Act 20 Resources
2025-2026
CKLA Summer Training
CKLA Writing Approach and Progression
Readworks/CKLA Alignment
Spelling Posters -
1st Grade (from Jenna)
One common thing I have heard is how HUGE those spelling card posters are and how everyone is limited in wall space. I have done some adjusting to the posters to hopefully support you with these so you are not feeling like you constantly have to be changing them out to make sure you have the correct one that aligns with your lesson.
You can print these
SOUNDS POSTERS at the 11x17 size so that you can fit them better on a bulletin board
Then here are the
resized sound cards (they are mini sized -1.5"- but will fit on the 11x17 posters perfectly). Bonus is that then you then can use your regular sound / spelling cards for more flash card/drill practice whole class or in small groups.
2nd Grade (from Jenna)
You can print these
SOUNDS POSTERS at the 11x17 size so that you can fit them better on a bulletin board
Then here are the
resized sound cards (they are mini sized -1.5"- but will fit on the 11x17 posters perfectly). Bonus is that then you then can use your regular sound / spelling cards for more flash card/drill practice whole class or in small groups.
Kindergarten
Knowledge A/B Lessons - K
I have had a few teachers reach out to ask about the A/B lessons and how that applies to pacing - do we teach Lesson 1A one day and Lesson 1B another day... or do we do all of Lesson 1 (A and B) in a day?
In Knowledge 1 for Kindergarten, many of the lessons are split up to allow for teachers to give students a break from instruction during the day. An A and a B should still be taught in one day (they should be about 30 minutes each). The A/B formatting was done because the typical lessons don't have a clear break at the midpoint to allow for this kind of splitting a lesson.
Hopefully, this will allow for a balance between academic instruction and allowing kinders to get accustomed to being in school, but also remember knowledge pacing does have flexibility so do what you know is right for your students. This first week, your goal is to get 2 full lessons in. so if that means doing A one day and B another it would still work out perfectly :)
Letter of the Day
Here are a few things to set you up for success over the next couple days:
-An
assessment page for you to check students letter names and sounds (you will need to do it twice - separately to do that). I know we have recently done aimsweb on letter names and sounds, but remember those tests are checking not only accuracy but even more of a factor, automaticity. Right now we want to know the accuracy part.
-A
data spreadsheet. You will need to make a copy of this for your class specifically. When testing kids you will either put a 1 or a 0 in the box and it will instantly color code it red or green. The letters on the assessment page are in the same order as the spreadsheet and the order you taught them in. It will also be counting all the "1s" so when you are done with your class there will be a total number of students who are proficient in that letter. Take that number and divide by the number of students and you will have your class % of proficiency (it will also color code red and green for you to quick visually see).
Once you have completed these assessments - here are your action steps:
Our first focus is letter names, because CKLA will start introducing and working with sounds heavily in skills 3 - though they do not typically focus on letter names as much.
1. Any letter name that has under 80% class proficiency, explicitly reteach and practice whole group (using the same routine as before)
2. Any letter name that has a greater than 80% class proficiency, explicitly reteach and practice in small targeted groups with the kids who were specifically missing this letter.
3. If a majority of your class has most, if not all, the letters, start working whole group on AUTOMATICITY . Use the
metronome to speed up. Winter goal is to have at least 26 in a minute- that is the 25%tile. 40 in a minute is closer to the 50%tile. This can be done in transition times, in the hallways while wafting for a specials class, or morning/end of the day routines.
*NOTE: If letter names are solid, but kids are struggling with letter sounds, you can also repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 above. These should be done during your "LETTER OF THE DAY" time in your schedule or intervention time (if you do not have pre determined prp groups), not during your CKLA block.
Kindergarten Report Card Rubric (2025-26)
Kindergarten Unit 6
Here are a few important reminders and clarifications you may have already noticed in your manual.
1. Student Readers
Students will receive their own readers for this unit. Please ensure these are well cared for by storing them together in a bin or in individual baggies if students keep them in book boxes. These readers are not consumable, will be reused in future years, and should not be sent home.
2. Listening to Students Read
You should aim to informally listen to all students read from the unit reader. As noted in the manual, the reading record form referenced is located on page 256 (with a completed example on page 255).
3. Unit 6 Assessments
Your assessments have been sent, and you should be receiving them along with your Profiles of Progress soon. There are multiple components, and you will have Lesson 17 plus three pausing points to complete them. Please reach out to a coach or me if you need support.
Assessment components include:
Part A: Letter Names (circle what is said)
Part B: Rhyming Words (thumbs up/thumbs down)
Part C, Part 1: Reading Words with Consonant Clusters (word discrimination)
Part C, Part 2: Reading Words with Consonant Clusters (cards)
Part D: Formal Anecdotal Reading Record (running record)
4. Part D: Formal Anecdotal Reading Record
Throughout the unit, you will be informally listening to students read; Part D is your formal opportunity to capture this data and may begin with some students as early as Lesson 16. Based on feedback from several kindergarten teachers and the desire to collect meaningful, actionable data, I created a revised running record form. This form should look familiar and is designed to provide the key information needed to maximize student growth and clearly communicate progress to parents.
K-2 Knowledge Assessment (from Laura)
First of all, I just want to say a huge THANK YOU for all of the work and effort you're putting in to make this implementation a success for students. I know it's hard. I know you're tired. I hope you're giving yourself credit and celebrating the daily wins, both big and small. I also hope you feel supported, because that is our goal.
We heard all about the confusion with the knowledge assessments and received clarification from Amplify.
The digital assessments and the paper/pencil assessments are different. Many times it's because we can test items differently in a digital format than we can in paper/pencil (think: drag and drop, etc.). It's kind of hidden, but if you look at the screenshot I've attached, it tells you that the two assessments are different. Look at what I've circled in orange. You can think of the two different assessments as a form A and a form B.
As a district we will be giving all KNOWLEDGE in grades K-2 assessments using Form B (online assessment).
These assessments are reliant on students being present during your knowledge lessons. If a students does miss a day and this affects their ability to answer an assessment question here are a few ideas:
1. Note it is just one question and when analyzing the results just keep that in mind.
2. Utilizing a pausing point prior to the test as a review day and bring specific activities to reinforce learning (or expose content for someone who may have missed something)
3. Reach out to see if a coach can support and bridge the learning during target time if the student is available.
As we work through these different hiccups that come with these tests, please remember your coaches and Jenna are always able to support and help. Whether it is having another body in the room, supporting with make up tests, or analyzing the data after the assessments, please reach out.
Spelling Support/PRP/Small Group Resources
As many grade levels are finishing up their spelling screeners, a reminder of the resources we have available for follow up instruction:
- LETRS Spelling Screener Lessons - basic and advanced, lessons linked to specific skills
- CKLA Resources (from Jenna) - ex. Take Home Pages (spelling practice pages to send home)
- Enrichment/Word Activities - talk to Gail
- PRP Resources
- CKLA ARG (K-3) and DRG (4-5) - don't print all pages, but look for what you need (they are 100+ pages).
- CKLA Pausing Point activities
- Phonics to Reading lessons - previous K-2 phonics curriculum
- Decodable books (in old 1st grade commons)
- Intervention Tool Kit Link- Found within the Amplify Tile (3rd Edition)
- Practice pages for intentional independent work - found in the From Phonics to Reading Folders
- Please reach out to Olivia with any questions - she's happy to help!
CKLA Assessment Data - K-5
Here is how we got into the data in Knowledge at the end of PLC! Amplify Tile > Reports > CKLA 3rd Edition > Choose Assessment. To see the percentage of correct, scroll down and toggle Item instead of Standard. (Olivia)
K letter cards (4 to page)
3rd Grade
CKLA Vetting - 3rd grade Unit 3 Lesson 10
I want to share an important update regarding the CKLA Vetting Document. In Unit 3, Lesson 10, the reader includes a play on words for the doctors. While the intention was to continue the “playful” naming pattern tied to each doctor’s specialty, the use of Dr. Kwan Si-Yu as an eye doctor trivializes cultural identity, and that’s not something we want to perpetuate in our classrooms.
I am currently working with Amplify on potential long-term solutions, but for now, please note the following immediate guidance:
Chapter 7, “Eyes and Vision,” will be a READ ALOUD.
Do not distribute the readers to students for this chapter.
Do not project any images from this chapter.
When referencing the doctor, use only the name “Dr. Kwan.”
Do not send home "Take-Home 10.4" in the Student Workbook
Do not send home page 88 in the Student Workbook.
I realize most of you have already moved past this unit for the year, but please make a note in your manuals for next year to reflect these updates.
2nd Grade
Insect Unit Notes - from Jenna
As I was unpacking and backward planning the writing task (opinion piece) for your upcoming knowledge unit, Domain 5: Insects, I wanted to share a few important notes and supports with you.
In this unit, students are asked to use trade books to research insects and gather information to support their opinion writing piece. In the baggie of trade books that was provided at common messages at the start of the year, you’ll find a few insect-related texts to help get you started. You may also want to connect with your media specialist/teacher to see if additional insect trade books are available for your grade level to check out and share. In addition, BrainPOP and PebbleGo have videos that can be used to support student research.
At the end of the unit, students will publish their opinion pieces. The teacher manual notes that final drafts may be either typed or handwritten.
If you plan to have all or some students type their final drafts and would like support with that process, please reach out to me or your building’s instructional coach. We can get students set up in google docs and be in your rooms to support.
If students will hand-write their final drafts, you may use any publishing paper of your choice—there is not a specific page provided for this in the materials.
Attached here is the backward planning document for the unit writing section (make sure to click on Domain 5 on the side bar). If you attended the First Friday CKLA Writing Google Meet, this document should look familiar.
Please let me know if you have any questions or need support as you plan for this unit (or if you want to backwards plan a future unit)—I’m happy to help!
Screening - Words per Minute
SPRING 2025
Spring Parent letter
Here is the screener notification letter for families. Please send it out via Parent Square by the end of the week. Elementary principals: please also note the paragraph regarding how Aimsweb+ Screener scores will be communicated. Parents just need to view the scores they do not need to acknowledge this document like they do a PRP. Let me know if you have any questions.
20-minute Structured Literacy Decoding Small Group Lesson Plan - from Jenna
Sent to families: April 2025
Personal Reading Plans
PRP Resources
- There are a lot of great resources on the Willow Blog - look for the tab labeled "Act 20/CKLA"
- The spelling screener resource that Jenna made is still a great resource to use even if it does not link to the AimsWeb spelling screener. There are texts included with most of these lessons as well. These are linked on the blog (Act 20/CKLA tab)
- 6 minute fluency is a great option for upper grades. I have resources for that in my office, if you are interested let me know and we can set up a time to chat. We can also look at the same idea using a grade level text for 1st and 2nd.
- If your group is working on comprehension - the FPC guided reading books (not the lesson cards) are available to use. Don't focus on the level rather think about what the purpose of the text is and pick a book that fits your needs
- Fluency Lesson Structure
Personal Reading Plans presentation
As you start to plan your PRP lessons with the goal in mind, I want to remind you of the many resources and options we have. You do not HAVE to use these, but they are available if they will support your instruction. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or would like support with your PRPs.
Spring K PRP Updates - from Jenna
- As you are writing plans for your K teams and figuring out how to support your K teachers with their in class instruction we want to make sure we are challenging and promoting productive struggle in our Kindergartens to see the most growth over the next few weeks.
- At this point in the year, those students should be building their decoding and automaticity skills and most importantly applying it to TEXT not just words in isolation.
- I created a general plan/outline for a 20 minute group that will promote those skills. Also Grace (instructional coach) and myself turned the remaining fluency boosters from the Phonics to Reading Curriculum into passage format so not only PRP students, but all students can become familiar with that format for when they come back in the Fall for first grade. K Daily Lesson Plan (spring)
Phonics Goals:
Decodable Texts (books and paper copies in binders in your reading specialist/coach's offices)
Progress Monitoring a Personalized Reading Plan
Please see the video below prior to beginning progress monitoring for any PRPs that you are implementing. Classroom teachers have all received a binder from the coach at your building that has the required student prompts. If you did not receive a binder and you are implementing PRPs this fall please reach out to me to request one.
PRP notes for reading specialists (from Jenna):
Here are a few answers to your questions from our meeting, I am still looking for other answers.
1. If we can not get a parent signature, a verbal confirmation would work, just put into the prp "Verbal agreement"
2. When sending home prps- YES they do need to be sent to families in envelopes. (I apologize, that was my mistake assuming they did not).
3. We do not need to send the generic trimester note with report cards. We will just send their pm'ing data/graph and the "how to read your child's graph" paper.This for only pullout intervention kids, all other classroom prp progress monitoring data/graphs will be sent at the end of the 10 week period.
4. Paperwork days to write prps- .You can request a 1/2 day, if you feel you need it, funded by the principals.
Questions I am still looking into:
- What if a kid has already met their prp goal? How many times do they have to meet it before we can "monitor" or change their goal. For this round we may just complete the 10 weeks as written as it is more our trial and error round, but I will keep looking for options that would be beneficial for the student in this circumstance.
- Benchmark Intervention- what if a kid does not pass their mastery check and there are not more lessons on that skill/concept. I have not heard back from our benchmark rep yet on this.
CESA Updates
Report Cards - CKLA check ins/assessments
October 18th PD Follow Up
4th Grade
Memory Poems
One of our building teams reviewed the unit assessment for Unit 3 in CKLA. Students are required to write their own memory poem in the assessment. Writing a memory poem is a major focus in lesson 6, which, as you know, was previously removed due to content.
In reviewing the materials from Lesson 6, it looks like we can go ahead and teach workbook pages 6.1 and 6.3 in lesson 6, as they are not related to the poem we removed, but are essential for giving kids practice writing a memory poem. We will still NOT teach workbook page 6.2 because it is the analysis of the removed poem. All coaches are aware of the shift, so if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or your instructional coach.
Lesson Revision - Sentence Structure Lesson
We know as we have removed Unit 2, Part 2 from CKLA and there have been worries about missing the skills lessons, specifically the ones on sentence types. When looking through this removed unit, we found most skills will be revisited in another unit. However one particular skill was quite heavy and we felt like it needed to be introduced prior to future spriled lessons. We have written a 1 day lesson plan to introduce the 4 sentence types and have student practice working with the 4 types.
Attached to this email is:
As you look through the lesson plan you will see necessary materials/copies. Teaching and learning will be sending for copies of all of these materials. They should arrive in your buildings hopefully by the end of this week.
Please find a day to teach this 1 hour lesson before winter break. Whichever day you pick, you are free to not teach CKLA that day.
3-5 Homework:
Most importantly, we want to avoid having all students complete homework as part of the CKLA block because it significantly slows down pacing.
We should be sending homework home if it falls under these guidelines:
The homework is independent practice of a skill that students have already learned.
The homework communicates with families about things students are working on in class.
The amount of homework is balanced for their age and grade. For all subjects combined, students should receive no more than 10-20 minutes for grades K-2 and 30-50 minutes for grades 3-5.
PRP Letters
The second letter goes to families with students who scored under the 25th in the fall and winter or do not yet meet the exit criteria for a PRP (below the 40th percentile).
December 20, 2024 PD
Unit Test Information
The Unit 5 assessment is linked in Illuminate on the CKLA Tile where your midyear would have been. Additionally, this shifted the questions a little bit so I also updated the Unit 5 Profile of Progress to reflect the correct standards.
4th Grade Summer School (for 3rd graders on PRPs) - invitation Based on the holistic evaluation described above, the entire team will make one of the following choices.
Promotion to 4th grade (with applicable services/supports) is more appropriate than retention in 3rd grade and the student is promoted.
The student’s noncompletion of the student’s personal reading plan was not primarily due to the student’s lack of reading proficiency and the student is promoted.
The parents or guardians and school/district representatives agree that retention (with applicable services/supports) is more appropriate than promotion to 4th grade and the student’s parent or guardian gives written consent to retention.
The school/district representatives recommend retention but the student’s parent or guardian does not consent to retention. Regardless of any other facts, circumstances, or analysis, the student is promoted to 4th grade.
It would be nice to have some additional leverage to entice families to participate, but I think our best bet is to be extremely proactive in our communication with families throughout the year, and especially when the summer school invitations go out. The classroom teacher or reading specialist could call the family and talk about the benefits of the program and give them a more enticing invitation.
Resource Hubs for AimsWeb and CKLA
The Aimsweb+ Help Center lives in a new tile in Illuminate.
IMPORTANT: K-3 Teachers please review the Classroom Teacher Roles prior to 3/31 as there have been some slight changes since the winter
Additionally, there are tips to log-in, links to helpful resources, and explanations of the different reports.
CKLA assessments still live in the CKLA tile. However, I updated the format to slides and added a Resources page as well.
IMPORTANT: For 5th grade teachers who want it- the Unit 6 assessment is linked
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