List of Compliant Phonics Materials

Background

In accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0062, local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to provide for the use of a phonics curriculum that uses systematic direct instruction in kindergarten through third grade to ensure all students obtain necessary early literacy skills. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is required by TEC, §28.0062 to provide assistance to LEAs in complying with this requirement. 

Additionally, 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §74.2001 outlines specific criteria that phonics materials must do (19 TAC §74.2001(b)(1)), may do (19 TAC §74.2001(b)(2)), and may not do (19 TAC §74.2001(b)(3)).  

To assist LEAs in complying with statute and rule, TEA developed English and Spanish K–3 phonics rubrics and facilitated the review of several commonly used phonics materials through the Texas Resource Review (TRR) to determine which materials meet the criteria outlined in rule. In March 2022, TEA selected materials for this initial review cycle if they were: 

• adopted by the State Board of Education for K–3 English or Spanish language arts and reading, 
• nominated by at least 10% of LEAs, or 
• voluntarily submitted by the publisher. 

Evaluation Process 

To date, materials were subject to a three-tiered review conducted by Texas educators to determine compliance with 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(1). In conducting the review, the educator teams verified:   

1. compliance with 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(1)(A), which involved a TEKS-correlation analysis to ensure materials cover 100% of the phonics-specific Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills 
2. compliance with 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(1)(B)-(G), which involved the use of a rubric aligned to each enumerated item in the rule, and 
3. compliance with 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(1)(H), which involved earning the maximum number of points for the majority of the scored TRR rubric indicators in each rubrics category and verification that the material did not earn zero points for any scored TRR rubric indicator.

This three-tiered review process has been fully completed for the set of materials selected for review in March 2022, such that TEA is able to publish today a list of materials that fully comply with 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(1).   

Additionally, this initial cycle of materials is being analyzed to ensure they do not conflict with 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(3)(A). This portion of the rule prohibits certain instructional practices related to having students guess (sometimes called 3-cueing), as opposed to follow sound rules. This process is ongoing but will be complete by the end of April. 

An additional section of the rule, 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(4), allows use of materials that do not comply with all of the provisions of 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(1), if the materials have an evidence base, and as long as they are used with materials that do fully comply 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(1). In the coming months, the publishers that participated in this review cycle and who have products that failed to fully comply with 19 TAC §74.2001(b)(1) will be given the opportunity to provide evidence-base information.  

Report Publication 

TEA will release information about the materials reviewed on a rolling basis on the TRR website.

Next Steps 

LEAs should review the List of Compliant Phonics Programs and the phonics FAQs and evaluate their current approach to phonics instruction to ensure compliance with the statute and rule. If currently adopted materials do not comply, LEAs may use the information provided on the TRR website to select new material from the list, modify currently adopted materials to address areas of non-compliance, or select materials that were not reviewed if they are determined to be compliant after local review. 

TEA intends to conduct additional phonics reviews in the future. Districts may request reviews of a specific product by completing the District TRR Nomination Form. Additionally, TEA will evaluate and publish the evidence-base information supplied by publishers with materials reviewed in the current cycle. 

Questions 

If you have any questions regarding the phonics rule or TRR phonics reviews, please contact the Instructional Materials Review team at texasresourcereview@tea.texas.gov or submit a help desk ticket.