Milestones demonstrating mastery:

• Emerging (by 24–36 months): Recognizes that pictures and print are different; can hold a book and turn pages correctly.

• Developing (by 3–4 years): Points to words in print while retelling a story; demonstrates left-to-right tracking on a page with adult guidance.

• Early mastery (by 4–5 years / preschool–K): Demonstrates return sweep, identifies first/last word on a line, recognizes environmental print (logos), and can match spoken words to printed words in simple sentences.

Strategy (Shared book interactive read-aloud + tracking): During shared reading, use big books or projected text. The teacher models left-to-right tracking by pointing to each word while reading and invites students to join by pointing or using a finger/reading wand. Use predictable, repetitive text (e.g., cumulative rhymes) so students can anticipate and point to the next word. Provide immediate corrective feedback and praise.

• Research base: Repeated interactive read-alouds with print referencing produce measurable gains in print concept knowledge (Clay, 2001; INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION, 2019).

Multi-sensory supports for students with dyslexia: Use tactile letter strips under the printed line (e.g., raised dots beneath words) and highlight the word being tracked. Allow a student to trace printed words while listening to the sentence read aloud to reinforce orthographic mapping.

Tiered prompts: For novices provide modeling and hand-over-hand pointing; for advanced students ask them to lead the tracking during read-alouds.

Milestones:

• Emerging (2–3 years): Enjoys rhymes and songs; can clap syllables in own name.

• Developing (3–4 years): Recognizes rhymes, can produce a rhyme, segments syllables in two- or three-syllable words.

• Early mastery (4–5 years): Blends and segments onset-rime (e.g., /c/ + at = cat) and manipulates syllables reliably; beginning onset-rime deletion tasks.

• How used: Universal screening in fall and progress monitoring mid-year to identify students needing systematic small-group interventions.

Dynamic Assessment (informal probing with scaffolding): Begin with a simple rhyme recognition task; if the child fails, provide modeling and re-assess to see responsiveness to scaffolding.

• How used: Useful for differentiating between lack of exposure and persistent deficits (important for ELs).

Quick phonological probes (teacher-made): 5–10 item probes for syllable counting and rhyme tasks used weekly to chart growth.

• How used: Fast formative checks to evaluate whether instruction (e.g., rhyming games) produces immediate improvements.

Strategy (Segmenting-blending routine with manipulatives): Use a daily mini-lesson: teacher says a multi-syllable word, students clap or move a token for each syllable, then practice blending onset and rime using Elkonin boxes for onset and rime (e.g., /b/ + /at/). Provide many practice opportunities with words from classroom contexts.

• Research base: Systematic, explicit phonological awareness instruction (from larger to smaller units) improves later decoding ((INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION, 2019; Torgesen, 2006).

For students with dyslexia — extended practice + multi-sensory support: Use tapping/Elkonin boxes with colored tokens and link to letters only after stable phonological manipulation at the syllable/onset-rime level.

Choice & engagement: Offer musical/rhythmic versions of phonological tasks for students who respond better to movement and music.

Milestones:

• Emerging (by 4 years): Can isolate initial sounds in simple words (/m/ in ‘mat’).

• Developing (K): Can blend and segment simple CVC words into phonemes (e.g., /c/ /a/ /t/ = cat) and delete an initial phoneme to produce a new word (e.g., ‘stop’ minus /s/ = ‘top’).

• Early mastery (1st grade): Can manipulate phonemes in multisyllabic or more complex words (substitute /m/ for /b/ to change ‘mat’ to ‘bat’).

• How used: Use as part of screening and more fine-grained diagnostic assessment to determine which phoneme manipulations a student can/cannot do.

Dynamic Assessment with scaffolds (sound boxes/Elkonin boxes): If a child struggles, provide modeling and scaffolds (e.g., tapping) to see responsiveness.

• How used: Helps distinguish lack of instruction/exposure from persistent phonemic deficits.

Curriculum-based measures (CBMs) for phonemic tasks: Short weekly probes (e.g., 3-minute segmentation/ blending lists) to monitor progress and inform intensity of intervention.

• How used: Use progress slopes to decide if progress is sufficient or if tier movement is warranted.

Strategy (Systematic, explicit phoneme-level instruction with letters): Teach phoneme segmentation with Elkonin boxes and letter tiles: say a word, segment phonemes into boxes while moving a token, then map each phoneme to a letter tile and blend to form the word. Provide immediate corrective feedback and plenty of practice with controlled word lists (start with CVCs).

• Research base: Explicit phonemic instruction, especially when combined with grapheme instruction, significantly boosts decoding and spelling outcomes ((INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION, 2019; Kilpatrick, 2015).

For students with dyslexia — high-intensity, cumulative practice: Short, frequent (daily) sessions with explicit multisensory activities (tapping, mouth formation visuals, air-writing) and overlearning.

Assistive tools: Use sound amplification/headphones for students with auditory processing needs and software that provides multisensory phoneme practice.

Milestones:

• Emerging (ages 3–4): Recognizes some letters, often those in their own name or familiar environmental print.

• Developing (ages 4–5, Pre-K to Kindergarten): Names most uppercase letters and begins naming lowercase letters; shows growing automaticity.

• Early mastery (ages 5–6, Kindergarten to early Grade 1): Accurately and rapidly names nearly all upper- and lowercase letters. Fluency benchmarks (e.g., 50–60+ letters per minute) indicate readiness for decoding.

Most children acquire mastery during Kindergarten, with consolidation into early Grade 1.

• How used: Serves as a universal screener and progress monitoring tool. Benchmark scores help identify students at risk and track improvement over time.

Static letter identification tasks: Untimed assessment where children are shown individual letters and asked to name them.

• How used: Provides diagnostic information about which specific letters students recognize and which require targeted instruction.

Curriculum-embedded checks (e.g., name-letter tasks): Assess whether students can identify letters from their own name or environmental print.

• How used: Motivational and formative; helps teachers see how letter knowledge transfers into meaningful contexts.

Strategy (Alphabet practice with explicit, distributed instruction): Teach a few high-utility letters at a time using explicit modeling. For each letter, introduce the letter name, connect it to its sound, and provide a keyword/picture cue (e.g., “M, /m/, as in mouth”). Use daily review with flashcards, alphabet charts, and interactive games (e.g., “find and name the letter” scavenger hunts). Incorporate retrieval practice and interleaving so students revisit both new and previously taught letters for fluency.

• Research base: Explicit letter instruction paired with sound-symbol mapping has been shown to significantly enhance early decoding skills (Ehri, 2005; INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION, 2019).

For students with dyslexia: Use multisensory strategies (e.g., tracing letters in sand, sky-writing, or using tactile letter cards) to strengthen memory. Provide frequent, shorter practice sessions with cumulative review.

Flexible response modes: Allow students to point, match, or type letters if oral recall is difficult, supporting engagement and reducing frustration.