tool should be used by consultants and specialists outside of the education program or by school district personnel to evaluate the literacy program used for increasing literacy outcomes at the elementary level.