Welcome to Amplify Science K–5!
Amplify Science is an engaging core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.
With Amplify Science, Detroit students won’t just passively learn about science concepts. Instead, they will take on the role of scientists and engineers to actively investigate and figure out real-world phenomena. They will do this through a blend of cohesive and compelling storylines, hands-on investigations, collaborative discussions, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools.
What is Amplify Science?
The Lawrence Hall of Science
Developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify, our program features:
- A phenomena-based approach where students construct a complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
- A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
- Carefully crafted units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true three-dimensional learning.
- An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.
Proven to work
Instructional model
The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
Do
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit—from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.
Talk
Student-to-student discourse and full-class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.
Read
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and, importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.
Write
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.
Visualize
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers
do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.
Program structure
Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.
It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to address 100% of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and support students in mastering the Pennsylvania Science Standards.
Unit types
While every unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, each unit also emphasizes a particular science and engineering practice.
In grades K–2:
- One unit emphasizes the practice of investigation.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of modeling.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of engineering design.
In grades 3–5, students experience the three unit types above, plus:
- One additional unit that emphasizes the practice of argumentation.
Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.
Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.
Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.
Argumentation units provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.
Unit sequence
Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.
In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts, than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.
Program components
Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock-full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.
Hands-on learning is an essential part of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. Students actively participate in science, playing the roles of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend claims about the world around them. Every unit includes hands-on investigations that are critical to achieving the unit’s learning goals.
More hands-on with Flextensions:
Hands-on Flextensions are additional, optional investigations that are included at logical points in the learning progression and give students an opportunity to dig deeper if time permits. These activities offer teachers flexibility to choose to dedicate more time to hands-on learning. Materials referenced in Hands-on Flextension activities will either be included in the unit kit or are easily sourced. Supporting resources such as student worksheets will be included as downloadable PDF files.
Our kits include enough materials to support 200 student uses. In other words, teachers can easily support all five periods and small groups of 4-5 students each. Plus, our unit-specific kits mean teachers just grab the tub they need and then put it all back with ease.
Each unit of Amplify Science K–5 includes six unique Student Books written by the Lawrence Hall of Science specifically for the program. These content-rich nonfiction and informational texts provide opportunities for students to search for evidence relevant to their firsthand investigations, see science practices and dispositions modeled, extend their science knowledge, provide real world connections as they master reading-to-learn and close reading skills, and construct evidence-based arguments.
Important note:
Students in grades K–5 are never asked to read alone. Rather, books are read to, with, and by students with ample scaffolding and support provided by the teacher. Big Books are read aloud or together with the class to introduce ideas. Student Books allow for small-group reading and reading in pairs.
Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.
In grades K–5, one copy of the Student Investigation Notebook is included in each unit’s materials kit for use as a blackline master. Each notebook is also available as a downloadable PDF on the Unit Guide page of the digital Teacher’s Guide.
Amplify Science offers digital experience licenses that make elementary instruction more flexible for students and teachers, as well as providing additional means to engage in remote, hybrid, or in-person learning!
Student-facing digital lessons
With the digital experience, students can engage with digital lesson content in one cohesive experience. It’s the same content from Amplify science in a new, integrated format where students can interact with slides, Sims, modeling tools, videos, books, and more.
Digital student notebook pages
Students can draw, write, record audio, and insert images into their Investigation Notebook pages. Their work is automatically saved and delivered to you in real time. When students edit their work, those edits are immediately reflected on your teacher work review page. You can access student responses by clicking “View Work,” where you can see students’ Investigation Notebook pages from the lesson, updating live.
Assign in Amplify
The digital experience allows flexibility with optional features like scheduling assignments in advance and setting due dates. You can use Scheduling to determine the date and time that the assignment appears in Student Home. You also have the flexibility to schedule when assignments appear and use dates to remove assignments from Student Home.
Assign in LMS
You can also assign lessons via our integrations with Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, or by copying a lesson link and sharing it with students through the platform of your choice. The assignment link you send will provide students with direct access to the full lesson—slides, videos, digital tools, and worksheet activities—no student platform navigation required!
Teacher platform and presentation
Teacher-facing lesson content—including sample teacher talk, student responses, pedagogical support, and possible student responses—shows on a teacher’s private Teacher Guide tab. Students only see the lesson slides that are being presented.
Explore your print samples
With your Amplify Science print samples, you’ll find unit-specific Teacher’s References Guides, Student Investigation Notebooks, and sets of Student Books for each grade level.
A note about the Teacher’s Reference Guides:
It’s important that you see the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provide a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides.
Rest assured that teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free TG!
- Teacher Reference Guide: Unlike a typical TG that requires a series of supplemental books to support it, our encyclopedic reference guide is chock-full of everything a teacher needs to fully implement our program and the NGSS.
- Ready-to-Teach Lesson Slides: For daily instruction, teachers need their hands free. That’s why we created ready-to-teach lesson slides for every single lesson. What’s more, they are editable and include suggested teacher talk and point-of-use differentiation and other instructional tips. Click to learn more.
A note about the Materials Kits:
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. In order to make hands-on learning more manageable for busy teachers, Amplify Science materials are organized into unit-specific kits.
Our unit-specific kits:
What’s different about Amplify’s unit-specific material kits? They…
- Include more materials — We give teachers enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumables to support 72 student uses. In other words, each kit will last two years.
- Are more manageable — Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of four to five students.
- Include supportive videos — Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.
Grade-specific lists of all materials included in each kit:
- Grade K: Materials Kit List
- Grade 1: Materials Kit List
- Grade 2: Materials Kit List
- Grade 3: Materials Kit List
- Grade 4: Materials Kit List
- Grade 5: Materials Kit List
Access your digital samples
Explore as a teacher
When you’re ready to explore the teaching experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital teacher platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: t1.dpsscience@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: Amplify1-dpsscience
- Click on Science on the left hand side.
- Click on the Grade Menu in the top center of the screen and select any grade.
- Select any unit.
To help familiarize yourself with navigating the digital platform, watch the below navigational video.
Explore as a student
When you’re ready to explore the student learning experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital student platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: s1.dpsscience@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: Amplify1-dpsscience
- Click the backpack icon on the top right.
- Click Science K-5
- Select any unit.
Spanish-language support
Amplify Science is committed to providing support to meet the needs of all learners, including multiple access points for Spanish-speaking students. Developed in conjunction with Spanish-language experts and classroom teachers, several components are available in Spanish across the Amplify Science curriculum.
Spanish-language materials include:
| COMPONENT | TEACHER/STUDENT |
| Student Investigation Notebooks | Student |
| Student Books | Student |
| Printed classroom materials Unit and chapter questions, key concepts, vocabulary cards, etc. | Teacher and student |
| Copymasters | Teacher |
| Assessments | Teacher |
| Spanish teacher support license This license includes teacher talk, projections, and downloadable PDFs of all print materials in Spanish. | Teacher |
Resources to support your review
- Michigan Next Generation Science Standards Correlation K-8
- DEIA in Amplify Science
- Research behind Amplify Science
- What’s so phenomenal about phenomena? – eBook
- Phenomena in grades K–5
- Program structure for grades K–5
- Student Books in grades K–5
- Literacy-rich science instruction in grades K–5
- Approaches to assessment in grades K–5
Welcome to Amplify Science Pennsylvania
(K–5)!
Amplify Science is an engaging core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.
With Amplify Science, Pennsylvania students shift from learning about to figuring out science through authentic three-dimensional (3D) learning and phenomena-based exploration. In each unit, students take on the role of a scientist or engineer to investigate a real-world problem. This prepares them to become critical thinkers who can solve problems in their communities and beyond.
What is Amplify Science Pennsylvania?
Customized lessons for Pennsylvania
Amplify Science Pennsylvania (K–5) combines our nationally recognized, proven curriculum with custom lessons specifically designed to ensure you are meeting Pennsylvania’s STEELS standards.
The Lawrence Hall of Science
Developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify, our program features:
- A phenomena-based approach in which students construct a complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
- A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
- Carefully crafted units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true three-dimensional learning.
- An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.
Proven to work
Instructional model
The Amplify Science Pennsylvania program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
Do
Firsthand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science Pennsylvania has students getting hands-on in every unit—from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.
Talk
Student-to-student discourse and full-class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.
Read
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.
Write
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.
Visualize
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers
do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.
Program structure
Our cyclical lesson design ensures that students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.
It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science Pennsylvania to address 100% of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and support students in mastering the Pennsylvania Science Standards.
Unit types
While every unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, each unit also emphasizes a particular science and engineering practice.
In grades K–2:
- One unit emphasizes the practice of investigation.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of modeling.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of engineering design.
In grades 3–5, students experience the three unit types above, plus:
One additional unit that emphasizes the practice of argumentation.
Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.
Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.
Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.
Argumentation units provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.
Unit sequence
Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.
In fact, our multimodal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts, than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.
Program components
Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock-full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.
Hands-on learning is an essential part of Amplify Science Pennsylvania and is integrated into every unit. Students actively participate in science, playing the roles of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend claims about the world around them. Every unit includes hands-on investigations that are critical to achieving the unit’s learning goals.
More hands-on with Flextensions:
Hands-on Flextensions are additional, optional investigations that are included at logical points in the learning progression and give students an opportunity to dig deeper if time permits. These activities offer teachers flexibility to choose to dedicate more time to hands-on learning. Materials referenced in Hands-on Flextension activities will either be included in the unit kit or are easily sourced. Supporting resources such as student worksheets will be included as downloadable PDF files.
Our kits include enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumable items to support 72 students. In other words, each kit can last two years! Plus, our unit-specific kits mean teachers just grab the tub they need for the unit and then put it all back with ease.
Each unit of Amplify Science Pennsylvania (K–5) includes six unique Student Books written by educators at the Lawrence Hall of Science specifically for the program. These content-rich nonfiction and informational texts provide opportunities for students to search for evidence relevant to their firsthand investigations, see science practices and dispositions modeled, extend their science knowledge, provide real-world connections as they master reading-to-learn and close reading skills, and construct evidence-based arguments.
Important note:
Students in grades K–5 are never asked to read alone. Rather, books are read to, with, and by students with ample scaffolding and support provided by the teacher. Big Books are read aloud or together with the class to introduce ideas. Student Books allow for small-group reading and reading in pairs.
Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.
In grades K–5, one copy of the Student Investigation Notebook is included in each unit’s materials kit for use as a blackline master. Each notebook is also available as a downloadable PDF on the Unit Guide page of the digital Teacher’s Guide.
Amplify Science Pennsylvania offers digital experience licenses that make elementary instruction more flexible for students and teachers and provide additional means to engage in remote, hybrid, or in-person learning!
Student-facing digital lessons
With the digital experience, students can engage with digital lesson content in one cohesive experience. It’s the same content from Amplify Science Pennsylvania in a new, integrated format, in which students can interact with slides, Sims, modeling tools, videos, books, and more.
Digital student notebook pages
Students can draw, write, record audio, and insert images into their Investigation Notebook pages. Their work is automatically saved and delivered to you in real time. When students edit their work, those edits are immediately reflected on your teacher work review page. You can access student responses by clicking “View Work,” where you can see students’ Investigation Notebook pages from the lesson, updating live.
Assign in Amplify
The digital experience allows flexibility with optional features such as scheduling assignments in advance and setting due dates. You can use Scheduling to determine the date and time that the assignment appears in Student Home. You also have the flexibility to schedule when assignments appear and to use dates to remove assignments from Student Home.
Assign in LMS
You can also assign lessons via our integrations with learning management systems (LMS) such as Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, or by copying a lesson link and sharing it with students through the platform of your choice. The assignment link you send will provide students with direct access to the full lesson—slides, videos, digital tools, and worksheet activities—no student platform navigation required!
Teacher platform and presentation
Teacher-facing lesson content—including sample teacher talk, student responses, pedagogical support, and possible student responses—shows on a teacher’s private Teacher Guide tab. Students only see the lesson slides that are being presented.
Explore your print samples
With your Amplify Science Pennsylvania print samples, you’ll find unit-specific Teacher’s References Guides, Student Investigation Notebooks, and sets of Student Books for each grade level.
A note about the Teacher Reference Guides:
It’s important that you see the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provide a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides.
Teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free Teacher’s Guide!
- Teacher’s Reference Guide: Unlike a typical Teacher’s Guide that requires a series of supplemental books to support it, our encyclopedic reference guide is chock-full of everything a teacher needs to fully implement our program and the NGSS.
- Ready-to-Teach Lesson Slides: For daily instruction, teachers need their hands free. That’s why we created ready-to-teach lesson slides for every single lesson. What’s more, the slides are editable and include suggested teacher talk and point-of-use differentiation and other instructional tips. Click to learn more.
A note about the Materials Kits:
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science Pennsylvania, and is integrated into every unit. To make hands-on learning more manageable for busy teachers, Amplify Science Pennsylvania materials are organized into unit-specific kits.
What’s different about Amplify’s unit-specific material kits?
- They include more materials. We give teachers enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumables to support 72 student uses. In other words, each kit will last two years.
- They’re more manageable. Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of four to five students.
- They include supportive videos. Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.
Grade-specific lists of all materials included in each kit:
- Grade K: Materials Kit List
- Grade 1: Materials Kit List
- Grade 2: Materials Kit List
- Grade 3: Materials Kit List
- Grade 4: Materials Kit List
- Grade 5: Materials Kit List
Spanish-language support
Amplify Science Pennsylvania is committed to providing support to meet the needs of all learners, including multiple access points for Spanish-speaking students. Developed in conjunction with Spanish-language experts and classroom teachers, several components are available in Spanish across the Amplify Science Pennsylvania curriculum.
Spanish-language materials include:
| COMPONENT | TEACHER/STUDENT |
| Student Investigation Notebooks | Student |
| Student Books | Student |
| Printed classroom materials Unit and chapter questions, key concepts, vocabulary cards, etc. |
Teacher and student |
| Copymasters | Teacher |
| Assessments | Teacher |
| Spanish teacher support license This license includes teacher talk, projections, and downloadable PDFs of all print materials in Spanish. |
Teacher |
Resources to support your review
Contact us
Support is always available. Our team is dedicated to helping you every step of the way.
Contact your dedicated Pennsylvania representative.
What’s included in our grades K–2 language arts curriculum
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts® (CKLA) is a comprehensive early literacy curriculum, grounded in the Science of Reading. The K–2 curriculum sequences deep content knowledge-building with research-based foundational skills. With Amplify CKLA, you’ll have the instruction and guidance of proven, evidence-based practices to help all of your students become strong readers, writers, and thinkers.
Choose Level
Year at a glance
The Amplify CKLA curriculum is modeled after proven research in early literacy that supports a two-strand approach to literacy instruction in the early years. With this approach, students in Grades K–2 complete one full lesson per day that builds foundational reading skills in the Skills Strand, as well as one full lesson that builds background knowledge in the Knowledge Strand. The deep content knowledge is sequenced together with research-based foundational skills in Grades K–2 so that students develop the early literacy skills necessary to help them become confident readers, as well as build the context to understand what they’re reading.
In Grades 3–5, lessons combine skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater emphasis on writing. Students start to use their skills to go on their own independent reading adventures, further opening up their worlds.
Units & domains at a glance
The number of days to complete each Skills Unit and Knowledge Domain varies based on instructional purpose.
Knowledge Domain 1
Nursery Rhymes and Fables
Well-known fables introduce students to new vocabulary, build phonological awareness, and prompt discussion of character, virtues, and behavior.
Number of Lessons: 12
Knowledge Domain 2
The Five Senses
Students explore how they learn about the world using their five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
Number of Lessons: 8
Knowledge Domain 3
Stories
Students develop an awareness of language and recurring themes in children’s literature, including classic stories, trickster tales, and fiction from other cultures.
Number of Lessons: 10
Knowledge Domain 4
Plants
Read-aloud texts introduce students to basic knowledge of ecology, parts of plants, how plants grow, and the interdependence of all living things.
Number of Lessons: 11
Knowledge Domain 5
Farms
Students identify several farm animals and crops and contrast how plants make their food with how animals get their food.
Number of Lessons: 9
Knowledge Domain 6
Native Americans
Students explore cultures of three Native American groups, as well as how conditions in different geographical regions influence their ways of life.
Number of Lessons: 8
Knowledge Domain 7
Kings and Queens
Students listen to read-aloud texts, both fiction and nonfiction, about kings, queens, and royal families, which build students’ understanding of royal customs.
Number of Lessons: 8
Knowledge Domain 8
Seasons and Weather
This is an introduction to weather and the seasons, where students learn that regions of Earth experience different characteristic weather patterns throughout the year.
Number of Lessons: 8
Knowledge Domain 9
Columbus and the Pilgrims
A look at the first contact between Europe and the Americas and some of its results.
Number of Lessons: 9
Knowledge Domain 10
Colonial Towns and Townspeople
Students are introduced to the early history of the United States as they explore what life was like for people in colonial times.
Number of Lessons: 10
Knowledge Domain 11
Taking Care of the Earth
Students are introduced to the importance of environmental awareness and conservation as they become familiar with the earth’s natural resources.
Number of Lessons: 10
Knowledge Domain 12
Presidents and American Symbols
Students learn about the legacies of five famous presidents, several national symbols, the branches of government, the role of the president, and elections.
Number of Lessons: 9
Skills Unit 1
Students build phonological awareness through environmental noises, words within sentences, and sounds within words. They learn basic strokes used to form letters.
Skills Unit 2
Students learn how to blend syllables together to form multisyllabic words. They orally produce two- and three-sound words by blending sounds.
Skills Unit 3
Students learn eight new sounds and practice blending them into words. They learn how to write letters that represent the new sounds.
Skills Unit 4
With oral language games, chaining exercises, and shared reading, students practice blending eight new sounds into words and writing the sound-letter correspondences.
Skills Unit 5
Eight new sounds are introduced, including a spelling alternative for /k/. Students continue to practice previously learned sound-letter correspondences.
Skills Unit 6
Students are introduced to consonant clusters, letter names, and rhyming words. Students begin to read text independently using decodable Student Readers.
Skills Unit 7
Students learn about various digraphs. Students practice blending and segmenting the sounds through phonemic awareness and phonics activities, chaining exercises, and reading.
Skills Unit 8
This unit introduces students to double-letter spellings for consonant sounds, as well as seven new high-frequency Tricky Words.
Skills Unit 9
Students practice writing uppercase letters and learn 17 new Tricky Words. Students answer comprehension questions about stories in the Student Reader.
Skills Unit 10
Students learn the basic code spelling for the five long vowel sounds. Students are administered a cumulative end-of-year assessment.
Knowledge Domain 1
Fables and Stories
Students are introduced to fables and stories, increase vocabulary and reading comprehension skills, and become familiar with the key elements of a story.
Number of Lessons: 10
Knowledge Domain 2
The Human Body
Students are introduced to the systems of the human body, care of the body, germs and disease, vaccines, and keys to good health.
Number of Lessons: 10
Knowledge Domain 3
Different Lands, Similar Stories
Students encounter cultures from around the world as they explore the ways in which folktales from different lands treat similar themes or characters.
Number of Lessons: 9
Knowledge Domain 4
Early World Civilizations
Students explore Mesopotamia and Egypt and learn about the importance of rivers, farming, writing, laws, art, and beliefs.
Number of Lessons: 16
Knowledge Domain 5
Early American Civilizations
Students compare and contrast key features of the early civilizations of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca, and explore the development of cities.
Number of Lessons: 11
Knowledge Domain 6
Astronomy
In this introduction to the solar system, students learn about Earth in relation to the moon, other planets, the sun, and the stars.
Number of Lessons: 9
Knowledge Domain 7
The History of the Earth
Students learn about the geographical features of Earth’s surface, the layers of the earth, rocks and minerals, volcanoes, geysers, fossils, and dinosaurs.
Number of Lessons: 8
Knowledge Domain 8
Animals and Habitats
Students focus on the interconnectedness of living things as they learn what a habitat is and explore specific types of habitats.
Number of Lessons: 9
Knowledge Domain 9
Fairy Tales
Students learn about the Brothers Grimm, identify common elements of fairy tales, make interpretations, and compare and contrast different tales.
Number of Lessons: 9
Knowledge Domain 10
A New Nation: American Independence
Students are introduced to important historical figures and events in the story of how the 13 colonies became an independent nation.
Number of Lessons: 12
Knowledge Domain 11
Frontier Explorers
Students are introduced to exploration of the American West, its key figures, and how colonists spread westward, including their interactions with native peoples.
Number of Lessons: 11
Skills Unit 1
Unit 1 provides a review of the sounds/spellings taught in the CKLA Kindergarten curriculum. Teachers administer the beginning-of-year assessment.
Skills Unit 2
Students read and write words with long vowel spellings and learn new Tricky Words. The unit also includes grammar lessons on nouns.
Skills Unit 3
Work continues on vowel sounds and their spellings. Grammar focus is on verbs and verb tense. Formal instruction in the writing process begins.
Skills Unit 4
Students work with /r/-controlled vowel sounds. Students practice segmenting two-syllable words. Adjectives are introduced as students practice descriptive writing.
Skills Unit 5
Students work with spelling alternatives for sounds. Students also learn to identify sentence types. They plan, draft, and edit opinion letters.
Skills Unit 6
Students continue to work with several spelling alternatives for sounds. Students review nouns and pronouns. They plan, draft, and edit personal narratives.
Skills Unit 7
Students focus on spelling alternatives for sounds. Students plan, draft, and edit an informative/explanatory text. Students are administered an end-of-year assessment.
Knowledge Domain 1
Fairy Tales and Tall Tales
Students consider characteristic elements of fairy tales and tall tales and consider problems faced by the characters and lessons each story conveys.
Number of Lessons: 8
Knowledge Domain 2
Early Asian Civilizations
Students are introduced to Asia, specifically India and China. In addition, students are introduced to related folktales and poetry.
Number of Lessons: 14
Knowledge Domain 3
Ancient Greek Civilization
Students explore the civilization of ancient Greece, which lives on in many ways—in our language, government, art, architecture, the Olympics, and more.
Number of Lessons: 12
Knowledge Domain 4
Greek Myths
Building on the Ancient Greek Civilization domain, students explore common characteristics and story elements of several well-known Greek myths and mythical characters.
Number of Lessons: 10
Knowledge Domain 5
The War of 1812
Students are introduced to major figures and events in the War of 1812, sometimes called America’s “second war for independence.”
Number of Lessons: 8
Knowledge Domain 6
Cycles in Nature
Students are introduced to natural cycles that make life on Earth possible, such as seasonal cycles, life cycles, and the water cycle.
Number of Lessons: 9
Knowledge Domain 7
Westward Expansion
Students are introduced to an important period in the history of the United States—the time of westward expansion during the 1800s.
Number of Lessons: 9
Knowledge Domain 8
Insects
Students learn about the helpful and harmful characteristics of insects, insect life cycles, and social insects such as bees and ants.
Number of Lessons: 8
Knowledge Domain 9
The U.S. Civil War
Students learn about the controversy between the North and the South over slavery and about key historical figures during that time.
Number of Lessons: 11
Knowledge Domain 10
Human Body: Building Blocks and Nutrition
Students learn about the human body, including body systems, good nutrition, keys to good health, and the advances in microbiology made by Anton van Leeuwenhoek.
Number of Lessons: 9
Knowledge Domain 11
Immigration
Students explore the idea of e pluribus unum and the importance of immigration in the history of the United States.
Number of Lessons: 10
Knowledge Domain 12
Fighting for a Cause
Students explore the connection between ideas and actions, and see how people can do extraordinary things to change the dominant ideas and actions of an entire nation.
Number of Lessons: 9
Skills Unit 1
Sound-spellings with an emphasis on consonant sounds, one- and two-syllable words, and Tricky Words are reviewed. The beginning-of-year assessment is administered.
Skills Unit 2
The unit focus is on various sound-spellings and words with one- and two-syllables. Students begin the writing process, writing narratives and opinions.
Skills Unit 3
Practice with spelling alternatives continues. Grammar focuses on capitalization, quotation marks, ending punctuation, and common and proper nouns. Students write personal narratives.
Skills Unit 4
Students practice a range of spelling alternatives. Students practice persuasive writing as part of a friendly letter. Students learn more about nouns and verbs.
Skills Unit 5
Students practice chunking sounds as they read multisyllabic words. Grammar work includes adjectives, subjects, and predicates. Writing includes rewriting a story ending.
Skills Unit 6
Students review advanced phonics and grammar skills. Students are introduced to expository/report writing. Students take an end-of-year assessment.
Program components
The program includes instructional guidance and student materials for a year of instruction, with lessons and activities that keep students engaged every day.
Component
FORMAT
Knowledge Strand Teacher Guide
Knowledge Strand Teacher Guides contain Amplify CKLA’s cross-curricular read-alouds and application activities, all of which are standards-based to build mastery of content knowledge and literacy skills. There is one Teacher Guide per Knowledge Domain.
Print or digital
Knowledge classroom materials
Amplify CKLA includes oversized Flip Books and smaller Image Cards that bring each topic to life through vivid visuals.
Print or digital
Skills Strand Teacher Guide
Amplify CKLA Skills Strand Teacher Guides include comprehensive research-based instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, print concepts, the alphabetic principle, grammar, writing mechanics, comprehension, spelling, and other critical foundational literacy skills.
Print or digital
Hands-on Skills ancillaries
Dynamic classroom materials include student Chaining Folders, Small and Large Letter Cards, Spelling Cards, Sound Cards, Big Books, Vowel and Consonant Code Flip Books, Code Charts, and more.
Print or digital
Assessment and Remediation Guide
The unit-by-unit Assessment and Remediation Guide provides thousands of pages of activities for reteaching, differentiation, and additional practice.
Print or digital
Digital experience
The Amplify CKLA digital experience delivers ready-made, customizable, slides-based lesson presentations to enhance instruction and save time. Everything needed to plan and present high-quality, engaging early literacy instruction is in one convenient place.
Digital
Component
FORMAT
Knowledge Strand Activity Books
Knowledge Strand Activity Books provide students with the opportunity to deepen world and word knowledge by responding to text in a diversity of ways.
Skills Strand Student Reader
Unique decodable Student Readers provide direct practice with just-learned sound-spelling patterns, using compelling stories and characters to integrate phonics and comprehension.
Skills Strand Activity book
Skills Strand Activity Books support the program’s connected approach to reading and writing, providing ample opportunities to respond to text while building core skills.
Digital experience
The Amplify CKLA digital experience delivers ready-made, customizable, slides-based lesson presentations to enhance instruction and save time. Everything needed to plan and present high-quality, engaging early literacy instruction is in one convenient place.
Digital
Explore more programs
Our programs are designed to support and complement one another. Learn more about our related programs.
Elk Grove Science K5
Amplify Science Success Story
The Lawrence Hall of Science
Developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify, our program features:
- A phenomena-based approach where students construct a complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
- A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
- Carefully crafted units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true three-dimensional learning.
- An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.
Proven to work
Instructional model
The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
DO
Firsthand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit—from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.
TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full-class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.
READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and, importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.
WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.
VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.
Program structure
Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.
It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to address 100% of the NGSS and support students in mastering the Oregon Science Standards.
Unit types
While every unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, each unit also emphasizes a particular science and engineering practice.
In grades K–2:
- One unit emphasizes the practice of investigation.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of modeling.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of engineering design.
In grades 3–5, students experience the three unit types above, plus:
- One additional unit that emphasizes the practice of argumentation.
Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.
Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.
Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.
Argumentation units provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.
Unit sequence
Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.
In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts, than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.
Program components
Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock-full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.
Hands-on learning is an essential part of Amplify Science and is integrated into every unit. Students actively participate in science, playing the roles of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend claims about the world around them. Every unit includes hands-on investigations that are critical to achieving the unit’s learning goals.
More hands-on with Flextensions:
Hands-on Flextensions are additional, optional investigations that are included at logical points in the learning progression and give students an opportunity to dig deeper if time permits. These activities offer teachers flexibility to choose to dedicate more time to hands-on learning. Materials referenced in Hands-on Flextension activities will either be included in the unit kit or are easily sourced. Supporting resources such as student worksheets will be included as downloadable PDF files.
Our kits include enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumable items to support 72 students. In other words, each kit can last two years! Plus, our unit-specific kits mean teachers just grab the tub they need for the unit and then put it all back with ease.
Each unit of Amplify Science K–5 includes six unique Student Books written by the Lawrence Hall of Science specifically for the program. These content-rich nonfiction and informational texts provide opportunities for students to search for evidence relevant to their firsthand investigations, see science practices and dispositions modeled, extend their science knowledge, provide real world connections as they master reading-to-learn and close reading skills, and construct evidence-based arguments.
Important note:
Students in grades K–5 are never asked to read alone. Rather, books are read to, with, and by students with ample scaffolding and support provided by the teacher. Big Books are read aloud or together with the class to introduce ideas. Student Books allow for small-group reading and reading in pairs.
Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.
In grades K–5, one copy of the Student Investigation Notebook is included in each unit’s materials kit for use as a blackline master. Each notebook is also available as a downloadable PDF on the Unit Guide page of the digital Teacher’s Guide.
Amplify Science offers digital experience licenses that make elementary instruction more flexible for students and teachers, as well as providing additional means to engage in remote, hybrid, or in-person learning!
Student-facing digital lessons
With the digital experience, students can engage with digital lesson content in one cohesive experience. It’s the same content from Amplify science in a new, integrated format where students can interact with slides, Sims, modeling tools, videos, books, and more.
Digital student notebook pages
Students can draw, write, record audio, and insert images into their Investigation Notebook pages. Their work is automatically saved and delivered to you in real time. When students edit their work, those edits are immediately reflected on your teacher work review page. You can access student responses by clicking “View Work,” where you can see students’ Investigation Notebook pages from the lesson, updating live.
Assign in Amplify
The digital experience allows flexibility with optional features like scheduling assignments in advance and setting due dates. You can use Scheduling to determine the date and time that the assignment appears in Student Home. You also have the flexibility to schedule when assignments appear and use dates to remove assignments from Student Home.
Assign in LMS
You can also assign lessons via our integrations with Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, or by copying a lesson link and sharing it with students through the platform of your choice. The assignment link you send will provide students with direct access to the full lesson—slides, videos, digital tools, and worksheet activities—no student platform navigation required!
Teacher platform and presentation
Teacher-facing lesson content—including sample teacher talk, student responses, pedagogical support, and possible student responses—shows on a teacher’s private Teacher Guide tab. Students only see the lesson slides that are being presented.
Explore your print samples
With your Amplify Science print samples, you’ll find unit-specific Teacher’s References Guides, Student Investigation Notebooks, and sets of Student Books for each grade level.
A note about the Teacher’s Reference Guides:
It’s important that you see the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provide a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides.
Rest assured that teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free TG!
- Teacher Reference Guide: Unlike a typical TG that requires a series of supplemental books to support it, our encyclopedic reference guide is chock-full of everything a teacher needs to fully implement our program and the NGSS.
- Ready-to-Teach Lesson Slides: For daily instruction, teachers need their hands free. That’s why we created ready-to-teach lesson slides for every single lesson. What’s more, they are editable and include suggested teacher talk and point-of-use differentiation and other instructional tips. Click to learn more.
A note about the Materials Kits:
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. In order to make hands-on learning more manageable for busy teachers, Amplify Science materials are organized into unit-specific kits.
What’s different about Amplify’s unit-specific material kits? They…
- Include more materials — We give teachers enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumables to support 72 student uses. In other words, each kit will last two years.
- Are more manageable — Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of 4–5 students.
- Include supportive videos — Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.
Grade-specific lists of all materials included in each kit:
- Grade K: Materials Kit List
- Grade 1: Materials Kit List
- Grade 2: Materials Kit List
- Grade 3: Materials Kit List
- Grade 4: Materials Kit List
- Grade 5: Materials Kit List
Access your digital samples
Explore as a teacher
When you’re ready to explore the teaching experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital teacher platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: t1.jeffersoncounty@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: Amplify1-jeffersoncounty
- Click on Science on the left hand side.
- Click on the Program Menu in the top center of the screen and select any grade.
- Select any unit.
To help familiarize yourself with navigating the digital platform, watch the below navigational video.
Explore as a student
When you’re ready to explore the student learning experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital student platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: s1.jeffersoncounty@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: Amplify1-jeffersoncounty
- Click the backpack icon on the top right.
- Click Science K-5
- Select any unit.
Resources to support your review
Amplify CKLA Review for Alabama
Amplify Science Overview
The Lawrence Hall of Science
Developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify, our program features:
- A phenomena-based approach where students construct a complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
- A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
- Carefully crafted units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true 3-dimensional learning.
- An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.
Instructional model
The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit—from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.
TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full-class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.
READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and, importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.
WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.
VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.
Program structure
Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.
It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to address 100% of the NGSS, and support students in mastering the standards.
Unit types
While every unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, each unit also emphasizes a particular science and engineering practice.
In grades K–2:
- One unit emphasizes the practice of investigation.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of modeling.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of engineering design.
In grades 3–5, students experience the three unit types above, plus:
- One additional unit that emphasizes the practice of argumentation.
Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.
Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.
Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.
Argumentation units provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.
Unit sequence
Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.
In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.
Program components
Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3-D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.
Hands-on learning is an essential part of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. Students actively participate in science, playing the roles of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend claims about the world around them. Every unit includes hands-on investigations that are critical to achieving the unit’s learning goals.
More hands-on with Flextensions:
Hands-on Flextensions are additional, optional investigations that are included at logical points in the learning progression and give students an opportunity to dig deeper if time permits. These activities offer teachers flexibility to choose to dedicate more time to hands-on learning. Materials referenced in Hands-on Flextension activities will either be included in the unit kit or are easily sourced. Supporting resources such as student worksheets will be included as downloadable PDF files.
Our kits include enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumable items to support 72 students. In other words, each kit can last two years! Plus, our unit-specific kits mean teachers just grab the tub they need for the unit and then put it all back with ease.
Each unit of Amplify Science K–5 includes six unique Student Books written by the Lawrence Hall of Science specifically for the program. These content-rich nonfiction and informational texts provide opportunities for students to search for evidence relevant to their firsthand investigations, see science practices and dispositions modeled, extend their science knowledge, provide real world connections as they master reading-to-learn and close reading skills, and construct evidence-based arguments.
Important note:
Students in grades K–5 are never asked to read alone. Rather, books are read to, with, and by students with ample scaffolding and support provided by the teacher. Big Books are read aloud or together with the class to introduce ideas. Student Books allow for small-group reading and reading in pairs.
Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.
In grades K–5, one copy of the Student Investigation Notebook is included in each unit’s materials kit for use as a blackline master. Each notebook is also available as a downloadable PDF on the Unit Guide page of the digital Teacher’s Guide.
Amplify Science offers digital experience licenses that make elementary instruction more flexible for students and teachers, as well as providing additional means to engage in remote, hybrid, or in-person learning!
Student-facing digital lessons
With the digital experience, students can engage with digital lesson content in one cohesive experience. It’s the same content from Amplify science in a new, integrated format where students can interact with slides, Sims, modeling tools, videos, books, and more.
Digital student notebook pages
Students can draw, write, record audio, and insert images into their Investigation Notebook pages. Their work is automatically saved and delivered to you in real time. When students edit their work, those edits are immediately reflected on your teacher work review page. You can access student responses by clicking “View Work,” where you can see students’ Investigation Notebook pages from the lesson, updating live.
[IMAGE TO COME]
Assign in Amplify
The digital experience allows flexibility with optional features like scheduling assignments in advance and setting due dates. Teacher can use Scheduling to determine the date and time that the assignment appears in Student Home. They also have the flexibility to schedule when assignments appear and use dates to remove assignments from Student Home.
Assign in LMS
You can also assign lessons via our integrations with Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, or by copying a lesson link and sharing it with students through the platform of your choice. The assignment link you send will provide students with direct access to the full lesson—slides, videos, digital tools, and worksheet activities—no student platform navigation required!
Teacher platform and presentation
Teacher-facing lesson content—including sample teacher talk, student responses, pedagogical support, and possible student responses—shows on a teacher’s private Teacher Guide tab. Students only see the lesson slides that are being presented.
Explore your print samples
With your Amplify Science print samples, you’ll find unit-specific Teacher’s References Guides, Student Investigation Notebooks, and sets of Student Books for each grade level.
A note about the Teacher’s Reference Guides:
It’s important that you see the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provide a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides.
Rest assured that teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free TG!
- Teacher Reference Guide: Unlike a typical TG that requires a series of supplemental books to support it, our encyclopedic reference guide is chock-full of everything a teacher needs to fully implement our program and the NGSS.
- Ready-to-Teach Lesson Slides: For daily instruction, teachers need their hands free. That’s why we created ready-to-teach lesson slides for every single lesson. What’s more, they are editable and include suggested teacher talk and point-of-use differentiation and other instructional tips. Click to learn more.
A note about the Materials Kits:
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. In order to make hands-on learning more manageable for busy teachers, Amplify Science materials are organized into unit-specific kits.
What’s different about Amplify’s unit-specific material kits? They…
- Include more materials — We give teachers enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumables to support 72 student uses. In other words, each kit will last two years.
- Are more manageable — Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of 4–5 students.
- Include supportive videos — Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.
Grade-specific lists of all materials included in each kit:
- Grade K: Materials Kit List
- Grade 1: Materials Kit List
- Grade 2: Materials Kit List
- Grade 3: Materials Kit List
- Grade 4: Materials Kit List
- Grade 5: Materials Kit List
Access your digital samples
Explore as a teacher
When you’re ready to explore the teaching experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital teacher platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: t1.jeffersoncounty@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: Amplify1-jeffersoncounty
- Click on Science on the left hand side.
- Click on the Program Menu in the top center of the screen and select any grade.
- Select any unit.
To help familiarize yourself with navigating the digital platform,watch the below navigational video.
Explore as a student
When you’re ready to explore the student learning experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital student platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: s1.jeffersoncounty@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: Amplify1-jeffersoncounty
- Click the backpack icon on the top right.
- Click Science K-5
- Select any unit.
Resources to support your review
Publisher presentation
The Lawrence Hall of Science
Developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify, our program features:
- A phenomena-based approach where students construct a complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
- A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
- Carefully crafted units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true 3-dimensional learning.
- An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.
Instructional model
The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit—from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.
TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full-class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.
READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and, importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.
WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.
VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.
Program structure
Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.
It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to address 100% of the NGSS, and support students in mastering the Oregon Science Standards.
Unit types
While every unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, each unit also emphasizes a particular science and engineering practice.
In grades K–2:
- One unit emphasizes the practice of investigation.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of modeling.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of engineering design.
In grades 3–5, students experience the three unit types above, plus:
- One additional unit that emphasizes the practice of argumentation.
Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.
Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.
Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.
Argumentation units provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.
Unit sequence
Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.
In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.
Program components
Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3-D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.
Hands-on learning is an essential part of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. Students actively participate in science, playing the roles of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend claims about the world around them. Every unit includes hands-on investigations that are critical to achieving the unit’s learning goals.
More hands-on with Flextensions:
Hands-on Flextensions are additional, optional investigations that are included at logical points in the learning progression and give students an opportunity to dig deeper if time permits. These activities offer teachers flexibility to choose to dedicate more time to hands-on learning. Materials referenced in Hands-on Flextension activities will either be included in the unit kit or are easily sourced. Supporting resources such as student worksheets will be included as downloadable PDF files.
Our kits include enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumable items to support 72 students. In other words, each kit can last two years! Plus, our unit-specific kits mean teachers just grab the tub they need and then put it all back with ease.
Each unit of Amplify Science K–5 includes six unique Student Books written by the Lawrence Hall of Science specifically for the program. These content-rich nonfiction and informational texts provide opportunities for students to search for evidence relevant to their firsthand investigations, see science practices and dispositions modeled, extend their science knowledge, provide real world connections as they master reading-to-learn and close reading skills, and construct evidence-based arguments.
Important note:
Students in grades K–5 are never asked to read alone. Rather, books are read to, with, and by students with ample scaffolding and support provided by the teacher. Big Books are read aloud or together with the class to introduce ideas. Student Books allow for small-group reading and reading in pairs.
Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.
In grades K–5, one copy of the Student Investigation Notebook is included in each unit’s materials kit for use as a blackline master. Each notebook is also available as a downloadable PDF on the Unit Guide page of the digital Teacher’s Guide.
Amplify Science offers digital experience licenses that make elementary instruction more flexible for students and teachers, as well as providing additional means to engage in remote, hybrid, or in-person learning!
Student-facing digital lessons
With the digital experience, students can engage with digital lesson content in one cohesive experience. It’s the same content from Amplify science in a new, integrated format where students can interact with slides, Sims, modeling tools, videos, books, and more.
Digital student notebook pages
Students can draw, write, record audio, and insert images into their Investigation Notebook pages. Their work is automatically saved and delivered to you in real time. When students edit their work, those edits are immediately reflected on your teacher work review page. You can access student responses by clicking “View Work,” where you can see students’ Investigation Notebook pages from the lesson, updating live.
[IMAGE TO COME]
Assign in Amplify
The digital experience allows flexibility with optional features like scheduling assignments in advance and setting due dates. Teacher can use Scheduling to determine the date and time that the assignment appears in Student Home. They also have the flexibility to schedule when assignments appear and use dates to remove assignments from Student Home.
Assign in LMS
You can also assign lessons via our integrations with Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, or by copying a lesson link and sharing it with students through the platform of your choice. The assignment link you send will provide students with direct access to the full lesson—slides, videos, digital tools, and worksheet activities—no student platform navigation required!
Teacher platform and presentation
Teacher-facing lesson content—including sample teacher talk, student responses, pedagogical support, and possible student responses—shows on a teacher’s private Teacher Guide tab. Students only see the lesson slides that are being presented.
Explore your print samples
Amplify Science physical samples can be found at the Hamersley Library at Western Oregon University. There you’ll find unit-specific Teacher’s References Guides, Student Investigation Notebooks, and sets of Student Books for each grade level.
A note about the Teacher’s Reference Guides:
It’s important that your committee sees the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provided a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides.
Rest assured that teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free TG!
A note about the Materials Kits:
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. In order to make hands-on learning more manageable for busy teachers, Amplify Science materials are organized into unit-specific kits.
Our unit-specific kits:
-
- Include more materials — We give teachers enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumables to support 72 student uses. In other words, each kit will last two years.
- Are more manageable — Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of 4–5 students.
- Include supportive videos — Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.
At your request, we did not include our materials kits with our submissions samples. However, we did provide grade-specific lists of all materials included in each kit, which you can also find with the links below.
Access your digital samples
Explore as a teacher
When you’re ready to explore the teaching experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital teacher platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the teacher username and password found on your unique login flyer enclosed in your physical sample box.
- Click the Science icon.
- Click on the Grade Menu in the top center of the screen and select any grade.
- Select any unit.
To help familiarize yourself with navigating the digital platform, watch the below navigational video.
Explore as a student
When you’re ready to explore the student learning experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital student platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the student username and password found on your unique login flyer enclosed in your physical sample box.
- Click the Science icon.
- Click on the Grade Menu in the top center of the screen and select any grade.
- Select any unit.
Resources to support your review
- Oregon standards correlation for grades K–5
- QCD Science Adoption Criteria 2022 for grades K-5
- QCD IMET Citation guidance for grades K-5
- Oregon Science IMET for grades K-5 (Excel download)
- Oregon QCD-IMET Citation guidance for grades K-5
- Research behind Amplify Science
- What’s so phenomenal about phenomena? – eBook
- Phenomena in grades K–5
- Program structure for grades K–5
- Student Books in grades K–5
- Literacy-rich science instruction in grades K–5
- Approaches to assessment in grades K–5
What is Amplify Science?
The Lawrence Hall of Science
Developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify, our program features:
- A phenomena-based approach where students construct a complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
- A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
- Carefully crafted units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true three-dimensional learning.
- An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.
Proven to work
Instructional model
The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
Do
Firsthand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit—from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.
Talk
Student-to-student discourse and full-class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.
Read
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and, importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.
Write
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.
Visualize
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.
Program structure
Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.
It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to address 100% of the NGSS and support students in mastering the Utah Science Standards.
Unit types
While every unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, each unit also emphasizes a particular science and engineering practice.
In grades K–2:
- One unit emphasizes the practice of investigation.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of modeling.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of engineering design.
In grades 3–5, students experience the three unit types above, plus:
- One additional unit that emphasizes the practice of argumentation.
Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.
Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.
Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.
Argumentation units provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.
Unit sequence
Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.
In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts, than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.
Program components
Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock-full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.
Hands-on learning is an essential part of Amplify Science and is integrated into every unit. Students actively participate in science, playing the roles of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend claims about the world around them. Every unit includes hands-on investigations that are critical to achieving the unit’s learning goals.
More hands-on with Flextensions:
Hands-on Flextensions are additional, optional investigations that are included at logical points in the learning progression and give students an opportunity to dig deeper if time permits. These activities offer teachers flexibility to choose to dedicate more time to hands-on learning. Materials referenced in Hands-on Flextension activities will either be included in the unit kit or are easily sourced. Supporting resources such as student worksheets will be included as downloadable PDF files.
Our kits include enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumable items to support 72 students. In other words, each kit can last two years! Plus, our unit-specific kits mean teachers just grab the tub they need for the unit and then put it all back with ease.
Each unit of Amplify Science K–5 includes six unique Student Books written by the Lawrence Hall of Science specifically for the program. These content-rich nonfiction and informational texts provide opportunities for students to search for evidence relevant to their firsthand investigations, see science practices and dispositions modeled, extend their science knowledge, provide real world connections as they master reading-to-learn and close reading skills, and construct evidence-based arguments.
Important note:
Students in grades K–5 are never asked to read alone. Rather, books are read to, with, and by students with ample scaffolding and support provided by the teacher. Big Books are read aloud or together with the class to introduce ideas. Student Books allow for small-group reading and reading in pairs.
Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.
In grades K–5, one copy of the Student Investigation Notebook is included in each unit’s materials kit for use as a blackline master. Each notebook is also available as a downloadable PDF on the Unit Guide page of the digital Teacher’s Guide.
Amplify Science offers digital experience licenses that make elementary instruction more flexible for students and teachers, as well as providing additional means to engage in remote, hybrid, or in-person learning!
Student-facing digital lessons
With the digital experience, students can engage with digital lesson content in one cohesive experience. It’s the same content from Amplify science in a new, integrated format where students can interact with slides, Sims, modeling tools, videos, books, and more.
Digital student notebook pages
Students can draw, write, record audio, and insert images into their Investigation Notebook pages. Their work is automatically saved and delivered to you in real time. When students edit their work, those edits are immediately reflected on your teacher work review page. You can access student responses by clicking “View Work,” where you can see students’ Investigation Notebook pages from the lesson, updating live.
Assign in Amplify
The digital experience allows flexibility with optional features like scheduling assignments in advance and setting due dates. You can use Scheduling to determine the date and time that the assignment appears in Student Home. You also have the flexibility to schedule when assignments appear and use dates to remove assignments from Student Home.
Assign in LMS
You can also assign lessons via our integrations with Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, or by copying a lesson link and sharing it with students through the platform of your choice. The assignment link you send will provide students with direct access to the full lesson—slides, videos, digital tools, and worksheet activities—no student platform navigation required!
Teacher platform and presentation
Teacher-facing lesson content—including sample teacher talk, student responses, pedagogical support, and possible student responses—shows on a teacher’s private Teacher Guide tab. Students only see the lesson slides that are being presented.
Explore your print samples
With your Amplify Science print samples, you’ll find unit-specific Teacher’s References Guides, Student Investigation Notebooks, and sets of Student Books for each grade level.
A note about the Teacher’s Reference Guides:
It’s important that you see the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provide a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides.
Rest assured that teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free TG!
- Teacher Reference Guide: Unlike a typical TG that requires a series of supplemental books to support it, our encyclopedic reference guide is chock-full of everything a teacher needs to fully implement our program and the NGSS.
- Ready-to-Teach Lesson Slides: For daily instruction, teachers need their hands free. That’s why we created ready-to-teach lesson slides for every single lesson. What’s more, they are editable and include suggested teacher talk and point-of-use differentiation and other instructional tips. Click to learn more.
A note about the Materials Kits:
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. In order to make hands-on learning more manageable for busy teachers, Amplify Science materials are organized into unit-specific kits.
What’s different about Amplify’s unit-specific material kits? They…
- Include more materials — We give teachers enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumables to support 72 student uses. In other words, each kit will last two years.
- Are more manageable — Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of 4–5 students.
- Include supportive videos — Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.
Grade-specific lists of all materials included in each kit:
- Grade K: Materials Kit List
- Grade 1: Materials Kit List
- Grade 2: Materials Kit List
- Grade 3: Materials Kit List
- Grade 4: Materials Kit List
- Grade 5: Materials Kit List
Access your digital samples
Explore as a teacher
When you’re ready to explore the teaching experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital teacher platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: t.scienceut@tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: AmplifyNumber1
- Click on Science on the left hand side.
- Click on the Grade Menu in the top center of the screen and select any grade.
- Select any unit.
To help familiarize yourself with navigating the digital platform, watch the below navigational video.
Explore as a student
When you’re ready to explore the student learning experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital student platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: s.scienceut@tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: AmplifyNumber1
- Click the backpack icon on the top right.
- Click Science K-5
- Select any unit.
Resources to support your review
- Utah K-8 High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) Review Rubric
- K-8 Standards Alignment to Utah SEEd Standards
- Research behind Amplify Science
- What’s so phenomenal about phenomena? – eBook
- Phenomena in grades K–5
- Program structure for grades K–5
- Student Books in grades K–5
- Literacy-rich science instruction in grades K–5
- Approaches to assessment in grades K–5
- Amplify Technical Requirements
Getting started with Amplify Science California
Dear Elk Grove K–5 teachers,
Welcome to the Amplify Science California family! Below you’ll find everything you need to successfully kick off your science instruction this year.
– Your California team
Program introduction
Onboarding videos
To start using Amplify Science California quickly in your classroom, check out the following onboarding videos. They cover what you need to know to get started fast, from unpacking materials to quickly start using Amplify Science in your classroom and navigating the digital Teacher’s Reference Guide.
Program pacing
Hands-on materials kit
The following videos give you a quick look into our Amplify Science California classroom kits. For each grade level, you’ll find a “How to unpack your kit” video for the first unit of the program.
- Kindergarten: Needs of Plants and Animals unpacking video
- Grade 1: Animal and Plant Defenses unpacking video
- Grade 2: Plant and Animal Relationships unpacking video
- Grade 3: Balancing Forces unpacking video
- Grade 4: Energy Conversions unpacking video
- Grade 5: Patterns of Earth and Sky unpacking video
Teacher digital resources
Watch this video to understand the basic organization of the digital teacher experience and how to navigate the platform.
Want some practice? Download this exploration guide to practice toggling between teacher view, presentation view, and student view.
Our new digital experience also makes it easy to assign work through our LMS integrations.
Our new digital experience also makes it easy to view student work in real time.
Student digital resources
Watch this video to take a peek at the various student digital resources available to your class.
Use this Student Login Click Path document to support students and families logging in from home.
Essential resources
Your Teacher’s Reference Guide is a tremendously rich resource. It’s also packed! That’s why teachers getting started with Amplify Science love our condensed Unit Guides, lesson planners, and device calendars.
Unit Guides
These short and sweet guides provide a big picture overview of each unit’s phenomenon and storyline, the key questions that guide learning, and how the storyline develops from chapter to chapter. We even spoil the big reveal at the end by pointing out ahead of time what students figure out throughout the unit.
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
- Plant and Animal Relationships Unit Guide
- Properties of Materials Unit Guide
- Changing Landforms Unit Guide
Grade 3
- Balancing Forces Unit Guide
- Inheritance and Traits Unit Guide
- Environments and Survival Unit Guide
- Weather and Climate Unit Guide
Grade 4
- Energy Conversions Unit Guide
- Vision and Light Unit Guide
- Earth’s Features Unit Guide
- Waves, Energy, and Information
Grade 5
- Patterns of Earth and Sky Unit Guide
- Modeling Matter Unit Guide
- Earth System Unit Guide
- Ecosystem Restoration Unit Guide
Lesson planners
Our lesson planners give you easy access to direct links to key resources within the program.
Kindergarten
- Needs of Plants and Animals lesson planner
- Pushes and Pulls lesson planner
- Sunlight and Weather lesson planner
Grade 1
- Animal and Plant Defenses lesson planner
- Light and Sound lesson planner
- Spinning Earth lesson planner
Grade 2
- Plant and Animal Relationships lesson planner
- Properties of Materials lesson planner
- Changing Landforms lesson planner
Grade 3
- Balancing Forces lesson planner
- Inheritance and Traits lesson planner
- Environments and Survival lesson planner
- Weather and Climate lesson planner
Grade 4
- Energy Conversions lesson planner
- Vision and Light lesson planner
- Earth’s Features lesson planner
- Waves, Energy, and Information lesson planner
Grade 5
- Patterns of Earth and Sky lesson planner
- Modeling Matter lesson planner
- Earth System lesson planner
- Ecosystem Restoration lesson planner
Teacher-provided materials
Your Amplify Science classroom kit includes a wide variety of consumable and non-consumable items. In fact, each kit contains enough non-consumables to support a class of 36 students working in small groups, and enough consumables to support 72 student uses.
In addition to these provided items, there are some teacher-provided items required in each unit. For a consolidated list of teacher-provided items per unit, download the appropriate PDF below.
- Kindergarten: Teacher-provided materials lists
- Grade 1: Teacher-provided materials lists
- Grade 2: Teacher-provided materials lists
- Grade 3: Teacher-provided materials lists
- Grade 4: Teacher-provided materials lists
- Grade 5: Teacher-provided materials lists
Device calendars
Our at-a-glance device calendars make device management and sharing between grade-level colleagues a breeze. With one calendar per unit (beginning in grade 2), you can easily see which lessons utilize devices.
- Grade 2: Device calendars for all units
- Grade 3: Device calendars for all units
- Grade 4: Device calendars for all units
- Grade 5: Device calendars for all units
Approach to assessment
The Amplify Science California assessment system is grounded in the principle that students benefit from regular and varied opportunities to demonstrate understanding through performance. In practice this means that conceptual understanding is revealed through engagement in the science and engineering practices.
Assessment types at a glance
In your classroom, you’ll be utilizing a variety of formative (F) and summative (S) assessments:
- End-of-Unit Assessment (S): Assessments toward the end of each unit feature a combination of targeted discussions, student-generated models, and written explanations to gauge students’ knowledge and growth.
- Pre-Unit Assessments (F): Discussion, modeling, and written explanations to gauge students’ knowledge.
- On-the-Fly Assessments (OtFA) (F): Multi-dimensional tasks integrated regularly throughout the lessons. OtFA opportunities were designed to help teachers make sense of student activity during a learning experience (e.g., student-to-student talk, writing, and model construction) and to provide evidence of how a student is coming to understand core concepts and developing dexterity with SEPs and CCCs. Three-dimensional assessment opportunities make measuring progress toward NGSS learning goals possible.
- Self-assessments (F): One per chapter; brief opportunities for students to reflect on their own learning, ask questions, and reveal ongoing wonderings about unit content.
- Critical Juncture Assessments (F): Variety of multidimensional performance tasks intended to assess student progress, occurring at the end of each chapter. Examples include writing scientific explanations, engaging in argumentation, developing and using models, and designing engineering solutions. Based on student performance on the assessment, teachers have access to recommendations for targeted student interventions, suggested follow-ups, or differentiating classroom instruction.
- End-of-Unit Assessment (S): Assessments toward the end of each unit feature a combination of targeted discussions, student-generated models, and written explanations to gauge students’ knowledge and growth.
Pre-Unit Assessments
Most Pre-Unit assessments are embedded within an activity of the first lesson of a unit. In kindergarten and grade 1, the Pre-Unit assessment (as well as the End-of-Unit assessment) is oral. In grades 2–5 they are typically written. Refer to the Digital Resources area of the Lesson Brief for materials needed for the assessment activity, such as the Clipboard Assessment Tool (K–1 only), copymasters (grades 2–5 only), and an Assessment Guide that will help you interpret and leverage students’ responses.
If you and your students have Interactive Classroom licenses, students can complete their assessment digitally instead of using the copymaster.
When students complete the assessment pages digitally, you’ll be able to review their work on the View Work page.
Critical Juncture Assessments
Critical Juncture assessments typically occur towards the end of each chapter. The Materials and Preparation section will indicate when there is a Critical Juncture to prepare for, but you can also tell when an activity is designed to be a Critical Juncture assessment by the hummingbird icon that will appear within it. Selecting the hummingbird icon will tell you how to assess students’ understanding with the activity, and how to tailor instruction based on what you find. If you need guidance on the “answers” to the assessment activity, refer to the “Possible Responses” tab.
If you are using Classroom Slides or Interactive Classroom, you’ll see a hummingbird or “Critical Juncture” label in the bottom right corner of one of the slides of the activity.
The notes about assessing understanding and tailoring instruction are located in the notes of that slide (on the right-hand side of the Teacher’s Guide tab in the Interactive Classroom experience; underneath the slide in Classroom Slides).
End-of-Unit Assessments
End-of-Unit assessments are typically the last lesson of a unit. In some units, these are two-part assessments that take place over two lessons. The easiest way to find the End-of-Unit assessment is to skim through the lesson titles. Lessons containing End-of-Unit assessments will always have that noted in the title.
Like the Pre-unit assessment, you can find materials for the End-of-unit assessments in the Digital Resources area of the Lesson Brief.
On-the-Fly Assessments
These embedded assessments leverage the formative opportunities in the learning experience students are already engaged in, such as creating models, analyzing data, actively reading, conducting investigations, and more. Refer to the Critical Juncture section above for guidance on finding information about using them.
Unit-level assessment information
You can find overall information about an individual unit’s assessments in the “Assessment System” resource, which is located within the Teacher References section on the Unit Overview page.
The Assessment System resource contains a comprehensive list of all of the assessment opportunities in the unit, including the assessment’s location, a brief indication of what students are doing in that particular activity, what type of assessment it is, which Disciplinary Core Ideas, science and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts it specifically addresses, and the kind of evaluation guidance you can expect for it. If you are in a kindergarten or first grade unit, you will also find information on the Clipboard Assessment Tool (used for supporting oral assessment) in this section.
If you’re interested in focusing on information related to the unit’s Critical Juncture and On-the-Fly assessments in particular, check out the “Embedded Formative Assessments” resource, also located within the Teacher References section on the Unit Overview page.
Three-dimensional assessment connections
All assessment opportunities within Amplify Science California include clear labeling around the Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs), and Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) to help teachers connect formative and summative assessments to specific NGSS dimensions.
Coming soon
Unlike other publishers, we don’t make you wait until your next adoption to get the latest and greatest from Amplify. We’re always launching new and exciting features. In fact, on this page is a list of new features you can look forward to using during the 2023-2024 school year.
FAQs
Program questions
Amplify Science California is a flexible, blended K–8 science curriculum that addresses 100 percent of the Next Generation Science Standards for California and a significant number of the California English Language Development Standards and Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects, and Math. Together, the units deliver three-dimensional instruction across the following disciplines: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Engineering Design.
Amplify Science California does indeed feature some powerful and engaging digital components, which are gradually introduced beginning at grade 2. However, as a fully blended and flexible program, Amplify Science California can be (and has been) implemented in a wide variety of scenarios.
All lessons were designed with device sharing in mind, and never assume that every student has a separate device. While 1:1 scenarios are great, they aren’t required. When devices are necessary for students to fully experience a concept, teachers can opt to share devices across pairs or small groups, or simply display the Sim or Modeling Tool to the whole class and allow students to “drive” using your device.
Rather than introducing a concept on Monday, testing for mastery on Friday, and knowing students will forget everything by the next Tuesday, we set out to help students build meaningful and lasting knowledge that they can retain and transfer over the course of the entire unit. We accomplish this by giving students multiple opportunities (a.k.a. “at-bats”) to encounter, explore, and experience a concept. Said another way, Amplify Science California is actually made up of a series of multi-modal “mini-lessons.” This intentional, cyclical, and iterative design mirrors the 5Es, allows teachers the flexibility to speed up or skip ahead once students have demonstrated mastery, and empowers students to learn concepts more deeply than any other program.
Yes. Rather than separating performance expectations into physical science units, earth and space science units, and life science units, Amplify Science California units are organized around anchoring phenomena designed to give students opportunities to dive deeply into certain Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) while also drawing from or applying to others. In organizing the Amplify Science California middle school units, we’ve carefully sequenced these ideas within each grade level to support the development of deep and coherent understanding.
Many real-world phenomena cross the domain boundaries of life, physical, or earth and space science (as well as engineering). Each Amplify Science California unit begins with an intriguing real-world phenomenon that poses a problem that needs to be understood and/or solved. By the end of the unit, students will have analyzed the anchor phenomenon across multiple scientific domains, possibly designed and tested an engineering solution, and applied what they’ve learned in a different context.
For example:
In the Light Waves unit, students investigate the anchoring phenomenon of why Australia has a much higher skin cancer rate than countries at similar latitudes like Brazil. The focus of this unit is on Disciplinary Core Ideas related to wave properties (PS4.A) and electromagnetic radiation (PS4.B). Students explore these physical science ideas deeply within the unit, and also draw on ideas from earth science (e.g., latitudinal variation of the sun’s energy) and life science (e.g., the effect of energy on the DNA in the nucleus of a cell) in order to explain the central phenomenon.
Absolutely. Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science California. Integrated into every unit are opportunities for students to take on the role of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend their claims.
In addition, our unique combination of focus and flex activities means teachers have more options, opportunities, and materials to make learning active. Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.
What’s important to remember is that more hands-on doesn’t necessarily mean better, at least according to the California NGSS. That’s because only two of the eight Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) are directly related to hands-on learning.
Just as scientists gather evidence from many types of sources, students in the Amplify Science California program gather evidence not just by making physical models, but also by making and interpreting digital models; reading texts; watching videos; and analyzing photographs, maps, and data sets. By doing do, students are provided with more opportunities than any other program to use all of the practices called out in the California NGSS Framework:
- Asking questions
- Developing and using models
- Planning and carrying out investigations
- Analyzing and interpreting data
- Using mathematics and computational thinking
- Constructing explanations
- Engaging in arguments from evidence
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
While all of our units engage students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, the reliance on different types of evidence (and evidence sources) varies according to unit. For instance, some units lend themselves to meaningful hands-on experiences, while in other units the phenomena students are investigating are too slow, too dangerous, or too big to be observed directly. In those units, students rely more heavily on other evidence sources such a physical models or simulations.
Unit types in grades K–5
In each K–5 grade, there is one unit that emphasizes investigation, one that emphasizes modeling, and one that emphasizes design. In addition, in grades 3–5, there is also one unit that emphasizes argumentation.
Unit types in grades 6–8
Each 6–8 grade features three types of units: Launch, Core, and Engineering Internships. Each year has one Launch unit, six Core units, and two Engineering Internships.
For teachers who want to supplement the lessons with even more hands-on activities, optional “flextension” activities are included in many units.
Yes indeed. Amplify Science California integrates all four STEM disciplines—science, technology, engineering, and math, in addition to English Language Arts—throughout the curriculum. In addition, each grade level features specific units that emphasize engineering design.
Yes, the program includes multiple opportunities for summative assessments.
End-of-unit assessments: At grades K–1 these look like targeted conversations, at grades 2–5 we incorporate written responses, and at grades 6–8 we assess through a combination of auto-scored multiple-choice questions and rubric-scored written responses. These summative assessments for each unit are designed to provide valid, reliable, and fair measures of students’ progress and attainment of three-dimensional learning.
Benchmark assessments: Delivered four times per year in grades 3–5 and three times per year in grades 6–8, benchmark assessments report on students’ facilities with each of the grade appropriate DCIs, SEPs, CCCs, and performance expectations of the California NGSS.
Science Seminars and final written arguments (formative and summative components): In grades 6–8, culminating performance tasks for each core unit invite students to figure out a new real-world problem. They collect and analyze evidence, examine a number of claims, and then engage in a full-class discussion where they must state which claims are best supported by the evidence, all while making clear their reasoning that connects the evidence to the claims. After the seminar, students then individually write their final scientific argument, drawing on the DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs they have used over the course of the unit to develop a sophisticated and convincing argument that addresses the problem they’ve been investigating. Rubrics, scoring guides, and examples of student responses at each scoring level are provided to teachers to support the assessment of students’ understanding of concepts and specific practices.
Amplify Science California provides more than enough instructional content to fill 180 days of instruction. However, unlike other programs that expect you to complete 180 discrete lessons, Amplify Science California includes built-in wiggle room.
For example, the typical elementary classroom delivers science instruction only two times per week. Rather than asking teachers to wade through unnecessary content, we designed our program to address 100 percent of the California NGSS in just 66 days at grades K–2 and 88 days at grades 3–5. When it comes to middle school, we address 100 percent of the California NGSS in 146 lessons.
Some classes might last longer than one session due to a number of reasons (e.g., enthusiastic student conversations, challenging topics requiring deeper dives, more time needed to accommodate diverse learners, etc.). Also, teachers might want to supplement Amplify Science California with some of their own favorite lessons. Lastly, we’ve accounted for the inevitable assembly days, class trips, testing schedules, etc. For teachers that want to go deeper or expand upon a unit topic, we also offer a number of additional lessons that are not core to each unit.
Amplify Science California lessons are designed to be completed in the following time frames:
Lessons in grades K–1 are designed for 45 minutes of science instruction.
Lessons in grades 2–5 are designed for 60 minutes of science instruction.
That said, it’s not a problem if you can’t allocate 45 minutes of science instruction every day at K–1, or 60 minutes per day at 2–5. Since there are a total of 66 lessons to address 100 percent of California NGSS at grades K–2, and 88 lessons to address 100 percent of California NGSS at grades 3–5, you can easily teach the lessons in smaller blocks and cover all of the content over the course of the school year.
Each lesson of every Amplify Science California unit includes point-of-use differentiation strategies and embedded teacher and student supports for diverse learners, including English learners, students who need more support, and students who are ready for more challenge. These strategies and methods ensure that all students have access to the same content as their peers.
Two notable categories of suggested modifications are:
- English-learner-specific strategies such as English/Spanish glossaries, native language supports, and provision of cognates and other content-specific language scaffolds are provided in each unit.
- Relatively small alterations and additional scaffolds that provide students with greater access to the content.
These types of scaffolds benefit all learners and include suggestions such as providing graphic organizers, practice with multiple-meaning words, etc.
With Amplify Science California, the use of technology is always purposeful.
For example:
- The curriculum has a strong emphasis on literacy, with students reading and analyzing informational texts, and writing scientific explanations and arguments.
- Digital elements are gradually introduced to students in grades 2–3, with the greatest use of digital elements taking place in grades 4–5, as the phenomena at these grades become more challenging to observe directly.
- The curriculum’s readers and interactive notebook pages are available in both print and digital across all K–5 units.
This curriculum addresses a significant number of the standards as they pertain to science. Throughout each unit, students read science texts, engage in science talk and argumentation, and write evidence-based science explanations. The curriculum supports vocabulary, language, and reading comprehension development. Students also use measurement tools with precision, record and analyze data, make sense of scientific phenomena, and develop solutions to problems experienced in the real world.
Digital questions
Teacher Support notes including sample teacher talk, student responses, pedagogical support, and possible student responses are provided within your student-facing slides. Simply click “Teach” and reference your private Teacher Guide tab. Students will only see the lesson slides that you are presenting.
You, the teacher, must “Start class” to launch the presentation tab. (Remember, without the presentation tab, students would be able to see your teacher notes.)
Clicking “Starting class” also brings students to the correct slide, which is particularly important for young students who are learning to navigate.
Teachers can either press the “End class” button in the bottom right corner of the slide navigation, or they can simply close the presentation tab.
Clicking “End class” also enables students to navigate through the lesson on their own. That means they’ll be able to return to slides and books to review content, to the Sims and Modeling Tools to replay them, or to notebook pages to update their work.
You can click on the “Student preview” option in the bottom right corner (within the menu that opens when you click the three dots) to open a new browser tab where you can preview the student view using your teacher account.
Any work you complete in this student preview (or elsewhere in the teacher experience) will be automatically saved to your account.
Looking for help?
For login or technology issues, please submit an EGUSD Heat ticket. For curriculum and pedagogical questions, please refer to the support resources below.
Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support
Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We’ve developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:
- Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans.
- Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials.
- Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs.
- Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more.
To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com
Timely technical and program support
Our technical and program support is included and available from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.
For your most urgent questions:
- Use our live chat within your program.
- Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969.
For less urgent questions:
Connect with other teachers
Our Amplify Science Facebook group is a community of Amplify Science educators from across the country. It’s a space to share best practices, ideas, and support on everything from implementation to instruction. Join today.
Welcome, Florida middle school educators!
Amplify ELA Florida is the program built for Florida middle school teachers and students. We designed the program to help ensure the B.E.S.T standards are covered; the skills are taught; the test is prepped for; and your students are scaffolded and encouraged. We want you to spend your time bringing the text to life, making the classroom hum, and letting every student know you are paying attention to their growth.
Instruction matters
Florida’s new standards have been crafted to give your students the B.E.S.T. Amplify ELA Florida’s lessons explore the most compelling aspect of a text and target the standards that best support that analysis through reading, writing, and communication. These key standards are identified as the lesson’s Spotlight benchmark. Strategic connections are attained in the program through:
- Florida model texts including rich literature and compelling non-fiction, taught in engaging new ways for today’s learners.
- Benchmark stacks that build connections within lessons and across units.
- Foundational instruction that targets key standards and multiple learning modes.
- Writing that builds directly from reading complex text and is evaluated by Amplify’s Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE).
- Reading with the B.E.S.T. Modules have been built to guide teachers and students as they begin to work with Florida’s new reading standards, providing an introduction to each grade-level B.E.S.T. Reading Benchmark. (Example module: Grade 6, Understanding Rhetoric)
Knowledge matters
Texts in the Amplify ELA Florida Edition curriculum cover a wide range of topics, themes, and genres with differentiated supports that ensure that all students can work through each reading and lesson. Taken as a whole, the texts show students a diverse picture of the world and help foster a lifelong love of reading. Comprehension develops as students engage with literary and informational text selections that are complex, rich, and meaningful.
Texts were selected for Amplify ELA Florida Edition using the following criteria:
- Text complexity as defined by qualitative, quantitative, and reader and task measurements as required by the B.E.S.T. Standards and the Amplify Text Complexity Index
- Balance of literary and informational texts
- Varied representation of genres: novels, plays, poetry, biographies, and other full-length texts
- Diverse cultures, perspectives, and authors
- Engaging texts that extend learning and support students as they build knowledge
- Grade-appropriate texts, with scaffolding and compelling activities to support student engagement with 100% authentic texts
- A library with more than 700 complete books, both classic and contemporary, encompassing a wide range of genres, topics, and cultural perspectives
Curriculum matters
Amplify ELA Florida is a blended curriculum designed specifically for grades 6–8. The heart of every lesson is the text. Each grade includes six units centered on literary or informational texts, delivered in several forms of media. Your classroom will also benefit from two or three immersive, project-based experiences and a dedicated Story Writing unit.
- Full B.E.S.T. coverage: Standards are clearly labeled in each lesson, so teachers can save time planning and get back to what they love: teaching. Also included are Benchmark Modules that support teachers’ and students’ introduction to the new standards for Florida.
- Five levels of differentiation: Based on each student’s needs and the performance measures within Amplify ELA reports, a teacher can choose the differentiation level that’s the right fit for everyone.
- Embedded Assessments: Teachers benefit from uninterrupted instructional time and a continuously updated picture of each student’s progress with key skills and standards.
- Powerful feedback tools: Comprehensive tools help teachers maximize both the quantity and quality of feedback.
- Robust reporting: Our reporting app offers information on student progress to help inform instructional decisions.
All in one place: Embedded teacher support, differentiation tools, student data, text, and other curriculum features—they’re all right there.
Materials
Amplify ELA Florida Edition is a blended curriculum that seamlessly integrates print and digital resources to be used in any learning environment. The resources are designed to facilitate instruction for planning, teaching, learning, and assessment.
Student materials
Available digitally and in print, the student materials guide middle schoolers through complex texts and writing with the following:
- Student Edition will engage students with high-quality narrative and informational texts.
- Digital experience will provide videos, a library of more than 700 texts, audio supports, and other online experiences that capture their attention.
- Writing Journal will keep all of their thinking and writing about text in one place.
Teacher materials
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher Edition contains all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:
- From detailed lesson plans.
- Video teacher tips embedded in the lesson.
- B.E.S.T. standards alignment and assessments including exit tickets.
- Real-time differentiation strategies.
- Clarify and Compare lessons.
- Robust reporting.
Professional learning
Amplify employs a national cohort of more than 50 ELA facilitators, all of whom have experience as former classroom teachers and many of whom are former school and/or district leaders. Our professional learning team has decades of experience working with large districts across the nation. Amplify has experience supporting district launches over multiple years and has partnered with districts of all sizes nationwide. We partner deeply with districts and tailor professional learning to their unique needs.
Inspiring the next generation of South Carolina scientists, engineers, and curious citizens
Amplify Science is an engaging new core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning.
Amplify Science was developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify.
Our Instructional model
The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.
TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.
READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.
WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.
VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.
Explore the Digital Teacher’s Guide
When you’re ready to review, click the orange button below and use your provided login credentials to access the Amplify Science Digital Teacher’s Guide. If you need login credentials, contact Jeff Rutter, jrutter@amplify.com.
Resources to support your review
- South Carolina recommended scope and sequence for grades 6–8
- South Carolina standards correlation for grades K–8
- What’s so phenomenal about phenomena? – ebook
- Phenomena in grades K–5
- Student Books in grades K–5
- Literacy-rich science instruction in grades K–5
- Active Reading in grades 6–8
- Engineering in Amplify Science
- Program structure for grades K–5
Scope and sequence
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| Grade 3 |
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South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021
Amplify Science was designed from the ground up to meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021 are closely aligned to the NGSS at K-8. The guidance below is meant to provide support for integrating additional companion activities that support full coverage of the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021.
Organized by grade level, each section below will outline:
- Additional activities that support 100% alignment to the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021;
- The standard being addressed with the activities;
- The recommended placement of the activities within a specific Amplify Science unit; and
- PDFs of any accompanying materials that are necessary to implement the activities.
Standard: MS-PS1-4: Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
Recommended placement: Thermal Energy unit, Lesson 4.4, addition to Activity 3
Materials: “Liquid Oxygen”
By reading the article “Liquid Oxygen,” which describes how the relationship between attraction and kinetic energy determines when a substance changes phase, students extend their understanding of the possible effects of adding or removing thermal energy to include changes in state (phase). Oxygen is one of the most common elements in the world, but most people are only familiar with oxygen in the gas phase. Because oxygen molecules are only weakly attracted to one another, condensing oxygen is difficult. This article introduces students to molecular attraction and discusses its role in phase change, including how it can be used to turn oxygen from a gas to a liquid.
Instructions:
Download PDFs of the “Liquid Oxygen” and distribute it to students. Before they begin reading, remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines.
Standard: MS-PS4-2: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
Recommended placement: Weather Patterns unit, Lesson 4.4, addition to Activity 3
Materials: “Harvesting Sunlight”, “Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream” and “Making Waves at Swim Practice”
After investigating weather patterns, which includes a focus of the effects of energy from sunlight, students extend their learning about light by reading three articles about light and other waves.
“Harvesting Sunlight:” Students read this article to learn about the types of light from the sun that plants use for photosynthesis. The article describes how the sun emits all types of light, but plants can only use certain types of visible light for photosynthesis, mostly red and blue light. Plants also absorb other types of light, and these types of light affect plants in different ways. Students use this information to gather evidence that there are different types of light that can affect a material in different ways.
“Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream:” Students read this article to learn about how waves are transmitted. Explosions that would be deafening on Earth are silent in space. This is because sound is produced by sound waves and, unlike light waves, sound waves need matter to travel through. Reading about this phenomenon helps students understand the similarities and differences between mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
“Making Waves at Swim Practice:” A practice for the school swim team provides an everyday context for discussing light waves and sound waves in this engaging article. First, the article explores sound waves traveling through different materials–the air, the water of the pool, and even a metal poolside bench. Students discover that sound waves travel at different speeds in different materials. The later part of the article discusses light waves, which also travel at different speeds in different materials. As light waves move from one material to another, they change speed and bend. This bending of light waves is called refraction, and it explains why objects that are partly in the water and partly out of the water (such as the legs of a person sitting on the side of a pool) appear ripply and bent.
Instructions:
Plan one class period for each article. Download PDFs of the “Harvesting Sunlight,” “Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream,” and “Making Waves at Swim Practice” articles. For each article, before students begin reading, preview the article and discuss what students already know and what they wonder about the topic, then remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines.
Standard: MS-PS2-3: Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. MS-PS2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
Recommended placement: Harnessing Human Energy unit, Lesson 3.4, after Activity 1
Materials: “Earth’s Geomagnetism” and “Painting with Static Electricity”
After concluding their investigations of energy transfers and conversions, students read two articles that introduce the topic of forces that act at a distance.
“Earth’s Geomagnetism:” What makes a compass needle point north, no matter what? This article introduces students to Earth’s geomagnetic field and the field lines scientists use to show its direction.
“Painting with Static Electricity:” This article gives students the opportunity to learn about electrostatic fields and forces in the context of spray painting without making a mess. Electrostatic painting systems use electrostatics to draw spray paint toward the object being painted, and nowhere else. Painters charge the object they are painting with a negative charge and the paint with a positive charge. The opposite charges are attracted to one another, causing the paint to move toward the object. This surprising use of electrostatics saves time and paint and keeps things tidy!
Instructions
Plan one class period for each article. Download PDFs of the “Earth’s Geomagnetism” and “Painting with Electricity” articles. For each article, before students begin reading, preview the article and discuss what students already know and what they wonder about the topic, then remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines.
What’s included
Science articles
The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.
Student Investigation Notebooks
Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:
- Record data
- Reflect on ideas from texts and investigations
- Construct explanations and arguments
Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.
Digital student experience
Students access the digital simulations and modeling tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:
- Conduct hands-on investigations
- Engage in active reading and writing activities
- Participate in discussions
- Record observations
- Craft end-of-unit scientific arguments
Teacher’s Guides
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:
- Classroom Slides
- Detailed lesson plans
- Unit and chapter overview documentation
- Differentiation strategies
- Standards alignments
- In-context professional development
Hands-on materials kits
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science. Each unit kit contains:
- Consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials
- Print classroom display materials
- Premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.)
Remote and hybrid learning supports
Amplify has launched a new remote learning solution called Amplify Science@Home. Intended to make extended remote learning and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science@Home includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @Home Videos and @Home Units.
Amplify Science @Home Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home. These videos will be produced for all K–5 units, and for the first four units of each 6–8 grade level. Their release will be rolling, beginning in August.
Amplify Science@Home Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @Home Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. @Home Units will be developed for all Amplify Science K–8 units. Each @Home unit includes:
- Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @Home Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available.
- Overviews to send home to families.
Student materials are available in two formats:
- @Home Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home.
- Downloadable @Home Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home.
Download the Remote and hybrid learning guide.
Looking for help?
Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support
Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We have developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:
- Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans
- Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials
- Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs
- Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more
To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com
Timely technical and program support
Our technical and program support is included and available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.
For your most urgent questions:
- Use our live chat within your program
- Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969
For less urgent questions:
Contact us
Contact your South Carolina team representatives:
Jeff Rutter
Field Manager
jrutter@amplify.com
(727) 512-8440
Cathy McMillan
Senior Account Executive
cmcmillan@amplify.com
(904) 465-9904
What’s included in our Grades 3–5 language arts curriculum
Grounded in the science of reading, Amplify CKLA for grades 3–5 integrates foundational skills students have learned in grades K–2 while continuing to build rich content knowledge. With Amplify CKLA, you’ll have the instruction and guidance of proven, evidence-based practices to help all of your students become strong readers, writers, and thinkers.
Year at a glance
The Amplify CKLA curriculum is modeled after proven research in early literacy that supports a two-strand approach to literacy instruction in the early years. With this approach, students in Grades K–2 complete one full lesson per day that builds foundational reading skills in the Skills Strand, as well as one full lesson that builds background knowledge in the Knowledge Strand. The deep content knowledge is sequenced together with research-based foundational skills in Grades K–2 so that students develop the early literacy skills necessary to help them become confident readers, as well as build the context to understand what they’re reading.
In Grades 3–5, lessons combine skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater emphasis on writing. Students start to use their skills to go on their own independent reading adventures, further opening up their worlds.
Units at a glance
Students move fluidly between reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language activities, with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater writing emphasis.
Unit 1
Classic Tales: The Wind in the Willows
Students explore international classic tales, including The Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, and “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.”
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 2
Animal Classification
Students learn how scientists use animals’ characteristics to classify and study them; students apply knowledge through text-based discussions and writing exercises.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 3
The Human Body: Systems and Senses
This unit involves the study of the human body, building students’ understanding of its senses and skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems.
Number of Lessons: 14
Unit 4
The Ancient Roman Civilization
Students dive into ancient Rome, studying its history, culture, and myths about Roman gods and goddesses.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 5
Light and Sound
Students learn the science behind light and sound, read biographies of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, and write newspaper articles.
Number of Lessons: 17
Unit 6
The Viking Age (with Core Quest)
This unit’s informational and literary texts convey information about the Vikings, their culture, and their exploration.
Number of Lessons: 11
Unit 7
Astronomy: Our Solar System and Beyond
Students learn about astronomy, the universe, and important figures in the history of space exploration, including Nicolaus Copernicus and Mae Jemison.
Number of Lessons: 20
Unit 8
Native Americans: Regions and Cultures
Students compare, contrast, assemble information, and reflect on what they have learned about Native Americans and their ways of life.
Number of Lessons: 13
Unit 9
Early Explorations of North America
Students explore reasons for European exploration, what exploration was like, and who went exploring; then students write opinion pieces using this information.
Number of Lessons: 14
Unit 10
Colonial America
Students learn about colonies in early America, including how colonies were started and the progress colonists made after settling.
Number of Lessons: 16
Unit 11
Ecology
Students learn about different aspects of ecology, including food chains, the balance of nature, changes to the environment, and protecting the environment.
Number of Lessons: 12
Unit 1
Personal Narratives
This unit examines the genre of personal narratives, including nonfiction works written by a first-person narrator involved in the events being described.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 2
Empires in the Middle Ages
This unit covers the history of various empires and geographical regions throughout the Middle Ages.
Number of Lessons: 25
Unit 3
Poetry
Students explore poetry, training in methods and devices poets use and learning to read, write, and interpret formal and free verse poems.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 4
Eureka! Student Inventor
This Core Quest, a narrative-driven unit, immerses students in close-reading adventures and scientific and historical content about inventions. Students write and read opinion, informational, and narrative texts.
Number of Lessons: 10
Unit 5
Geology
This unit focuses on the composition of Earth and the forces that change its surface.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 6
Contemporary Fiction with excerpts from The House on Mango Street
This unit explores narrative literature and writing, using excerpts from The House on Mango Street as its anchor text.
Number of Lessons: 13
Unit 7
American Revolution
Students learn that disagreements about principles of government led colonists in North America to seek independence from Great Britain.
Number of Lessons: 17
Unit 8
Treasure Island
Students focus on character development, setting, plot, and literary devices while reading an abridged version of a classic novel, Treasure Island.
Number of Lessons: 19
Unit 5
Writing Quest (supplemental): The Contraption
In this supplemental Quest, students interact with a mysterious machine fueled by their writing and solve the machine’s puzzles. This Quest features a digital environment controlled by the teacher.
Unit 1
Personal Narratives
This unit examines the genre of personal narratives, including nonfiction works written by a first-person narrator involved in the events being described.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 2
Early American Civilizations
Students study the geography, climate, flora, and fauna of the Americas and the rise and fall of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 3
Poetry
Students explore poetry, training in methods and devices poets use and learning to read, write, and interpret formal and free verse poems.
Number of Lessons: 13
Unit 4
Adventures of Don Quixote
In this unit students trace the development of plot, characters, and literary elements while reading a full-length, adapted version of Don Quixote.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 5
The Renaissance
This unit provides students with a broad exposure to the art and literature of the Renaissance through the works of renowned masters.
Number of Lessons: 19
Unit 6
The Reformation
This unit teaches students about the Reformation, a movement involving religious and political upheaval that shifted the political power in Europe.
Number of Lessons: 10
Unit 7
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Core Quest)
This unit is an immersive Quest that treats Shakespeare’s comedy as both literature and a living text for interpretation and performance.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 8
Native Americans
Students learn how settlers, explorers, and the American government in the 1800s affected Native American cultures and their relationship with the land.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 9
Chemical Matter
Students learn about chemistry and close-reading through a literary and informational work, The Badlands Sleuth, in which the protagonist uses chemistry to solve mysteries.
Number of Lessons: 15
Unit 10
Writing Quest (supplemental): The Robot
Students interact with a classroom pet that learns and grows with their writing. This Quest features a digital environment controlled by the teacher.
Program components
The program includes instructional guidance and student materials for a year of instruction, with lessons and activities that keep students engaged every day.
Component
FORMAT
Teacher Guides
Teacher Guides for each unit provide engaging lessons with standards-based objectives and formative assessments that empower teachers with proven strategies and research-based tools.
Print or digital
Differentiation resources
The online Assessment and Remediation Guide (Grade 3) and the Decoding and Encoding Supplement (Grades 4–5) provide thousands of pages of targeted activities in decoding, spelling, and other core literacy skills. Supplemental Guides provide opportunities for enrichment.
Digital
Writing Studio
A riveting connected writing program for more time, practice, and challenge in writing, with a focus on informative, narrative, and opinion modes of writing.
Print or digital
Digital experience
The Amplify CKLA digital experience delivers ready-made, customizable, slides-based lesson presentations to enhance instruction and save time. Everything needed to plan and present high-quality, engaging early literacy instruction is in one convenient place.
Digital
Component
FORMAT
Student Readers
Amplify CKLA’s Student Readers anchor each of the content-based units, providing a close-reading experience fueled by rich background knowledge that inspires students to dig deeper.
Activity Books
In addition to providing daily opportunities for students to respond to text and apply skills and knowledge, Activity Books feature formative assessments for each day’s objectives.
Digital experience
The Amplify CKLA digital experience delivers ready-made, customizable, slides-based lesson presentations to enhance instruction and save time. Everything needed to plan and present high-quality, engaging early literacy instruction is in one convenient place.
Digital
Explore more programs
Our programs are designed to support and complement one another. Learn more about our related programs.
Our Instructional model
The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
DO
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit, from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.
TALK
Student-to-student discourse and full class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.
READ
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation, and importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.
WRITE
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.
VISUALIZE
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.
Supporting resources
- South Carolina recommended scope and sequence for grades 6–8
- South Carolina standards correlation for grades K–5
- Program Components K-5
- Curriculum Unit Kits K-5
- What’s so phenomenal about phenomena? – ebook
- Phenomena in grades K–5
- Student Books in grades K–5
- Literacy-rich science instruction in grades K–5
- Active Reading in grades 6–8
- Engineering in Amplify Science
- Program structure for grades K–5
Scope and sequence
GRADE
UNITS
Kindergarten
- Needs of Plants and Animals
- Pushes and Pulls
- Sunlight and Water
Grade 1
- Animal and Plant Defenses
- Light and Sound
- Spinning Earth
Grade 2
- Plant and Animal Relationships
- Properties of Materials
- Changing Landforms
Grade 3
- Balancing Forces
- Inheritance and Traits
- Environments and Survival
- Weather and Climate
Grade 4
- Energy Conversions
- Vision and Light
- Earth’s Features
- Waves, Energy, and Information
Grade 5
- Patterns of Earth and Sky
- Modeling Matter
- The Earth System
- Ecosystem Restoration
GRADE
UNITS
Grade 6
- Launch: Microbiome
- Metabolism
- Metabolism Engineering Internship
- Thermal Energy
- Plate Motion
- Plate Motion Engineering Internship
- Rock Transformations
- Weather Patterns
- Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate
Grade 7
- Launch: Harnessing Human Energy
- Phase Change
- Phase Change Engineering Internship
- Magnetic Fields
- Earth’s Changing Climate
- Earth’s Changing Climate Engineering Internship
- Chemical Reactions
- Populations and Resources
- Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
Grade 8
- Launch: Geology on Mars
- Earth, Moon, and Sun
- Light Waves
- Force and Motion
- Force and Motion Engineering Internship
- Traits and Reproduction
- Natural Selection
- Natural Selection Engineering Internship
- Evolutionary History
South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021
Amplify Science was designed from the ground up to meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021 are closely aligned to the NGSS at K-8. The guidance below is meant to provide support for integrating additional companion activities that support full coverage of the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021.
Organized by grade level, each section below will outline:
- Additional activities that support 100% alignment to the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021;
- The standard being addressed with the activities;
- The recommended placement of the activities within a specific Amplify Science unit; and
- PDFs of any accompanying materials that are necessary to implement the activities.
Standard: MS-PS1-4: Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
Recommended placement: Thermal Energy unit, Lesson 4.4, addition to Activity 3
Materials: “Liquid Oxygen”
By reading the article “Liquid Oxygen,” which describes how the relationship between attraction and kinetic energy determines when a substance changes phase, students extend their understanding of the possible effects of adding or removing thermal energy to include changes in state (phase). Oxygen is one of the most common elements in the world, but most people are only familiar with oxygen in the gas phase. Because oxygen molecules are only weakly attracted to one another, condensing oxygen is difficult. This article introduces students to molecular attraction and discusses its role in phase change, including how it can be used to turn oxygen from a gas to a liquid.
Instructions:
Download PDFs of the “Liquid Oxygen” and distribute it to students. Before they begin reading, remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines.
Standard: MS-PS4-2: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
Recommended placement: Weather Patterns unit, Lesson 4.4, addition to Activity 3
Materials: “Harvesting Sunlight”, “Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream” and “Making Waves at Swim Practice”
After investigating weather patterns, which includes a focus of the effects of energy from sunlight, students extend their learning about light by reading three articles about light and other waves.
“Harvesting Sunlight:” Students read this article to learn about the types of light from the sun that plants use for photosynthesis. The article describes how the sun emits all types of light, but plants can only use certain types of visible light for photosynthesis, mostly red and blue light. Plants also absorb other types of light, and these types of light affect plants in different ways. Students use this information to gather evidence that there are different types of light that can affect a material in different ways.
“Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream:” Students read this article to learn about how waves are transmitted. Explosions that would be deafening on Earth are silent in space. This is because sound is produced by sound waves and, unlike light waves, sound waves need matter to travel through. Reading about this phenomenon helps students understand the similarities and differences between mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
“Making Waves at Swim Practice:” A practice for the school swim team provides an everyday context for discussing light waves and sound waves in this engaging article. First, the article explores sound waves traveling through different materials–the air, the water of the pool, and even a metal poolside bench. Students discover that sound waves travel at different speeds in different materials. The later part of the article discusses light waves, which also travel at different speeds in different materials. As light waves move from one material to another, they change speed and bend. This bending of light waves is called refraction, and it explains why objects that are partly in the water and partly out of the water (such as the legs of a person sitting on the side of a pool) appear ripply and bent.
Instructions:
Plan one class period for each article. Download PDFs of the “Harvesting Sunlight,” “Why No One in Space Can Hear You Scream,” and “Making Waves at Swim Practice” articles. For each article, before students begin reading, preview the article and discuss what students already know and what they wonder about the topic, then remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines.
Standard: MS-PS2-3: Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. MS-PS2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
Recommended placement: Harnessing Human Energy unit, Lesson 3.4, after Activity 1
Materials: “Earth’s Geomagnetism” and “Painting with Static Electricity”
After concluding their investigations of energy transfers and conversions, students read two articles that introduce the topic of forces that act at a distance.
“Earth’s Geomagnetism:” What makes a compass needle point north, no matter what? This article introduces students to Earth’s geomagnetic field and the field lines scientists use to show its direction.
“Painting with Static Electricity:” This article gives students the opportunity to learn about electrostatic fields and forces in the context of spray painting without making a mess. Electrostatic painting systems use electrostatics to draw spray paint toward the object being painted, and nowhere else. Painters charge the object they are painting with a negative charge and the paint with a positive charge. The opposite charges are attracted to one another, causing the paint to move toward the object. This surprising use of electrostatics saves time and paint and keeps things tidy!
Instructions
Plan one class period for each article. Download PDFs of the “Earth’s Geomagnetism” and “Painting with Electricity” articles. For each article, before students begin reading, preview the article and discuss what students already know and what they wonder about the topic, then remind students of the Active Reading Guidelines.
What’s included
Science articles
The middle school science articles serve as sources for evidence collection and were authored by science and literacy experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science.
Student Investigation Notebooks
Available for every unit, the Student Investigation Notebooks provide space for students to:
- Record data
- Reflect on ideas from texts and investigations
- Construct explanations and arguments
Available with full-color article compilations for middle school units.
Digital student experience
Students access the digital simulations and modeling tools, as well as lesson activities and assessments, through the digital student experience. Students can interact with the digital student experience as they:
- Conduct hands-on investigations
- Engage in active reading and writing activities
- Participate in discussions
- Record observations
- Craft end-of-unit scientific arguments
Teacher’s Guides
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher’s Guides contain all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:
- Classroom Slides
- Detailed lesson plans
- Unit and chapter overview documentation
- Differentiation strategies
- Standards alignments
- In-context professional development
Hands-on materials kits
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science. Each unit kit contains:
- Consumable and non-consumable hands-on materials
- Print classroom display materials
- Premium print materials for student use (sorting cards, maps, etc.)
Remote and hybrid learning supports
Amplify has launched a new remote learning solution called Amplify Science@Home. Intended to make extended remote learning and hybrid learning easier, Amplify Science@Home includes two useful options for continuing instruction: @Home Videos and @Home Units.
Amplify Science @Home Videos are recordings of real Amplify Science teachers teaching the lessons. For those teachers who are unable to meet synchronously with their students, the recorded lessons are a great way to keep their students on track and engaged with Amplify Science while at home. These videos will be produced for all K–5 units, and for the first four units of each 6–8 grade level. Their release will be rolling, beginning in August.
Amplify Science@Home Units are modified versions of Amplify Science units, strategically designed to highlight key activities from the program. The @Home Units take significantly less instructional time than the complete Amplify Science program and allow students to engage with science at home. @Home Units will be developed for all Amplify Science K–8 units. Each @Home unit includes:
- Teacher overviews explaining how to use the materials, including suggestions for enhancing the @Home Units if synchronous learning or in-class time with students is available.
- Overviews to send home to families.
Student materials are available in two formats:
- @Home Slides (PDF/PPT) + Student Sheets (PDF) for students with access to technology at home.
- Downloadable @Home Packets (PDF) for students without access to technology at home.
Download the Remote and hybrid learning guide.
Looking for help?
Powerful (and free!) pedagogical support
Amplify provides a unique kind of support you won’t find from other publishers. We have developed an educational support team of former teachers and administrators who provide pedagogical support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program. This service is completely free for all educators who are using our programs and includes:
- Guidance for developing lesson plans and intervention plans
- Information on where to locate standards and other planning materials
- Recommendations and tips for day-to-day teaching with Amplify programs
- Support with administering and interpreting assessment data and more
To reach our pedagogical team, use our live chat within your program, call (800) 823-1969, or email edsupport@amplify.com
Timely technical and program support
Our technical and program support is included and available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day.
For your most urgent questions:
- Use our live chat within your program
- Call our toll-free number: (800) 823-1969
For less urgent questions:
Contact us
Contact your South Carolina team representatives:
Jeff Rutter
Field Manager
jrutter@amplify.com
(727) 512-8440
Lisa Jurovaty
Account Executive (West South Carolina)
ljurovaty@amplify.com
(803) 526-1899
Cathy McMillan (East South Carolina)
Senior Account Executive
cmcmillan@amplify.com
(904) 465-9904
New Mexico Educators: Welcome to Amplify Science K–5!
Amplify Science is an engaging core curriculum designed for three-dimensional, phenomena-based learning that is rated ‘all green’ on EdReports.
With Amplify Science, New Mexico students won’t just passively learn about science concepts. Instead, they will take on the role of scientists and engineers to actively investigate and figure out real-world phenomena. They will do this through a blend of cohesive and compelling storylines, hands-on investigations, collaborative discussions, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools.
Amplify Science Success Story
The Lawrence Hall of Science
Developed by the science education experts at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science and the digital learning team at Amplify, our program features:
- A phenomena-based approach where students construct a complex understanding of each unit’s anchor phenomenon.
- A blend of cohesive storylines, hands-on investigations, rich discussions, literacy-rich activities, and digital tools.
- Carefully crafted units, chapters, lessons, and activities designed to deliver true three-dimensional learning.
- An instructional design that supports all learners in accessing all standards.
Instructional model
The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
Do
First-hand investigations are an important part of any science classroom, and Amplify Science has students getting hands-on in every unit—from building models of protein molecules to experimenting with electrical systems.
Talk
Student-to-student discourse and full-class discussions are an integral part of the program. Students are provided with numerous opportunities to engage in meaningful oral scientific argumentation, all while fostering a collaborative classroom environment.
Read
Students read scientific articles, focusing their reading activities on searching for evidence related to their investigation and, importantly, on asking and recording questions as they read through fascinating texts on 21st-century topics.
Write
Following real-world practices, students write scientific arguments based on evidence they’ve collected, making clear their reasoning about how a given piece of evidence connects to one of several claims.
Visualize
By manipulating digital simulations and using modeling tools to craft visualizations of their thinking— just as real scientists and engineers do—students take their learning far beyond the confines of what they can physically see in the classroom in an exciting and authentic way.
Program structure
Our cyclical lesson design ensures students receive multiple exposures to concepts through a variety of modalities. As they progress through the lessons within a unit, students build and deepen their understanding, increasing their ability to develop and refine complex explanations of the unit’s phenomenon.
It’s this proven program structure and lesson design that enables Amplify Science to address 100% of the NGSS and support students in mastering the New Mexico STEM Ready! Science Standards.
Unit types
While every unit delivers three-dimensional learning experiences and engages students in gathering evidence from a rich collection of sources, each unit also emphasizes a particular science and engineering practice.
In grades K–2:
- One unit emphasizes the practice of investigation.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of modeling.
- One unit emphasizes the practice of engineering design.
In grades 3–5, students experience the three unit types above, plus:
- One additional unit that emphasizes the practice of argumentation.
Investigation units focus on the process of strategically developing investigations and gathering data to answer questions. Students are first asked to consider questions about what happens in the natural world and why, and are then involved in designing and conducting investigations that produce data to help answer those questions.
Modeling units provide extra support to students engaging in the practice of modeling. Students use physical models, investigate with computer models, and create their own diagrams to help them visualize what might be happening on the nanoscale.
Engineering design units provide opportunities for students to solve complex problems by applying science principles to the design of functional solutions, and iteratively testing those solutions to determine how well they meet preset criteria.
Argumentation units provide students with regular opportunities to explore and discuss available evidence, time and support to consider how evidence may be leveraged in support of claims, and independence that increases as they mount written arguments in support of their claims.
Unit sequence
Our lessons follow a structure that is grounded in regular routines while still being flexible enough to allow for a variety of learning experiences.
In fact, our multi-modal instruction offers more opportunities for students to construct meaning, and practice and apply concepts, than any other program. What’s more, our modular design means our units can be flexibly arranged to support your instructional goals.
Program components
Available digitally and in print, our unit-specific reference guides are chock full of helpful resources, including scientific background knowledge, planning information and resources, color-coded 3-D Statements, detailed lesson plans, tips for delivering instruction, and differentiation strategies.
Hands-on learning is an essential part of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. Students actively participate in science, playing the roles of scientists and engineers as they gather evidence, think critically, solve problems, and develop and defend claims about the world around them. Every unit includes hands-on investigations that are critical to achieving the unit’s learning goals.
More hands-on with Flextensions:
Hands-on Flextensions are additional, optional investigations that are included at logical points in the learning progression and give students an opportunity to dig deeper if time permits. These activities offer teachers flexibility to choose to dedicate more time to hands-on learning. Materials referenced in Hands-on Flextension activities will either be included in the unit kit or are easily sourced. Supporting resources such as student worksheets will be included as downloadable PDF files.
Our kits include enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumable items to support 72 students. In other words, each kit can last two years! Plus, our unit-specific kits mean teachers just grab the tub they need for the unit and then put it all back with ease.
Each unit of Amplify Science K–5 includes six unique Student Books written by the Lawrence Hall of Science specifically for the program. These content-rich nonfiction and informational texts provide opportunities for students to search for evidence relevant to their firsthand investigations, see science practices and dispositions modeled, extend their science knowledge, provide real world connections as they master reading-to-learn and close reading skills, and construct evidence-based arguments.
Important note:
Students in grades K–5 are never asked to read alone. Rather, books are read to, with, and by students with ample scaffolding and support provided by the teacher. Big Books are read aloud or together with the class to introduce ideas. Student Books allow for small-group reading and reading in pairs.
Available for every unit, our Student Investigation Notebooks contain instructions for activities and space for students to record data and observations, reflect on ideas from texts and investigations, and construct explanations and arguments.
In grades K–5, one copy of the Student Investigation Notebook is included in each unit’s materials kit for use as a blackline master. Each notebook is also available as a downloadable PDF on the Unit Guide page of the digital Teacher’s Guide.
We know equity is a priority for you and it’s also important to us! Click below to view a comprehensive list of Spanish resources available to support English learners and dual-language classrooms in New Mexico. All components are available digitally. Resources also available in print are noted with an asterisk.
Amplify Science offers digital experience licenses that make elementary instruction more flexible for students and teachers, as well as providing additional means to engage in remote, hybrid, or in-person learning!
Student-facing digital lessons
With the digital experience, students can engage with digital lesson content in one cohesive experience. It’s the same content from Amplify science in a new, integrated format where students can interact with slides, Sims, modeling tools, videos, books, and more.
Digital student notebook pages
Students can draw, write, record audio, and insert images into their Investigation Notebook pages. Their work is automatically saved and delivered to you in real time. When students edit their work, those edits are immediately reflected on your teacher work review page. You can access student responses by clicking “View Work,” where you can see students’ Investigation Notebook pages from the lesson, updating live.
Assign in Amplify
The digital experience allows flexibility with optional features like scheduling assignments in advance and setting due dates. Teacher can use Scheduling to determine the date and time that the assignment appears in Student Home. They also have the flexibility to schedule when assignments appear and use dates to remove assignments from Student Home.
Assign in LMS
You can also assign lessons via our integrations with Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, or by copying a lesson link and sharing it with students through the platform of your choice. The assignment link you send will provide students with direct access to the full lesson—slides, videos, digital tools, and worksheet activities—no student platform navigation required!
Teacher platform and presentation
Teacher-facing lesson content—including sample teacher talk, student responses, pedagogical support, and possible student responses—shows on a teacher’s private Teacher Guide tab. Students only see the lesson slides that are being presented.
Explore your print samples
With your Amplify Science print samples, you’ll find unit-specific Teacher’s References Guides, Student Investigation Notebooks, and sets of Student Books for each grade level.
A note about the Teacher’s Reference Guides:
It’s important that you see the full breadth and depth of our instruction. For that reason, we provide a copy of each of our unit-specific Teacher Reference Guides.
Rest assured that teachers do not use these robust reference guides for day-to-day teaching. For that, we have a hands-free TG!
- Teacher Reference Guide: Unlike a typical Teacher Guide that requires a series of supplemental books to support it, our encyclopedic reference guide is chock-full of everything a teacher needs to fully implement our program and the NGSS.
- Ready-to-Teach Lesson Slides: For daily instruction, teachers need their hands free. That’s why we created ready-to-teach lesson slides for every single lesson. What’s more, they are editable and include suggested teacher talk and point-of-use differentiation and other instructional tips. Click to learn more.
A note about the Materials Kits:
Hands-on learning is at the heart of Amplify Science, and is integrated into every unit. In order to make hands-on learning more manageable for busy teachers, Amplify Science materials are organized into unit-specific kits.
What’s different about Amplify’s unit-specific material kits? They…
- Include more materials — We give teachers enough non-consumable materials to support a class of 36 students and enough consumables to support 72 student uses. In other words, each kit will last two years.
- Are more manageable — Unlike other programs that require large groups of students to share limited sets of materials, our kits include enough to support small groups of 4–5 students.
- Include supportive videos — Each hands-on activity provides clear instructions for the teacher, with more complex activities supported by video demonstrations and illustrations.
Grade-specific lists of all materials included in each kit:
- Grade K: Materials Kit List
- Grade 1: Materials Kit List
- Grade 2: Materials Kit List
- Grade 3: Materials Kit List
- Grade 4: Materials Kit List
- Grade 5: Materials Kit List
Access your digital samples
Explore as a teacher
When you’re ready to explore the teaching experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital teacher platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: t.nmk-5@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: AmplifyNumber1
- Click on Science on the left hand side.
- Click on the Grade Menu in the top center of the screen and select any grade.
- Select any unit.
To help familiarize yourself with navigating the digital platform, watch the navigational video below.
Explore as a student
When you’re ready to explore the student learning experience on your own, follow these instructions to access the Amplify Science digital student platform.
- Click the Access Amplify Science Platform button below and bookmark the page.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: s.nmk-5@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: AmplifyNumber1
- Click the backpack icon on the top right.
- Click Science K-5
- Select any unit.
Resources to support your review
- Approaches to assessment in grades K–5
- Spanish Supports in Amplify Science
- New Mexico STEM Ready! Science Standards Correlation
- NGSS Alignment to Amplify Science Unit Summaries K-5
- Research behind Amplify Science
- What’s so phenomenal about phenomena? – eBook
- Phenomena in grades K–5
- Program structure for grades K–5
- Student Books in grades K–5
- Literacy-rich science instruction in grades K–5
Bring the world to students with a proven PreK–5 literacy curriculum
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is the leading early literacy curriculum grounded in the Science of Reading. By combining knowledge-building and research-based foundational skills, our instruction guides educators in developing strong readers, writers, and thinkers.
With a powerful online platform and a parallel Spanish language arts curriculum, Amplify CKLA provides a comprehensive solution for PreK–5 educators and students. Para la versión en español, haga clic aquí.
Background knowledge drives results
The Amplify CKLA PreK–5 literacy curriculum equips students with rich knowledge that intentionally builds to inspire curiosity and drive results. Explore research revealing the power of our knowledge-based curriculum including a study that meets qualifications for ESSA Tier I: Strong Evidence.
Amplify CKLA serves
38,000+
Classrooms
2,700,000+
Students
50
U.S. States and D.C.
Independently and rigorously reviewed
Amplify CKLA is among the few curricula that is both recognized by the Knowledge Matters Campaign—for its excellence in intentionally building knowledge—and rated all-green on EdReports, earning green scores across all gateways.
Our approach
Grounded in the Science of Reading and following the Core Knowledge approach, the Amplify CKLA PreK–5 curriculum combines rich content knowledge in history, science, literature, and the arts with systematic, research-based foundational skills instruction.
Grounded in the Science of Reading
As the first publisher to build a curriculum based on the Science of Reading, we put research into action with explicit systematic foundational skills instruction alongside a proven knowledge-building sequence. In collaboration with education experts and practitioners, we provide powerful resources that drive real results. Explore our Science of Reading success stories.
Developing foundational skills with explicit, systematic instruction
Amplify CKLA’s research-based scope and sequence progresses from simple to more complex skill development, starting with phonological and phonemic awareness. Instruction guides you in explicitly teaching the 150 spellings for the 44 sounds of English, with an intentional progression and review of skills to set your students up for success.
Following a proven knowledge-building approach
Following the Core Knowledge Sequence–a content-specific, cumulative, and coherent approach to building knowledge–students dig deeper and make connections across content areas to build a robust knowledge base for comprehending complex texts. See how the Core Knowledge curriculum is proven to improve reading scores and eliminate achievement gaps.
Built in partnership with the Core Knowledge Foundation
Amplify CKLA is the premier high-quality instructional materials offering for elementary language arts, built in partnership with the Core Knowledge Foundation to help students effectively develop deep content knowledge and foundational skills.
Cultivating biliteracy with parallel English and Spanish programs
Amplify Caminos is the perfect Spanish language arts partner to Amplify CKLA. The aligned programs combine rich content knowledge with systematic foundational skills instruction grounded in the Science of Reading that follows biliteracy principles, and supports multiple teaching models.
Amplify CKLA efficacy study
Tier I ESSA Evidence: Amplify CKLA knowledge-building improves achievement.
Download nowWhat’s included
The program provides engaging print and multimedia materials designed to build a robust literacy-rich foundation in every classroom.
CoreELD and companions
High-quality teacher materials
Amplify CKLA teachers effectively deliver instruction with print and digital resources, including:
- Teacher Guides with embedded differentiation.
- Formal and informal assessments.
- Ready-made and customizable lesson slides.
- Trade books and Novel Guides.
- Teacher resources and on-demand professional development.
Immersive student resources
Amplify CKLA students stay engaged with a variety of print and digital resources, including:
- Original decodables and read-aloud Big Books (K–2), Student Readers (3–5), and trade books (K–5).
- Student Activity Books with embedded assessments (K–5).
- Research units for independent research built around a trade book (K–5).
- Poet’s Journal and Writer’s Journal (write-in student readers for Grades 4–5).
- Quests for the Core to support immersive, problem-based learning in Grades 3–5.
Hands-on phonics materials
Multisensory phonics and foundational skills resources help students practice key skills using fun, varied approaches that build independence.
- Chaining Folder (K)
- Letter Cards (K–2)
- Syllable Cards (K–2)
- Image Cards (K–3)
- Blending Picture Cards (K)
- Consonant and Vowel Code Flip Books (1–2)
- Exclusive digital Sound Library
Robust digital experience
Amplify CKLA teacher and student resources are available through a digital experience platform that enhances instruction and saves you time. With everything you need in one place, you can effectively plan lessons, present content, and review student work.
- Ready-made yet customizable lesson presentation slide decks
- Dynamic live-review student tool
- Interactive and student-friendly experience
- LMS integration
- Knowledge Builder animated videos
- Recorded Read-Alouds
- Professional development website
- Real-time program support via email, live chat, and phone
English Language Learner program
Language Studio, designed for Amplify CKLA, provides WIDA-aligned daily instruction for English Language Learners to deepen their academic English.
Writing explorations program
A unique companion for Amplify CKLA, Writing Studio provides a deep dive into informational, narrative, and opinion writing to build strong, passionate writers.
Explore more programs based on the Science of Reading
All of the programs in our literacy suite are designed to support and complement each other. Learn more about our related programs:
Texas ELAR Literacy Adoption
The next chapter in the Science of Reading
Introducing Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition, a K–5 core literacy program within Amplify’s literacy suite. For more than a decade, Amplify CKLA has transformed classrooms nationwide with its intentional knowledge building and systematic skills instruction. Available for the 2025–2026 school year, the 3rd Edition builds on this successful foundation to better support all students in becoming confident readers, writers, and thinkers. Together, let’s write the next chapter in the Science of Reading.
Amplify CKLA serves
150,000+
Classrooms
4,000,000+
Students
50
U.S. States and D.C.
Our approach
Improve outcomes with a program built on a decade of research, and that meets the strongest ESSA Tier I criteria.
Grounded in the Science of Reading
As the original Science of Reading program, Amplify CKLA puts research into action with explicit, systematic foundational skills instruction and a proven knowledge-building sequence. In collaboration with education experts and practitioners, we provide powerful resources that deliver real results.
Background knowledge drives results
Amplify CKLA follows the Core Knowledge Sequence, a content-specific, cumulative, and coherent approach to knowledge building. This approach improves reading scores and closes achievement gaps by establishing a robust knowledge base that strengthens comprehension.
In Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition, we’ve enriched our Knowledge Sequence with a wider range of perspectives and high-quality texts in new and enhanced units.
Build foundational skills for long-term success.
Students progress from simple to complex skill development starting with phonological and phonemic awareness. Instruction in Grades K–2 explicitly teaches the 150 spellings for the 44 sounds of English, following an intentional progression to ensure student success.
In our 3rd Edition, we’ve added dedicated Grades 3–5 foundational skills instruction that can either support core lessons or function as an intervention, based on student needs.
Daily writing deepens learning.
Grounded in the Science of Writing—the research on how kids learn to write—instruction is explicit, daily, and woven into the curriculum’s rich content. It covers both transcription (handwriting and spelling) and composition (organizing ideas into narratives) with high-impact activities like sentence-level combining and expanding, and pre-writing exercises. Writing and reading instruction are integrated so students simultaneously strengthen their communication skills, comprehension, and confidence.
High-quality, diverse texts
Amplify CKLA students are immersed in a variety of texts—complex read-alouds, decodable chapter books, trade books, and content-rich readers—that reflect varied experiences and connect to learning goals.
Readers are 100% decodable for Grades K–2, empowering students to directly apply what they’ve learned. Novel Study units for Grades 3–5 offer a mix of contemporary and classic literature, and Culminating Research Units in every grade include a set of authentic texts and trade books.
Reach all learners with differentiated support.
Scaffolds and challenges, developed in collaboration with education experts, make content available to every student—including multilingual and English learners. With strategies embedded right in the curriculum, teachers can deliver in-the-moment, individualized instruction to meet all student needs.
For a dedicated English language development program aligned to Amplify CKLA, explore Language Studio.
What’s included
The comprehensive resources in Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition support effective literacy instruction in every classroom.
Easy-to-use teacher materials
Amplify CKLA teachers are empowered to deliver effective instruction with the following print and digital resources:
- Teacher Guides (K–5)
- Assessment Guides (K–5)
- Authentic texts and trade books (K–5)
- Knowledge Image Cards (K–2)
- Knowledge Flip Books (K–2, digital)
- Ready-made and customizable Presentation Screens (K–5, digital)
- Remediation and intervention resources (K–5)
- On-demand professional development (K–5, digital)
Immersive Amplify CKLA student resources
Amplify CKLA students stay engaged with the following print and digital resources:
- Decodable readers (K–2)
- Student Readers and novels (3–5)
- Student Activity Books (K–5)
- Poet’s Journal and Writer’s Journal (3–5)
- eReaders (K–5, digital)
- Sound Library featuring articulation videos and songs (K–2, digital)
- Assignable Practice Games (K–5)
Rich literary experiences
All of the high-quality, diverse texts in Amplify CKLA connect to the curriculum, fostering your students’ curiosity and helping them learn to read with confidence.
- Trade Book Collections (K–5) inspire student research in each grade’s Culminating Research Unit.
- Classic and contemporary literature (3–5) delight students in Novel Study Units.
- Increasingly complex Student Readers (K–5) develop students’ literacy across grades.
Hands-on phonics materials
Multisensory phonics and foundational skills resources engage students with fun, varied approaches that promote mastery and build independence.
- Chaining Folders and Small Letter Cards (K)
- Read-Aloud Big Books (K–1)
- Large Letter Cards (K–2)
- Sound Cards (K–2)
- Image Cards (K–3)
- Blending Picture Cards (K)
- Consonant and Vowel Code Posters and Spelling Cards (1–2)
- Sound Library (K–2, digital)
All-in-one digital platform
Our comprehensive platform simplifies your day-to-day tasks and makes it easier to plan and deliver lessons.
- Ready-made and customizable Presentation Screens
- Auto-scored digital assessments
- Standards-based reporting
- Assignable Practice Games
- Sound Library
- eReaders
Professional Development
Move beyond traditional program training with Amplify’s digital PD Library, designed to fully support your shift to the Science of Reading and Amplify CKLA. Deepen your understanding with:
- Program and planning resources
- Model lesson videos from real classrooms
- Guidance on using Amplify’s literacy suite to provide multi-tiered support
Ready to continue your learning journey?
We also offer live, tailored professional learning sessions by expert partners to expand your Science of Reading expertise, strengthen implementation, and improve student outcomes.
A true Science of Reading early literacy suite for Grades K–5
Amplify has combined the critical elements of a Science of Reading system: assessment, core curriculum, personalized learning, and intervention. Based on 20 years of experience with the Science of Reading, this complete system saves you time and aligns your literacy practices.
- Assess with mCLASS®: A universal and dyslexia screener, powered by DIBELS 8th Edition
- Instruct with Amplify CKLA: Core curriculum to build foundational skills and knowledge
- Practice with Boost Reading™: Personalized learning program to extend and reinforce core
- Intervene with mCLASS Intervention: Staff-led Tier 2 and 3 intervention for intensive support
Language Studio: Multilingual and English language learner support
Language Studio is Amplify CKLA’s dedicated K–5 program for multilingual and English language learners. Through daily 30-minute lessons, it strengthens reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills while reinforcing core instruction. This tailored support empowers students to confidently access grade-level content as they develop academic English.
Explore more programs in Amplify’s literacy and biliteracy suite.
All of the programs in our literacy suite and our biliteracy suite are designed to support and complement each other. Learn more about our related programs:
The next chapter in the Science of Reading
Introducing Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition, a K–5 core literacy program within Amplify’s literacy suite. For more than a decade, Amplify CKLA has transformed classrooms nationwide with its intentional knowledge building and systematic skills instruction. Available for the 2025–2026 school year, the 3rd Edition builds on this successful foundation to better support all students in becoming confident readers, writers, and thinkers. Together, let’s write the next chapter in the Science of Reading.
Amplify CKLA serves
150,000+
Classrooms
4,000,000+
Students
50
U.S. States and D.C.
Our approach
Improve outcomes with a program built on a decade of research, and that meets the strongest ESSA Tier I criteria.
Grounded in the Science of Reading
As the original Science of Reading program, Amplify CKLA puts research into action with explicit, systematic foundational skills instruction and a proven knowledge-building sequence. In collaboration with education experts and practitioners, we provide powerful resources that deliver real results.
Background knowledge drives results
Amplify CKLA follows the Core Knowledge Sequence, a content-specific, cumulative, and coherent approach to knowledge building. This approach improves reading scores and closes achievement gaps by establishing a robust knowledge base that strengthens comprehension.
In Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition, we’ve enriched our Knowledge Sequence with a wider range of perspectives and high-quality texts in new and enhanced units.
Build foundational skills for long-term success.
Students progress from simple to complex skill development starting with phonological and phonemic awareness. Instruction in Grades K–2 explicitly teaches the 150 spellings for the 44 sounds of English, following an intentional progression to ensure student success.
In our 3rd Edition, we’ve added dedicated Grades 3–5 foundational skills instruction that can either support core lessons or function as an intervention, based on student needs.
Daily writing deepens learning.
Grounded in the Science of Writing—the research on how kids learn to write—instruction is explicit, daily, and woven into the curriculum’s rich content. It covers both transcription (handwriting and spelling) and composition (organizing ideas into narratives) with high-impact activities like sentence-level combining and expanding, and pre-writing exercises. Writing and reading instruction are integrated so students simultaneously strengthen their communication skills, comprehension, and confidence.
High-quality, diverse texts
Amplify CKLA students are immersed in a variety of texts—complex read-alouds, decodable chapter books, trade books, and content-rich readers—that reflect varied experiences and connect to learning goals.
Readers are 100% decodable for Grades K–2, empowering students to directly apply what they’ve learned. Novel Study units for Grades 3–5 offer a mix of contemporary and classic literature, and Culminating Research Units in every grade include a set of authentic texts and trade books.
Reach all learners with differentiated support.
Scaffolds and challenges, developed in collaboration with education experts, make content available to every student—including multilingual and English learners. With strategies embedded right in the curriculum, teachers can deliver in-the-moment, individualized instruction to meet all student needs.
For a dedicated English language development program aligned to Amplify CKLA, explore Language Studio.
What’s included
The comprehensive resources in Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition support effective literacy instruction in every classroom.
Easy-to-use teacher materials
Amplify CKLA teachers are empowered to deliver effective instruction with the following print and digital resources:
- Teacher Guides (K–5)
- Assessment Guides (K–5)
- Authentic texts and trade books (K–5)
- Knowledge Image Cards (K–2)
- Knowledge Flip Books (K–2, digital)
- Ready-made and customizable Presentation Screens (K–5, digital)
- Remediation and intervention resources (K–5)
- On-demand professional development (K–5, digital)
Immersive Amplify CKLA student resources
Amplify CKLA students stay engaged with the following print and digital resources:
- Decodable readers (K–2)
- Student Readers and novels (3–5)
- Student Activity Books (K–5)
- Poet’s Journal and Writer’s Journal (3–5)
- eReaders (K–5, digital)
- Sound Library featuring articulation videos and songs (K–2, digital)
- Assignable Practice Games (K–5)
Rich literary experiences
All of the high-quality, diverse texts in Amplify CKLA connect to the curriculum, fostering your students’ curiosity and helping them learn to read with confidence.
- Trade Book Collections (K–5) inspire student research in each grade’s Culminating Research Unit.
- Classic and contemporary literature (3–5) delight students in Novel Study Units.
- Increasingly complex Student Readers (K–5) develop students’ literacy across grades.
Hands-on phonics materials
Multisensory phonics and foundational skills resources engage students with fun, varied approaches that promote mastery and build independence.
- Chaining Folders and Small Letter Cards (K)
- Read-Aloud Big Books (K–1)
- Large Letter Cards (K–2)
- Sound Cards (K–2)
- Image Cards (K–3)
- Blending Picture Cards (K)
- Consonant and Vowel Code Posters and Spelling Cards (1–2)
- Sound Library (K–2, digital)
All-in-one digital platform
Our comprehensive platform simplifies your day-to-day tasks and makes it easier to plan and deliver lessons.
- Ready-made and customizable Presentation Screens
- Auto-scored digital assessments
- Standards-based reporting
- Assignable Practice Games
- Sound Library
- eReaders
Professional Development
Move beyond traditional program training with Amplify’s digital PD Library, designed to fully support your shift to the Science of Reading and Amplify CKLA. Deepen your understanding with:
- Program and planning resources
- Model lesson videos from real classrooms
- Guidance on using Amplify’s literacy suite to provide multi-tiered support
A true Science of Reading early literacy suite for Grades K–5
Amplify has combined the critical elements of a Science of Reading system: assessment, core curriculum, personalized learning, and intervention. Based on 20 years of experience with the Science of Reading, this complete system saves you time and aligns your literacy practices.
- Assess with mCLASS®: A universal and dyslexia screener, powered by DIBELS 8th Edition
- Instruct with Amplify CKLA: Core curriculum to build foundational skills and knowledge
- Practice with Boost Reading™: Personalized learning program to extend and reinforce core
- Intervene with mCLASS Intervention: Staff-led Tier 2 and 3 intervention for intensive support
Language Studio: Multilingual and English language learner support
Language Studio is Amplify CKLA’s dedicated K–5 program for multilingual and English language learners. Through daily 30-minute lessons, it strengthens reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills while reinforcing core instruction. This tailored support empowers students to confidently access grade-level content as they develop academic English.
Explore more programs in Amplify’s literacy and biliteracy suite.
All of the programs in our literacy suite and our biliteracy suite are designed to support and complement each other. Learn more about our related programs:
The next chapter in the Science of Reading
Introducing Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition, a K–5 core literacy program within Amplify’s literacy suite. For more than a decade, Amplify CKLA has transformed classrooms nationwide with its intentional knowledge building and systematic skills instruction. Available for the 2025–2026 school year, the 3rd Edition builds on this successful foundation to better support all students in becoming confident readers, writers, and thinkers. Together, let’s write the next chapter in the Science of Reading.
Amplify CKLA serves
150,000+
Classrooms
4,000,000+
Students
50
U.S. States and D.C.
Our approach
Improve outcomes with a program built on a decade of research, and that meets the strongest ESSA Tier I criteria.
Grounded in the Science of Reading
As the original Science of Reading program, Amplify CKLA puts research into action with explicit, systematic foundational skills instruction and a proven knowledge-building sequence. In collaboration with education experts and practitioners, we provide powerful resources that deliver real results.
Background knowledge drives results
Amplify CKLA follows the Core Knowledge Sequence, a content-specific, cumulative, and coherent approach to knowledge building. This approach improves reading scores and closes achievement gaps by establishing a robust knowledge base that strengthens comprehension.
In Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition, we’ve enriched our Knowledge Sequence with a wider range of perspectives and high-quality texts in new and enhanced units.
Build foundational skills for long-term success.
Students progress from simple to complex skill development starting with phonological and phonemic awareness. Instruction in Grades K–2 explicitly teaches the 150 spellings for the 44 sounds of English, following an intentional progression to ensure student success.
In our 3rd Edition, we’ve added dedicated Grades 3–5 foundational skills instruction that can either support core lessons or function as an intervention, based on student needs.
Daily writing deepens learning.
Grounded in the Science of Writing—the research on how kids learn to write—instruction is explicit, daily, and woven into the curriculum’s rich content. It covers both transcription (handwriting and spelling) and composition (organizing ideas into narratives) with high-impact activities like sentence-level combining and expanding, and pre-writing exercises. Writing and reading instruction are integrated so students simultaneously strengthen their communication skills, comprehension, and confidence.
High-quality, diverse texts
Amplify CKLA students are immersed in a variety of texts—complex read-alouds, decodable chapter books, trade books, and content-rich readers—that reflect varied experiences and connect to learning goals.
Readers are 100% decodable for Grades K–2, empowering students to directly apply what they’ve learned. Novel Study units for Grades 3–5 offer a mix of contemporary and classic literature, and Culminating Research Units in every grade include a set of authentic texts and trade books.
Reach all learners with differentiated support.
Scaffolds and challenges, developed in collaboration with education experts, make content available to every student—including multilingual and English learners. With strategies embedded right in the curriculum, teachers can deliver in-the-moment, individualized instruction to meet all student needs.
For a dedicated English language development program aligned to Amplify CKLA, explore Language Studio.
What’s included
The comprehensive resources in Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition support effective literacy instruction in every classroom.
Easy-to-use teacher materials
Amplify CKLA teachers are empowered to deliver effective instruction with the following print and digital resources:
- Teacher Guides (K–5)
- Assessment Guides (K–5)
- Authentic texts and trade books (K–5)
- Knowledge Image Cards (K–2)
- Knowledge Flip Books (K–2, digital)
- Ready-made and customizable Presentation Screens (K–5, digital)
- Remediation and intervention resources (K–5)
- On-demand professional development (K–5, digital)
Immersive Amplify CKLA student resources
Amplify CKLA students stay engaged with the following print and digital resources:
- Decodable readers (K–2)
- Student Readers and novels (3–5)
- Student Activity Books (K–5)
- Poet’s Journal and Writer’s Journal (3–5)
- eReaders (K–5, digital)
- Sound Library featuring articulation videos and songs (K–2, digital)
- Assignable Practice Games (K–5)
Rich literary experiences
All of the high-quality, diverse texts in Amplify CKLA connect to the curriculum, fostering your students’ curiosity and helping them learn to read with confidence.
- Trade Book Collections (K–5) inspire student research in each grade’s Culminating Research Unit.
- Classic and contemporary literature (3–5) delight students in Novel Study Units.
- Increasingly complex Student Readers (K–5) develop students’ literacy across grades.
Hands-on phonics materials
Multisensory phonics and foundational skills resources engage students with fun, varied approaches that promote mastery and build independence.
- Chaining Folders and Small Letter Cards (K)
- Read-Aloud Big Books (K–1)
- Large Letter Cards (K–2)
- Sound Cards (K–2)
- Image Cards (K–3)
- Blending Picture Cards (K)
- Consonant and Vowel Code Posters and Spelling Cards (1–2)
- Sound Library (K–2, digital)
All-in-one digital platform
Our comprehensive platform simplifies your day-to-day tasks and makes it easier to plan and deliver lessons.
- Ready-made and customizable Presentation Screens
- Auto-scored digital assessments
- Standards-based reporting
- Assignable Practice Games
- Sound Library
- eReaders
Professional Development
Move beyond traditional program training with Amplify’s digital PD Library, designed to fully support your shift to the Science of Reading and Amplify CKLA. Deepen your understanding with:
- Program and planning resources
- Model lesson videos from real classrooms
- Guidance on using Amplify’s literacy suite to provide multi-tiered support
Ready to continue your learning journey?
We also offer live, tailored professional learning sessions by expert partners to expand your Science of Reading expertise, strengthen implementation, and improve student outcomes.
A true Science of Reading early literacy suite for Grades K–5
Amplify has combined the critical elements of a Science of Reading system: assessment, core curriculum, personalized learning, and intervention. Based on 20 years of experience with the Science of Reading, this complete system saves you time and aligns your literacy practices.
- Assess with mCLASS®: A universal and dyslexia screener, powered by DIBELS 8th Edition
- Instruct with Amplify CKLA: Core curriculum to build foundational skills and knowledge
- Practice with Boost Reading™: Personalized learning program to extend and reinforce core
- Intervene with mCLASS Intervention: Staff-led Tier 2 and 3 intervention for intensive support
Language Studio: Multilingual and English language learner support
Language Studio is Amplify CKLA’s dedicated K–5 program for multilingual and English language learners. Through daily 30-minute lessons, it strengthens reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills while reinforcing core instruction. This tailored support empowers students to confidently access grade-level content as they develop academic English.
Explore more programs in Amplify’s literacy and biliteracy suite.
All of the programs in our literacy suite and our biliteracy suite are designed to support and complement each other. Learn more about our related programs:
Inspiring the next generation of Alabama scientists, engineers, and curious citizens
Crack the code with literacy skills instruction that works.
The Amplify CKLA Skills program is grounded in Science of Reading research and helps establish strong reading foundations in your K–2 classrooms. Students practice reading and communicating every day. Their literacy skills grow alongside their confidence.
Perfect for any literacy block.
Use the powerful foundational literacy skills in Amplify CKLA Skills to supplement your core English Language Arts (ELA) program with focused lessons that fit any literacy block.
Interested in the full curriculum, including knowledge building? Explore the comprehensive Amplify CKLA program.
Our approach
Starting with sounds, students practice their phonemic awareness, handwriting skills, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. They become aware of the connection between reading and writing, building confidence along the way.
Explicit, systematic instruction that works for students and teachers
Amplify CKLA Skills’ research-based scope and sequence progresses from simple to more complex skill development, starting with phonological and phonemic awareness. Instruction guides you in explicitly teaching the 150 spellings for the 44 sounds of English, with an intentional progression and review of skills to set your students up for success.
Daily 60-minute lessons cover all skills standards.
Instruction includes print and phonological awareness, sound-letter patterns, decoding and encoding, writing mechanics, and writing structure and processes. Ready-made presentation slides help you effectively deliver each lesson.
Decodable readers help students crack the code.
Amplify CKLA readers are 100 percent decodable, which means they include only words with letter-sound correspondences that have been explicitly taught. The readers are colorful fiction and nonfiction chapter books that kids love! In Grades K–1, visual supports such as underlined and bolded text scaffold students, while Big Book versions may be used for teacher modeling. Readers are also available as audio-enhanced e-books.
What’s included
Amplify CKLA Skills includes a wide range of resources to support teaching and learning.
High-quality teacher materials
Amplify CKLA Skills teachers effectively deliver instruction with print and digital resources, including:
- Take-Home Pages to extend learning beyond the classroom.
- Teacher Guides with embedded differentiation.
- Formal and informal assessments.
- Ready-made and customizable Teacher Presentation Screens for every lesson.
- Teacher resources and on-demand professional development.
Immersive student resources
Amplify CKLA Skills students stay engaged with a variety of print and digital resources, including:
- A digital Sound Library with recordings, animated videos, and fun karaoke-style songs.
- Original decodables and read-aloud Big Books, also available as audio-enhanced e-books.
- Student Activity Books with embedded assessments.
Hands-on phonics materials
Multisensory phonics and foundational skills resources help students practice key skills using fun, varied approaches that build independence.
- Sound Library (K–2, digital)
- Chaining Folder and Small Letter Cards (K)
- Large Letter Cards (K–1)
- Sound Posters and Cards (K)
- Blending Picture Cards (K, digital only)
- Code Posters and Spelling Cards (1–2)
Robust digital experience
Engage your students and save time with a comprehensive platform.
- Assignable Practice Games
- Real-time insights into your students’ progress
- LMS integration
- Professional development website
- Support via email, live chat, and phone
- eReaders
- Sound Library
Grades 3–5 Skills supplement
Reinforce and build on K–2 instruction with the Grades 3–5 Skills supplement. This flexible resource comes included with the purchase of a core Amplify CKLA Complete Classroom Kit in Grades 3–5, and can be used to support core lessons or serve as an intervention, depending on your students’ needs. Instruction follows a familiar sequence and offers flexibility: It can be taught in two 15-minute sessions or one 30-minute session.
Explore more programs based on the Science of Reading.
Our literacy suite programs are designed to support and complement each other. Learn more about our related programs.
High Impact Tutoring: OH ESC Training of Trainers
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Text Reading and Comprehension (a.k.a. running records via Amplify Atlas Español)
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the Lectura assessment?
The Lectura assessment is a brand-new interim and diagnostic assessment that consists of measures based on the latest research of how Spanish literacy develops.
Co-developed with the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon (UO CTL) and validated in partnership with Dr. Lillian Durán, the Lectura assessment was created to provide educators with a high-quality, evidence-based tool to support understanding of Spanish-speaking students’ biliteracy development, specifically foundational Spanish reading skills, which includes measures of phonological awareness, alphabetic understanding and decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
The measures in Lectura were written from the ground-up to assess students’ literacy development based on how Spanish literacy develops. Measures explicitly account for the syllabic and morphological structures of Spanish, and connected text was written and calibrated with respect to syntactical, lexical, and grammatical rules of Spanish. For example, phonological awareness is measured using syllable segmentation, and letter sounds and syllable reading are included in the decoding subtests for greater face-validity (in lieu of pseudowords). Word choice reflects the multisyllabic word complexity and variety of Spanish, driven by how decoding skills develop in Spanish. As such, Lectura provides instructionally actionable data for all students, including those scoring below the benchmark and those who meet or exceed the benchmark.
The Lectura assessment measures were purposefully designed, developed, field tested, and evaluated to address limitations that educators of Spanish speaking students have experienced in assessments. Specifically in these ways:
- Assessment measures based on current research on how Spanish literacy is developed
- Culturally responsive word choice and content reflecting the regional diversity of Spanish
- Technical adequacy established through rigorous study
- A sample size and geographic diversity reflecting the broad population of Spanish speakers across the U.S.
- Complete parity with English solutions (instructional tools, skill coverage)
Assessment measures by grade
| Lectura measures at each grade level | |||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grades 4–6 |
| Fluidez en nombrar letras |  |
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| Fluidez en la segmentación de sílabas | |
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| ¿Qué queda? | |
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| Fluidez en los sonidos de letras | |
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| Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas | |
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| Fluidez en las palabras | |
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| Fluidez en la lectura oral | |
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| ¿Cuál palabra? | |
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| Amplify measures at each grade level | |||||
| Oral Language Español | |
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| Vocabulario | |
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Assessment measures sample videos
Please note that the videos below are intended for illustrative purposes only. Performance levels in mCLASS Lectura have yet to be finalized.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en nombrar letras (FNL)
Students are asked to identify as many uppercase and lowercase letter names as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de letras (FSL)
Students are asked to identify the sounds of as many uppercase and lowercase letters as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas (LSS)
Students are presented with a page of printed orthographically regular Spanish syllables and asked to read as many syllables as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en la lectura oral (FLO)
Students are presented with an authentically written informational or narrative passage of Spanish connected text and asked to read as much of the passage as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: ¿Qué Queda? (QQ)
Students are presented with a word orally and then the examiner omits part of the word (i.e., compound word part, syllable, or phoneme). Students are asked to identify what word remains after the word part has been elided.
What makes mCLASS Lectura different?
mCLASS Lectura combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the Lectura assessment measures. As a result – educators are empowered with latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS Lectura is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student. What’s more, it addresses the classroom inequities Spanish-speaking students face along their early literacy journeys.
Spanish-speaking students have been underserved and misclassified for decades. With mCLASS Lectura, teachers of Spanish-speaking students finally have access to the same robust assessment tools that have been available to teachers of English-speaking students for years.
Plus! When mCLASS Lectura and DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers are empowered with a more holistic view of their Spanish-speaking students abilities in both English and Spanish, making instructional next steps more targeted and effective.
What makes mCLASS Lectura different?
- It gives teachers access to authentic Spanish measures. Amplify is the only provider of the Lectura assessment. Rather than a direct translation of an English assessment, our solution is the only one to provide teachers a research-based, authentic Spanish assessment that is both valid and reliable.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, teachers have access to Dual Language Reports that highlight a students strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What?” questions, but also the “So What?” and “Now What?” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS Lectura helps teachers answer with confidence.
How does mCLASS Lectura support screening for dyslexia risk?
mCLASS Lectura subtests have been specifically designed and validated to screen for dyslexia risks.
mCLASS Lectura was specifically developed to ensure the measure is able to meet state-level screening requirements for both dyslexia and universal reading screening. The research and development of Lectura was designed with this use in mind to accurately identify reading difficulties, including difficulties related to risk for dyslexia.
How does mCLASS Lectura support the use of running records?
Track your students’ reading progress from every angle with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) assessment. When TRC is paired with the Lectura assessment, classroom teachers unlock the ability to record reading behaviors through running digital records. Available in English and Spanish, it measures reading comprehension and provides insight into how each student finds meaning in text.
How does mCLASS Lectura turn data into instant action?
mCLASS Lectura gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS Lectura analyzes individual student response data through a proprietary scoring algorithm that pinpoints a student’s specific area(s) of growth and improvement, providing classroom teachers in-depth insight into a students’ instructional needs.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS Lectura provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dual language reports
When mCLASS Lectura and mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers will receive an asset-based picture of a student’s biliteracy and instructional guidance on how to leverage literacy skills in one language to support literacy skill development in the second language.
- Side-by-side view of foundational literacy skills in English and Spanish
- Explicit guidance to teachers to support asset-based instruction using cross-linguistic transfer strategies
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect letter provides parent and caregivers information in English or Spanish about the student’s literacy and guidance on how to support their child at home.
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Quick 1-minute assessment measures
- Real-time results, instant analysis, automatic student grouping
- Targeted teacher-led instruction with ready-to-use mini-lessons
What is the Lectura assessment?
The Lectura assessment is a brand-new interim and diagnostic assessment that consists of measures based on the latest research of how Spanish literacy develops.
Co-developed with the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon (UO CTL) and validated in partnership with Dr. Lillian Durán, the Lectura assessment was created to provide educators with a high-quality, evidence-based tool to support understanding of Spanish-speaking students’ biliteracy development, specifically foundational Spanish reading skills, which includes measures of phonological awareness, alphabetic understanding and decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
The measures in Lectura were written from the ground-up to assess students’ literacy development based on how Spanish literacy develops. Measures explicitly account for the syllabic and morphological structures of Spanish, and connected text was written and calibrated with respect to syntactical, lexical, and grammatical rules of Spanish. For example, phonological awareness is measured using syllable segmentation, and letter sounds and syllable reading are included in the decoding subtests for greater face-validity (in lieu of pseudowords). Word choice reflects the multisyllabic word complexity and variety of Spanish, driven by how decoding skills develop in Spanish. As such, Lectura provides instructionally actionable data for all students, including those scoring below the benchmark and those who meet or exceed the benchmark.
The Lectura assessment measures were purposefully designed, developed, field tested, and evaluated to address limitations that educators of Spanish speaking students have experienced in assessments. Specifically in these ways:
- Assessment measures based on current research on how Spanish literacy is developed
- Culturally responsive word choice and content reflecting the regional diversity of Spanish
- Technical adequacy established through rigorous study
- A sample size and geographic diversity reflecting the broad population of Spanish speakers across the U.S.
- Complete parity with English solutions (instructional tools, skill coverage)
Assessment measures by grade
| Lectura measures at each grade level | ||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 |
| Fluidez en nombrar letras | |
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| Fluidez en la segmentación de sílabas | |
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| ¿Qué queda? | |
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| Fluidez en los sonidos de letras | |
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| Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas | |
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| Fluidez en las palabras | |
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| Fluidez en la lectura oral | |
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| ¿Cuál palabra? | |
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| Amplify measures at each grade level | ||||
| Oral Language Español | |
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Assessment measures sample videos
Please note that the videos below are intended for illustrative purposes only. Performance levels in mCLASS Lectura have yet to be finalized.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en nombrar letras (FNL)
Students are asked to identify as many uppercase and lowercase letter names as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de letras (FSL)
Students are asked to identify the sounds of as many uppercase and lowercase letters as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas (LSS)
Students are presented with a page of printed orthographically regular Spanish syllables and asked to read as many syllables as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en la lectura oral (FLO)
Students are presented with an authentically written informational or narrative passage of Spanish connected text and asked to read as much of the passage as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: ¿Qué Queda? (QQ)
Students are presented with a word orally and then the examiner omits part of the word (i.e., compound word part, syllable, or phoneme). Students are asked to identify what word remains after the word part has been elided.
How is mCLASS Lectura different?
mCLASS Lectura combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the Lectura assessment measures. As a result – educators across the state are empowered with latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS Lectura is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student. What’s more, it addresses the classroom inequities Spanish-speaking students face along their early literacy journeys.
Spanish-speaking students have been underserved and misclassified for decades. With mCLASS Lectura, teachers of Spanish-speaking students finally have access to the same robust assessment tools that have been available to teachers of English-speaking students for years.
Plus! When mCLASS Lectura and DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers are empowered with a more holistic view of their Spanish-speaking students abilities in both English and Spanish, making instructional next steps more targeted and effective.
How is mCLASS Lectura different?
- It gives teachers access to authentic Spanish measures. Amplify is the only provider of the Lectura assessment. Rather than a direct translation of an English assessment, our solution is the only one to provide teachers a research-based, authentic Spanish assessment that is both valid and reliable.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, teachers have access to Dual Language Reports that highlight a students strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What?” questions, but also the “So What?” and “Now What?” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS Lectura helps teachers answer with confidence.
How does mCLASS Lectura support screening for dyslexia risk?
mCLASS Lectura subtests have been specifically designed and validated to screen for dyslexia risks.
mCLASS Lectura was specifically developed to ensure the measure is able to meet state-level screening requirements for both dyslexia and universal reading screening. The research and development of Lectura was designed with this use in mind to accurately identify reading difficulties, including difficulties related to risk for dyslexia.
How does mCLASS Lectura turn data into instant action?
mCLASS Lectura gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS Lectura analyzes individual student response data through a innovative scoring algorithm that leverages an item-level evaluation of individual student responses in order to provide deeper insights into specific student weaknesses and areas of improvement.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS Lectura provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dual language reports
When mCLASS Lectura and mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers will receive an asset-based picture of a student’s biliteracy and instructional guidance on how to leverage literacy skills in one language to support literacy skill development in the second language.
- Side-by-side view of foundational literacy skills in English and Spanish
- Explicit guidance to teachers to support asset-based instruction using cross-linguistic transfer strategies
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect letter provides parent and caregivers information in English or Spanish about the student’s literacy and guidance on how to support their child at home.
Explore our self-guided tour
Our self-guided tour is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform. Click the button below to get started.
High Impact Tutoring: ESC Training of Trainers
New and noteworthy updates to mCLASS, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS Intervention!
mCLASS®, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS Intervention are introducing enhancements for the next school year. Explore the following improvements designed to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the rigorous and riveting learning experiences your students deserve.
Updates
Enhanced mCLASS enrollment
Amplify’s enrollment improvements will provide mCLASS users with a quicker and more efficient set up this back-to-school season. These enhancements will also provide a consistent experience across your Amplify programs. Please note that our current mCLASS enrollment system will be retired, and customers who are affected have been contacted.
Additional benefits include the ability to set benchmark windows through Amplify’s Admin Portal and to create groups of students to which you can assign assessments.
More information can be found at https://start.amplify.com/24-25-mclass-enrollment/.
New mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura Admin Reports
We are excited to announce that changes to the Admin Reports for mCLASS are coming next school year. With these updates, you will experience a new admin reporting suite, replacing the previous Reporting and Analysis Suite (RAS), that delivers a more robust and user-friendly experience. This update includes several enhancements, including:
- Faster performance: Spend less time waiting and more time making decisions with significantly reduced load and refresh times.
- Improved user interface: Enjoy a cleaner, more intuitive design that makes navigation and data analysis even easier.
- Saved filters between reports: Enjoy seamless transitions with the ability to maintain your filters across various reports.
- National reference data analysis: Compare your school or district’s performance with the national data of all students assessed with mCLASS.
- Enhanced assessment tracking: Complete data analysis for all students, including those with partial or no assessment results, through Benchmark Download Your Data (DYD) updates.
- Improved student list for reports: Access better-organized student lists within the benchmark completion reports for more efficient monitoring.
- Custom demographics in reports: Tailor your benchmark and progress monitoring DYDs using custom demographics for a more personalized analysis.
- New monitoring capabilities: Track progress monitoring fidelity and download details about students who participate in mCLASS Intervention groups.
Former Acadience and IDEL users, please note: As a result of the transition to new Admin Reports, historical data for Acadience Reading (formerly DIBELS® Next), and IDEL will not be available next year. Please be sure to download any data from these programs for your records.
Learn how to download historical data for teachers and admin.
mCLASS Intervention updates
mCLASS Intervention’s Decode assessment will have a new look and feel, resembling the DIBELS 8th Edition measures. mCLASS Intervention will also be integrated with Amplify’s global navigation menu, giving educators quicker access to Classroom Reporting, the teacher-facing Assessment app and more.
Enhancements to student-led assessments
Students and educators will notice helpful updates to the student-facing platform:
The owl animations in the student-facing mCLASS assessments will be replaced with a familiar character from the Boost Reading and Boost Lectura program, Alyx!
There will also be additional accessibility updates, including an in-app magnification tool that will allow for the size of all on-screen text to increase, and an option to turn off animations to reduce distractions.
Improved navigation
This year, we’re rolling out a more user-friendly navigation experience with:
- An accessible sidebar menu for quick access to key educator resources within sections like Content, PD Library, and Apps.
- A new Apps menu organized by subject.
Free content for you to explore
Explore a growing library of free math, science, and literacy content using the Discover button. You can even assign these activities to students through the digital platform, giving them more ways than ever to explore, engage, and learn!
Noteworthy features
PD Library
You’ll find helpful professional development (PD) resources in the PD Library to ensure your mCLASS implementation runs smoothly. The PD Library can be accessed through the Programs & Apps menu in the top navigation bar when you’re logged into mCLASS.
Demo mode in English Classroom Reporting
mCLASS English Classroom Reporting features a demo mode that guides teachers through sample classroom and student reports, highlighting realistic student data within the complete set of mCLASS instructional tools. This demo mode is especially helpful for onboarding purposes with teachers new to using mCLASS.
Tulsa, exciting updates in CKLA 2nd Edition!
As part of our commitment to creating even richer and more wide-ranging curricula, we have built on the foundation of 1st Edition to release a new edition of Amplify CKLA with a collection of program enhancements that save you time and help you reach every student.
Amplify Caminos for Spanish literacy
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts® (CKLA) is proud to introduce Amplify Caminos al Conocimiento Esencial, a Spanish language arts program that will inspire and engage your students to become confident readers, writers, and thinkers.
Like Amplify CKLA, Amplify Caminos is designed to spark curiosity through content-rich instruction. Amplify Caminos features complex interactive Read-Alouds and authentic Spanish literature to develop reading and writing skills and build bridges across Spanish and English.
Explore the Amplify Caminos Program Guide.
Research units to inspire inquiry and curiosity
Our brand-new Knowledge Research units carry forward Amplify CKLA’s powerful and proven instructional approach while also:
- Adding more content for students from all walks of life. The rich topics and highly visual components featured in these units provide students with even more “windows and mirrors” and perspectives as they work to build knowledge.
- Adding more authentic literature. Each new research unit revolves around a collection of high-interest authentic trade books that will spark more curiosity and inspire more inquiry.
- Adding more flexibility. Units can be implemented for extended core instruction during flex periods, district-designated Pausing Points, or enrichment periods.
Units cover a variety of rich and relevant topics:
With these new units, students will soar to new heights with Dr. Ellen Ochoa, Amelia Earhart, and the Tuskegee Airmen. They’ll feel the rhythm as they learn about Jazz legends Miles Davis, Tito Puente, and Duke Ellington. And they’ll explore the far reaches of the world with Jacques Cousteau, Matthew Henson, and Eugenie Clark.
- Grade K: Art and the World Around Us
- Grade 1: Adventure Stories: Tales from the Edge of the World
- Grade 2: Up, Up, and Away: The Age of Aviation
- Grade 3: All That Jazz
- Grade 4: Energy: Past, Present, and Future
- Grade 5: Beyond Juneteenth: 1865 to present
Watch the overview webinar to learn more.
Units will be made available in English and Spanish, and will include the following components:
- Teacher Guide
- Student Activity Books
- Image Cards
- Trade Book Collection
- Digital Components (grades K–3 and 5)
Richly illustrated Skills Readers
Student Readers in grades K–2 are newly redesigned with gorgeous illustrations that celebrate students’ diverse experiences. The new readers feature individuals with a broad range of identities and culture, providing students with more windows and mirrors. Each reimagined reader has a unique illustration style to draw students into the engaging stories, characters, and plots.
Review the new readers.
New digital platform with presentation slides
Amplify CKLA 2nd Edition is on Interactive Classroom, a new digital platform, that makes it easier and more engaging than ever to plan lessons, present digital content, and review and assign student work online.
Interactive Classroom provides ready-to-use, customizable lesson slides, complete with all the prompts from the Teacher Guide embedded in the teacher view. As teachers deliver each lesson, students engage with the content through slides that include digital activities, digital components, multimedia, Student Readers, and more. Students can complete work in the platform through digital Activity Pages that allow them to type, draw, record audio, and more.
Explore the Interactive Classroom overview brochure.
Improved layout, more focused lessons, new content & more
From 1st Edition to 2nd Edition, we made updates to make it easier to plan and deliver Amplify CKLA lessons, including a variety of ways to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students.
Key enhancements include:
- Scaffolds for English Language Learners added to all lessons
- In-the-moment differentiation opportunities added to support and challenge all students
- Integrated Grade 3 into one instructional strand to better match students’ learning trajectories
- New layout to make Teacher Guides easier to scan and use.
New content at the beginning of each lesson:
- Primary Focus Objectives identify the goals of each lesson. Each objective is standards-aligned and corresponds to a formative assessment.
- Formative Assessment opportunities are explicitly called out in a chart at the beginning of each lesson. Formative assessments are aligned to the Primary Focus Objectives.
- Universal Access suggests modifications to the lesson to support a diversity of learning styles.
New content within each lesson:
- Support and Challenge sidebars added throughout for extensions, support, and enrichment.
- Access Supports provide scaffolds to support English Language Learners across five proficiency levels.
New content in each Skills Strand lesson:
- Additional Support section at the end of every Skills lesson provides opportunities for re-teaching and reinforcing skills taught in the lesson. Specific activities and extensions are provided to meet the needs of all learners.
New content in all grades, including:
- Grade K: Picture Reader with supporting instruction
- Grade 3: Content integrated into one instructional strand to improve pacing and closely match students’ learning trajectories; excerpts of read-aloud text now appear in select student readers; added new Vikings Quest (problem-based interactive learning).
- Grade 4: Updated the Personal Narratives unit, added The Contraption Quest (writing across the year).
- Grade 5: Updated Personal Narratives unit, added Chemical Matter unit, added The Robot Quest (writing across the year).
- Moved Contemporary Fiction unit from Grade 5 to Grade 4.
- Supplemental cursive instruction and activity book added for Grades 3 and 4.
Take a deeper look at the enhancements.
Language Studio for English Language Learners
Language Studio is a companion English Language Development program to 2nd Edition designed to support students learning English at all proficiency levels. Aligned to WIDA, the program helps students strengthen vocabulary and academic language skills while deepening the background knowledge developed in the core program. This unique approach provides an effective structure for moving English Language Learners students towards English proficiency.
View sample lessons to see how it works.
Multimedia Hub for teachers and students
Students will be able to access multimedia resources and engage in a new way on the Amplify CKLA Hub. Students can access digital resources independently from anywhere, taking full advantage of the instructional multimedia experiences that Amplify CKLA has to offer. Students can access the Hub at home, in the classroom, and on the go, making it ideal for remote learning. It’s compatible with laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, and desktops.
Grades K–2
Grades K–2 students will have access to Knowledge Builder videos to introduce each domain; Sound Library videos and songs for each sound in the English language; and audio-enabled eBooks of grade-level Student Readers.
Grades 3–5
Grades 3–5 students will have access to the Vocab App for independent practice with domain vocabulary and audio-enabled eBooks of grade-level Student Readers in English and Spanish.
South Carolina review for grades K–5
Thank you for taking the time to review Amplify’s CKLA resources for K–5.
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is a cutting-edge and effective core literacy resource for students in grades K–5. It was developed in partnership with the Core Knowledge Foundation, was specifically designed to help teachers implement Science of Reading principles, and features proven evidence-based instructional practices.
Getting started
On this site, you’ll find a variety of resources designed to support your review and evaluation of the program. Before you start scrolling, watch the video below to learn about CKLA’s alignment to South Carolina literacy initiatives and what included in your physical samples.
South Carolina review documents
SC College and Career Readiness Correlations K-5:
Please use the provided Amplify credentials to access the CKLA content cited below.
Each Skills unit or Knowledge domain is linked to its corresponding Teacher Guide. The bolded lessons are linked to lesson segments or direct examples of the SC College- and Career-Readiness standards expressed in the Amplify CKLA South Carolina Edition Teacher Guides.
SC Instructional Strategies & Routines K-5
Scope and Sequence
K Skills Scope and Sequence
K Knowledge Scope and Sequence
1st Skills Scope and Sequence
1st Knowledge Scope and Sequence
2nd Skills Scope and Sequence
2nd Knowledge Scope and Sequence
What is Amplify CKLA K-5?
In the video below, Amplify’s Chief Academic Officer Susan Lambert shares the big picture of CKLA, and explains why it was created and the impact it’s making across the country.
How does CKLA work?
Through a unique, evidence-based two-strand approach, Amplify CKLA helps students master foundational skills and build a robust knowledge base–both of which are necessary for accessing and comprehending complex texts.
Grades K–2: Dedicated knowledge building and explicit skills instruction
Every day, students in Grades K–2 complete one full lesson that builds foundational reading skills in the Amplify CKLA Skills Strand, as well as one full lesson that builds background knowledge in the Amplify CKLA Knowledge Strand. Through learning in each of these strands, students develop the early literacy skills necessary to help them become confident readers and build the context to understand what they’re reading.
Grades 3–5: Integrated instruction
In Grades 3–5, Knowledge and Skills are integrated in one set of instructional materials. Lessons begin to combine skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater writing emphasis. Students can then use their skills to go on their own independent reading adventures.
Why review CKLA K-5?
Built out of the latest research in the Science of Reading, Amplify CKLA delivers explicit instruction in both foundational literacy skills (systematic phonics, decoding, and fluency) and background knowledge in grades K–2 with an integrated approach to explicit instruction in grades 3–5.
Review this Science of Reading toolkit to learn more about the Science of Reading best practices integrated throughout CKLA.
Students build grade-appropriate subject-area knowledge and vocabulary in history, science, literature, and the arts while learning to read, write, and think creatively and for themselves. Our instruction is supported by:
- Knowledge builders that provide a quick overview of each domain with its key ideas.
- Interactive Read-Alouds designed to build knowledge and vocabulary.
- Content-rich anchor texts that support students as they tackle increasingly complex text and sharpen their analytical skills.
- Social and emotional learning paired with lessons in civic responsibility.
Amplify CKLA provides built-in differentiation strategies in every lesson for all students,
including supports for Multi Language Learners.
- Access supports for Multi Language Learners—Integrated ELD supports in each lesson segment
for Multi Language Learners are specific to students’ mastery of the lesson’s objectives. - Support and Challenge for all learners—Lessons include Support and Challenge suggestions that provide assistance or opportunities for more advanced work toward the goal of the lesson. These supports are suitable for all learners, including ELLs.
- 30 minutes of Additional Support in every Skills lesson–In the Skills Strand, every lesson concludes with an Additional Support section of recommendations for 30 minutes of extended instruction and activities, directly aligned to the skills taught in the lesson to assist students who need more support in mastering the lesson’s objectives.
- Intervention Toolkit–The Intervention Toolkit provides easy-to-use resources to assist teachers in filling gaps in students’ foundational skills. Teachers will find of hundreds of activities to support phonics, fluency, comprehension, handwriting, and other key skills.
The slides-based Amplify CKLA digital experience enhances instruction while saving you time. Everything you need is all in one place, making it easier than ever to plan lessons, present digital content, and review student work.
- Simplify planning and instruction–Teachers have access to ready-to-use and customizable lesson presentation slides, complete with all the prompts from the print Teacher Guide embedded in the teacher view. As teachers deliver each lesson, students can engage with the content in one cohesive
experience—through Activity Books, slides, digital components, videos, Student Readers, and more. - Interactive student activities–Through the Student Home, students can easily access digital lessons with slides, Activity Pages, ebooks, videos, and other interactive resources from one simple dashboard.
- Your teacher command center–You’re provided with the tools you need to ensure a productive digital experience that’s personalized to meet your students’ needs. This includes a teacher home from which to launch and track lessons, LMS integrations such as Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, and other customizations based on classroom needs.
- Get real-time insights into your students’ work–The innovative live review tool enables you to keep an eye on students drawing, recording audio, uploading and capturing images, and typing or writing in pre-placed text boxes in their Activity Pages.
Digital navigation walkthrough
Access the resources
Ready to explore as a teacher? Follow these instructions:
- Visit learning.amplify.com
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: t.southcarolina@tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: AmplifyNumber1
- Select CKLA
Ready to explore as a student? Follow these instructions:
- Visit learning.amplify.com
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: s.southcarolina@tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: AmplifyNumber1
- Select CKLA
Amplify literacy success K-8
See our Science of Reading solutions in action! Click here to see a real example of how one Ohio district is implementing and educating their K–8 community on the Science of Reading as a response to Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement Initiative.
What is Amplify CKLA?
Amplify CKLA is a core ELA program for grades PK–5 that delivers:
- A unique research-based approach truly built on the Science of Reading.
- A combination of explicit foundational skills with meaningful knowledge-building.
- Embedded support and differentiation that gets all students reading grade-level texts together.
- Opportunities for students to see the strengths and experiences that all people share while also celebrating each others’ unique identities and experiences.
How does Amplify CKLA work?
Daily instruction
Grade PreK: Developmentally appropriate foundational knowledge
Our PreK program delivers developmentally appropriate instruction and activities that do more than lay the groundwork for foundational skills—they offer content knowledge, incorporating research that shows true literacy requires background knowledge in history, science, art, and literature. Amplify CKLA PreK easily fits into any class routine, with 45 minutes of interactive instruction designed to accommodate full-day or half-day schedules.
Grades K–2: Dedicated knowledge-building and explicit skills instruction
Every day, students in Grades K–2 complete one full lesson that explicitly and systematically builds foundational reading skills in the Skills Strand, as well as one full lesson that builds robust background knowledge to access complex text in the Knowledge Strand. Through learning in each of these strands, students develop the early literacy skills necessary to help them become confident readers and build the context to understand what they’re reading.
Grades 3–5: Integrated instruction
In Grades 3–5, Knowledge and Skills are integrated in one set of instructional materials. Lessons begin to combine skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater writing emphasis. Students can then use their skills to go on their own independent reading adventures.
Formative and summative assessments
Amplify CKLA features a progression of moment-by-moment assessments to benchmark assessments. Assessment and feedback give teachers the information they need to differentiate instruction effectively.
Checks for Understanding
Each lesson segment incorporates checks for understanding to increase engagement and to let teachers make real-time adjustments to their instruction.
Formative Assessment
Each lesson goal is tied to a formative assessment opportunity, allowing teachers to see which students need more support with a benchmark.
Mid- and End-of-Unit Assessments
Mid-Unit and End-of-Unit Assessments provide valuable information on the skills and content students have mastered. Digital end-of-unit assessments are available on a variety of platforms.
Benchmark and Placement Assessments
Benchmark and Placement Assessments help teachers set goals and monitor the growth of each student, providing a baseline at the beginning of the year and ensuring students are advancing toward grade-level objectives.
Download our CKLA Assessment Sampler
What makes Amplify CKLA different?
Integration with mCLASS DIBELS 8
Amplify CKLA is the only core ELA program that integrates with mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition.
The CKLA Connect feature matches your students with targeted CKLA lessons based on their mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition assessment data. In other words, it aligns your assessments more closely with your core curriculum while recommending effective differentiated instruction.
Download this guide to connecting mCLASS DIBELS 8 with Amplify CKLA
Built on the Science of Reading
Built out of the latest research in the Science of Reading, Amplify CKLA delivers explicit instruction in foundational knowledge in PreK, both foundational literacy skills (systematic phonics, decoding, and fluency) and background knowledge in grades K–2, and an integrated approach to explicit instruction in grades 3–5.
Review this Science of Reading toolkit to learn more about the Science of Reading best practices integrated throughout CKLA.
Explicit systematic skills instruction
Great reading instruction starts with helping kids develop great decoding skills. By building a solid foundation of phonological awareness and phonics, reading the words on the page becomes automatic so that comprehension and critical thinking can happen. Our instruction is supported by:
- Step-by-step lessons with multisensory approaches, clear lesson objectives, and embedded formative assessments.
- Decodable books and student readers with ebook and audiobook versions that feature interesting plots and relatable characters.
- An engaging sound library with fun songs and videos that develop phonological awareness.
- An interactive Vocab App featuring engaging activities with immediate feedback and automated, customized instruction based on student performance.
Coherent knowledge instruction
Students build grade-appropriate subject-area knowledge and vocabulary in history, science, literature, and the arts while learning to read, write, and think creatively and for themselves. Our instruction is supported by:
- Knowledge builders that provide a quick overview of each domain with its key ideas.
- Interactive Read-Alouds designed to build knowledge and vocabulary.
- Content-rich anchor texts that support students as they tackle increasingly complex text and sharpen their analytical skills.
- Social and emotional learning paired with lessons in civic responsibility.
Embedded differentiation for all learners
Amplify CKLA provides built-in differentiation strategies in every lesson for all students, including supports for English language learners and Standard English learners.
- Access supports for ELLs: Integrated ELD supports in each lesson segment for English learners and Standard English learners are specific to students’ mastery of the lesson’s objectives.
- Support and Challenge for all learners: Lessons include Support and Challenge suggestions that provide assistance or opportunities for more advanced work toward the goal of the lesson. These supports are suitable for all learners, including ELLs.
- 30 minutes of Additional Support in every Skills lesson: In the Skills Strand, every lesson concludes with an Additional Support section of recommendations for 30 minutes of extended instruction and activities, directly aligned to the skills taught in the lesson to assist students who need more support in mastering the lesson’s objectives.
- Intervention Toolkit: The Intervention Toolkit provides easy-to-use resources to assist teachers in filling gaps in students’ foundational skills. Teachers will find of hundreds of activities to support phonics, fluency, comprehension, handwriting, and other key skills.
Designated ELD with Language Studio
Amplify CKLA’s designated English Language Development (ELD) component—Language Studio—helps English learners preview and revisit key content within core instruction, building a foundation of academic vocabulary and background knowledge. Core instruction lessons include point-of-use supports for English learners and Support and Challenge strategies for all learners.
This carefully developed program follows the CKLA Knowledge domains, previewing and reinforcing skills and content from core instruction using instruction specifically built for English learners. The program is also designed around frequent formative assessment, including assessment of language proficiency, giving you effective ways to guide and support your English learners.
Language Studio supports teachers and English learners through the following:
- 30 minutes of instruction with lesson segments are carefully designed around Content Knowledge, Meaning Making, Language Development, Effective Expression, and Foundational Skills.
- Every Language Studio lesson accompanies a core lesson, helping English learners deepen domain and academic vocabulary that will help them access core content.
- Culminating tasks support core projects and target the same skills as primary instruction.
Writing emphasis with Writing Studio
With Writing Studio, students in Grades K-5 focus deeply on the three key text types informative, narrative, and opinion–while applying both the skills and knowledge from the core program.
Writing Studio supports students through:
- Expanding on core writing instruction to develop analytical thinking through writing.
- Lessons that focus on writing standards, providing intensive focus and application to strengthen skills.
- Opportunities to apply knowledge in new contexts and deepen comprehension through writing.
- Scaffolded writing projects to help all students find success within the stages of the writing process.
Writing Studio lessons:
- Allow teachers to differentiate through Support and Challenge prompts for students at all levels, and Access Supports for ELLs.
- Spark creativity with authentic writing projects that call on students to engage deeply with rich topics and sources.
- Implement careful design and provide rubrics so that students’ writing skills can visibly grow throughout the year.
A culminating project in each grade asks students to apply their knowledge and understanding of text types and to select the appropriate text type for a final piece of writing.
Personalized practice with Boost Reading
Boost Reading is the student-driven skill practice program within CKLA, providing differentiated, digital instruction in both foundational skills and comprehension strategies. Because Boost Reading is built on the same approach to reading as CKLA, students are able to extend their learning from the core program further, at their own pace.
Amplify CKLA and Boost Reading reinforce each other through:
- An aligned scope and sequence and instructional approach: In both programs, students get instruction and practice in phonological awareness and phonics, with the most common, least ambiguous spellings first.
- Consistent vocabulary words: Many Amplify CKLA words are taught and practiced in Boost Reading vocabulary games.
- Complementary texts: Fiction and nonfiction books within Boost Reading reinforce Amplify CKLA knowledge domains.
- Seamless integrations between platforms: Students can easily access Boost Reading directly from the Amplify CKLA Student Hub.
Ready-to-go slides and all-in-one platform
The slides-based Amplify CKLA digital experience enhances instruction while saving you time. Everything you need is all in one place, making it easier than ever to plan lessons, present digital content, and review student work.
- Simplify planning and instruction: Teachers have access to ready-to-use and customizable lesson presentation slides, complete with all the prompts from the print Teacher Guide embedded in the teacher view. As teachers deliver each lesson, students can engage with the content in one cohesive
experience—through Activity Books, slides, digital components, videos, Student Readers, and more. - Interactive student activities: Through the Student Home, students can easily access digital lessons with slides, Activity Pages, ebooks, videos, and other interactive resources from one simple dashboard.
- Your teacher command center: You’re provided with the tools you need to ensure a productive digital experience that’s personalized to meet your students’ needs. This includes a teacher home from which to launch and track lessons, LMS integrations such as Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, and other customizations based on classroom needs.
- Get real-time insights into your students’ work: The innovative live review tool enables you to keep an eye on students drawing, recording audio, uploading and capturing images, and typing or writing in pre-placed text boxes in their Activity Pages.
Navigating the program
Digital navigation walkthrough
Physical materials walkthrough
Sample materials
Integrated Strand
Demo access
Follow the instructions below to access your demo account.
- Click the CKLA Demo button below.
- Go to learning.amplify.com
- Select Log in with Amplify
- To explore as a student, enter this username:
- Enter the password: Amplify1-mcps2024
- Click the desired program on the left side of the page.
Additional resources
Amplify CKLA review resources:
- CKLA Program Guide for Grades K–5
- CKLA Program Guide for PreK
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion in CKLA
- CKLA Culturally Responsive Curriculum Scorecard
- CKLA Equity Guide for Grades K–5
- CKLA and Social Emotional Competencies
- Text complexity in CKLA
- CKLA Caregiver Hub
- CKLA Sample Caregiver Letters
- Assessments in CKLA for Grades K–5
- Assessments in CKLA PreK
- Remote and hybrid learning with CKLA
- Amplify CKLA Scopes and Sequences
- Grade K Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 1 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 2 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 3 Integrated
- Grade 4 Integrated
- Grade 5 Integrated
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Text Reading and Comprehension (a.k.a. running records via mCLASS: Reading 3D)
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment?
Developed by the University of Oregon, the DIBELS 8th Edition is the latest version of the DIBELS® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment.
With this latest version, the University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning (UO CTL) made significant efforts to ensure measures would meet state-level screening requirements for universal screening, diagnostic assessment, and dyslexia screening. To support this, measures were updated based on the latest research to meet increased standards of reliability and validity. In addition, adaptive procedures and discontinue rules focus on the assessment of priority skills and prevent over-testing.
Summary of changes:
- Consistent measures within grades will provide improved growth measurement.
- All subtests have been revised to be grade-specific and to increase in difficulty, covering a full progression of skills and minimizing floor and ceiling effects. This provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and further pinpoint what they don’t know.
- Phoneme Segmentation Fluency replaces First Sound Fluency. The expanded coverage minimizes floor effect and provides information about difficulty in Phonemic Awareness skills without the additional First Sound Fluency measure.
- A new subtest, Word Reading Fluency, helps identify students with poor sight word reading skills that other subtests miss.
- For all measures, the basic scoring procedures remain the same. For Nonsense Word Fluency, credit is given for recording words as whole words even if the student misses in the first attempt.
- Oral Reading Fluency is now only one passage, instead of three. Retell has been removed. Thus, Oral Reading Fluency assessment will take a third of the time.
Assessment measures by grade
| DIBELS measures at each grade level | |||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grades 4–6 |
| Letter naming fluency | |
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| Maze (basic comprehension) | |
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| Amplify measures at each grade level | |||||
| Oral language | |
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Assessment measures sample videos
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Word Reading Fluency (WRF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
What makes mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment measures. As a result – educators are empowered with the latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What” questions, but also the “So What” and “Now What” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition helps teachers answer with confidence.
What makes mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
- It gives teachers access to the latest digital version of the DIBELS assessment. Amplify is the only licensed provider of the digital DIBELS 8th Edition assessment. As such, our solution is the only one to enhance the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment with the power, reliability, and quickness of the mCLASS system.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support screening for dyslexia risk?
DIBELS 8th Edition measures have been updated based on the latest research. They now offer stronger measures of processing speed, phonological awareness, and alphabetic principles for dyslexia screening purposes.
To support this, a new subtest in Word Reading Fluency was introduced and revisions were made to Letter Naming Fluency, Phonemic Segmentation Fluency, and Nonsense Fluency subtests to improve their ability to screen for deficits commonly associated with dyslexia risk, such as phonological awareness, rapid naming ability, and alphabetic principle. These measures provide early warning signs for neurological processing difficulties that contribute to risk for dyslexia (Wolf & Bowers, 1999; Denckla & Rudel, 1974).
Moreover, measures in Oral Language and Vocabulary are included to provide additional information to help evaluate additional risk areas associated with dyslexia risk.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support the use of running records?
Track your students’ reading progress from every angle with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) assessment. When TRC is paired with the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment, classroom teachers unlock the ability to record reading behaviors through running digital records. Available in English and Spanish, it measures reading comprehension and provides insight into how each student finds meaning in text.
Measures include:
- Lesson plans for whole class, small-group, and one-on-one instruction.
- Small-group advisor, which organizes students into groups based on strengths and gaps.
- Item-level advisor, which drills deep into student responses to uncover patterns, strengths, and gaps.
- Instructional resources for each student’s parent/guardian(s).
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition turn data into instant action?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition analyzes individual student response data through a proprietary scoring algorithm that pinpoints a student’s specific area(s) of growth and improvement, providing classroom teachers in-depth insight into a students’ instructional needs.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dyslexia screening
Identify students who are at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, based on their results from foundational skills measures and additional measures as needed by local policies.
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Goal setting tool
The Zones of Growth (ZoG) analysis uses a rich set of national data to determine student goals for the next benchmark period. Teachers can use the Goal Setting Tool to view these recommended goals or modify the default goals for individual students as they see fit, if the default goal is too challenging or not challenging enough.
Growth outcomes
Teachers and interventionists can see each student’s actual growth achieved and how it compares to the goal that was set for the student.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect website houses literacy resources for parents and caregivers, including at-home lessons organized by skill. Our mCLASS parent/caregiver letters in English and Spanish ensure that families know how to best support their child.
Self-guided tour
Our self-guided tour is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform. Click the button below to get started.
Demo access
Follow the instructions below to login to your demo account.
- Click the mCLASS Demo button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: d8demoD
- Enter the password: 1234
- Click the Reading tile.
Once you are logged in:
- Find the Class/Group dropdown field and select Grade 1.
- Right above the Class Summary, click Beginning of Year or Middle of Year and explore the data.
- Scroll down to the class list. Each column within the class list is sortable by clicking the double arrow in the column header.
- Click on any score to see the measure transcript.
- Click on a student’s name to see historical data and progress monitoring graphs.
After exploring the Benchmark tab in the purple bar:
- Click on the Instruction tab.
- If you don’t see groups, click Updated recommendations.
- Explore freely! The Groups, Students, and All Activities tabs have rich information.
- Click the Progress tab.
- Click on Home Connect to see a sample of our caregiver letters.
What is Amplify CKLA?
Amplify CKLA is a core ELA program for grades K–5 that delivers:
- A unique research-based approach truly built on the Science of Reading.
- A combination of explicit foundational skills with meaningful knowledge-building.
- Embedded support and differentiation that gets all students reading grade-level texts together.
- Opportunities for students to see the strengths and experiences that all people share while also celebrating each others’ unique identities and experiences.
How does Amplify CKLA work?
Grades K–2: Dedicated knowledge-building and explicit skills instruction
Every day, students in Grades K–2 complete one full lesson that explicitly and systematically builds foundational reading skills in the Skills Strand, as well as one full lesson that builds robust background knowledge to access complex text in the Knowledge Strand. Through learning in each of these strands, students develop the early literacy skills necessary to help them become confident readers and build the context to understand what they’re reading.
Grades 3–5: Integrated instruction
In Grades 3–5, Knowledge and Skills are integrated in one set of instructional materials. Lessons begin to combine skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater writing emphasis. Students can then use their skills to go on their own independent reading adventures.
How does Amplify CKLA integrate with the other parts of the literacy system?
Amplify CKLA + mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition
Amplify CKLA integrates with your mCLASS assessment through the CKLA Connect feature, which matches your students with targeted CKLA lessons based on their mCLASS assessment data. In other words, it aligns your assessments more closely with your core curriculum while recommending effective differentiated instruction.
Amplify CKLA + Amplify Reading
Amplify Reading is the student-driven skill practice program within CKLA, providing differentiated, digital instruction in both foundational skills and comprehension strategies. Because Amplify Reading is built on the same approach to reading as CKLA, students are able to extend their learning from the core program further, at their own pace.
Amplify CKLA and Amplify Reading reinforce each other through:
- An aligned scope and sequence and instructional approach: In both programs, students get instruction and practice in phonological awareness and phonics, with the most common, least ambiguous spellings first.
- Consistent vocabulary words: Many Amplify CKLA words are taught and practiced in Amplify Reading vocabulary games.
- Complementary texts: Fiction and nonfiction books within Amplify Reading reinforce Amplify CKLA knowledge domains.
- Seamless integrations between platforms: Students can easily access Amplify Reading directly from the Amplify CKLA Student Hub.
What makes Amplify CKLA different?
Built on the Science of Reading
Built out of the latest research in the Science of Reading, Amplify CKLA delivers explicit instruction in both foundational literacy skills (systematic phonics, decoding, and fluency) and background knowledge in grades K–2 with an integrated approach to explicit instruction in grades 3–5.
Review this Science of Reading toolkit to learn more about the Science of Reading best practices integrated throughout CKLA.
Explicit systematic skills instruction
Great reading instruction starts with helping kids develop great decoding skills. By building a solid foundation of phonological awareness and phonics, reading the words on the page becomes automatic so that comprehension and critical thinking can happen. Our instruction is supported by:
- Step-by-step lessons with multisensory approaches, clear lesson objectives, and embedded formative assessments.
- Decodable books and student readers with ebook and audiobook versions that feature interesting plots and relatable characters.
- An engaging sound library with fun songs and videos that develop phonological awareness.
- An interactive Vocab App featuring engaging activities with immediate feedback and automated, customized instruction based on student performance.
Coherent knowledge instruction
Students build grade-appropriate subject-area knowledge and vocabulary in history, science, literature, and the arts while learning to read, write, and think creatively and for themselves. Our instruction is supported by:
- Knowledge builders that provide a quick overview of each domain with its key ideas.
- Interactive Read-Alouds designed to build knowledge and vocabulary.
- Content-rich anchor texts that support students as they tackle increasingly complex text and sharpen their analytical skills.
- Social and emotional learning paired with lessons in civic responsibility.
Embedded differentiation for all learners
Amplify CKLA provides built-in differentiation strategies in every lesson for all students, including supports for English learners and Standard English learners.
- Access supports for ELs: Integrated ELD supports in each lesson segment
for English learners and Standard English learners are specific to students’ mastery of the lesson’s objectives. - Support and Challenge for all learners: Lessons include Support and Challenge suggestions that provide assistance or opportunities for more advanced work toward the goal of the lesson. These supports are suitable for all learners, including ELs.
- 30 minutes of Additional Support in every Skills lesson: In the Skills Strand, every lesson concludes with an Additional Support section of recommendations for 30 minutes of extended instruction and activities, directly aligned to the skills taught in the lesson to assist students who need more support in mastering the lesson’s objectives.
- Intervention Toolkit: The Intervention Toolkit provides easy-to-use resources to assist teachers in filling gaps in students’ foundational skills. Teachers will find of hundreds of activities to support phonics, fluency, comprehension, handwriting, and other key skills.
Designated ELD
Amplify CKLA’s designated English Language Development (ELD) component—Language Studio—helps English learners preview and revisit key content within core instruction, building a foundation of academic vocabulary and background knowledge. Core instruction lessons include point-of-use supports for English learners and Support and Challenge strategies for all learners.
This carefully developed program follows the CKLA Knowledge domains, previewing and reinforcing skills and content from core instruction using instruction specifically built for English learners. The program is also designed around frequent formative assessment, including assessment of language proficiency, giving you effective ways to guide and support your English learners.
Language Studio supports teachers and English learners through the following:
- 30 minutes of instruction with lesson segments are carefully designed around Content Knowledge, Meaning Making, Language Development, Effective Expression, and Foundational Skills.
- Every Language Studio lesson accompanies a core lesson, helping English learners deepen domain and academic vocabulary that will help them access core content.
- Culminating tasks support core projects and target the same skills as primary instruction.
Ready-to-go slides and all-in-one platform
The slides-based Amplify CKLA digital experience enhances instruction while saving you time. Everything you need is all in one place, making it easier than ever to plan lessons, present digital content, and review student work.
- Simplify planning and instruction: Teachers have access to ready-to-use and customizable lesson presentation slides, complete with all the prompts from the print Teacher Guide embedded in the teacher view. As teachers deliver each lesson, students can engage with the content in one cohesive
experience—through Activity Books, slides, digital components, videos, Student Readers, and more. - Interactive student activities: Through the Student Home, students can easily access digital lessons with slides, Activity Pages, ebooks, videos, and other interactive resources from one simple dashboard.
- Your teacher command center: You’re provided with the tools you need to ensure a productive digital experience that’s personalized to meet your students’ needs. This includes a teacher home from which to launch and track lessons, LMS integrations such as Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, and other customizations based on classroom needs.
- Get real-time insights into your students’ work: The innovative live review tool enables you to keep an eye on students drawing, recording audio, uploading and capturing images, and typing or writing in pre-placed text boxes in their Activity Pages.
Navigating the program
Digital navigation walkthrough
Physical materials walkthrough
Sample materials
Demo access
Follow the instructions below to access your demo account.
- Click the CKLA Demo button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- To explore as a teacher, enter this username: t1.alaskareads@demo.tryamplify.net
- To explore as a student, enter this username: s1.alaskareads@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: Amplify1-alaskareads
- Click the Programs and apps menu
- Select CKLA Teacher Resource Site
- Select the desire grade level
Check out these additional resources
Amplify CKLA review resources:
- Correlations to the Alaska English Language Arts Standards
- CKLA Program Guide
- Text complexity in CKLA
- Trade books in CKLA
- Assessments in CKLA
- Remote and hybrid learning with CKLA
- Amplify CKLA Scopes and Sequences
- Grade K Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 1 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 2 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 3 Integrated
- Grade 4 Integrated
- Grade 5 Integrated
Exciting updates for Amplify CKLA
Big things are coming next school year! Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) 3rd Edition is introducing new enhancements to save you time, extend your impact, and support you in delivering the dynamic learning experiences your students deserve.
Updates
Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition program improvements
For the next school year, you can expect several exciting updates to your Amplify CKLA experience, including:
- Caregiver-facing letters that summarize student performance on each end-of-unit assessment.
- The availability of K–2 Read-Aloud Videos to support student absences.
- Teacher Presentation Screens assignable to students, either allowing you to share the slides as they are or turn them into digital activities with the ability to control pacing and view student work digitally.
- Lesson screens will be downloadable and printable for offline viewing.
- Teacher Moves that will be easier to use in Companion Mode on a second device or in another tab.
- New resources for kindergarten, including guidance on letter naming routines and engaging digital practice games that can be assigned to students.
- More guidance resources including strategies for teachers to support students with varied needs; writing building block routines for each grade level; instructional guidance and feedback toolkit.
Digital assessment enhancements
We’re making digital assessments more comprehensive for the new school year, adding in open-ended questions (for Grades 2–5) and a three-point scoring rubric. These features will make them an even more powerful tool to gather data about the students in your classroom! You will also be able to download caregiver-facing letters that summarize student performance on each end-of-unit assessment. As you teach the program, digital assessments will help you understand if students are learning to comprehend text and vocabulary, as well as develop various components of comprehension.
New instructional routines videos
Modeling videos demonstrate best practices and help you implement Amplify CKLA K-2 Skills instruction with confidence. The instructional routine modeling videos and paired PDF guides will be embedded directly in the program to streamline your lesson preparation and delivery.
Amplify Classroom updates
This back-to-school season, we’re improving the overall classroom experience with platform enhancements that make lessons easier to navigate and instruction easier to manage.
- We’re making updates to our Recently Visited section on Educator Home. You’ll see both activity and units reflected there, and have the ability to star a unit or lesson to pin it to the front of your list
- Presentation tools are expanding with Companion Mode, Projector Mode, and Sketch Everywhere, making it easier to facilitate lessons, annotate in real time, and manage instruction from anywhere in the room.
- You will also have the option to use our redesigned Activity pages, which feature a left sidebar, informational tabs, and lesson screens at the top of the page. This reconfiguration allows you to immediately see each lesson and more easily access relevant resources and tools. You will be able to turn on the new design—or turn it off to return to the original design—with a toggle located on the page.
- As of December, you are able to filter Stream by student name and see all assignments for a particular student. This includes the ability to preview student work right from the Stream to check in on student progress. You can also now assign digital activities to select students and even name the group they’ve selected for future use in the Assign feature. Named groups will be saved in the Admin Portal. You should also use the Admin Portal to create or edit groups, as well as add or remove staff or students.
AI-powered teacher tools
We’ve developed new tools to enhance your ability to connect and collaborate with families! These AI-powered tools streamline home connections by allowing you to generate your own caregiver materials. You will be able to access the three tools below in your global navigation bar to create PDFs that can be easily downloaded or printed:
- Newsletter generator
- Decodable passage generator
- Caregiver letter translator
New supplemental program: Language Studio for Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition
Releasing for the coming back-to-school season, Language Studio is an add-on program that uses the same structure, knowledge sequence, and Science of Reading foundation of Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition to help multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs) access core content and strengthen language skills. These lessons preview and reinforce Amplify CKLA 3rd Edition content to meet the needs of all K–5 ML/ELs.
This supplemental program is available to purchase for an extra cost.
Language Studio Teacher Guide Grade 4. Unit 2: Knights and Castles: Europe’s Middle Ages: Lesson 1
Language Studio Student Activity Book Grade 4. Unit 2: Knights and Castles: Europe’s Middle Ages: Lesson 1
New Grades 4 and 5 Skills supplements
Also available for the new school year: Grades 4 and 5 Skills instruction. Similar to Grade 3 Skills, Grades 4 and 5 Skills supplements are a flexible component for reteaching and additional practice. You can use these extra lessons to support core instruction or serve as an intervention, depending on your students’ needs. Instruction follows a familiar sequence and can be taught flexibly, in either two 15-minute sessions or one 30-minute session.
This supplemental program is available to purchase for an extra cost.
Amplify Caminos 3rd Edition
We’re thrilled to announce Amplify Caminos 3rd Edition, our Spanish language arts program and companion to Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) 3rd Edition, which creates a cohesive path to biliteracy for students in bilingual and dual language programs. Built from the ground up for Spanish, it offers everything you need to teach with clarity and purpose: foundational skills instruction, authentic texts, knowledge-rich content, and alignment with Amplify CKLA.
This program is available to purchase for an extra cost.
Noteworthy features
Free content for you to explore
You can use the Discover button to access free content from other Amplify programs, and even assign these free activities to your students via the digital platform.
Caregiver Hub
Throughout the school year, teachers can share the Amplify CKLA and Amplify Caminos Caregiver Hubs with students’ caregivers. These sites provide curriculum details, an overview of what caregivers can expect throughout the school year, and resources they can use with students at home.
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the Lectura assessment?
The Lectura assessment is a brand-new interim and diagnostic assessment that consists of measures based on the latest research of how Spanish literacy develops.
Co-developed with the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon (UO CTL) and validated in partnership with Dr. Lillian Durán, the Lectura assessment was created to provide educators with a high-quality, evidence-based tool to support understanding of Spanish-speaking students’ biliteracy development, specifically foundational Spanish reading skills, which includes measures of phonological awareness, alphabetic understanding and decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
The measures in Lectura were written from the ground-up to assess students’ literacy development based on how Spanish literacy develops. Measures explicitly account for the syllabic and morphological structures of Spanish, and connected text was written and calibrated with respect to syntactical, lexical, and grammatical rules of Spanish. For example, phonological awareness is measured using syllable segmentation, and letter sounds and syllable reading are included in the decoding subtests for greater face-validity (in lieu of pseudowords). Word choice reflects the multisyllabic word complexity and variety of Spanish, driven by how decoding skills develop in Spanish. As such, Lectura provides instructionally actionable data for all students, including those scoring below the benchmark and those who meet or exceed the benchmark.
The Lectura assessment measures were purposefully designed, developed, field tested, and evaluated to address limitations that educators of Spanish speaking students have experienced in assessments. Specifically in these ways:
- Assessment measures based on current research on how Spanish literacy is developed
- Culturally responsive word choice and content reflecting the regional diversity of Spanish
- Technical adequacy established through rigorous study
- A sample size and geographic diversity reflecting the broad population of Spanish speakers across the U.S.
- Complete parity with English solutions (instructional tools, skill coverage)
Assessment measures by grade
| Lectura measures at each grade level | ||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 |
| Fluidez en nombrar letras | |
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| Fluidez en las palabras | |
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Assessment measures sample videos
Please note that the videos below are intended for illustrative purposes only. Performance levels in mCLASS Lectura have yet to be finalized.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en nombrar letras (FNL)
Students are asked to identify as many uppercase and lowercase letter names as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de letras (FSL)
Students are asked to identify the sounds of as many uppercase and lowercase letters as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas (LSS)
Students are presented with a page of printed orthographically regular Spanish syllables and asked to read as many syllables as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en la lectura oral (FLO)
Students are presented with an authentically written informational or narrative passage of Spanish connected text and asked to read as much of the passage as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: ¿Qué Queda? (QQ)
Students are presented with a word orally and then the examiner omits part of the word (i.e., compound word part, syllable, or phoneme). Students are asked to identify what word remains after the word part has been elided.
How is mCLASS Lectura different?
mCLASS Lectura combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the Lectura assessment measures. As a result – educators across the state are empowered with latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS Lectura is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student. What’s more, it addresses the classroom inequities Spanish-speaking students face along their early literacy journeys.
Spanish-speaking students have been underserved and misclassified for decades. With mCLASS Lectura, teachers of Spanish-speaking students finally have access to the same robust assessment tools that have been available to teachers of English-speaking students for years.
Plus! When mCLASS Lectura and DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers are empowered with a more holistic view of their Spanish-speaking students abilities in both English and Spanish, making instructional next steps more targeted and effective.
How is mCLASS Lectura different?
- It gives teachers access to authentic Spanish measures. Amplify is the only provider of the Lectura assessment. Rather than a direct translation of an English assessment, our solution is the only one to provide teachers a research-based, authentic Spanish assessment that is both valid and reliable.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, teachers have access to Dual Language Reports that highlight a students strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What?” questions, but also the “So What?” and “Now What?” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS Lectura helps teachers answer with confidence.
How does mCLASS Lectura support screening for dyslexia risk?
mCLASS Lectura subtests have been specifically designed and validated to screen for dyslexia risks.
mCLASS Lectura was specifically developed to ensure the measure is able to meet state-level screening requirements for both dyslexia and universal reading screening. The research and development of Lectura was designed with this use in mind to accurately identify reading difficulties, including difficulties related to risk for dyslexia.
How does mCLASS Lectura turn data into instant action?
mCLASS Lectura gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS Lectura analyzes individual student response data through a scoring algorithm which aligns to the Colorado Department of Education’s stated purpose of a diagnostic assessment.
Our innovative approach to diagnostic assessment leverages an item-level evaluation of individual student responses in order to provide deeper insights into specific student weaknesses and areas of improvement. mCLASS Lectura analyzes individual student response data through a scoring algorithm which aligns to the Colorado Department of Education’s stated purpose of a diagnostic: “… to pinpoint a student’s specific area(s) of weakness and provide in-depth information about students’ skills and instructional needs.”
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS Lectura provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dual language reports
When mCLASS Lectura and mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers will receive an asset-based picture of a student’s biliteracy and instructional guidance on how to leverage literacy skills in one language to support literacy skill development in the second language.
- Side-by-side view of foundational literacy skills in English and Spanish
- Explicit guidance to teachers to support asset-based instruction using cross-linguistic transfer strategies
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Colorado READ Plans
The Colorado READ Act places importance on considering students’ English proficiency and the impact it may have on assessment. Thus the READ Act provides an option for districts to assess Spanish-speaking students in their native language, who are not yet partially proficient in English.
Amplify recommends that a student who is categorized by the mCLASS Lectura composite score as “At High Risk” (denoted in all reports as “red”) be considered as potentially having a “Significant Reading Deficiency,” then further diagnosed using mCLASS’ Instruction diagnostics.
When devising a READ Plan, teachers and instructional staff should first consider students at high risk on mCLASS Lectura as potentially having a “Significant Reading Deficiency,” and eligible for a READ Plan. Students are then further diagnosed using mCLASS’ Instruction diagnostics. When devising a READ Plan, teachers can rely on the relevant mCLASS Instruction and Reports to comply with the READ Act.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect letter provides parent and caregivers information in English or Spanish about the student’s literacy and guidance on how to support their child at home.
Explore our self-guided tour
Our self-guided tour is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform. Click the button below to get started.
Contact us
Looking to speak directly with your Colorado representative? Get in touch with a team member by emailing HelloColorado@amplify.com or by calling us directly.
What is Amplify CKLA?
Amplify CKLA is a core ELA program for grades TK–5 that delivers:
- A unique research-based approach truly built on the Science of Reading.
- A combination of explicit foundational skills with meaningful knowledge-building.
- Embedded support and differentiation that gets all students reading grade-level texts together.
- Opportunities for students to see the strengths and experiences that all people share while also celebrating each others’ unique identities and experiences.
- Equitable and authentic Spanish language arts instruction with Amplify Caminos.
How does Amplify CKLA work?
Grades K–2: Dedicated knowledge-building and explicit skills instruction
Every day, students in Grades K–2 complete one full lesson that explicitly and systematically builds foundational reading skills in the Skills Strand, as well as one full lesson that builds robust background knowledge to access complex text in the Knowledge Strand. Through learning in each of these strands, students develop the early literacy skills necessary to help them become confident readers and build the context to understand what they’re reading.
Grades 3–5: Integrated instruction
In Grades 3–5, Knowledge and Skills are integrated in one set of instructional materials. Lessons begin to combine skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater writing emphasis. Students can then use their skills to go on their own independent reading adventures.
What makes Amplify CKLA different?
Built on the Science of Reading
Built out of the latest research in the Science of Reading, Amplify CKLA delivers explicit instruction in both foundational literacy skills (systematic phonics, decoding, and fluency) and background knowledge in grades K–2 with an integrated approach to explicit instruction in grades 3–5.
Review this Science of Reading toolkit to learn more about the Science of Reading best practices integrated throughout CKLA.
Explicit systematic skills instruction
Great reading instruction starts with helping kids develop great decoding skills. By building a solid foundation of phonological awareness and phonics, reading the words on the page becomes automatic so that comprehension and critical thinking can happen. Our instruction is supported by:
- Step-by-step lessons with multisensory approaches, clear lesson objectives, and embedded formative assessments.
- Decodable books and student readers with ebook and audiobook versions that feature interesting plots and relatable characters.
- An engaging sound library with fun songs and videos that develop phonological awareness.
- An interactive Vocab App featuring engaging activities with immediate feedback and automated, customized instruction based on student performance.
Coherent knowledge instruction
Students build grade-appropriate subject-area knowledge and vocabulary in history, science, literature, and the arts while learning to read, write, and think creatively and for themselves. Our instruction is supported by:
- Knowledge builders that provide a quick overview of each domain with its key ideas.
- Interactive Read-Alouds designed to build knowledge and vocabulary.
- Content-rich anchor texts that support students as they tackle increasingly complex text and sharpen their analytical skills.
- Social and emotional learning paired with lessons in civic responsibility.
Embedded differentiation for all learners
Amplify CKLA provides built-in differentiation strategies in every lesson for all students, including supports for English learners and Standard English learners.
- Access supports for ELs: Integrated ELD supports in each lesson segment
for English learners and Standard English learners are specific to students’ mastery of the lesson’s objectives. - Support and Challenge for all learners: Lessons include Support and Challenge suggestions that provide assistance or opportunities for more advanced work toward the goal of the lesson. These supports are suitable for all learners, including ELs.
- 30 minutes of Additional Support in every Skills lesson: In the Skills Strand, every lesson concludes with an Additional Support section of recommendations for 30 minutes of extended instruction and activities, directly aligned to the skills taught in the lesson to assist students who need more support in mastering the lesson’s objectives.
- Intervention Toolkit: The Intervention Toolkit provides easy-to-use resources to assist teachers in filling gaps in students’ foundational skills. Teachers will find of hundreds of activities to support phonics, fluency, comprehension, handwriting, and other key skills.
Designated ELD
Amplify CKLA’s designated English Language Development (ELD) component—Language Studio— helps English learners preview and revisit key content within core instruction, building a foundation of academic vocabulary and background knowledge. Core instruction lessons include point-of-use supports for English learners and Support and Challenge strategies for all learners.
Built on the California ELA/ELD Framework, our carefully developed program follows the CKLA Knowledge domains, previewing and reinforcing skills and content from core instruction using instruction specifically built for English learners. The program is also designed around frequent formative assessment, including assessment of language proficiency, giving you effective ways to guide and support your English learners.
Language Studio supports teachers and English learners through the following:
- 30 minutes of instruction with lesson segments are carefully designed around Content Knowledge, Meaning Making, Language Development, Effective Expression, and Foundational Skills.
- Every Language Studio lesson accompanies a core lesson, helping English learners deepen domain and academic vocabulary that will help them access core content.
- Culminating tasks support core projects and target the same skills as primary instruction.
Ready-to-go slides and all-in-one platform
The slides-based Amplify CKLA digital experience enhances instruction while saving you time. Everything you need is all in one place, making it easier than ever to plan lessons, present digital content, and review student work.
- Simplify planning and instruction: Teachers have access to ready-to-use and customizable lesson presentation slides, complete with all the prompts from the print Teacher Guide embedded in the teacher view. As teachers deliver each lesson, students can engage with the content in one cohesive
experience—through Activity Books, slides, digital components, videos, Student Readers, and more. - Interactive student activities: Through the Student Home, students can easily access digital lessons with slides, Activity Pages, ebooks, videos, and other interactive resources from one simple dashboard.
- Your teacher command center: You’re provided with the tools you need to ensure a productive digital experience that’s personalized to meet your students’ needs. This includes a teacher home from which to launch and track lessons, LMS integrations such as Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, and other customizations based on classroom needs.
- Get real-time insights into your students’ work: The innovative live review tool enables you to keep an eye on students drawing, recording audio, uploading and capturing images, and typing or writing in pre-placed text boxes in their Activity Pages.
How does Amplify CKLA integrate with the other parts of the literacy system?
Amplify CKLA + mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition
Amplify CKLA integrates with your mCLASS assessment through the CKLA Connect feature, which matches your students with targeted CKLA lessons based on their mCLASS assessment data. In other words, it aligns your assessments more closely with your core curriculum while recommending effective differentiated instruction.
Amplify CKLA + Amplify Reading
Amplify Reading is the student-driven skill practice program within CKLA, providing differentiated, digital instruction in both foundational skills and comprehension strategies. Because Amplify Reading is built on the same approach to reading as CKLA, students are able to extend their learning from the core program further, at their own pace.
Amplify CKLA and Amplify Reading reinforce each other through:
- An aligned scope and sequence and instructional approach: In both probrams, students get instruction and practice in phonological awareness and phonics, with the most common, least ambiguous spellings first.
- Consistent vocabulary words: Many Amplify CKLA words are taught and practiced in Amplify Reading vocabulary games.
- Complementary texts: Fiction and nonfiction books within Amplify Reading reinforce Amplify CKLA knowledge domains.
- Seamless integrations between platforms: Students can easily access Amplify Reading directly from the Amplify CKLA Student Hub.
Navigating the program
Digital navigation walkthrough
Physical materials walkthrough
Check out these additional resources
Amplify CKLA review resources:
- CKLA Program Guide
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion in CKLA
- Text complexity in CKLA
- Trade books in CKLA
- Assessments in CKLA
- Remote and hybrid learning with CKLA
- Amplify ELA technical specifications
- Amplify CKLA Scopes and Sequences
- Grade K Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 1 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 2 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 3 Integrated
- Grade 4 Integrated
- Grade 5 Integrated
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Text Reading and Comprehension (a.k.a. running records via mCLASS: Reading 3D)
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment?
Developed by the University of Oregon, the DIBELS 8th Edition is the latest version of the DIBELS® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment.
With this latest version, the University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning (UO CTL) made significant efforts to ensure measures would meet state-level screening requirements for universal screening, diagnostic assessment, and dyslexia screening. To support this, measures were updated based on the latest research to meet increased standards of reliability and validity. In addition, adaptive procedures and discontinue rules focus on the assessment of priority skills and prevent over-testing.
Summary of changes:
- Consistent measures within grades will provide improved growth measurement.
- All subtests have been revised to be grade-specific and to increase in difficulty, covering a full progression of skills and minimizing floor and ceiling effects. This provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and further pinpoint what they don’t know.
- Phoneme Segmentation Fluency replaces First Sound Fluency. The expanded coverage minimizes floor effect and provides information about difficulty in Phonemic Awareness skills without the additional First Sound Fluency measure.
- A new subtest, Word Reading Fluency, helps identify students with poor sight word reading skills that other subtests miss.
- For all measures, the basic scoring procedures remain the same. For Nonsense Word Fluency, credit is given for recording words as whole words even if the student misses in the first attempt.
- Oral Reading Fluency is now only one passage, instead of three. Retell has been removed. Thus, Oral Reading Fluency assessment will take a third of the time.
Assessment measures by grade
| DIBELS measures at each grade level | |||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grades 4–6 |
| Letter naming fluency | |
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| Oral reading fluency | |
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| Maze (basic comprehension) | |
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| Amplify measures at each grade level | |||||
| Oral language | |
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| Vocabulary | |
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Assessment measures sample videos
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Word Reading Fluency (WRF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
What makes mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment measures. As a result – educators are empowered with the latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What” questions, but also the “So What” and “Now What” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition helps teachers answer with confidence.
What makes mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
- It gives teachers access to the latest digital version of the DIBELS assessment. Amplify is the only licensed provider of the digital DIBELS 8th Edition assessment. As such, our solution is the only one to enhance the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment with the power, reliability, and quickness of the mCLASS system.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS Lectura, teachers have access to dual language reports that highlight a student’s strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support screening for dyslexia risk?
DIBELS 8th Edition measures have been updated based on the latest research. They now offer stronger measures of processing speed, phonological awareness, and alphabetic principles for dyslexia screening purposes.
To support this, a new subtest in Word Reading Fluency was introduced and revisions were made to Letter Naming Fluency, Phonemic Segmentation Fluency, and Nonsense Fluency subtests to improve their ability to screen for deficits commonly associated with dyslexia risk, such as phonological awareness, rapid naming ability, and alphabetic principle. These measures provide early warning signs for neurological processing difficulties that contribute to risk for dyslexia (Wolf & Bowers, 1999; Denckla & Rudel, 1974).
Moreover, measures in Oral Language and Vocabulary are included to provide additional information to help evaluate additional risk areas associated with dyslexia risk.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support the use of running records?
Track your students’ reading progress from every angle with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) assessment. When TRC is paired with the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment, classroom teachers unlock the ability to record reading behaviors through running digital records. Available in English and Spanish, it measures reading comprehension and provides insight into how each student finds meaning in text.
Measures include:
- Lesson plans for whole class, small-group, and one-on-one instruction.
- Small-group advisor, which organizes students into groups based on strengths and gaps.
- Item-level advisor, which drills deep into student responses to uncover patterns, strengths, and gaps.
- Instructional resources for each student’s parent/guardian(s).
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition turn data into instant action?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition analyzes individual student response data through a proprietary scoring algorithm that pinpoints a student’s specific area(s) of growth and improvement, providing classroom teachers in-depth insight into a students’ instructional needs.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dyslexia screening
Identify students who are at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, based on their results from foundational skills measures and additional measures as needed by local policies.
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Goal setting tool
The Zones of Growth (ZoG) analysis uses a rich set of national data to determine student goals for the next benchmark period. Teachers can use the Goal Setting Tool to view these recommended goals or modify the default goals for individual students as they see fit, if the default goal is too challenging or not challenging enough.
Growth outcomes
Teachers and interventionists can see each student’s actual growth achieved and how it compares to the goal that was set for the student.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect website houses literacy resources for parents and caregivers, including at-home lessons organized by skill. Our mCLASS parent/caregiver letters in English and Spanish ensure that families know how to best support their child.
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Text Reading and Comprehension (a.k.a. running records via Amplify Atlas Español)
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the Lectura assessment?
The Lectura assessment is a brand-new interim and diagnostic assessment that consists of measures based on the latest research of how Spanish literacy develops.
Co-developed with the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon (UO CTL) and validated in partnership with Dr. Lillian Durán, the Lectura assessment was created to provide educators with a high-quality, evidence-based tool to support understanding of Spanish-speaking students’ biliteracy development, specifically foundational Spanish reading skills, which includes measures of phonological awareness, alphabetic understanding and decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
The measures in Lectura were written from the ground-up to assess students’ literacy development based on how Spanish literacy develops. Measures explicitly account for the syllabic and morphological structures of Spanish, and connected text was written and calibrated with respect to syntactical, lexical, and grammatical rules of Spanish. For example, phonological awareness is measured using syllable segmentation, and letter sounds and syllable reading are included in the decoding subtests for greater face-validity (in lieu of pseudowords). Word choice reflects the multisyllabic word complexity and variety of Spanish, driven by how decoding skills develop in Spanish. As such, Lectura provides instructionally actionable data for all students, including those scoring below the benchmark and those who meet or exceed the benchmark.
The Lectura assessment measures were purposefully designed, developed, field tested, and evaluated to address limitations that educators of Spanish speaking students have experienced in assessments. Specifically in these ways:
- Assessment measures based on current research on how Spanish literacy is developed
- Culturally responsive word choice and content reflecting the regional diversity of Spanish
- Technical adequacy established through rigorous study
- A sample size and geographic diversity reflecting the broad population of Spanish speakers across the U.S.
- Complete parity with English solutions (instructional tools, skill coverage)
Assessment measures by grade
| Lectura measures at each grade level | |||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grades 4–6 |
| Fluidez en nombrar letras | |
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| Fluidez en la segmentación de sílabas | |
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| ¿Qué queda? | |
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| Fluidez en los sonidos de letras | |
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| Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas | |
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| Fluidez en las palabras | |
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| Fluidez en la lectura oral | |
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| ¿Cuál palabra? | |
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| Amplify measures at each grade level | |||||
| Oral Language Español | |
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Assessment measures sample videos
Please note that the videos below are intended for illustrative purposes only. Performance levels in mCLASS Lectura have yet to be finalized.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en nombrar letras (FNL)
Students are asked to identify as many uppercase and lowercase letter names as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de letras (FSL)
Students are asked to identify the sounds of as many uppercase and lowercase letters as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas (LSS)
Students are presented with a page of printed orthographically regular Spanish syllables and asked to read as many syllables as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en la lectura oral (FLO)
Students are presented with an authentically written informational or narrative passage of Spanish connected text and asked to read as much of the passage as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: ¿Qué Queda? (QQ)
Students are presented with a word orally and then the examiner omits part of the word (i.e., compound word part, syllable, or phoneme). Students are asked to identify what word remains after the word part has been elided.
What makes mCLASS Lectura different?
mCLASS Lectura combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the Lectura assessment measures. As a result – educators are empowered with latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS Lectura is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student. What’s more, it addresses the classroom inequities Spanish-speaking students face along their early literacy journeys.
Spanish-speaking students have been underserved and misclassified for decades. With mCLASS Lectura, teachers of Spanish-speaking students finally have access to the same robust assessment tools that have been available to teachers of English-speaking students for years.
Plus! When mCLASS Lectura and DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers are empowered with a more holistic view of their Spanish-speaking students abilities in both English and Spanish, making instructional next steps more targeted and effective.
What makes mCLASS Lectura different?
- It gives teachers access to authentic Spanish measures. Amplify is the only provider of the Lectura assessment. Rather than a direct translation of an English assessment, our solution is the only one to provide teachers a research-based, authentic Spanish assessment that is both valid and reliable.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, teachers have access to Dual Language Reports that highlight a students strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What?” questions, but also the “So What?” and “Now What?” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS Lectura helps teachers answer with confidence.
How does mCLASS Lectura support screening for dyslexia risk?
mCLASS Lectura subtests have been specifically designed and validated to screen for dyslexia risks.
mCLASS Lectura was specifically developed to ensure the measure is able to meet state-level screening requirements for both dyslexia and universal reading screening. The research and development of Lectura was designed with this use in mind to accurately identify reading difficulties, including difficulties related to risk for dyslexia.
How does mCLASS Lectura support the use of running records?
Track your students’ reading progress from every angle with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) assessment. When TRC is paired with the Lectura assessment, classroom teachers unlock the ability to record reading behaviors through running digital records. Available in English and Spanish, it measures reading comprehension and provides insight into how each student finds meaning in text.
How does mCLASS Lectura turn data into instant action?
mCLASS Lectura gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS Lectura analyzes individual student response data through a proprietary scoring algorithm that pinpoints a student’s specific area(s) of growth and improvement, providing classroom teachers in-depth insight into a students’ instructional needs.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS Lectura provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dual language reports
When mCLASS Lectura and mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers will receive an asset-based picture of a student’s biliteracy and instructional guidance on how to leverage literacy skills in one language to support literacy skill development in the second language.
- Side-by-side view of foundational literacy skills in English and Spanish
- Explicit guidance to teachers to support asset-based instruction using cross-linguistic transfer strategies
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect letter provides parent and caregivers information in English or Spanish about the student’s literacy and guidance on how to support their child at home.
Clickable demo
Our clickable demo is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform and the mCLASS Lectura assessment. Click the button below to get started.
Here you will find 10 interactive screens:
- Screen 2: Scroll down to the class list. Find Gabriel Archulata. Click on his score for “Decodificación”.
- Screen 3: Explore Gabriel’s measure transcript. Then click on the gray arrow to the far right to advance to the next screen.
- Screen 4: Click on the “Instruction” tab.
- Screen 5: Scroll down to “Decoding Group 4” and click “See Activities”.
- Screen 6: Click on the first activity called “Identificar y leer palabras con los dígrafos ch y ll.”
- Screen 7: Click on the gray arrow to the far right to advance to the next screen.
- Screen 8: Explore the detailed “Student” tab and then click the “Dual Language” tab.
- Screen 9: Scroll down to the section about Gabriel’s phonological awareness skills. Click on the link called “Cross-Linguistic Transfer: Phonological Awareness”.
- Screen 10: Click on the gray arrow to the far right to advance to the next screen. Explore the “Home Connect” letter.
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Text Reading and Comprehension (a.k.a. running records via mCLASS: Reading 3D)
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment?
Developed by the University of Oregon, the DIBELS 8th Edition is the latest version of the DIBELS® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment.
With this latest version, the University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning (UO CTL) made significant efforts to ensure measures would meet state-level screening requirements for universal screening, diagnostic assessment, and dyslexia screening. To support this, measures were updated based on the latest research to meet increased standards of reliability and validity. In addition, adaptive procedures and discontinue rules focus on the assessment of priority skills and prevent over-testing.
Summary of changes:
- Consistent measures within grades will provide improved growth measurement.
- All subtests have been revised to be grade-specific and to increase in difficulty, covering a full progression of skills and minimizing floor and ceiling effects. This provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and further pinpoint what they don’t know.
- Phoneme Segmentation Fluency replaces First Sound Fluency. The expanded coverage minimizes floor effect and provides information about difficulty in Phonemic Awareness skills without the additional First Sound Fluency measure.
- A new subtest, Word Reading Fluency, helps identify students with poor sight word reading skills that other subtests miss.
- For all measures, the basic scoring procedures remain the same. For Nonsense Word Fluency, credit is given for recording words as whole words even if the student misses in the first attempt.
- Oral Reading Fluency is now only one passage, instead of three. Retell has been removed. Thus, Oral Reading Fluency assessment will take a third of the time.
Assessment measures by grade
| DIBELS measures at each grade level | |||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grades 4–6 |
| Letter naming fluency | |
|
|||
| Phonemic segmentation fluency | |
|
|||
| Nonsense word fluency | |
|
|
|
|
| Word reading fluency | |
|
|
|
|
| Oral reading fluency | |
|
|
|
|
| Maze (basic comprehension) | |
|
|
||
| Amplify measures at each grade level | |||||
| Oral language | |
|
|
|
|
| Vocabulary | |
|
|
|
|
Assessment measures sample videos
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Word Reading Fluency (WRF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
What makes mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment measures. As a result – educators are empowered with the latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What” questions, but also the “So What” and “Now What” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition helps teachers answer with confidence.
What makes mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
- It gives teachers access to the latest digital version of the DIBELS assessment. Amplify is the only licensed provider of the digital DIBELS 8th Edition assessment. As such, our solution is the only one to enhance the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment with the power, reliability, and quickness of the mCLASS system.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS Lectura, teachers have access to dual language reports that highlight a student’s strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support screening for dyslexia risk?
DIBELS 8th Edition measures have been updated based on the latest research. They now offer stronger measures of processing speed, phonological awareness, and alphabetic principles for dyslexia screening purposes.
To support this, a new subtest in Word Reading Fluency was introduced and revisions were made to Letter Naming Fluency, Phonemic Segmentation Fluency, and Nonsense Fluency subtests to improve their ability to screen for deficits commonly associated with dyslexia risk, such as phonological awareness, rapid naming ability, and alphabetic principle. These measures provide early warning signs for neurological processing difficulties that contribute to risk for dyslexia (Wolf & Bowers, 1999; Denckla & Rudel, 1974).
Moreover, measures in Oral Language and Vocabulary are included to provide additional information to help evaluate additional risk areas associated with dyslexia risk.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support the use of running records?
Track your students’ reading progress from every angle with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) assessment. When TRC is paired with the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment, classroom teachers unlock the ability to record reading behaviors through running digital records. Available in English and Spanish, it measures reading comprehension and provides insight into how each student finds meaning in text.
Measures include:
- Lesson plans for whole class, small-group, and one-on-one instruction.
- Small-group advisor, which organizes students into groups based on strengths and gaps.
- Item-level advisor, which drills deep into student responses to uncover patterns, strengths, and gaps.
- Instructional resources for each student’s parent/guardian(s).
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition turn data into instant action?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition analyzes individual student response data through a proprietary scoring algorithm that pinpoints a student’s specific area(s) of growth and improvement, providing classroom teachers in-depth insight into a students’ instructional needs.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dyslexia screening
Identify students who are at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, based on their results from foundational skills measures and additional measures as needed by local policies.
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Goal setting tool
The Zones of Growth (ZoG) analysis uses a rich set of national data to determine student goals for the next benchmark period. Teachers can use the Goal Setting Tool to view these recommended goals or modify the default goals for individual students as they see fit, if the default goal is too challenging or not challenging enough.
Growth outcomes
Teachers and interventionists can see each student’s actual growth achieved and how it compares to the goal that was set for the student.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect website houses literacy resources for parents and caregivers, including at-home lessons organized by skill. Our mCLASS parent/caregiver letters in English and Spanish ensure that families know how to best support their child.
Self-guided tour
Our self-guided tour is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform. Click the button below to get started.
Demo access
Follow the instructions below to login to your demo account.
- Click the mCLASS Demo button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: d8demoD
- Enter the password: 1234
- Click the Reading tile.
Once you are logged in:
- Find the Class/Group dropdown field and select Grade 1.
- Right above the Class Summary, click Beginning of Year or Middle of Year and explore the data.
- Scroll down to the class list. Each column within the class list is sortable by clicking the double arrow in the column header.
- Click on any score to see the measure transcript.
- Click on a student’s name to see historical data and progress monitoring graphs.
After exploring the Benchmark tab in the purple bar:
- Click on the Instruction tab.
- If you don’t see groups, click Updated recommendations.
- Explore freely! The Groups, Students, and All Activities tabs have rich information.
- Click the Progress tab.
- Click on Home Connect to see a sample of our caregiver letters.
What is Amplify CKLA?
Amplify CKLA is a core ELA program for grades TK–5 that delivers:
- A unique research-based approach truly built on the Science of Reading.
- A combination of explicit foundational skills with meaningful knowledge-building.
- Embedded support and differentiation that gets all students reading grade-level texts together.
- Opportunities for students to see the strengths and experiences that all people share while also celebrating each others’ unique identities and experiences.
- Authentic Spanish language arts instruction with Amplify Caminos.
How does Amplify CKLA work?
Grades K–2: Dedicated knowledge-building and explicit skills instruction
Every day, students in Grades K–2 complete one full lesson that explicitly and systematically builds foundational reading skills in the Skills Strand, as well as one full lesson that builds robust background knowledge to access complex text in the Knowledge Strand. Through learning in each of these strands, students develop the early literacy skills necessary to help them become confident readers and build the context to understand what they’re reading.
Grades 3–5: Integrated instruction
In Grades 3–5, Knowledge and Skills are integrated in one set of instructional materials. Lessons begin to combine skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater writing emphasis. Students can then use their skills to go on their own independent reading adventures.
What makes Amplify CKLA different?
Built on the Science of Reading
Built out of the latest research in the Science of Reading, Amplify CKLA delivers explicit instruction in both foundational literacy skills (systematic phonics, decoding, and fluency) and background knowledge in grades K–2 with an integrated approach to explicit instruction in grades 3–5.
Review this Science of Reading toolkit to learn more about the Science of Reading best practices integrated throughout CKLA.
Explicit systematic skills instruction
Great reading instruction starts with helping kids develop great decoding skills. By building a solid foundation of phonological awareness and phonics, reading the words on the page becomes automatic so that comprehension and critical thinking can happen. Our instruction is supported by:
- Step-by-step lessons with multisensory approaches, clear lesson objectives, and embedded formative assessments.
- Decodable books and student readers with ebook and audiobook versions that feature interesting plots and relatable characters.
- An engaging sound library with fun songs and videos that develop phonological awareness.
- An interactive Vocab App featuring engaging activities with immediate feedback and automated, customized instruction based on student performance.
Coherent knowledge instruction
Students build grade-appropriate subject-area knowledge and vocabulary in history, science, literature, and the arts while learning to read, write, and think creatively and for themselves. Our instruction is supported by:
- Knowledge builders that provide a quick overview of each domain with its key ideas.
- Interactive Read-Alouds designed to build knowledge and vocabulary.
- Content-rich anchor texts that support students as they tackle increasingly complex text and sharpen their analytical skills.
- Social and emotional learning paired with lessons in civic responsibility.
Embedded differentiation for all learners
Amplify CKLA provides built-in differentiation strategies in every lesson for all students, including supports for English learners and Standard English learners.
- Access supports for ELs: Integrated ELD supports in each lesson segment
for English learners and Standard English learners are specific to students’ mastery of the lesson’s objectives. - Support and Challenge for all learners: Lessons include Support and Challenge suggestions that provide assistance or opportunities for more advanced work toward the goal of the lesson. These supports are suitable for all learners, including ELs.
- 30 minutes of Additional Support in every Skills lesson: In the Skills Strand, every lesson concludes with an Additional Support section of recommendations for 30 minutes of extended instruction and activities, directly aligned to the skills taught in the lesson to assist students who need more support in mastering the lesson’s objectives.
- Intervention Toolkit: The Intervention Toolkit provides easy-to-use resources to assist teachers in filling gaps in students’ foundational skills. Teachers will find of hundreds of activities to support phonics, fluency, comprehension, handwriting, and other key skills.
Designated ELD
Amplify CKLA’s designated English Language Development (ELD) component—Language Studio— helps English learners preview and revisit key content within core instruction, building a foundation of academic vocabulary and background knowledge. Core instruction lessons include point-of-use supports for English learners and Support and Challenge strategies for all learners.
Built on the California ELA/ELD Framework, our carefully developed program follows the CKLA Knowledge domains, previewing and reinforcing skills and content from core instruction using instruction specifically built for English learners. The program is also designed around frequent formative assessment, including assessment of language proficiency, giving you effective ways to guide and support your English learners.
Language Studio supports teachers and English learners through the following:
- 30 minutes of instruction with lesson segments are carefully designed around Content Knowledge, Meaning Making, Language Development, Effective Expression, and Foundational Skills.
- Every Language Studio lesson accompanies a core lesson, helping English learners deepen domain and academic vocabulary that will help them access core content.
- Culminating tasks support core projects and target the same skills as primary instruction.
Ready-to-go slides and all-in-one platform
The slides-based Amplify CKLA digital experience enhances instruction while saving you time. Everything you need is all in one place, making it easier than ever to plan lessons, present digital content, and review student work.
- Simplify planning and instruction: Teachers have access to ready-to-use and customizable lesson presentation slides, complete with all the prompts from the print Teacher Guide embedded in the teacher view. As teachers deliver each lesson, students can engage with the content in one cohesive
experience—through Activity Books, slides, digital components, videos, Student Readers, and more. - Interactive student activities: Through the Student Home, students can easily access digital lessons with slides, Activity Pages, ebooks, videos, and other interactive resources from one simple dashboard.
- Your teacher command center: You’re provided with the tools you need to ensure a productive digital experience that’s personalized to meet your students’ needs. This includes a teacher home from which to launch and track lessons, LMS integrations such as Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, and other customizations based on classroom needs.
- Get real-time insights into your students’ work: The innovative live review tool enables you to keep an eye on students drawing, recording audio, uploading and capturing images, and typing or writing in pre-placed text boxes in their Activity Pages.
How does Amplify CKLA integrate with the other parts of the literacy system?
Amplify CKLA + mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition
Amplify CKLA integrates with your mCLASS assessment through the CKLA Connect feature, which matches your students with targeted CKLA lessons based on their mCLASS assessment data. In other words, it aligns your assessments more closely with your core curriculum while recommending effective differentiated instruction.
Amplify CKLA + Amplify Reading
Amplify Reading is the student-driven skill practice program within CKLA, providing differentiated, digital instruction in both foundational skills and comprehension strategies. Because Amplify Reading is built on the same approach to reading as CKLA, students are able to extend their learning from the core program further, at their own pace.
Amplify CKLA and Amplify Reading reinforce each other through:
- An aligned scope and sequence and instructional approach: In both probrams, students get instruction and practice in phonological awareness and phonics, with the most common, least ambiguous spellings first.
- Consistent vocabulary words: Many Amplify CKLA words are taught and practiced in Amplify Reading vocabulary games.
- Complementary texts: Fiction and nonfiction books within Amplify Reading reinforce Amplify CKLA knowledge domains.
- Seamless integrations between platforms: Students can easily access Amplify Reading directly from the Amplify CKLA Student Hub.
Navigating the program
Digital navigation walkthrough
Physical materials walkthrough
Sample materials
Demo access
Follow the instructions below to access your demo account.
- Click the CKLA and Caminos Demo button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- To explore as a teacher, enter this username: t1.westadackla@demo.tryamplify.net
- To explore as a student, enter this username: s1.westadackla@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: Amplify1-westadackla
- Click the Programs and apps menu
- Select CKLA Teacher Resource Site
- Select the desire grade level
- Use the toggle to switch between English (CKLA) and Spanish (Caminos) resources.
Note: Your demo account access expires on January 19, 2023.
Check out these additional resources
Amplify CKLA review resources:
- CKLA Program Guide
- Text complexity in CKLA
- Trade books in CKLA
- Assessments in CKLA
- Remote and hybrid learning with CKLA
- Amplify ELA technical specifications
- Amplify CKLA Scopes and Sequences
- Grade K Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 1 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 2 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 3 Integrated
- Grade 4 Integrated
- Grade 5 Integrated
- Corrleations to the Idaho Content Standards English Language Arts/Literacy
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Text Reading and Comprehension (a.k.a. running records via mCLASS: Reading 3D)
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment?
Developed by the University of Oregon, the DIBELS 8th Edition is the latest version of the DIBELS® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment.
With this latest version, the University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning (UO CTL) made significant efforts to ensure measures would meet state-level screening requirements for universal screening, diagnostic assessment, and dyslexia screening. To support this, measures were updated based on the latest research to meet increased standards of reliability and validity. In addition, adaptive procedures and discontinue rules focus on the assessment of priority skills and prevent over-testing.
Summary of changes:
- Consistent measures within grades will provide improved growth measurement.
- All subtests have been revised to be grade-specific and to increase in difficulty, covering a full progression of skills and minimizing floor and ceiling effects. This provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and further pinpoint what they don’t know.
- Phoneme Segmentation Fluency replaces First Sound Fluency. The expanded coverage minimizes floor effect and provides information about difficulty in Phonemic Awareness skills without the additional First Sound Fluency measure.
- A new subtest, Word Reading Fluency, helps identify students with poor sight word reading skills that other subtests miss.
- For all measures, the basic scoring procedures remain the same. For Nonsense Word Fluency, credit is given for recording words as whole words even if the student misses in the first attempt.
- Oral Reading Fluency is now only one passage, instead of three. Retell has been removed. Thus, Oral Reading Fluency assessment will take a third of the time.
Assessment measures by grade
| DIBELS measures at each grade level | |||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grades 4–6 |
| Letter naming fluency | |
|
|||
| Phonemic segmentation fluency | |
|
|||
| Nonsense word fluency | |
|
|
|
|
| Word reading fluency | |
|
|
|
|
| Oral reading fluency | |
|
|
|
|
| Maze (basic comprehension) | |
|
|
||
| Amplify measures at each grade level | |||||
| Oral language | |
|
|
|
|
| Vocabulary | |
|
|
|
|
Assessment measures sample videos
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Word Reading Fluency (WRF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
What makes mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment measures. As a result – educators are empowered with the latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What” questions, but also the “So What” and “Now What” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition helps teachers answer with confidence.
What makes mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
- It gives teachers access to the latest digital version of the DIBELS assessment. Amplify is the only licensed provider of the digital DIBELS 8th Edition assessment. As such, our solution is the only one to enhance the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment with the power, reliability, and quickness of the mCLASS system.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS Lectura, teachers have access to dual language reports that highlight a student’s strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support screening for dyslexia risk?
DIBELS 8th Edition measures have been updated based on the latest research. They now offer stronger measures of processing speed, phonological awareness, and alphabetic principles for dyslexia screening purposes.
To support this, a new subtest in Word Reading Fluency was introduced and revisions were made to Letter Naming Fluency, Phonemic Segmentation Fluency, and Nonsense Fluency subtests to improve their ability to screen for deficits commonly associated with dyslexia risk, such as phonological awareness, rapid naming ability, and alphabetic principle. These measures provide early warning signs for neurological processing difficulties that contribute to risk for dyslexia (Wolf & Bowers, 1999; Denckla & Rudel, 1974).
Moreover, measures in Oral Language and Vocabulary are included to provide additional information to help evaluate additional risk areas associated with dyslexia risk.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support the use of running records?
Track your students’ reading progress from every angle with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) assessment. When TRC is paired with the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment, classroom teachers unlock the ability to record reading behaviors through running digital records. Available in English and Spanish, it measures reading comprehension and provides insight into how each student finds meaning in text.
Measures include:
- Lesson plans for whole class, small-group, and one-on-one instruction.
- Small-group advisor, which organizes students into groups based on strengths and gaps.
- Item-level advisor, which drills deep into student responses to uncover patterns, strengths, and gaps.
- Instructional resources for each student’s parent/guardian(s).
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition turn data into instant action?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition analyzes individual student response data through a proprietary scoring algorithm that pinpoints a student’s specific area(s) of growth and improvement, providing classroom teachers in-depth insight into a students’ instructional needs.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dyslexia screening
Identify students who are at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, based on their results from foundational skills measures and additional measures as needed by local policies.
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Goal setting tool
The Zones of Growth (ZoG) analysis uses a rich set of national data to determine student goals for the next benchmark period. Teachers can use the Goal Setting Tool to view these recommended goals or modify the default goals for individual students as they see fit, if the default goal is too challenging or not challenging enough.
Growth outcomes
Teachers and interventionists can see each student’s actual growth achieved and how it compares to the goal that was set for the student.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect website houses literacy resources for parents and caregivers, including at-home lessons organized by skill. Our mCLASS parent/caregiver letters in English and Spanish ensure that families know how to best support their child.
Self-guided tour
Our self-guided tour is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform. Click the button below to get started.
Demo access
Follow the instructions below to login to your demo account.
- Click the mCLASS Demo button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: d8demoD
- Enter the password: 1234
- Click the Reading tile.
Once you are logged in:
- Find the Class/Group dropdown field and select Grade 1.
- Right above the Class Summary, click Beginning of Year or Middle of Year and explore the data.
- Scroll down to the class list. Each column within the class list is sortable by clicking the double arrow in the column header.
- Click on any score to see the measure transcript.
- Click on a student’s name to see historical data and progress monitoring graphs.
After exploring the Benchmark tab in the purple bar:
- Click on the Instruction tab.
- If you don’t see groups, click Updated recommendations.
- Explore freely! The Groups, Students, and All Activities tabs have rich information.
- Click the Progress tab.
- Click on Home Connect to see a sample of our caregiver letters.
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Text Reading and Comprehension (a.k.a. running records via Amplify Atlas Español)
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the Lectura assessment?
The Lectura assessment is a brand-new interim and diagnostic assessment that consists of measures based on the latest research of how Spanish literacy develops.
Co-developed with the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon (UO CTL) and validated in partnership with Dr. Lillian Durán, the Lectura assessment was created to provide educators with a high-quality, evidence-based tool to support understanding of Spanish-speaking students’ biliteracy development, specifically foundational Spanish reading skills, which includes measures of phonological awareness, alphabetic understanding and decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
The measures in Lectura were written from the ground-up to assess students’ literacy development based on how Spanish literacy develops. Measures explicitly account for the syllabic and morphological structures of Spanish, and connected text was written and calibrated with respect to syntactical, lexical, and grammatical rules of Spanish. For example, phonological awareness is measured using syllable segmentation, and letter sounds and syllable reading are included in the decoding subtests for greater face-validity (in lieu of pseudowords). Word choice reflects the multisyllabic word complexity and variety of Spanish, driven by how decoding skills develop in Spanish. As such, Lectura provides instructionally actionable data for all students, including those scoring below the benchmark and those who meet or exceed the benchmark.
The Lectura assessment measures were purposefully designed, developed, field tested, and evaluated to address limitations that educators of Spanish speaking students have experienced in assessments. Specifically in these ways:
- Assessment measures based on current research on how Spanish literacy is developed
- Culturally responsive word choice and content reflecting the regional diversity of Spanish
- Technical adequacy established through rigorous study
- A sample size and geographic diversity reflecting the broad population of Spanish speakers across the U.S.
- Complete parity with English solutions (instructional tools, skill coverage)
Assessment measures by grade
| Lectura measures at each grade level | |||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grades 4–6 |
| Fluidez en nombrar letras | |
|
|
||
| Fluidez en la segmentación de sílabas | |
|
|||
| ¿Qué queda? | |
|
|
||
| Fluidez en los sonidos de letras | |
|
|||
| Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas | |
|
|||
| Fluidez en las palabras | |
|
|
|
|
| Fluidez en la lectura oral | |
|
|
|
|
| ¿Cuál palabra? | |
|
|
|
|
| Amplify measures at each grade level | |||||
| Oral Language Español | |
|
|
||
| Vocabulario | |
|
|
|
|
Assessment measures sample videos
Please note that the videos below are intended for illustrative purposes only. Performance levels in mCLASS Lectura have yet to be finalized.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en nombrar letras (FNL)
Students are asked to identify as many uppercase and lowercase letter names as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de letras (FSL)
Students are asked to identify the sounds of as many uppercase and lowercase letters as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas (LSS)
Students are presented with a page of printed orthographically regular Spanish syllables and asked to read as many syllables as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en la lectura oral (FLO)
Students are presented with an authentically written informational or narrative passage of Spanish connected text and asked to read as much of the passage as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: ¿Qué Queda? (QQ)
Students are presented with a word orally and then the examiner omits part of the word (i.e., compound word part, syllable, or phoneme). Students are asked to identify what word remains after the word part has been elided.
What makes mCLASS Lectura different?
mCLASS Lectura combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the Lectura assessment measures. As a result – educators are empowered with latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS Lectura is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student. What’s more, it addresses the classroom inequities Spanish-speaking students face along their early literacy journeys.
Spanish-speaking students have been underserved and misclassified for decades. With mCLASS Lectura, teachers of Spanish-speaking students finally have access to the same robust assessment tools that have been available to teachers of English-speaking students for years.
Plus! When mCLASS Lectura and DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers are empowered with a more holistic view of their Spanish-speaking students abilities in both English and Spanish, making instructional next steps more targeted and effective.
What makes mCLASS Lectura different?
- It gives teachers access to authentic Spanish measures. Amplify is the only provider of the Lectura assessment. Rather than a direct translation of an English assessment, our solution is the only one to provide teachers a research-based, authentic Spanish assessment that is both valid and reliable.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, teachers have access to Dual Language Reports that highlight a students strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What?” questions, but also the “So What?” and “Now What?” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS Lectura helps teachers answer with confidence.
How does mCLASS Lectura support screening for dyslexia risk?
mCLASS Lectura subtests have been specifically designed and validated to screen for dyslexia risks.
mCLASS Lectura was specifically developed to ensure the measure is able to meet state-level screening requirements for both dyslexia and universal reading screening. The research and development of Lectura was designed with this use in mind to accurately identify reading difficulties, including difficulties related to risk for dyslexia.
How does mCLASS Lectura support the use of running records?
Track your students’ reading progress from every angle with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) assessment. When TRC is paired with the Lectura assessment, classroom teachers unlock the ability to record reading behaviors through running digital records. Available in English and Spanish, it measures reading comprehension and provides insight into how each student finds meaning in text.
How does mCLASS Lectura turn data into instant action?
mCLASS Lectura gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS Lectura analyzes individual student response data through a proprietary scoring algorithm that pinpoints a student’s specific area(s) of growth and improvement, providing classroom teachers in-depth insight into a students’ instructional needs.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS Lectura provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dual language reports
When mCLASS Lectura and mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers will receive an asset-based picture of a student’s biliteracy and instructional guidance on how to leverage literacy skills in one language to support literacy skill development in the second language.
- Side-by-side view of foundational literacy skills in English and Spanish
- Explicit guidance to teachers to support asset-based instruction using cross-linguistic transfer strategies
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect letter provides parent and caregivers information in English or Spanish about the student’s literacy and guidance on how to support their child at home.
Clickable demo
Our clickable demo is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform and the mCLASS Lectura assessment. Click the button below to get started.
Here you will find 10 interactive screens:
- Screen 2: Scroll down to the class list. Find Gabriel Archulata. Click on his score for “Decodificación”.
- Screen 3: Explore Gabriel’s measure transcript. Then click on the gray arrow to the far right to advance to the next screen.
- Screen 4: Click on the “Instruction” tab.
- Screen 5: Scroll down to “Decoding Group 4” and click “See Activities”.
- Screen 6: Click on the first activity called “Identificar y leer palabras con los dígrafos ch y ll.”
- Screen 7: Click on the gray arrow to the far right to advance to the next screen.
- Screen 8: Explore the detailed “Student” tab and then click the “Dual Language” tab.
- Screen 9: Scroll down to the section about Gabriel’s phonological awareness skills. Click on the link called “Cross-Linguistic Transfer: Phonological Awareness”.
- Screen 10: Click on the gray arrow to the far right to advance to the next screen. Explore the “Home Connect” letter.
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the Lectura assessment?
The Lectura assessment is a brand-new interim and diagnostic assessment that consists of measures based on the latest research of how Spanish literacy develops.
Co-developed with the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon (UO CTL) and validated in partnership with Dr. Lillian Durán, the Lectura assessment was created to provide educators with a high-quality, evidence-based tool to support understanding of Spanish-speaking students’ biliteracy development, specifically foundational Spanish reading skills, which includes measures of phonological awareness, alphabetic understanding and decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
The measures in Lectura were written from the ground-up to assess students’ literacy development based on how Spanish literacy develops. Measures explicitly account for the syllabic and morphological structures of Spanish, and connected text was written and calibrated with respect to syntactical, lexical, and grammatical rules of Spanish. For example, phonological awareness is measured using syllable segmentation, and letter sounds and syllable reading are included in the decoding subtests for greater face-validity (in lieu of pseudowords). Word choice reflects the multisyllabic word complexity and variety of Spanish, driven by how decoding skills develop in Spanish. As such, Lectura provides instructionally actionable data for all students, including those scoring below the benchmark and those who meet or exceed the benchmark.
The Lectura assessment measures were purposefully designed, developed, field tested, and evaluated to address limitations that educators of Spanish speaking students have experienced in assessments. Specifically in these ways:
- Assessment measures based on current research on how Spanish literacy is developed
- Culturally responsive word choice and content reflecting the regional diversity of Spanish
- Technical adequacy established through rigorous study
- A sample size and geographic diversity reflecting the broad population of Spanish speakers across the U.S.
- Complete parity with English solutions (instructional tools, skill coverage)
Assessment measures by grade
| Lectura measures at each grade level | ||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 |
| Fluidez en nombrar letras |  | |  | |
| Fluidez en la segmentación de sílabas | | | ||
| ¿Qué queda? | | | | |
| Fluidez en los sonidos de letras | | | ||
| Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas | | | ||
| Fluidez en las palabras | | | | |
| Fluidez en la lectura oral | | | | |
| ¿Cuál palabra? | | | | |
| Amplify measures at each grade level | ||||
| Oral Language Español | | | | |
| Vocabulario | | | | |
Assessment measures sample videos
Please note that the videos below are intended for illustrative purposes only. Performance levels in mCLASS Lectura have yet to be finalized.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en nombrar letras (FNL)
Students are asked to identify as many uppercase and lowercase letter names as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de letras (FSL)
Students are asked to identify the sounds of as many uppercase and lowercase letters as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas (LSS)
Students are presented with a page of printed orthographically regular Spanish syllables and asked to read as many syllables as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en la lectura oral (FLO)
Students are presented with an authentically written informational or narrative passage of Spanish connected text and asked to read as much of the passage as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: ¿Qué Queda? (QQ)
Students are presented with a word orally and then the examiner omits part of the word (i.e., compound word part, syllable, or phoneme). Students are asked to identify what word remains after the word part has been elided.
How is mCLASS Lectura different?
mCLASS Lectura combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the Lectura assessment measures. As a result – educators across the state are empowered with latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS Lectura is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student. What’s more, it addresses the classroom inequities Spanish-speaking students face along their early literacy journeys.
Spanish-speaking students have been underserved and misclassified for decades. With mCLASS Lectura, teachers of Spanish-speaking students finally have access to the same robust assessment tools that have been available to teachers of English-speaking students for years.
Plus! When mCLASS Lectura and DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers are empowered with a more holistic view of their Spanish-speaking students abilities in both English and Spanish, making instructional next steps more targeted and effective.
How is mCLASS Lectura different?
- It gives teachers access to authentic Spanish measures. Amplify is the only provider of the Lectura assessment. Rather than a direct translation of an English assessment, our solution is the only one to provide teachers a research-based, authentic Spanish assessment that is both valid and reliable.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, teachers have access to Dual Language Reports that highlight a student’s strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What?” questions, but also the “So What?” and “Now What?” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS Lectura helps teachers answer with confidence.
How does mCLASS Lectura support screening for dyslexia risk?
mCLASS Lectura subtests have been specifically designed and validated to screen for dyslexia risks.
mCLASS Lectura was specifically developed to ensure the measure is able to meet state-level screening requirements for both dyslexia and universal reading screening. The research and development of Lectura was designed with this use in mind to accurately identify reading difficulties, including difficulties related to risk for dyslexia.
How does mCLASS Lectura turn data into instant action?
mCLASS Lectura gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS Lectura analyzes individual student response data through a scoring algorithm which aligns to the Colorado Department of Education’s stated purpose of a diagnostic assessment.
Our innovative approach to diagnostic assessment leverages an item-level evaluation of individual student responses in order to provide deeper insights into specific student weaknesses and areas of improvement. mCLASS Lectura analyzes individual student response data through a scoring algorithm which aligns to the Colorado Department of Education’s stated purpose of a diagnostic: “… to pinpoint a student’s specific area(s) of weakness and provide in-depth information about students’ skills and instructional needs.”
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS Lectura provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dual language reports
When mCLASS Lectura and mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers will receive an asset-based picture of a student’s biliteracy and instructional guidance on how to leverage literacy skills in one language to support literacy skill development in the second language.
- Side-by-side view of foundational literacy skills in English and Spanish
- Explicit guidance to teachers to support asset-based instruction using cross-linguistic transfer strategies
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Colorado READ Plans
The Colorado READ Act places importance on considering students’ English proficiency and the impact it may have on assessment. Thus the READ Act provides an option for districts to assess Spanish-speaking students in their native language, who are not yet partially proficient in English.
Amplify recommends that a student who is categorized by the mCLASS Lectura composite score as “At High Risk” (denoted in all reports as “red”) be considered as potentially having a “Significant Reading Deficiency,” then further diagnosed using mCLASS’ Instruction diagnostics.
When devising a READ Plan, teachers and instructional staff should first consider students at high risk on mCLASS Lectura as potentially having a “Significant Reading Deficiency,” and eligible for a READ Plan. Students are then further diagnosed using mCLASS’ Instruction diagnostics. When devising a READ Plan, teachers can rely on the relevant mCLASS Instruction and Reports to comply with the READ Act.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect letter provides parent and caregivers information in English or Spanish about the student’s literacy and guidance on how to support their child at home.
Explore our self-guided tour
Our self-guided tour is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform. Click the button below to get started.
Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
As a provider of technology solutions to schools, Amplify’s commitment to data privacy and security is essential to our organization. Amplify demonstrates that commitment in part through the physical, technical, and administrative safeguards we maintain to protect student data and other sensitive information entrusted to our care.
Amplify looks forward to working with the security community to find security vulnerabilities and support our efforts to keep our data and systems safe and secure.
Before reporting a vulnerability, please read our program rules, eligibility overview, report submission rules and guidelines, legal terms, and out-of-scope list set out below.
General Rules
- We appreciate reports on any Amplify-owned asset, but only vulnerabilities that prove to be outside of expected behavior are eligible for acceptance.
- Reports involving third party services or providers not under Amplify’s control are out-of-scope for submission.
- Amplify places a high priority on privacy. Vulnerabilities in the areas of inadvertent exposure of our customers’ personally identifiable information (PII) are considered to be of Critical severity.
- We classify vulnerability severity per CVSS (the Common Vulnerability Scoring Standard). These are general guidelines, and the ultimate decision over a reward – whether to give one and in what amount – is a decision that lies entirely within our discretion on a case-by-case basis.
- In order to receive an award for validated reports, you must have a HackerOne account. Please note reward decisions are subject to the discretion of Amplify. Please note these are general guidelines, and that reward decisions are subject to the discretion of Amplify.
- Only interact with test accounts that you created via self sign-up or were provided by Amplify. The use of any credentials outside of these areas for testing purposes, including legacy credentials supplied through the program and leaked credentials from third parties is strictly prohibited.
- Do not contact Amplify’s customer support for questions or to submit a vulnerability report.
- Amplify may, in its sole discretion, disqualify you if you breach this policy or fail to comply with any of the program’s rules and terms.
- Amplify reserves the right to cancel or modify this program without notice at any time.
Eligibility
- You are not eligible for participation if you 1) are employed by Amplify or any of its affiliates 2) are an immediate family member of a person employed by Amplify or any of its affiliates or 3) left the employment of Amplify or its affiliates or subsidiaries within the past (12) months.
- You are not eligible for participation if you have been prohibited in writing from participating in the Bug Bounty Program by Amplify at any time.
- You may not be in violation of any national, state, or local law or regulation with respect to any activities directly or indirectly related to conducting your tests.
- You may not compromise the privacy or safety of our customer and the operation of our services;
- You may not cause harm to Amplify, our customers, or others;
- You must follow the policy guidelines to responsibly disclose vulnerabilities to Amplify.
Vulnerability Submission Rules & Guidelines
- Any testing conducted on customer data or accounts is strictly prohibited and will result in removal from the program.
- If during the course of testing you encounter any sensitive data outside of your test accounts (including student or teacher names, login info, assessment data, activity data, and student work, etc.), please cease testing immediately and report what you have found. DO NOT include any text, screenshots, etc. with PII in the report. This action safeguards both potentially vulnerable data and yourself.
- Do not access, download, or share any data you encounter in your testing.
- Only interact with test accounts that you created or that we provided. The use of any credentials outside of these areas for testing purposes is strictly prohibited.
- Provide detailed reports with reproducible steps. If the report is not detailed enough to reproduce the issue, the issue will not be eligible for a reward.
- In some cases, you may not have all of the context information to assess the impact of a vulnerability. If you’re unsure of the direct impact but are reasonably certain that you have identified a vulnerability, we encourage you to submit a detailed report and state the open questions on impact.
- When duplicate submissions for the same vulnerability occur, we only award the first report that was received, provided that it can be fully reproduced.
- Multiple reports describing the same vulnerability against multiple assets or endpoints must be submitted within a single report.
- Avoid destruction of data and interruption or degradation of our service.
- Proof of Concept (POC) videos that do not include PII are highly recommended to help verify the issue, provide clarity, and save time on triage.
- Please provide timely responses to any follow-up questions and requests for additional information.
- Understand that there could be submissions for which we accept the risk, have other compensating controls, or will not address in the manner expected. When this happens, we will act as transparently as we can to provide you with the necessary context as to how the decision was made.
- Reports submitted using methods that violate policy rules will not be accepted and may result in account suspension from/denial of entrance to the program.
- Please refer to any noted out-of-scope areas listed under Out-of-Scope Vulnerabilities.
Out-of-Scope Vulnerabilities
When reporting vulnerabilities, please consider (1) attack scenario / exploitability, and (2) security impact of the bug. The following issues are considered out-of scope. In addition, please refer to any noted Out of Scope areas listed under the program assets.
- Social engineering (e.g. phishing, vishing, smishing) is prohibited.
- Clickjacking on pages with no sensitive actions.
- Unauthenticated/logout/login CSRF.
- Attacks requiring MITM or physical access to a user’s device.
- Previously known vulnerable libraries without a working Proof of Concept.
- Comma Separated Values (CSV) injection without demonstrating a vulnerability.
- Missing best practices in SSL/TLS configuration.
- Any activity that could lead to the disruption of our service (DoS).
- Content spoofing and text injection issues without showing an attack vector/without being able to modify HTML/CSS.
- XSRF that requires the knowledge of a secret.
- Automated tools that could generate significant traffic and possibly impair the functioning of our services.
- Testing or demonstrating the ability to upload unlimited audio/video files to exhaust resources.
- Leaked credentials from third party providers, including invalid or stale employee credential dumps, and/or leaked personal information of Amplify staff.
- Leaked credentials for Amplify customers not caused by vulnerabilities in our systems.
- Vulnerabilities identified via third party services or providers where Amplify is not the owner.
- Issues that merely result in spam/annoyance without additional impact (e.g sending emails without sufficient rate limiting)
- Attempts to access our offices or data centers.
- Any activity that could contribute to the disruption of our service (DoS). Automated scanning tests should be kept to 10 requests per second or less.
- Self XSS.
- Broken links and/or crashes in general.
- Issues that require unlikely user interaction.
- Issues that do not affect the latest version of modern browsers
- Issues that require physical access to a victim’s computer/device.
- Disclosure of information that does not present a significant risk
- Please refer to any noted out-of-scope areas listed under program assets.
Legal
- Any information you receive or collect about us, our affiliates or any of our users, employees or agents in connection with the Bug Bounty Program (“Confidential Information”) must be kept confidential and only used in connection with the Bug Bounty Program. You may not use, disclose or distribute any such Confidential Information, including without limitation any information regarding your Submission, without our prior written consent. You must get written consent by submitting a disclosure request through the HackerOne platform.
- Researchers must follow HackerOne’s disclosure guidelines. Public disclosure or disclosure to other third parties without the explicit permission of Amplify is prohibited.
- We will not take legal action against you if vulnerabilities are found and responsibly reported in compliance with all of the terms and conditions outlined in this policy.
- Amplify reserves the right to modify the terms and conditions of this program without notice at any time, and your participation in the Program constitutes acceptance of all terms.
Submit Vulnerability Report
mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition for Colorado
mCLASS Lectura Review for Colorado
mCLASS® Lectura for SFUSD
mCLASS® Lectura is the brand-new Spanish-language counterpart to the mCLASS® with DIBELS® 8th Edition comprehensive diagnostic assessment system. Its screening, diagnostic assessment, and progress monitoring measures gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, and helps identify students who may be at risk of future reading difficulties such as dyslexia.
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Text Reading and Comprehension (a.k.a. running records via Amplify Atlas Español)
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the Lectura assessment?
The Lectura assessment is a brand-new interim and diagnostic assessment that consists of measures based on the latest research of how Spanish literacy develops.
Co-developed with the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon (UO CTL) and validated in partnership with Dr. Lillian Durán, the Lectura assessment was created to provide educators with a high-quality, evidence-based tool to support understanding of Spanish-speaking students’ biliteracy development, specifically foundational Spanish reading skills, which includes measures of phonological awareness, alphabetic understanding and decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
The measures in Lectura were written from the ground-up to assess students’ literacy development based on how Spanish literacy develops. Measures explicitly account for the syllabic and morphological structures of Spanish, and connected text was written and calibrated with respect to syntactical, lexical, and grammatical rules of Spanish. For example, phonological awareness is measured using syllable segmentation, and letter sounds and syllable reading are included in the decoding subtests for greater face-validity (in lieu of pseudowords). Word choice reflects the multisyllabic word complexity and variety of Spanish, driven by how decoding skills develop in Spanish. As such, Lectura provides instructionally actionable data for all students, including those scoring below the benchmark and those who meet or exceed the benchmark.
The Lectura assessment measures were purposefully designed, developed, field tested, and evaluated to address limitations that educators of Spanish speaking students have experienced in assessments. Specifically in these ways:
- Assessment measures based on current research on how Spanish literacy is developed
- Culturally responsive word choice and content reflecting the regional diversity of Spanish
- Technical adequacy established through rigorous study
- A sample size and geographic diversity reflecting the broad population of Spanish speakers across the U.S.
- Complete parity with English solutions (instructional tools, skill coverage)
Assessment measures by grade
| Lectura measures at each grade level | |||||
|
Measure |
Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grades 4–6 |
| Fluidez en nombrar letras |  |
|
|
||
| Fluidez en la segmentación de sílabas | |
|
|||
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Assessment measures sample videos
Please note that the videos below are intended for illustrative purposes only. Performance levels in mCLASS Lectura have yet to be finalized.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en nombrar letras (FNL)
Students are asked to identify as many uppercase and lowercase letter names as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de letras (FSL)
Students are asked to identify the sounds of as many uppercase and lowercase letters as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en los sonidos de sílabas (LSS)
Students are presented with a page of printed orthographically regular Spanish syllables and asked to read as many syllables as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: Fluidez en la lectura oral (FLO)
Students are presented with an authentically written informational or narrative passage of Spanish connected text and asked to read as much of the passage as they can in one minute.
mCLASS Lectura measure: ¿Qué Queda? (QQ)
Students are presented with a word orally and then the examiner omits part of the word (i.e., compound word part, syllable, or phoneme). Students are asked to identify what word remains after the word part has been elided.
What makes mCLASS Lectura different?
mCLASS Lectura combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the Lectura assessment measures. As a result – educators are empowered with latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS Lectura is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student. What’s more, it addresses the classroom inequities Spanish-speaking students face along their early literacy journeys.
Spanish-speaking students have been underserved and misclassified for decades. With mCLASS Lectura, teachers of Spanish-speaking students finally have access to the same robust assessment tools that have been available to teachers of English-speaking students for years.
Plus! When mCLASS Lectura and DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers are empowered with a more holistic view of their Spanish-speaking students abilities in both English and Spanish, making instructional next steps more targeted and effective.
What makes mCLASS Lectura different?
- It gives teachers access to authentic Spanish measures. Amplify is the only provider of the Lectura assessment. Rather than a direct translation of an English assessment, our solution is the only one to provide teachers a research-based, authentic Spanish assessment that is both valid and reliable.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, teachers have access to Dual Language Reports that highlight a students strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What?” questions, but also the “So What?” and “Now What?” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS Lectura helps teachers answer with confidence.
How does mCLASS Lectura support screening for dyslexia risk?
mCLASS Lectura subtests have been specifically designed and validated to screen for dyslexia risks.
mCLASS Lectura was specifically developed to ensure the measure is able to meet state-level screening requirements for both dyslexia and universal reading screening. The research and development of Lectura was designed with this use in mind to accurately identify reading difficulties, including difficulties related to risk for dyslexia.
How does mCLASS Lectura support the use of running records?
Track your students’ reading progress from every angle with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) assessment. When TRC is paired with the Lectura assessment, classroom teachers unlock the ability to record reading behaviors through running digital records. Available in English and Spanish, it measures reading comprehension and provides insight into how each student finds meaning in text.
How does mCLASS Lectura turn data into instant action?
mCLASS Lectura gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS Lectura analyzes individual student response data through a proprietary scoring algorithm that pinpoints a student’s specific area(s) of growth and improvement, providing classroom teachers in-depth insight into a students’ instructional needs.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS Lectura provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dual language reports
When mCLASS Lectura and mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition are used together, teachers will receive an asset-based picture of a student’s biliteracy and instructional guidance on how to leverage literacy skills in one language to support literacy skill development in the second language.
- Side-by-side view of foundational literacy skills in English and Spanish
- Explicit guidance to teachers to support asset-based instruction using cross-linguistic transfer strategies
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect letter provides parent and caregivers information in English or Spanish about the student’s literacy and guidance on how to support their child at home.
Clickable demo
Our clickable demo is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform and the mCLASS Lectura assessment. Click the button below to get started.
Here you will find 10 interactive screens:
- Screen 2: Scroll down to the class list. Find Gabriel Archulata. Click on his score for “Decodificación”.
- Screen 3: Explore Gabriel’s measure transcript. Then click on the gray arrow to the far right to advance to the next screen.
- Screen 4: Click on the “Instruction” tab.
- Screen 5: Scroll down to “Decoding Group 4” and click “See Activities”.
- Screen 6: Click on the first activity called “Identificar y leer palabras con los dígrafos ch y ll.”
- Screen 7: Click on the gray arrow to the far right to advance to the next screen.
- Screen 8: Explore the detailed “Student” tab and then click the “Dual Language” tab.
- Screen 9: Scroll down to the section about Gabriel’s phonological awareness skills. Click on the link called “Cross-Linguistic Transfer: Phonological Awareness”.
- Screen 10: Click on the gray arrow to the far right to advance to the next screen. Explore the “Home Connect” letter.
Tulsa, exciting updates in CKLA 2nd Edition!
Utah ELA Review for Grades PK–5
Thank you for taking the time to review Amplify’s core ELA program for PK–5. Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts® (CKLA) is a state-approved core ELA curriculum designated as a primary core program that fully meets the Science of Reading requirements outlined in SB 127.
Amplify CKLA, developed in partnership with the Core Knowledge Foundation, was designed to help teachers implement Science of Reading principles and evidence-based instructional practices. Scroll down to learn how CKLA is uniquely designed to help all your students make learning leaps in literacy.
Step 1: Program Introduction
Welcome to Amplify CKLA! Before you dive into our materials, watch the video below to learn about the big picture behind Amplify CKLA’s pedagogy.
In this video, Susan Lambert (Chief Academic Officer and host of Science of Reading: The Podocast) shares why Amplify CKLA was created, how it is built on the Science of Reading, and the impact it’s making across the country.
Step 2: Program Overview
Amplify CKLA is different for a reason. Watch the overview video below to learn about these differences and why educators love them.
In this video, you’ll get an in-depth look at the program’s overall structure and organization, the design behind our proven lessons, and the materials included to support teaching and learning.
The Amplify CKLA Program Guide also provides an in-depth view of how Amplify CKLA works, how it’s structured, and why it’s uniquely capable of helping you bring reading instruction based on the Science of Reading to your classroom.
Evidence-based design
Amplify CKLA is rooted in Science of Reading research. Mirroring Scarborough’s Rope, Amplify CKLA delivers a combination of explicit foundational skills with meaningful knowledge-building.
- In Grades PK–2, dedicated knowledge-building and explicit skills instruction are taught simultaneously through two distinct instructional strands.
- In Grades 3–5, dedicated knowledge-building and explicit skills instruction are woven together and delivered through one integrated strand.
Grades K–2 Skills and Knowledge Strands
Every day students in Grades K–2 complete one full lesson that explicitly and systematically builds foundational reading skills in the Skills Strand, as well as one full lesson that builds robust background knowledge to access complex text in the Knowledge Strand. Through learning in each of these strands, students develop the early literacy skills necessary to help them become confident readers and build the context to understand what they’re reading.
Grades 3–5 Integrated Strand
In Grades 3–5, Knowledge and Skills are integrated in one set of instructional materials. Lessons begin to combine skills and knowledge with increasingly complex texts, close reading, and a greater writing emphasis. Students can then use their skills to go on their own independent reading adventures.
Key features
For each Amplify CKLA key feature below, click the drop down arrow to learn more.
Built out of the latest research in the Science of Reading, Amplify CKLA delivers explicit instruction in both foundational literacy skills (systematic phonics, decoding, and fluency) and background knowledge in grades PK–2 with an integrated approach to explicit instruction in grades 3–5.
Review this Science of Reading toolkit to learn more about the Science of Reading best practices integrated throughout CKLA.
Amplify CKLA aligns with the instructional principles recommended by Orton Gillingham and LETRS.
- Structured–Concepts are taught through consistent routines
- Sequential–Concepts are taught in a logical, well-planned sequence
- Systematic–Phonemes are taught from simplest to most complex
- Explicit–Decoding and encoding concepts are taught directly and explicitly
- Multi-sensory–Instruction is delivered through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways
- Cumulative–Concepts are applied in decodable, connected texts with constant review and reinforcement
Watch this video to learn more!
Additionally, great reading instruction starts with helping kids develop great decoding skills. Our instruction is supported by:
- Step-by-step lessons with multi-sensory approaches, clear lesson objectives, and embedded formative assessments.
- Decodable books and student readers with ebook and audiobook versions that feature engaging plots and relatable characters.
The Science of Reading reveals knowledge as an essential pillar of reading comprehension and lifelong literacy. Hear from author Natalie Wexler and CKLA customers on edWebinar about the importance of knowledge-building in reading instruction.
Students build grade-appropriate subject-area knowledge and vocabulary in history, science, literature, and the arts while learning to read, write, and think creatively and for themselves. Our instruction is supported by:
- Knowledge builders that provide a quick overview of each domain with its key ideas.
- Interactive Read-Alouds designed to build knowledge and vocabulary.
- Content-rich anchor texts that support students as they tackle increasingly complex text and sharpen their analytical skills.
- Social and emotional learning paired with lessons in civic responsibility.
Amplify CKLA not only received an all-green rating from the rigorous evaluators at EdReports, but it was also recently recognized by the Knowledge Matters Campaign as a high-quality literacy program that excels in building knowledge. Our shared message: background knowledge is essential to literacy and learning.
Student-led reading practice should be purposeful and connected to the core. That’s why Amplify createdBoost Reading. As an optional add-on to Amplify CKLA, students have the opportunity to practice skills directly tied to the skills they’ve been working on during core reading time. Boost Reading also adapts to each student to address their personal gaps and bolsters foundational skills at a pace that supports their individual development.
Boost Reading’s collection of 40+ adaptive games target foundational reading skills and develops them in alignment with Science of Reading principles. Unlike other adaptive games, we ensure students:
- Practice the right skills at the right time. Our embedded placement tool ensures students receive the content and skill practice most appropriate for their current reading level. From there, students move through our curriculum along their own learning pathway where they encounter personalized content tailored to their evolving skill and grade levels.
- Progress along a pathway that adapts on multiple dimensions, not just one. For example, a student can work on early first-grade decoding in one game while building more advanced vocabulary knowledge in another.
- Practice skills in tandem. For example, a student is never forced to master one skill area before proceeding to the next. Instead, we offer students that opportunity to work on multiple skills concurrently.
- Feel supported with scaffolding, instruction, and practice that adapts based on student performance.
- Stay engaged by giving them immediate and clear feedback. These results are never punitive. Instead our always-positive feedback is delivered in the context of the game world and is designed to motivate students to keep trying.
Click the buttons below to learn more:
Step 3: Program Resources
Easy-to-use print materials
Amplify CKLA’s easy-to-use materials bring foundational skills and knowledge to life in the classroom.
Download the Amplify CKLA Components guide to see components by grade and watch the print materials walkthrough below.
Engaging CKLA digital experience
The top-rated content of Amplify CKLA is now live with the digital experience that enhances instruction and saves time.
With the digital experience, everything is in one place, making it easier and more engaging than ever to plan lessons, present digital content, and review student work. Click the arrows below to learn more.
With the digital experience, teachers have access to ready-to-use and customizable lesson presentation slides, complete with all the prompts from the print Teacher Guide embedded in the teacher view. As teachers deliver each lesson, students can engage with the content in one cohesive experience—through these CKLA resources: Activity Books, slides, digital components, videos, Student Readers, and more.
The innovative live review tool found in the digital experience enables you to keep an eye on all of your students as they work on drawing, recording audio, uploading and capturing images, and typing or writing in pre-placed textboxes in their Activity Pages. This dynamic tool provides countless classroom management benefits, enabling you to spot and correct common mistakes as they’re happening, praise your students for thoughtful work, and identify students who are not engaged in the task at hand. Simply put, it will give you those valuable “eyes in the back of your head” you’ve warned your students about!
The digital experience integrates with various LMSs, allowing you and your students to access Amplify CKLA with the software you’re already comfortable using.
In the Amplify CKLA student digital experience, your students have one intuitive access point to fully engage with classroom instruction. Through the Student Home, students can easily access digital lessons with slides, Activity Pages, ebooks, videos, and other interactives from one simple dashboard. Students can draw, record audio, upload and capture images, and type or write in pre-placed text boxes in their Activity Pages.
CKLA review resources
- CKLA Program Guide
- Language Studio (ELD)
- Writing Studio (Writing)
- CKLA Research Hub (Efficacy and Case Studies)
- Text complexity in CKLA
- Trade books in CKLA
- Assessments in CKLA
- Amplify Caminos (K-5 Spanish Language Arts Program)
- Amplify CKLA Video for Families and Caregivers
- Amplify CKLA Caregivers Hub
- ELA Curriculum Evaluation Tools
- Remote and hybrid learning with CKLA
- CKLA Scopes and Sequences
- Grade K Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 1 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 2 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 3 Integrated
- Grade 4 Integrated
- Grade 5 Integrated
Step 4: State Review Resources
- Utah State Standards Alignment K-5
- Utah Instructional Strategies and Routines
- Utah Science of Reading Evidence-Informed Core Criteria Checklist (Amplify created)
- Utah Critical Features of Tiered Literacy Interventions (featuring Boost Reading)
- Amplify ELA Technical Specifications
Step 5: Program Access
Explore as a teacher
Before logging in, watch this brief video on navigating the CKLA Teacher Platform.
Ready to explore as a teacher? Follow these instructions:
- Click the Amplify CKLA Teacher Platform button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the teacher username: t1.utcklapk5@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the teacher password: Amplify1-utcklapk5
- Choose CKLA from the “Your Programs” menu on Educator Home.
- Select a grade level from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.
Ready to explore as a Student? Follow these instructions:
- Click the Amplify CKLA Teacher Platform button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the student username: s1.utahcklapk5@demo.tryamplify.net
- Enter the student password: Amplify1-utahcklapk5
South Carolina review for grades K–5
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment?
Developed by the University of Oregon, the DIBELS 8th Edition is the latest version of the DIBELS® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment.
With this latest version, the University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning (UO CTL) made significant efforts to ensure measures would meet state-level screening requirements for universal screening, diagnostic assessment, and dyslexia screening. To support this, measures were updated based on the latest research to meet increased standards of reliability and validity. In addition, adaptive procedures and discontinue rules focus on the assessment of priority skills and prevent over-testing.
Summary of changes:
- Consistent measures within grades will provide improved growth measurement.
- All subtests have been revised to be grade-specific and to increase in difficulty, covering a full progression of skills and minimizing floor and ceiling effects. This provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and further pinpoint what they don’t know.
- Phoneme Segmentation Fluency replaces First Sound Fluency. The expanded coverage minimizes floor effect and provides information about difficulty in Phonemic Awareness skills without the additional First Sound Fluency measure.
- A new subtest, Word Reading Fluency, helps identify students with poor sight word reading skills that other subtests miss.
- For all measures, the basic scoring procedures remain the same. For Nonsense Word Fluency, credit is given for recording words as whole words even if the student misses in the first attempt.
- Oral Reading Fluency is now only one passage, instead of three. Retell has been removed. Thus, Oral Reading Fluency assessment will take a third of the time.
Assessment measures by grade
| DIBELS measures at each grade level | ||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 |
| Letter naming fluency | | | ||
| Phonemic segmentation fluency | | | ||
| Nonsense word fluency | | | | |
| Word reading fluency | | | | |
| Oral reading fluency | | | | |
| Maze (basic comprehension) | | | ||
| Amplify measures at each grade level | ||||
| Oral language | | | | |
| Vocabulary | | | | |
Assessment measures sample videos
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Word Reading Fluency (WRF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
How is mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment measures. As a result – educators across the state are empowered with the latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What” questions, but also the “So What” and “Now What” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition helps teachers answer with confidence.
How is mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
- It gives teachers access to the latest digital version of the DIBELS assessment. Amplify is the only licensed provider of the digital DIBELS 8th Edition assessment. As such, our solution is the only one to enhance the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment with the power, reliability, and quickness of the mCLASS system.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS Lectura, teachers have access to dual language reports that highlight a student’s strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support screening for dyslexia risk?
DIBELS 8th Edition measures have been updated based on the latest research. They now offer stronger measures of processing speed, phonological awareness, and alphabetic principles for dyslexia screening purposes.
To support this, a new subtest in Word Reading Fluency was introduced and revisions were made to Letter Naming Fluency, Phonemic Segmentation Fluency, and Nonsense Fluency subtests to improve their ability to screen for deficits commonly associated with dyslexia risk, such as phonological awareness, rapid naming ability, and alphabetic principle. These measures provide early warning signs for neurological processing difficulties that contribute to risk for dyslexia (Wolf & Bowers, 1999; Denckla & Rudel, 1974).
Moreover, measures in Oral Language and Vocabulary are included to provide additional information to help evaluate additional risk areas associated with dyslexia risk.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition turn data into instant action?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition analyzes individual student response data through a scoring algorithm which aligns to the Colorado Department of Education’s stated purpose of a diagnostic assessment.
Our innovative approach to diagnostic assessment leverages an item-level evaluation of individual student responses in order to provide deeper insights into specific student weaknesses and areas of improvement. mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition analyzes individual student response data through a scoring algorithm which aligns to the Colorado Department of Education’s stated purpose of a diagnostic: “… to pinpoint a student’s specific area(s) of weakness and provide in-depth information about students’ skills and instructional needs.”
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dyslexia screening
Identify students who are at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, based on their results from foundational skills measures and additional measures as needed by local policies.
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Goal setting tool
The Zones of Growth (ZoG) analysis uses a rich set of national data to determine student goals for the next benchmark period. Teachers can use the Goal Setting Tool to view these recommended goals or modify the default goals for individual students as they see fit, if the default goal is too challenging or not challenging enough.
Growth outcomes
Teachers and interventionists can see each student’s actual growth achieved and how it compares to the goal that was set for the student.
Colorado READ Plans
Amplify recommends that a student who is categorized by the DIBELS 8th Edition composite score as “At High Risk” (denoted in all reports as “red”) be considered as potentially having a “Significant Reading Deficiency,” then further diagnosed using mCLASS’ Instruction diagnostics.
When devising a READ Plan, teachers and instructional staff should first consider students at high risk on DIBELS 8th Edition as potentially having a “Significant Reading Deficiency,” and eligible for a READ Plan. Students are then further diagnosed using mCLASS’ Instruction diagnostics. When devising a READ Plan, teachers can rely on the relevant mCLASS Instruction and Reports to comply with the READ Act.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect website houses literacy resources for parents and caregivers, including at-home lessons organized by skill. Our mCLASS parent/caregiver letters in English and Spanish ensure that families know how to best support their child.
Explore our self-guided tour
Our self-guided tour is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform. Click the button below to get started.
Contact us
Looking to speak directly with your Colorado representative? Get in touch with a team member by emailing HelloColorado@amplify.com or by calling us directly.
| Enrollment over 2,500 students | Enrollment under 2,500 students |
| Monty LammersSenior Account Executive(719) 964-4501mlammers@amplify.com | Vanessa ScottAccount Executive(602) 690-9216vscott@amplify.com |
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Quick 1-minute assessment measures
- Real-time results, instant analysis, automatic student grouping
- Targeted teacher-led instruction with ready-to-use mini-lessons
What is the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment?
Developed by the University of Oregon, the DIBELS 8th Edition is the latest version of the DIBELS® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment.
With this latest version, the University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning (UO CTL) made significant efforts to ensure measures would meet state-level screening requirements for universal screening, diagnostic assessment, and dyslexia screening. To support this, measures were updated based on the latest research to meet increased standards of reliability and validity. In addition, adaptive procedures and discontinue rules focus assessment on priority skills and prevent over-testing.
Summary of changes:
- Consistent measures within grades will provide improved growth measurement.
- All subtests have been revised to be grade-specific and to increase in difficulty, covering a full progression of skills and minimizing floor and ceiling effects. This provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and further pinpoint what they don’t know.
- Phoneme Segmentation Fluency replaces First Sound Fluency. The expanded coverage minimizes floor effect and provides information about difficulty in PA skills without the additional FSF measure.
- A new subtest, Word Reading Fluency, helps identify students with poor sight word reading skills that other subtests miss.
- For all measures, the basic scoring procedures remain the same. For NWF, credit is given for recording words as whole words even if the student misses in the first attempt.
- Oral Reading Fluency is now only one passage, instead of three. Retell has been removed. Thus, ORF assessment will take a third of the time.
Assessment measures by grade
| DIBELS measures at each grade level | ||||
| Measure | Grade K | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 |
| Letter naming fluency | |
|
||
| Phonemic segmentation fluency | |
|
||
| Nonsense word fluency | |
|
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| Word reading fluency | |
|
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| Oral reading fluency | |
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| Maze (basic comprehension) | |
|
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| Amplify measures at each grade level | ||||
| Oral language | |
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| Vocabulary | |
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Assessment measures sample videos
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Word Reading Fluency (WRF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
How is mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment measures. As a result – educators across the state are empowered with the latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What” questions, but also the “So What” and “Now What” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition helps teachers answer with confidence.
How is mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
- It gives teachers access to the latest digital version of the DIBELS assessment. Amplify is the only licensed provider of the digital DIBELS 8th Edition assessment. As such, our solution is the only one to enhance the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment with the power, reliability, and quickness of the mCLASS system.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS Lectura, teachers have access to dual language reports that highlight a student’s strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support screening for dyslexia risk?
DIBELS 8th Edition measures have been updated based on the latest research. They now offer stronger measures of processing speed, phonological awareness, and alphabetic principles for dyslexia screening purposes.
To support this, a new subtest in Word Reading Fluency was introduced and revisions were made to Letter Naming Fluency, Phonemic Segmentation Fluency, and Nonsense Fluency subtests to improve their ability to screen for deficits commonly associated with dyslexia risk, such as phonological awareness, rapid naming ability, and alphabetic principle. These measures provide early warning signs for neurological processing difficulties that contribute to risk for dyslexia (Wolf & Bowers, 1999; Denckla & Rudel, 1974).
Moreover, measures in Oral Language and Vocabulary are included to provide additional information to help evaluate additional risk areas associated with dyslexia risk.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition turn data into instant action?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition analyzes individual student response data through a innovative scoring algorithm that leverages an item-level evaluation of individual student responses in order to provide deeper insights into specific student weaknesses and areas of improvement.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dyslexia screening
Identify students who are at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, based on their results from foundational skills measures and additional measures as needed by local policies.
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Goal setting tool
The Zones of Growth (ZoG) analysis uses a rich set of national data to determine student goals for the next benchmark period. Teachers can use the Goal Setting Tool to view these recommended goals or modify the default goals for individual students as they see fit, if the default goal is too challenging or not challenging enough.
Growth outcomes
Teachers and interventionists can see each student’s actual growth achieved and how it compares to the goal that was set for the student.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect website houses literacy resources for parents and caregivers, including at-home lessons organized by skill. Our mCLASS parent/caregiver letters in English and Spanish ensure that families know how to best support their child.
Explore our self-guided tour
Our self-guided tour is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform. Click the button below to get started.
The High-Impact Tutoring Implementation Workshop Series
Welcome, reviewers!
Thank you for taking the time to review Amplify ELA for grades 6–8. With Amplify ELA, we enable teachers to foster skills through texts and develop their students’ ability to build meaning through reading. Students dive into complex texts to make observations, grapple with interesting ideas, and find relevance for themselves.
Amplify ELA offers middle school teachers rich texts, opportunities to form better connections with their students through powerful differentiation and assessment tools, and step-by-step instructional guides and resources that save them time and simplify their days.
Overview
This site will allow you to experience our blended program, with access to the Amplify ELA print materials, digital curriculum, and resources to support your review. Our blended model enables teachers to design instruction based on their classroom needs and resources. Our engaging print edition highlights the many digital experiences teachers can share with students through classroom projections. Teachers can make choices about when their students use devices while providing 100-percent standards coverage and without compromising learning.
Amplify ELA’s embedded, easy-to-find features include:
- Full standards coverage. Standards are clearly labeled in each lesson overview, so teachers can save time planning and get back to what they love—teaching.
- Six levels of differentiation. Based on each student’s needs and the performance measures within Amplify ELA reports, a teacher can choose the differentiation level that’s right for everyone.
- Assessments. Teachers benefit from uninterrupted instructional time and a continuously updated picture of each student’s progress with key skills and standards.
- Powerful feedback tools. Comprehensive tools help teachers maximize both the quantity and quality of feedback.
- Robust reporting. Our reporting app offers information on student progress to help inform instructional decisions.
Digital program
The content and instruction in Amplify ELA’s digital program mirror the content provided in the print Teacher Edition and Student Edition, though the digital program offers more opportunity to engage students through the use of multimedia and a variety of learning apps. Teachers will find embedded apps to help with scoring, providing student feedback, and reporting on the digital platform, accessible whether students or working with devices or in print.
Visit learning.amplify.com/ela-trial to review Amplify ELA’s digital program.
Grade 6 print samples
6B: Mysteries & Investigations:
6F: The Titanic Collection
Grade 7 print samples
7C: Brain Science
7D: Poetry & Poe
Grade 8 print samples
8C: Science & Science Fiction
8F: The Space Race Collection
Resources
Program overview
Amplify ELA is a hybrid curriculum designed specifically for grades 6–8. The heart of every lesson is the text. Each grade includes six units centered on literary or informational texts, delivered in several forms of media. Your classroom will also benefit from two or three immersive learning experiences called Quests and a dedicated Story Writing unit.
- Full standards coverage: Standards are clearly labeled in each lesson overview, so teachers can save time planning and get back to what they love: teaching.
- Five levels of differentiation: Based on each student’s needs and the performance measures within Amplify ELA reports, a teacher can choose the differentiation level that’s the right fit for everyone.
- Embedded assessments: Teachers benefit from uninterrupted instructional time and a continuously updated picture of each student’s progress with key skills and standards.
- Powerful feedback tools: Comprehensive tools help teachers maximize both the quantity and quality of feedback.
- Robust reporting: Our reporting app offers information on student progress to help inform instructional decisions.
- All in one place: Embedded teacher support, differentiation tools, student data, text and other curriculum features—they’re all right there.
Materials
Discover print and digital materials included in the program.
Student edition
Available digitally and in print, the student materials guide middle schoolers through complex texts and writing by:
- engaging students with high-quality narrative and informational texts, providing videos, audio supports, and digital experiences that capture their attention, and
- keeping all of their writing in one place with the personal writing journal.
Teacher edition
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher edition contains all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:
- detailed lesson plans
- video teacher tips embedded in the lesson
- standards alignment and exit tickets
- real-time differentiation strategies
- robust reporting
Interactive Quests
Fun, week-long explorations where students practice analytical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, all while building a strong classroom community.
Digital library for independent reading
Amplify Library: Our expansive digital library includes more than 650 fiction and nonfiction, classic, and contemporary titles.
Resources
Learn more about Amplify ELA and how we address the unique needs of middle school students.
Program sample guide
Table of Contents
Four Principles of True
Engagement in Middle School ELA
Empower students to become
critical thinkers webinar recording
Provide opportunities and supports
for all students to work “up”
webinar recording
Support feedback systems that
develop strengths webinar
recording
Experts & presenters
Deb Sabin
Chief Academic Officer, Amplify ELA
Deb Sabin leads Amplify’s curriculum development teams for ELA. Previously she was Director of Instruction and Training for The Writer’s Express. She’s been an ELA teacher in a variety of classrooms from alternative high schools to elite prep schools and international dual language programs.
Jeff Dannemiller
Product Specialists, Amplify
Jeff works with educators across the country, helping them get the most out of their middle school students with reading, writing, and developing all the other skills necessary for high school and beyond.
Contacts
Chasity O’Quinn
Account Executive for East Tennessee
coquinn@amplify.com
(865) 599-5101
Ann Patterson
Account Executive for West Tennessee
apatterson@amplify.com
(704) 813-7757
Welcome back to Amplify Science!
On this page, you’ll find helpful resources, for returning educators, to support you and your students to ensure you have a successful year with Amplify. Let’s dig in.
Professional learning resources
Amplify Science K-5
When you’re ready to log in to learning.amplify.com and get started, begin by watching the navigation video for grades K–5 to familiarize you with the digital organization of materials. Visit the PD Library to learn how to find everything you need to teach with this video about navigating Amplify Science. Note: login required!
Amplify Science 6-8
When you are ready to log in to learning.amplify.com and get started, begin by watching the navigation video for grades 6–8 to familiarize yourself with the digital organization of materials. Visit the PD Library to learn how to find everything you need to teach with this video about navigating Amplify Science. Note: login required!
Program Hub
Access self-study professional resources on our Amplify Science program hub (log-in required). Here you will find resources and videos on:
- Remote learning resources
- Training videos
- Hands-on Investigation Videos
Professional Development Library
The Professional Development Library is a space for educators to learn more about Amplify Science through short, engaging video collections. The PD Library can be located on the Program & Apps menu when logged into the program. Watch the training videos based on your grade band to learn more about pacing, planning, and teaching Science!
Level up learning webinars
Level up your Amplify Science experience with our We Are Scientists webinars! We showcased expert classroom teaching strategies and offered educator tips and tricks on how to get creative with learning with your students.
- Educator panel
- Amplify Science: Live from the Classroom for Kindergarten webinar
- Amplify Science: Live from the Classroom for Grade 1 webinar
- Amplify Science: Live from the Classroom for Grade 2 webinar
- Amplify Science: Live from the Classroom for Grade 3 webinar
- Amplify Science: Live from the Classroom for Grade 4 webinar
- Amplify Science: Live from the Classroom for Grade 5 webinar
Admin tools
- Look-for Tool
- Administrator Reports
- Have a question? Here is where you can look to find the answer..
- Need refills? Amplify Science Refill components
Elementary school resources (grades K–5)
For a refresher on navigating and locating resources in the digital Teacher’s Guide, access the page for new users for mini on-boarding videos.
What’s new for 2024-25?
Amplify Science is launching exciting new and updated features for the upcoming school year. Click here to check out improvements designed to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the rigorous and riveting learning experiences your students deserve.
Have a question? Here is where you can look to find the answer..
Planning guides
Planning guides for grades K–5 walk you through strategies for planning for a unit, including which resources to locate in either the print or digital Teacher’s Guide to most effectively plan:
Additional resources
If you’re interested in learning more about each unit’s anchor phenomena, the Student Books in each unit, and more program features, download the resources below:
- Read aloud functionality K-5
- Phenomena in grades K–5
- Student Books in grades K–5
- Simulations in grades 4–8
- Scope and Sequence
Middle school resources (grades 6–8)
For a refresher on navigating and locating resources in the digital Teacher’s Guide, access the page for new users for mini on-boarding videos.
What’s new for 2024-25?
Amplify Science is launching exciting new and updated features for the upcoming school year. Click here to check out improvements designed to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the rigorous and riveting learning experiences your students deserve.
Have a question? Here is where you can look to find the answer…
Planning guide
Our planning guide walks you through strategies for planning for a unit, including which resources to locate in either the print or digital Teacher’s Guide to most effectively plan. Click here to download.
Additional resources
If you’re interested in learning more about each unit’s anchor phenomena, the Student Books in each unit, and more program features, download the resources below:
- Shared login for advance planning
- Assign in Google classroom
- Classwork Comment Bank
- Phenomena in grades 6–8
- Simulations in grades 4–8
- Spanish-language supports in grades 6–8
- Scope and sequence
Ready to dig a little deeper?
Revisiting coherence flowcharts
Take another look (or look for the first time) at the coherence flowcharts for your unit (found in the printable resources section of the unit guide).
Sample Coherence Flowchart: First Grade: Plant and Animal Defenses
Sample Coherence Flowchart: Fourth Grade: Energy Conversions
Sample Coherence Flowchart: Seventh Grade: Plate Motion
Enhance your discourse routines
Looking for help?
Timely technical, program, and pedagogical support
Our technical and program support is included and available from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, through a variety of channels, including a live chat program that enables teachers to get immediate help in the middle of the school day. As a part our support, Amplify also has an Educational Support Team of former teachers and administrators who provide instructional support for every Amplify curriculum, assessment, and intervention program.
For your most urgent questions:
- Use our live chat within your program
- Call our toll-free number: 1 888 850 0945
For less urgent questions:
Reach out to our support team at: help@amplify.com
The High Impact Tutoring Implementation Workshop Series
Integrating AI in the science classroom
How can you create new science lesson plans, adjust assessments, and design labs using only objects kids have at home?
Just ask—ChatGPT, that is.
In this recent Science Connections webinar, Science Connections podcast host Eric Cross tackles the topic of ChatGPT for teachers, along with other specific AI tools that (when used with your existing standards-aligned curriculum) can help make teaching more efficient, targeted, and interactive.
AI for science can save teachers time, deepen student engagement, and inspire collaboration and creativity all around, says Science Connections podcast host Eric Cross.
Eric describes some of the many ways science teachers can use AI in the classroom—as both shortcut and partner. “We can use it for personalized learning,” he begins. “We can generate questions and give instant feedback. We can differentiate. We can support our students with special learning needs. And that’s just a start. The more you use it to collaborate with other educators, the more fun it becomes.”
Generative artificial intelligence 101
There are a lot of AI tools out there, but the new one is generative AI. As Eric explains, the difference is that generative AI—unlike, say, AI that gives you driving directions—creates something that didn’t exist before: text, images, music, and, yes, new science experiences for the classroom.
As with any technology, the practically infinite uses and applications of AI raise important questions about accuracy, equity, biases, and more. In this webinar, though, we focus only on AI’s practical uses for science teachers.
Generative AI relies on and responds to prompts.
You’re telling it to do something and it communicates back to you in human language. The way you craft your prompts determines your output, so the better your prompt is, the better your output.
– Eric Cross
Host, Science Connections; Adjunct Professor of Learning and Technology, University of San Diego
Let’s see what AI has produced for Eric as a science educator, and the kind of prompts he’s used to get there.
How science teachers can use AI to prepare and engage
Teachers can use generative AI to create personalized learning materials, generate more practice questions, and explain topics at any level and depth.
In this webinar, Eric focuses on the AI tools that have given him the most mileage as an educator and that he thinks can provide the most value for others.
These include:
- Modifying assessments when students have used all the ones that a curriculum provides. A sample prompt: “You are a science teacher creating an assessment for middle school students. I will upload an assessment. Please recreate it in a similar tone and voice as the original with a similar level of rigor.” Response: Brand-new multiple-choice and written questions on the same topics, all adhering to the same NGSS. With a little more back and forth, Eric will have the exact number, style, and focus of questions that he needs—along with an answer key.
- Creating relevant, accessible lab ideas. Eric prompts AI for lab and hands-on project ideas to fit exact specs: topic, grade level, desired outcome, and objects found in a typical classroom or home. Result: Hands-on activity ideas students can do at home, like exploring lung capacity with a balloon and a ruler (delivered by AI complete with full supply lists, instructions, and more).
- Helping students connect. To support a student who’s stuck, you might prompt the AI by saying: “I’m a fifth grader and my teacher is talking about claim evidence reasoning and I don’t really understand it. Can you explain it to me in a way that would help me? And then: “Now can you help me explain it to my mom, but in Spanish?”
Eric also uses AI to interpret graphs, collate student data, build graphic organizers, create science games, and more.
Is everything AI provides him flawless and 100% accurate? No, says Eric. “You have to vet, and it helps to have a high-quality curriculum already in place. But it gets me 80 to 90% there—and that’s pretty good.”
More to explore
- Hear more about AI from Eric and fellow educators Donnie Piercey and Jennifer Roberts in Science Connections, Season 3, Episode 4: Using AI and ChatGPT in the science classroom
- Science Connections podcast
- Amplify Science webinars
We are the program for Florida’s middle school students and teachers.
We built Amplify ELA to help you make sure the standards are covered, the skills are taught, the test is prepped for, and your students are scaffolded and encouraged. What’s more, everything is done in the background. That way, you can spend your time bringing the text to life, making the classroom hum, and letting each student know you are paying attention to their growth.
Program overview
Amplify ELA is a hybrid curriculum designed specifically for grades 6–8. The heart of every lesson is the text. Each grade includes six units centered on literary or informational texts, delivered in several forms of media. Your classroom will also benefit from two or three immersive learning experiences called Quests and a dedicated Story Writing unit.
- Full standards coverage: Standards are clearly labeled in each lesson overview, so teachers can save time planning and get back to what they love: teaching.
- Five levels of differentiation: Based on each student’s needs and the performance measures within Amplify ELA reports, a teacher can choose the differentiation level that’s the right fit for everyone.
- Embedded assessments: Teachers benefit from uninterrupted instructional time and a continuously updated picture of each student’s progress with key skills and standards.
- Powerful feedback tools: Comprehensive tools help teachers maximize both the quantity and quality of feedback.
- Robust reporting: Our reporting app offers information on student progress to help inform instructional decisions.
- All in one place: Embedded teacher support, differentiation tools, student data, text and other curriculum features—they’re all right there.
Materials
Discover print and digital materials included in the program.
Student edition
Available digitally and in print, the student materials guide middle schoolers through complex texts and writing by:
- engaging students with high-quality narrative and informational texts, providing videos, audio supports, and digital experiences that capture their attention, and
- keeping all of their writing in one place with the personal writing journal.
Teacher edition
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher edition contains all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:
- detailed lesson plans
- video teacher tips embedded in the lesson
- LAF standards alignment and exit tickets
- real-time differentiation strategies
- robust reporting
Interactive Quests
Fun, week-long explorations where students practice analytical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, all while building a strong classroom community.
Digital library for independent reading
Amplify Library: Our expansive digital library includes more than 650 fiction and nonfiction, classic, and contemporary titles.
Resources
Learn more about Amplify ELA and how we address the unique needs of middle school students.
Program sample guide
Table of Contents
Four Principles of True Engagement in Middle School ELA
Empower students to become critical thinkers webinar recording
Provide opportunities and supports for all students to work “up” webinar recording
Support feedback systems that develop strengths webinar recording
Experts & presenters
Deb Sabin
Chief Academic Officer, Amplify ELA
Deb Sabin leads Amplify’s curriculum development teams for ELA. Previously she was Director of Instruction and Training for The Writer’s Express. She’s been an ELA teacher in a variety of classrooms from alternative high schools to elite prep schools and international dual language programs.
Jeff Dannemiller
Product Specialists, Amplify
Jeff works with educators across the country, helping them get the most out of their middle school students with reading, writing, and developing all the other skills necessary for high school and beyond.
Dr. William McBride
National Education Consultant
Dr. Bill McBride is a well-known international speaker and educator. He has trained middle, high, and adult education teachers for over 30 years in literacy and student engagement. Some of his books include Building Literacy in Social Studies, If They Can Argue Well, They Can Write Well, Entertaining an Elephant, and two successful reading programs for secondary struggling readers. He has also been a contributing author on a number of state-adopted literature series for grades 6 through 12.
Contacts
Ronda Baggett
rbaggett@amplify.com
(347) 452-6988
Melinda Lyon
mlyon@amplify.com
(704) 813-7757
Jeff Rutter
jrutter@amplify.com
(727) 512-8440
Amplify Desmos Math for San Diego
Hello San Diego math educators,
Welcome to Amplify Desmos Math! We’re confident you’ll find this to be a powerful and effective program for getting all your students talking and thinking about math concepts together.
On this site, you’ll find a variety of resources to guide you in learning more about what Amplify Desmos Math has to offer.
Figuring out Problem-Based Learning
Figuring out how to implement a problem-based learning approach to mathematics can be fun and challenging. Rest assured that you will not be alone on this journey. Amplify will be by your side every step of the way.
In the short videos below, Fawn Nguyen (Amplify Math Specialist, Former Math Coach and Teacher) and John Hoogestraat (Desmos Product Specialist, Former Math Coach and Teacher) share their thoughts about the power of Amplify Desmos Math.
Amplify Desmos Math: Supporting Math Practices
Amplify Desmos Math: Teacher Time-Saving Tools
Amplify Desmos Math: Capturing Student Thinking
Amplify Desmos Math: What a Classroom Looks and Sounds Like
About Amplify Desmos Math
Amplify Desmos Math, based on the highly-rated Illustrative Mathematics curriculum IM K–12 Math™, is designed around the idea that a core math curriculum needs to serve 100 percent of students in accessing grade-level math every day.
By joining forces with Desmos Classroom, Amplify is changing the conversation around math instruction—for both students and teachers.
- Engaging, discourse-rich math lessons that are easier to teach.
- Flexible, collaborative problem-solving experiences both online and off.
- Real-time insights that make student thinking more transparent.
Planning for instruction
To start using Amplify Desmos Math quickly in your classroom, check out the following onboarding videos, guide, and planning resources. They cover what you need to know to get started fast.
Onboarding videos and guides
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math – Remote
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math Accelerated – Remote
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math August Training Participant notebook
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math September Training Participant Notebook
- SDUSD Amplify Desmos Math November Training Participant Notebook
Standards Correlation
Lesson Sampler
Amplify Desmos Math delivers the instructional power of student-centered learning packaged in a lesson format that is teacher-friendly and manageable.
With easy-to-follow instructional support, implementing a problem-based program becomes more effective and enjoyable for both you and your students. Paired with the Desmos Classroom digital experience, math class becomes fun and dynamic, with plenty of opportunities for students to talk through their reasoning, work with their peers, and gain new understandings.
Additional features
Universal design
Every student is brilliant, and every student has brilliant mathematical ideas worth sharing and cultivating. Incorporating principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into lessons brings their brilliance to the forefront. UDL is a research-based framework designed to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.
Diversity and representation
Helping students develop strong, healthy, and flexible math identities is a cornerstone of our program. Throughout the curriculum, students will be taught that they themselves are mathematicians, that today’s math was largely shaped by a diverse range of mathematicians who deserve to be learned about, and that learning is never finished.
Assessments
Less exciting, but essential for learning—assessments. Amplify Desmos Math will feature a robust variety of formative and summative assessments, including: readiness checks, exit tickets, quizzes, end-of-unit tests, benchmarks, and CAASPP practice.
Reporting
Not only will our reports show progress toward standards mastery, they will include detail on how students performed against the standard in the past and how many more encounters are yet to come. This feature alone helps teachers prioritize instruction and intervene with additional resources when necessary.
Featuring Desmos Math 6–A1
Desmos Math 6–8 is based on the highly rated IM K–12™ curricula from Illustrative Mathematics. It has also earned a perfect all-green rating by EdReports.
Unlike other IM-based lessons, ours require less prep and are easier to teach. Plus, our more visually rich activities and engaging on-ramps to learning make our lessons accessible to all students.
Desmos Classroom digital lessons
Digital lessons should be powerful in their ability to surface student thinking and spark interesting and productive discussions. We’ve joined forces with Desmos Classroom to bring this vision to life with a complete library of interactive, collaborative lessons.
Engaging student experience
Relevant content and interactive math tools create an intuitive and engaging student experience. Plus, working together in real-time allows students to see that communicating their ideas and learning from each other are important parts of math class.
Visibility into student thinking
Imagine having more visibility into your students’ mathematical thinking. Now imagine students have access to this same information. With our collaborative lesson interface and teacher dashboard, students can’t hide. What’s more, they have visibility into the thinking of their peers—exposing them to a wider variety of approaches to solving the same problem.
Ready-to-teach lessons
Each grade-level includes 150 ready-to-teach lessons complete with slides, step-by-step teaching notes, suggested student and teacher responses, tips for incorporating instructional routines, support for developing mathematical language, and links to useful resources. Teachers can also control what slides students see, giving teachers the ability to control the pace of the lesson to suite the needs of the class.
Looking for help?
Our chat agents are standing by to assist you!
Simply log in at learning.amplify.com and click the orange button in the bottom right corner to chat live with our support team.
Important to Note
Our support hours are Monday through Friday, 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT.
Don’t have a login yet?
Email us: help@amplify.com
Call us: +1 (800) 823-1969
The English language arts program designed to prepare Arkansas middle schoolers for high school and beyond.
Amplify ELA is a blended English language arts curriculum designed specifically to support students in grades 6–8 and prepare them for high school and beyond. With Amplify ELA, students learn to tackle any complex text and make observations, grapple with interesting ideas, and find relevance for themselves.
Built for middle school teachers and students
Built specifically for middle school, Amplify ELA is an interactive core curriculum that brings complex texts to life. Amplify ELA’s 100-Day Pathway is a built-in guide to covering required content for each grade level while allowing teachers time to add supplemental lessons and activities.
All-green rating on EdReports
The results are in! Amplify ELA received a near-perfect score by the independent review group.
Our approach
Amplify ELA is the ELA program designed for middle school. It offers rich texts that are a delight to teach, better connections with your students through powerful differentiation and assessment tools, and step-by-step instructional guides that save you time and simplify your day.
We empower students to become critical thinkers.
With text always at the center, students are encouraged to make meaning for themselves. Rather than focusing on right or wrong answers, they develop ideas and opinions on relevant, real-world, texts.
We provide six levels of differentiation.
Multiple entry points and differentiated supports allow every student, regardless of fluency or ability level, to engage deeply with the same complex texts and rigorous curriculum.
We assess while you instruct.
Formative assessment reports provide a continually updated picture of how each student is progressing with key skills and standards. Each learning moment provides a small piece of data, allowing you to keep teaching while building a clear understanding of student performance.
Download a free white paper
Beyond “make it fun”: Four principles of true engagement in middle school ELA
Download the white paperWhat’s included
Amplify ELA is a rigorous core curriculum that empowers teachers and engages middle school students.
Student edition
Available digitally and in print, the student materials guide middle schoolers through complex texts and writing by:
- engaging students with high-quality narrative and informational texts
- providing videos, audio supports, and digital experiences that capture their attention
- keeping all of their writing in one place with a personal writing journal
Teacher Edition
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher Edition contains all the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:
- detailed lesson plans
- video teacher tips embedded in the lesson
- standards alignment and exit tickets
- real-time differentiation strategies
- robust reporting
Interactive Quests
Quests are fun, week-long immersions into a specific, multilayered topic. They enable students to practice analytical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills—all while building a strong classroom community.
Digital library for independent reading
The expansive Amplify Library includes more than 650 digital fiction, nonfiction, classic, and contemporary titles.
Amplify ELA makes teachers’ lives easier
We help teachers make sure the standards are covered, the skills are taught, your students are scaffolded and encouraged, and the test is prepped.
- Embedded differentiation to support all readers.
- Informative and streamlined assessment system.
- Robust reporting that tracks progress.
- Powerful feedback tools.
Amplify ELA – Review for grades 6-8
New York
Amplify Desmos Math updates are coming!
As we look ahead to the upcoming school year, we’re continuing to enhance Amplify Demos Math. From time-saving platform enhancements to new features, these updates are designed to help you deliver engaging math instruction while making planning, assigning, and differentiation easier than ever.
Whether you’re using Amplify Desmos Math on its own or alongside Personalized Learning, Boost Math®, or mCLASS® Math, this page highlights what’s already available and what’s coming next.
Updates coming for the 2026–27 school year
To help you plan for the year ahead with confidence, we’re previewing some of the exciting enhancements coming your way.
Platform updates
We’re improving the overall classroom experience with platform enhancements that make lessons easier to navigate and instruction easier to manage.
- Activity pages are being redesigned to feature a left sidebar, informational tabs, and lesson screens at the top of the page. This optional reconfiguration will allow you to immediately see each lesson and more easily access relevant resources and tools. You will be able to turn on the new design – or turn it off to return to the original design – with a toggle located on the page.
- We’re making updates to our Recently Visited section on Educator Home. You’ll see both activity and units reflected there, and have the ability to star a unit or lesson to pin it to the front of your list
- Presentation tools are also expanding, making it easier to facilitate lessons, annotate in real time, and manage instruction from anywhere in the room.
- You will be able to assign Teacher Presentation Screens to individual students who need access on their own devices for reference or accessibility purposes.
Administrator Report improvements
- The existing Administrator Reports for Unit Performance will be replaced with a new and improved Student Performance report that will provide school and district administrators with aggregated views of student performance on end-of-unit assessments as well as standards. The report will support grouping this data by school and class without having to access reporting for individual classrooms.
AI-powered teacher tools
We’ve developed new tools to enhance your ability to connect and collaborate with families! These will be available when you opt in through Amplify Labs.
- Discussion Moments, launching for grades 6–8 in 2026–27, will support rich classroom conversations by highlighting student ideas directly within lessons, making it easier to pause, reflect, and discuss mathematical thinking.
- Newsletter Generator, for grades K–5, allows you to create your own customizable communication to share out with families.
Using mCLASS Math? Explore upcoming updates and noteworthy features for assessment, progress monitoring, and reporting on the mCLASS Math Program Highlights page.
New offerings
Amplify Desmos Math continues to grow to support more learners across grade levels and instructional pathways.
- Expanded Spanish student and teacher materials will better serve multilingual classrooms by providing access to high-quality math instruction in both print and digital formats.
- New PreK and Transitional Kindergarten offerings emphasize hands-on, developmentally appropriate learning.
- For middle school, Accelerated 6 and Accelerated 7 will be available for full release soon, offering a two-year pathway that condenses grades 6–8.
- At the high school level, Amplify Desmos Math will soon be commercially available as complete high school course sequences, including Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Integrated Math pathways.
Note: Some offerings and enhancements may require an additional purchase.
Noteworthy features
These features are already available or rolling out soon to help you plan, teach, and support students more efficiently.
- Use Stream filtering tools to search by student name and quickly view everything assigned to a particular learner.
- Assign work to individual students, create and reuse named groups, or assign multiple Personalized Learning activities at once using batch assign, making it easier to differentiate instruction and support small groups without extra setup time.
- Preview student work directly from the Stream to check progress and decide on next steps more efficiently.
- Individual Student Reports provide a unified view of student progress across math products, offering a clear, shareable snapshot to support caregiver communication and student conferencing.
- Download and print screens of any lesson or activity by selecting the three-dot menu to the right of the activity (or lesson) title and selecting View PDF.
Personalized Learning activities are now clearer and easier for students to manage.
Personalized Learning activities now include a clear Done button, helping students understand when their work is complete.
- Once an activity is finished, it moves out of the To Do list and into Past Work, reducing confusion and supporting student organization.
- You also have improved visibility and guidance for addressing unfinished work, redoing activities, and when Personalized Learning data appears in reporting.
Easier planning and navigation across resources
Planning instruction is simpler with an improved Browse Instructional Resources experience designed to reduce clicks and help you quickly find the materials you need.
- Locate resources more easily for small-group instruction, practice, or extension.
- Get more control over the student experience, including the option to remove Math Adventures from Student Home when those activities aren’t part of their instructional plan.
Using Boost Math as part of your math solution? Learn more about recent enhancements to Boost Math, including updates to instructional pathways and more options to further the impact of your Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
Artificial intelligence at Amplify
Amplify is committed to using artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities transparently, safely, responsibly, and ethically to deliver tools and resources that continue to fulfill our purpose. We are also committed to aiding students, teachers, and our staff with the skills and understanding required to use AI technology effectively and fairly.
Thoughtful and intentional integration of AI technology supports Amplify’s purpose by extending teachers’ reach, saving them time, enhancing their understanding of each student, and providing new ways to engage students in powerful and rigorous learning experiences.
At the core of our work is our belief that these technologies, if used wisely, can support teachers in creating the kind of classroom experiences every student deserves—collaborative, interesting, and personalized.
Amplify’s AI principles
Governance and risk management: Amplify is developing and maintaining a governance and risk-management program aligned to EDSAFE AI Alliance’s S.A.F.E. Benchmarks Framework and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, which includes internal policies and procedures to support compliance and safe and responsible use of AI. Amplify’s program guides the design, development, deployment, and overall implementation of AI in Amplify’s products and the tools used in Amplify’s operations. The governance program applies both to Amplify-developed capabilities and third-party development and integrations.
Amplify aligns to EDSAFE AI Alliance’s S.A.F.E. Benchmarks Framework as follows:
SAFETY: Uphold privacy, security, and reliability.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Be human-centered, responsive to human guidance, and transparent.
FAIRNESS AND TRANSPARENCY: Avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias, and assess for impact.
EFFICACY: Be purposeful and rigorous.
Privacy and security: Amplify ensures that privacy protections are included by default in AI systems, including ensuring that data collection conforms to reasonable expectations and that only data strictly necessary for the specific context is collected, in conformance with our policies around the collection, use, and sharing of personal information. Amplify’s applications use student personal information solely for the purpose of performing the service, in alignment with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and applicable state law and district policies and contracts. In addition, Amplify monitors security risks specific to AI systems, including dataset poisoning, prompt injection, and adversarial attacks, and shores up resilience against attempts to alter use, behavior, or performance, or to compromise security properties. Read more about Amplify privacy and security programs.
AI in Amplify’s products and services
Amplify uses AI in our programs in ways that respond to the demonstrated needs of districts, teachers, and students and that meet our high standards for safety, accountability, fairness, and efficacy. Amplify has established an AI Center of Excellence, with AI scientists, engineers, product managers, and designers dedicated to establishing best practices and guiding development in key areas that meet these criteria.
Some ways Amplify leverages AI in products and services:
Amplify ELA: Amplify ELA’s Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tools give teachers the ability to understand, track, and support student progress with key foundational skills, which are strong indicators of students’ analytic writing proficiency. Developed in conjunction with the Writing Prompts in Amplify ELA, AWE assesses student writing for Focus, Use of Evidence, and Conventions, providing critical feedback for teachers and data for Amplify’s writing reports.
Boost Reading: Students in grades K–5 may take the Boost Reading Benchmark Assessment to determine their placement in Boost when they first log in. Students receive a set of word recognition, fluency, and comprehension activities, supported by automatic speech recognition.
Boost Math: Personalized Learning activities feature Spark, a virtual tutor that uses text-to-speech to provide personalized, engaging support to help students build mastery. The tutor incorporates student numerical responses in its conversation, but does not use student personal information.
Nevada ELA Review for grades K–5
Thank you for taking the time to review Amplify’s core ELA program for K–5.
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is a cutting-edge and effective core ELA program for students in grades K–5. It was developed in partnership with the Core Knowledge Foundation, was specifically designed to help teachers implement Science of Reading principles, and features proven evidence-based instructional practices.
Getting started
On this site, you’ll find a variety of resources designed to support your review and evaluation of the program. Before you start scrolling, watch the video below to learn about CKLA’s alignment to Nevada’s literacy initiatives as well as where to find key program resources.
Curriculum background
Pedagogical overview
In the video below, Amplify’s Chief Academic Officer Susan Lambert shares the big picture of CKLA, and explains why it was created and the impact it’s making across the country.
Program overview
In the video below, learn about CKLA’s structure and materials, as well the research behind the curriculum.
Program features
Built out of the latest research in the Science of Reading, Amplify CKLA delivers explicit instruction in both foundational literacy skills (systematic phonics, decoding, and fluency) and background knowledge in grades K–2 with an integrated approach to explicit instruction in grades 3–5.
Review this Science of Reading toolkit to learn more about the Science of Reading best practices integrated throughout CKLA.
Great reading instruction starts with helping kids develop great decoding skills. By building a solid foundation of phonological awareness and phonics, reading the words on the page becomes automatic so that comprehension and critical thinking can happen. Our instruction is supported by:
- Step-by-step lessons with multisensory approaches, clear lesson objectives, and embedded formative assessments.
- Decodable books and student readers with ebook and audiobook versions that feature engaging plots and relatable characters.
- An engaging sound library with fun songs and videos that develop phonological awareness.
- An interactive Vocab App featuring engaging activities with immediate feedback and automated, customized instruction based on student performance.
Students build grade-appropriate subject-area knowledge and vocabulary in history, science, literature, and the arts while learning to read, write, and think creatively and for themselves. Our instruction is supported by:
- Knowledge builders that provide a quick overview of each domain with its key ideas.
- Interactive Read-Alouds designed to build knowledge and vocabulary.
- Content-rich anchor texts that support students as they tackle increasingly complex text and sharpen their analytical skills.
- Social and emotional learning paired with lessons in civic responsibility.
Amplify CKLA provides built-in differentiation strategies in every lesson for all students,
including supports for ELLs.
- Access supports for ELLs—Integrated ELD supports in each lesson segment
for ELLs are specific to students’ mastery of the lesson’s objectives. - Support and Challenge for all learners—Lessons include Support and Challenge suggestions that provide assistance or opportunities for more advanced work toward the goal of the lesson. These supports are suitable for all learners, including ELLs.
- 30 minutes of Additional Support in every Skills lesson–In the Skills Strand, every lesson concludes with an Additional Support section of recommendations for 30 minutes of extended instruction and activities, directly aligned to the skills taught in the lesson to assist students who need more support in mastering the lesson’s objectives.
- Intervention Toolkit–The Intervention Toolkit provides easy-to-use resources to assist teachers in filling gaps in students’ foundational skills. Teachers will find of hundreds of activities to support phonics, fluency, comprehension, handwriting, and other key skills.
The slides-based Amplify CKLA digital experience enhances instruction while saving you time. Everything you need is all in one place, making it easier than ever to plan lessons, present digital content, and review student work.
- Simplify planning and instruction–Teachers have access to ready-to-use and customizable lesson presentation slides, complete with all the prompts from the print Teacher Guide embedded in the teacher view. As teachers deliver each lesson, students can engage with the content in one cohesive
experience—through Activity Books, slides, digital components, videos, Student Readers, and more. - Interactive student activities–Through the Student Home, students can easily access digital lessons with slides, Activity Pages, ebooks, videos, and other interactive resources from one simple dashboard.
- Your teacher command center–You’re provided with the tools you need to ensure a productive digital experience that’s personalized to meet your students’ needs. This includes a teacher home from which to launch and track lessons, LMS integrations such as Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, and other customizations based on classroom needs.
- Get real-time insights into your students’ work–The innovative live review tool enables you to keep an eye on students drawing, recording audio, uploading and capturing images, and typing or writing in pre-placed text boxes in their Activity Pages.
Curriculum review
Digital experience overview
In the video below, learn about CKLA’s digital tools for teachers and students across both classroom and asynchronous environments.
Digital navigation walkthrough
Physical materials walkthrough
Curriculum implementation
See our Science of Reading solutions in action! Click here to see a real example of how one Ohio district is implementing and educating their K–8 community on the Science of Reading as a response to Ohio’s Plan to Raise Literacy Achievement Initiative.
Access the program
Explore as a teacher
Before logging in, watch this brief video on navigating the CKLA Teacher Resource Site.
Ready to explore as a teacher? Follow these instructions:
- Click the CKLA Teacher Resource Site button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: t1.nvk5@tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: AmplifyNumber1
- Click the CKLA Teacher Resource icon
- Select a grade level
Explore as a student
Before logging in, watch this brief video on navigating the CKLA Student Hub.
Ready to explore as a student? Follow these instructions:
- Click the CKLA Teacher Resource Site button below.
- Select Log in with Amplify.
- Enter the username: s1.nvk5@tryamplify.net
- Enter the password: AmplifyNumber1
- Click the CKLA Teacher Resource icon
- Select a grade level
Check out these additional resources
Nevada submission resources:
- CKLA Program Alignment to the Standards (Nevada Rubric: Category 1)
- CKLA Program Social Justice Alignment (Nevada Rubric 2: Category 2)
- CKLA Grade K Lesson Alignment to the Nevada Academic Content Standards for English Language Arts
- CKLA Grade 1 Lesson Alignment to the Nevada Academic Content Standards for English Language Arts
- CKLA Grade 2 Lesson Alignment to the Nevada Academic Content Standards for English Language Arts
- CKLA Grade 3 Lesson Alignment to the Nevada Academic Content Standards for English Language Arts
- CKLA Grade 4 Lesson Alignment to the Nevada Academic Content Standards for English Language Arts
- CKLA Grade 5 Lesson Alignment to the Nevada Academic Content Standards for English Language Arts
CKLA review resources:
- CKLA Program guide
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion in CKLA
- Text complexity in CKLA
- Trade books in CKLA
- Assessments in CKLA
- Remote and hybrid learning with CKLA
- Amplify ELA Technical Specifications
- CKLA Scopes and Sequences
- Grade K Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 1 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 2 Skills and Knowledge
- Grade 3 Integrated
- Grade 4 Integrated
- Grade 5 Integrated
Evaluate Online
To review Amplify Science online, click the orange button below.
Once you’re logged in, watch our navigational guide videos to review the digital Teacher’s Guides:
Grades K–5:
Grades 6–8:
Phenomenon-Based Learning
Phenomenon-based teaching and learning deeply engages students. By positioning students as scientists and giving them questions, not answers, Amplify Science delivers results in and beyond science class.
This represents a shift from asking students to learn about science to supporting students in figuring out the science.
Instructional Model
The Amplify Science program is rooted in the proven, research-based pedagogy of Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize. Here’s how each element works:
New Program Enhancements
Amplify Science is unique because we continually add new content, tools, and resources, which will help us meet Milwaukee Public Schools’ needs as they evolve. In a world where things are changing by the minute, Amplify commits to providing MPS with the most up-to-date content throughout the life of the adoption.
We want to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the types of rigorous and riveting learning experiences you know your students deserve.
Some of our latest enhancements include:
- Amplify Science@Home, a new solution to improve synchronous and asynchronous remote learning
- Classroom Slides offered in both PowerPoint and Google Slides formats, to save teachers time
- Spanish Digital Simulations and Spanish Classroom Slides, to complete our full Spanish digital suite
- Administrator Reports, which can be easily exported for integration with learning management systems
To learn more about our newest features, click here.
Science and Literacy
At Amplify, we believe science and literacy should truly integrated, and not just connected.
Even the youngest readers are supported in their journeys to obtain, evaluate, and communication information about the natural world through Read-Alouds, Shared Reading, and Partner Reading.
To learn more about Amplify Science and its commitment to literacy-rich science instruction, click here.
Spanish Resources
Amplify Science is committed to providing support to meet the needs of all learners, and includes multiple access points for Spanish-speaking students. Our Amplify Science materials were created with the same rigor of scientific accuracy, rich content and language, and literacy development, and materials were developed in conjunction with Spanish-language experts and classroom teachers.
Some of our Spanish resources include:
- Classroom Lesson Slides
- Spanish Digital Simulations
- Teacher Digital Licenses
- Student Digital Licenses
- All Student-Facing Print Materials
To see a complete list of Spanish print and digital resources, click here.
Access and Equity
Amplify Science provides all students with access to intellectually stimulating, rigorous, and culturally relevant science and engineering education. We value and build on the rich assets that each student brings to class. You can read more about our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion here.
To learn how we commit to culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, choose a link below.
- Universal Design for Learning
- Culturally and linguistically responsive teaching
- Differentiation strategies
- Lesson-level differentiation
Scope and Sequence
| GRADE | UNITS |
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Grade 6: Earth Science |
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| Grade 7: Life Science |
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Grade 8: Physical Science |
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Welcome, Georgia educators!
The Ohio High Impact Tutoring Consultancy Series
Amplify integrations
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY UPDATES
mCLASS Texas Edition, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS Intervention!
mCLASS® Texas Edition, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS® Intervention are introducing enhancements for the next school year. Explore the following improvements designed to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the learning experiences your students deserve.
Updates
mCLASS Texas Edition expands to support grades 7–8.
This expansion supports a full K–8 literacy model (alongside Amplify Texas ELAR 6–8), to help you identify where both elementary and middle school students need support and to guide you on the next steps. With mCLASS Texas Edition for grades 7–8, you can support middle school students with reading fundamentals, monitor progress for grade-level and below-grade-level skills, and find instructional guidance based on best practices for middle school.
mCLASS Texas Edition Home Connect available in 15 additional languages
Starting Sept. 1, all mCLASS Texas Edition customers can generate Home Connect letters in 15 additional languages: Simplified Chinese (Mandarin), Traditional Chinese (Cantonese), Vietnamese, Russian, Punjabi, Filipino, Armenian, Korean, Hmong, Japanese, Ukrainian, Arabic, Farsi, Dari, and Pashto.
These translated letters include all essential features of our English and Spanish versions, ensuring every family receives their student’s complete mCLASS Texas Edition results, including: Vocabulary, Spelling, RAN, and Oral Language scores, plus targeted activities to support their child’s learning at home.
Enhanced district-level insights: New mCLASS Texas Edition progress monitoring data columns launch July 1.
Starting July 1, the mCLASS Texas Edition Progress Monitoring Download Your Data (DYD) Report will include three new columns that bring student growth insights to school and district leadership:
Aimline Status—Description of the progress monitoring result’s position in relation to the aimline
Aimline Value By Date—Score on the aimline on the day that the progress monitoring test is administered
Growth Goal Set—Score the student is striving to achieve by the start date of the next benchmark period
School and district leaders will gain the same detailed progress monitoring visibility teachers have relied on, now scaled across the entire district. This means data-driven decisions can be made faster, and students who need additional support will be identified as soon as possible.
mCLASS Reading becomes mCLASS Literacy.
Starting July 10, 2026, the brand name in our platform will shift from mCLASS Reading to mCLASS Literacy. This change is intended to reflect the importance of both reading and comprehension.
Updated Zones of Growth framework
On Sept. 1, 2026, the Zones of Growth framework will be updated using a recent national data set. Predictive growth rates will be based on students with the exact same scores, ensuring prediction accuracy is even more precise. Zones of Growth will also be updated for DIBELS Data System users.
New mCLASS Intervention Demo Mode available
We’ve also launched Demo Mode in mCLASS Intervention, which will help you explore the grouping and lesson generation platform through either self-guided exploration or a guided tour. To access the demo, log into your mCLASS program, navigate to the Intervention tab, and select “Try Demo.”
mCLASS Lectura update: phonemic awareness measure option for kindergarten and grade 1
Fluidez en la segmentación de fonemas (FSF) will be added to mCLASS Lectura as an optional measure for kindergarten and grade 1. FSF is a standardized, individually-administered phonemic awareness assessment that measures students’ ability to fluently segment words, a skill which is predictive of Spanish reading proficiency and is also transferable to support the development of English phonemic awareness.
FSF does not impact the overall mCLASS Lectura Composite Score.
Noteworthy features
PD Library
You’ll find helpful professional development (PD) resources in the PD Library to ensure your mCLASS implementation runs smoothly. When you’re logged into mCLASS, the PD Library can be accessed by clicking the PD Library button on the left navigation bar.
Demo mode in English Classroom Reporting
mCLASS English Classroom Reporting features a demo mode that guides teachers through sample classroom and student reports, highlighting realistic student data within the complete set of mCLASS instructional tools. This demo mode is especially helpful for onboarding purposes with teachers new to using mCLASS.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY UPDATES
mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS Intervention!
mCLASS® DIBELS® 8th Edition, mCLASS Lectura, and mCLASS® Intervention are introducing enhancements for the next school year. Explore the following improvements designed to save you time, extend your reach, and support your efforts to deliver the learning experiences your students deserve.
Updates
mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition expands to support grades 7–8.
This expansion supports a full K–8 literacy model (alongside Amplify ELA), to help you identify where both elementary and middle school students need support and to guide you on the next steps. With mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition for grades 7–8, you can support middle school students with reading fundamentals, monitor progress for grade-level and below-grade-level skills, and find instructional guidance based on best practices for middle school.
mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition Home Connect available in 15 additional languages
Starting Sept. 1, all mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition customers can generate Home Connect letters in 15 additional languages: Simplified Chinese (Mandarin), Traditional Chinese (Cantonese), Vietnamese, Russian, Punjabi, Filipino, Armenian, Korean, Hmong, Japanese, Ukrainian, Arabic, Farsi, Dari, and Pashto.
These translated letters include all essential features of our English and Spanish versions, ensuring every family receives their student’s complete mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition results, including: Vocabulary, Spelling, RAN, and Oral Language scores, plus targeted activities to support their child’s learning at home.
Enhanced district-level insights: New mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition progress monitoring data columns launch July 1.
Starting July 1, the mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition Progress Monitoring Download Your Data (DYD) Report will include three new columns that bring student growth insights to school and district leadership:
Aimline Status—Description of the progress monitoring result’s position in relation to the aimline
Aimline Value By Date—Score on the aimline on the day that the progress monitoring test is administered
Growth Goal Set—Score the student is striving to achieve by the start date of the next benchmark period
School and district leaders will gain the same detailed progress monitoring visibility teachers have relied on, now scaled across the entire district. This means data-driven decisions can be made faster, and students who need additional support will be identified as soon as possible.
mCLASS Reading becomes mCLASS Literacy.
Starting July 10, 2026, the brand name in our platform will shift from mCLASS Reading to mCLASS Literacy. This change is intended to reflect the importance of both reading and comprehension.
Updated Zones of Growth framework
On Sept. 1, 2026, the Zones of Growth framework will be updated using a recent national data set. Predictive growth rates will be based on students with the exact same scores, ensuring prediction accuracy is even more precise. Zones of Growth will also be updated for DIBELS Data System users.
New mCLASS Intervention Demo Mode available
We’ve also launched Demo Mode in mCLASS Intervention, which will help you explore the grouping and lesson generation platform through either self-guided exploration or a guided tour. To access the demo, log into your mCLASS program, navigate to the Intervention tab, and select “Try Demo.”
mCLASS Lectura update: phonemic awareness measure option for kindergarten and grade 1
Fluidez en la segmentación de fonemas (FSF) will be added to mCLASS Lectura as an optional measure for kindergarten and grade 1. FSF is a standardized, individually-administered phonemic awareness assessment that measures students’ ability to fluently segment words, a skill which is predictive of Spanish reading proficiency and is also transferable to support the development of English phonemic awareness.
FSF does not impact the overall mCLASS Lectura Composite Score.
Revised print materials for two mCLASS Lectura progress monitoring forms
We’ve corrected typos in the print materials for two Fluidez en Palabras (FEP) student progress monitoring forms. Beginning July 1, 2026, you will see a pop-up when you begin assessing students for these two forms which will provide instructions on how to find and print updated student materials.
Noteworthy features
PD Library
You’ll find helpful professional development (PD) resources in the PD Library to ensure your mCLASS implementation runs smoothly. When you’re logged into mCLASS, the PD Library can be accessed by clicking the PD Library button on the left navigation bar.
Demo mode in English Classroom Reporting
mCLASS English Classroom Reporting features a demo mode that guides teachers through sample classroom and student reports, highlighting realistic student data within the complete set of mCLASS instructional tools. This demo mode is especially helpful for onboarding purposes with teachers new to using mCLASS.
Amplify CKLA for Anchorage
Buffalo Consultancy
What is mCLASS?
mCLASS is a best-in-class assessment platform that houses a suite of proven, gold-standard assessment measures and tools that can be flexibly combined to meet the unique literacy needs of both teachers and students across grades K–6, including:
- Universal screening
- Diagnostic assessment
- Dyslexia screening
- Progress monitoring
- Dual language reporting
- Targeted teacher-led instruction
What is the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment?
Developed by the University of Oregon, the DIBELS 8th Edition is the latest version of the DIBELS® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment.
With this latest version, the University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning (UO CTL) made significant efforts to ensure measures would meet state-level screening requirements for universal screening, diagnostic assessment, and dyslexia screening. To support this, measures were updated based on the latest research to meet increased standards of reliability and validity. In addition, adaptive procedures and discontinue rules focus on the assessment of priority skills and prevent over-testing.
Summary of changes:
- Consistent measures within grades will provide improved growth measurement.
- All subtests have been revised to be grade-specific and to increase in difficulty, covering a full progression of skills and minimizing floor and ceiling effects. This provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and further pinpoint what they don’t know.
- Phoneme Segmentation Fluency replaces First Sound Fluency. The expanded coverage minimizes floor effect and provides information about difficulty in Phonemic Awareness skills without the additional First Sound Fluency measure.
- A new subtest, Word Reading Fluency, helps identify students with poor sight word reading skills that other subtests miss.
- For all measures, the basic scoring procedures remain the same. For Nonsense Word Fluency, credit is given for recording words as whole words even if the student misses in the first attempt.
- Oral Reading Fluency is now only one passage, instead of three. Retell has been removed. Thus, Oral Reading Fluency assessment will take a third of the time.
Assessment measures by grade
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Assessment measures sample videos
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Word Reading Fluency (WRF)
DIBELS 8th Edition measure: Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
How is mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition combines the power of the mCLASS assessment platform and the effectiveness of the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment measures. As a result – educators across the state are empowered with the latest and greatest assessment tool.
More than a test, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition is an integrated system that closes the knowing-doing gap by helping teachers take immediate instructional action that’s right for each and every student.
Assessment systems must enable and compel educators to answer not just the “What” questions, but also the “So What” and “Now What” questions. These are the questions that are essential in transforming classroom instruction, and the questions that mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition helps teachers answer with confidence.
How is mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition different?
- It gives teachers access to the latest digital version of the DIBELS assessment. Amplify is the only licensed provider of the digital DIBELS 8th Edition assessment. As such, our solution is the only one to enhance the DIBELS 8th Edition assessment with the power, reliability, and quickness of the mCLASS system.
- It makes it faster and easier to understand where every student is in their early literacy journey. By combining 1:1 observational diagnostic assessments, dyslexia screening, progress monitoring, instant scoring, rigorous reporting, automatic student grouping, and targeted instruction all in one place, it reduces the instructional delays associated with manual scoring, manual data analysis, and manual lesson planning.
- It brings more equity to the classroom. When used in conjunction with mCLASS Lectura, teachers have access to dual language reports that highlight a student’s strengths and weaknesses in both English and Spanish.
- It makes every instructional minute count. In addition to one-minute measures that quickly gauge student progress toward reading proficiency, it leverages a teacher’s most powerful instructional tool — their own 1:1 observations.
- It drives growth more efficiently. Rather than relying on broad composite scores alone, granular data and in-depth insights for every student help teachers pinpoint exact skill gaps and areas of unfinished learning, making whole-group, small-group, and 1:1 instruction more targeted and effective.
- It saves teachers time. Instant reports, automatic student groups, and ready-to-teach lessons mean teachers spend less time cobbling together materials and more time working directly with students and responding to their needs.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition support screening for dyslexia risk?
DIBELS 8th Edition measures have been updated based on the latest research. They now offer stronger measures of processing speed, phonological awareness, and alphabetic principles for dyslexia screening purposes.
To support this, a new subtest in Word Reading Fluency was introduced and revisions were made to Letter Naming Fluency, Phonemic Segmentation Fluency, and Nonsense Fluency subtests to improve their ability to screen for deficits commonly associated with dyslexia risk, such as phonological awareness, rapid naming ability, and alphabetic principle. These measures provide early warning signs for neurological processing difficulties that contribute to risk for dyslexia (Wolf & Bowers, 1999; Denckla & Rudel, 1974).
Moreover, measures in Oral Language and Vocabulary are included to provide additional information to help evaluate additional risk areas associated with dyslexia risk.
How does mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition turn data into instant action?
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition gives you instant results and clear next steps for each student.
Quick and actionable reports provide detailed insight into students’ reading development across foundational literacy skills for teachers, specialists, administrators, and caregivers.
Diagnostic assessment
mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition analyzes individual student response data through a scoring algorithm which aligns to the Colorado Department of Education’s stated purpose of a diagnostic assessment.
Our innovative approach to diagnostic assessment leverages an item-level evaluation of individual student responses in order to provide deeper insights into specific student weaknesses and areas of improvement. mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition analyzes individual student response data through a scoring algorithm which aligns to the Colorado Department of Education’s stated purpose of a diagnostic: “… to pinpoint a student’s specific area(s) of weakness and provide in-depth information about students’ skills and instructional needs.”
For a full list of diagnostic observations, click the button below to download the Digital Assessment Materials navigation guide.
Ready-to-teach instruction
Immediately following the analysis of individual student responses, mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition provides an in-depth diagnostic report complete with suggested next steps, also known as “mCLASS Instruction.”
mCLASS Instruction evaluates each student’s responses on each individual subtest and instantly:
- Provides a list of specific needs by student, such as struggling with medial vowel sounds or difficulty reading words with consonant blends.
- Groups students automatically based on similar discrete skill needs, not simply composite scores like other assessment tools.
- Recommends a variety of ready-to-teach lessons that specifically target each individual student’s areas of need or common areas of need for small-group instruction.
Classroom skill and benchmark summary
The Classroom Skill Summary report is a dashboard showing benchmark performance on each skill. Teachers can use it to determine which skill areas need instructional focus at a classroom level.
The Classroom Benchmark Summary report is a classroom-wide view of overall reading performance. Teachers can use this report to determine if composite scores improved, declined, or remained the same each semester.
Detailed benchmark performance
Teachers can see each student’s performance during the current school year, on each subtest as well as the overall composite. The benchmark goal displays below the subtest name when applicable. The ability to sort the columns in this report gives teachers more flexibility to analyze data the way they prefer.
Dyslexia screening
Identify students who are at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, based on their results from foundational skills measures and additional measures as needed by local policies.
Progress monitoring summary
See which subtests have been assessed since the most recent benchmark assessment, how students performed on the three most recent progress monitoring assessments for each measure, and which students have not been progress monitored since the benchmark assessment.
Goal setting tool
The Zones of Growth (ZoG) analysis uses a rich set of national data to determine student goals for the next benchmark period. Teachers can use the Goal Setting Tool to view these recommended goals or modify the default goals for individual students as they see fit, if the default goal is too challenging or not challenging enough.
Growth outcomes
Teachers and interventionists can see each student’s actual growth achieved and how it compares to the goal that was set for the student.
Colorado READ Plans
Amplify recommends that a student who is categorized by the DIBELS 8th Edition composite score as “At High Risk” (denoted in all reports as “red”) be considered as potentially having a “Significant Reading Deficiency,” then further diagnosed using mCLASS’ Instruction diagnostics.
When devising a READ Plan, teachers and instructional staff should first consider students at high risk on DIBELS 8th Edition as potentially having a “Significant Reading Deficiency,” and eligible for a READ Plan. Students are then further diagnosed using mCLASS’ Instruction diagnostics. When devising a READ Plan, teachers can rely on the relevant mCLASS Instruction and Reports to comply with the READ Act.
Caregiver supports
The mCLASS Home Connect website houses literacy resources for parents and caregivers, including at-home lessons organized by skill. Our mCLASS parent/caregiver letters in English and Spanish ensure that families know how to best support their child.
Explore our self-guided tour
Our self-guided tour is a great way to orient yourself to the organization of our mCLASS platform. Click the button below to get started.
Contact us
Looking to speak directly with your Colorado representative? Get in touch with a team member by emailing HelloColorado@amplify.com or by calling us directly.
Enrollment over 2,500 students
Monty Lammers
Senior Account Executive
(719) 964-4501
We are the program for Indiana’s middle school students and teachers.
Amplify ELA is a blended curriculum. We built Amplify ELA to help you make sure the standards are covered, the skills are taught, the test is prepped for, and your students are scaffolded and encouraged. What’s more, everything is done in the background. That way, you can spend your time bringing the text to life, making the classroom hum, and letting each student know you are paying attention to their growth.
Program overview
Amplify ELA is a hybrid curriculum designed specifically for grades 6–8. The heart of every lesson is the text. Each grade includes six units centered on literary or informational texts, delivered in several forms of media. Your classroom will also benefit from two or three immersive learning experiences called Quests and a dedicated Story Writing unit.
- Full standards coverage: Standards are clearly labeled in each lesson overview, so teachers can save time planning and get back to what they love: teaching.
- Five levels of differentiation: Based on each student’s needs and the performance measures within Amplify ELA reports, a teacher can choose the differentiation level that’s the right fit for everyone.
- Embedded assessments: Teachers benefit from uninterrupted instructional time and a continuously updated picture of each student’s progress with key skills and standards.
- Powerful feedback tools: Comprehensive tools help teachers maximize both the quantity and quality of feedback.
- Robust reporting: Our reporting app offers information on student progress to help inform instructional decisions.
- All in one place: Embedded teacher support, differentiation tools, student data, text and other curriculum features—they’re all right there.
Materials
Discover print and digital materials included in the program.
Student edition
Available digitally and in print, the student materials guide middle schoolers through complex texts and writing by:
- engaging students with high-quality narrative and informational texts, providing videos, audio supports, and digital experiences that capture their attention, and
- keeping all of their writing in one place with the personal writing journal.
Teacher edition
Available digitally and in print, the Teacher edition contains all of the information teachers need to facilitate classroom instruction, including:
- detailed lesson plans
- video teacher tips embedded in the lesson
- standards alignment and exit tickets
- real-time differentiation strategies
- robust reporting
Interactive Quests
Fun, week-long explorations where students practice analytical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, all while building a strong classroom community.
Digital library for independent reading
Amplify Library: Our expansive digital library includes more than 650 fiction and nonfiction, classic, and contemporary titles.
Resources
Learn more about Amplify ELA and how we address the unique needs of middle school students.
Program sample guide
Table of Contents
Experts & presenters
Deb Sabin
Chief Academic Officer, Amplify ELA
Deb Sabin leads Amplify’s curriculum development teams for ELA. Previously she was Director of Instruction and Training for The Writer’s Express. She’s been an ELA teacher in a variety of classrooms from alternative high schools to elite prep schools and international dual language programs.
Jeff Dannemiller
Product Specialists, Amplify
Jeff works with educators across the country, helping them get the most out of their middle school students with reading, writing, and developing all the other skills necessary for high school and beyond.
Contacts
Nathan Toles
Field Manager
ntoles@amplify.com
(317) 430-7879
Jackie Roper
Senior Account Executive
jroper@amplify.com
(312) 202-2598
Casie Rayes
crayes@amplify.com
(480) 549-7531
Get to know Amplify ELA
Start by taking a look at the Amplify ELA Program Guide, where you’ll find:
- Grade-level overviews for grades 6–8 (pages 11–31)
- Amplify ELA pedagogy (page 10)
- Sample lesson routine (page 38)
- Amplify ELA foundations (pp 70-80)
Want to go deeper or look at Amplify ELA’s approach to writing, vocabulary, grammar, and differentiation? Check out the Table of Contents for all this and much more!
Navigating the curriculum
Amplify ELA is a truly blended curriculum, designed specifically for grades 6–8. The program includes instructional guidance and student materials for a year of instruction, with lessons and activities that keep students engaged every day. Materials can be accessed either digitally or through print materials, depending on what your class needs.
Navigating in print
- Watch this video exploring the print resources available for students and teachers in Amplify ELA.
- Follow this link to open an ebook version of the print materials for your grade level and explore Unit A (the first unit).
Navigating digital
- Watch this video exploring the digital curriculum platform and the many resources available for teachers and students.
- Log in to the curriculum at learning.amplify.com using the demo account and password provided by your Sales rep.
- Once you have finished the tour, try out the scavenger hunt below!
Amplify ELA Scavenger Hunt
Inside a lesson
1. Overview & planning
The Lesson Brief equips teachers with the tools they need to plan instruction. It begins with an Overview, which describes the big ideas students will grapple with and summarizes the lesson’s sequence of activities. Next, there is a Preparation section, which points out key moments and materials to prepare. The Preparation section also describes the location and content of the lesson’s Exit Ticket.
The Lesson Brief also includes: the Lesson Objective, which details the reading, writing, and/or speaking and listening objectives; Words to Use, which points out key vocabulary from the reading; Skills & Standards, which lists the focus and coverage standards; and Differentiation, which describes differentiated supports and provides additional suggestions for modifying activities.
2. Vocab App
The Vocab App helps students master vocabulary words through game-like activities based on morphology, analogy, synonyms/ antonyms, and deciphering meaning. These activities help students develop dictionary skills by focusing on parts of speech, etymology, and multiple meanings. There are also activities for ELL-appropriate words from the unit’s texts, asking students to match an English definition, Spanish translation, context sentence, audio pronunciation, and visual definition. These activities also align to vocabulary standards.
Vocab App (Teacher View)
3. Work Visually
Visualization activities are an essential part of Amplify ELA, as they open the door to more comprehensive understanding of complex texts. In these learning experiences, students break apart the text in visual ways or use visual cues to “see” key details as they construct meaning.
In this early lesson from grade 7, students unpack propaganda images and short videos from the Chinese Cultural Revolution to build their understanding of the setting before beginning the memoir Red Scarf Girl.
Other units include visualization activities such as using an app to “see” the evidence for and against scientific theories, making storyboards and planning visual adaptations of texts to “read like a movie director,” and comparing and contrasting illustrations with key textual moments.
4. Author Videos & Dramatic Readings
Students benefit from using listening comprehension skills as they build fluency with complex texts. In these close reading experiences, students listen to the text, perform the text out loud, or watch a dramatic reading of the text.
In this lesson, students listen and watch as author Ji-Li Jiang reads the opening prologue of her memoir, Red Scarf Girl. Her facial expressions, tone of voice, and emphasis help students develop early ideas about what matters to this narrator.
Additional author videos and dramatic readings are embedded in other units. In Unit 8D: Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, students watch WordPlay Shakespeare videos where actors perform each selected scene next to the text of that excerpt. In Unit 8B: Liberty & Equality, two members of the Marvel cinematic universe—Chadwick Boseman and Elizabeth Olsen—offer masterful performances of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave and A Confederate Girl’s Diary.
5. Reading/eReader
Reading standards establish high expectations for all students, even as they enter the middle grades at a variety of reading levels. In Amplify ELA lessons, students access universal supports embedded in the eReader (and built into the print versions of the text) to help them participate fully in grade-level activities.
Point-of-use vocab in print: The print Student Edition places key vocabulary words and their relevant definitions in the text margin to support students and keep them reading.
Reveal: By clicking on these pre-selected words, students access short contextual definitions for key and challenging vocabulary.
Highlight, Bookmark, and Notes: The digital highlighting, bookmarking, and annotation tools allow students to save and review any text notes from any lesson.
Text size and line spacing: Students can adjust text size and line spacing to find what works best for them
6. Writing
Two or three times a week, students complete their reading work by developing a piece of writing to refine their reading analysis. They write for 10–15 minutes, focusing on one claim in response to a prompt, and using evidence from the text in support of their claim.
In this lesson, students build on their discussion of the setting and their analysis of the passage to determine the author’s point of view at the start of her memoir.
Differentiated supports: Five levels of differentiated supports can be assigned in the moment or in advance to help every student work productively. Levels can be assigned ahead of time (by simply dragging and dropping students into groups) and students remain in their assigned levels until they’re changed by the teacher. For more information on differentiation in Amplify ELA, click here.
Automated Writing Evaluation: The Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tool has been developed in conjunction with Amplify’s regular writing activities, which ask students to use textual evidence to develop one focused idea or claim about the text and communicate that idea clearly and effectively to an audience. AWE is a tool designed to help teachers understand, track, and support student skill progress with these key foundational skills, which are a strong indicator of a student’s analytic writing proficiency. AWE provides auto scores for Focus and Conventions, allowing teachers to prioritize their assessment of a student’s progress with Use of Evidence, a skill that is relatively new for many middle-grade students.
7. Share
Establishing a supportive writing community in the classroom helps students develop their voices as writers. Each writing activity is coupled with a sharing session, where clear routines and student-facing feedback protocols support students as they share and respond to each other’s writing. Here, students try out their writing with an audience of their peers to figure out how to express their ideas in a clear and convincing way. In addition, these sharing sessions allow students to learn from the range of perspectives in the classroom.
Clear and consistent Response Starters ensure that students provide feedback that targets key skills and focuses on where a student is using a skill effectively, fostering an effective and supportive feedback environment.
8. Solos
Solos are an important part of the ELA curriculum, and are designed to be completed as homework—but not every student has a computer at home. However, most students DO have access to a mobile device. The new Mobile Solos give every student access to this part of the curriculum, protecting valuable classroom time for lessons and group activities.
Navigating the first unit
Dig into Unit A
It’s time to continue your journey by exploring the first unit!
- Choose a 6th-, 7th-, or 8th-grade Unit A.
- Find the Print Materials for your grade level’s Unit A and review the unit overview. (password: middle678school)
- Log in to the curriculum and navigate to your chosen unit.
- Scroll down to the unit guide. Open each section and read it.
- Read the background and context document in the Materials section.
- Go to Sub-unit 3 and read the Sub-unit Overview.
- Choose two lessons to explore further.
- Open the first lesson and read the Lesson Overview. Be sure to open and read each section in the Lesson Overview.
- Open each activity tab and read the teacher Instructional Guide. Familiarize yourself with the entire lesson and note where students are building reading and writing skills
- Repeat with the second lesson.
Diving Deeper
Check out Amplify ELA’s professional learning website, featuring self-guided training modules and videos to help you with planning and pacing, navigation, and learning key curriculum features.
You can log in using your Amplify credentials or the demo account and password provided by your sales rep.
Additional support
As you continue to explore the curriculum, you may also want to take a look at the Amplify ELA Resources Website, which is full of additional information on the program. If you have any questions, please contact us through the Amplify Help section.
And you’ll find even more information by watching this session from our Literacy Symposium, in which Sarah Kitzmiller from the Niswonger Foundation and Teddy Redding from Amplify discuss some of the challenges of the 2020–21 school year.
Amplify’s Literacy Symposium session: Focusing on the Fundamentals to Start the Year Right
You may choose to view other sessions from the Literacy Symposium as well, all accessible from the schedule menu in the top left corner.
This webinar also offers valuable insight, with Baltimore City middle school ELA teacher Lucas Drerup describing his experiences with Amplify ELA and discussing how he brings middle school ELA to life, even in a remote teaching setting.
How to bring middle school ELA to life: A teacher’s perspective
Support
- elahelp@amplify.com
- Amplify Help Center
- 1(800) 823-1969
Aligning MTSS to the Science of Reading: Five critical elements of a research-based system
How science and data can help us deliver the instruction and interventions that help all kids read
Watching kids learn to read? Magic. Learning how kids learn to read? Science.
As you likely know, the Science of Reading encompasses the pedagogy and practices proven by extensive research to effectively teach children how to read. The growing body of evidence around the Science of Reading tells us that with explicit, systematic instruction, all students can learn to read at or near grade level.
So as educators, we can think of it as the science of teaching reading.
In this post, we’ll look closer at that science in the classroom and explore how it delivers literacy skills in a way that meets the needs of all students. We’ll describe the critical elements of a complete Science of Reading system—including, but not limited to, a Science of Reading curriculum—and explore how it aligns with a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework.
We’ll also underscore the importance of data in informing instructional decisions—but in a way that might surprise you.
The five critical elements of a Science of Reading system
Strong core instruction grounded in Science of Reading principles is crucial. But in isolation, even that’s not enough. To be powerful and effective, a literacy system needs to bring together assessment, curriculum, intervention, personalized learning, and ongoing professional development.
An effective early literacy system aligns the following five key components with the principles of the Science of Reading. This way, each component shares a research-based foundation and works to meet the needs of all students.
- Universal and dyslexia screening. Assessment should include universal screening, dyslexia screening, and progress monitoring to identify at-risk students with actionable data and align instruction to areas of greatest need.
- Core instruction. A high-quality core program includes explicit, systematic instruction in foundational skills and a coherent approach to building background knowledge and vocabulary.
- Personalized learning. Effective personalized learning programs support both remediation and acceleration. They can reinforce core instruction or serve as a supplement to provide teachers with a taste of what research-based instructional tools can do.
- Intervention. Intervention should be staff-led and data-driven, with students’ needs clearly identified and frequently monitored.
- Science of Reading professional development. Districts across the country are making the shift to the Science of Reading. As you evaluate where to start, begin by sharing and cultivating a learning community among colleagues. The more knowledge you gain, the easier it will be to identify which areas to prioritize.
How MTSS aligns with the Science of Reading
The approach described above can integrate powerfully with MTSS.
For a thoughtful discussion of this kind of integration with examples from real classrooms, listen to this recent episode of Amplify’s Science of Reading: The Podcast, with guest Dr. Brittney Bills, curriculum coordinator at Grand Island Public Schools.
In this episode, Dr. Bills described the difference between reading interventions grounded in a MTSS framework, and Response to Intervention (RTI). By definition, RTI reading is a response and solution to an identified problem. Though RTI is necessary and effective, MTSS can help prevent struggles in the first place.
Dr. Bills also shared one core idea that might surprise you: When it comes to differentiating instruction, small groups are not always the most effective approach. Instead, she introduces the concept (included in the MTSS model) of a class-wide intervention.
In Dr. Bills’s experience, grouping can take time away from instruction. “You might have a group of kids getting this five-minute intervention three times a week, and that group of kids getting that ten-minute intervention two times a week … we piecemeal that out,” she says.
But data can lead us to different decisions: “If 60% or more of your students are demonstrating a need for, say, oral reading fluency, then you would implement a class-wide intervention,” says Dr. Bills. “The reality is that we have more kids than not who have the same difficulties.”
Paraphrasing reading expert Dr. Steven Dykstra, Bills says, “We don’t need more individualized instruction. We need better cookie cutters.”
Of course, we still need data to guide us, Bills notes. “We want to leverage data to make decisions that are going to help us arrive at our outcomes or our goals in the most efficient and effective means possible.”
How Amplify can help
Amplify’s been turning that science into great literacy instruction for two decades. And through our Science of Reading podcast and free professional development events, we’re constantly working with the best experts in the field to make our programs even better—and to share the latest insights with teachers, because we believe the Science of Reading is for everyone.
Amplify’s early literacy suite is based on 20 years of experience with the Science of Reading. The assessment and intervention power of mCLASS®, the core instruction of Amplify CKLA®, and the personalized learning of Amplify Reading come together in a complete system that saves you time and aligns your literacy practices.
The suite comprises a family of programs that are all built on the Science of Reading and connect with one another. What makes it powerful?
- It’s a cohesive literacy solution to support MTSS and RTI.
- Aligned resources do away with the need for piecemealing.
- Data drives next steps for whole-group, small-group, and individual student instruction.
Embracing artificial intelligence in the math classroom
Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere these days. We use it when we ask Alexa or Siri for the morning weather report. We use it when GPS tells us how to best avoid traffic. We use it when we chill at the end of the day with a recommendation from Netflix.
But what about during the day—and specifically, at school? Even more specifically, can AI be leveraged to enhance the math classroom?
“While AI is an amazing tool, you’ve really got to make sure that you are focusing in on your expertise as well,” says veteran math educator and STEM instructional coach Kristen Moore, “And saying, ‘How can I use this to make something better?’ and not just, ‘How can I use this to make something?’”
In this post, we’ll talk about the current state of AI in math education, and how it can support educators in making math better. (SPOILER: It’s not going to replace you!)
First, some STEM learning for us: What is artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence, or AI, refers to the development of computer systems able to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence.
It involves creating algorithms and systems that enable computers to learn from data, adapt to new situations, and make decisions or predictions.
AI aims to mimic human cognitive functions such as understanding language, recognizing patterns, solving problems, and making decisions. It encompasses a range of techniques and technologies, including machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing, and robotics.
The term “artificial intelligence” was introduced in 1956. The availability of vast amounts of data and advancements in computer power in the 2010s led to additional breakthroughs. And with the proliferation of smartphones, smart devices, and the internet, AI technologies began to work their way into our homes, cars, pockets, and everyday lives.
What’s the state of AI in education?
AI is already commonplace in schools and classrooms. Here are just a few examples:
- Adaptive learning: This software uses AI algorithms to adjust the difficulty and content of lessons based on a student’s performance, helping students remain engaged and challenged at their optimal level.
- Assistive technologies: AI helps students with disabilities by providing assistive technologies like text-to-speech and speech-to-text tools, making educational content more accessible.
- Plagiarism detection: These tools use AI algorithms to identify instances of copied or unoriginal content in students’ assignments, essays, and projects.
- Data analysis for teachers: AI analyzes data from student assessments to identify trends and insights, helping teachers make informed decisions about instructional strategies. It can also predict students’ performance trends, helping teachers identify at-risk students early and intervene to provide additional support.
- Grammar, spelling, and style checkers: AI can provide real-time feedback to students (and teachers!) on their writing work.
Embracing AI technology in your math classroom
While AI is not here to replace teachers, it is here to stay. And experts say it’s only going to become more commonplace. But despite how common AI is already—both outside and inside school—not all teachers are familiar with its numerous applications and potential. Now is a great time for educators to start exploring its uses and get ahead of the curve.
Here are a few easy entry points for math teachers.
ChatGPT: A common AI tool, ChatGPT is designed to understand and generate human-like text based on the input it receives. It’s trained on a wide range of internet text, which enables it to generate responses to a vast array of prompts and questions.
Most students have likely experimented with ChatGPT, while teachers—though aware of it—are less likely to use it. ChatGPT has highly practical applications for both groups, though—including in the math (and science) classroom.
It can, for example, help teachers plan interesting, relevant math lessons for their students. Kristen Moore, who discusses this topic on Math Teacher Lounge, suggests that math teachers use ChatGPT to:
- Connect topics to student interests and vice-versa. (Teachers can ask ChatGPT for real-life applications of polynomials and select those that might pique student interest, or ask about math applications derived from students’ hobbies and pursuits.)
- Generate word problems (including step-by-step solutions), lessons, projects and rubrics, and more.
Toward the (near) future
As AI advances, it will continue to revolutionize education. Here are a few time-saving ways that educators can look forward to using it in their classrooms.
- AI tutors: AI-powered virtual tutors will help math students with homework questions and provide explanations for various concepts. These tutors can be available at home 24/7, allowing students to seek an AI homework helper whenever they need it.
- Automatic graders: Some AI tools can automatically grade math work, including multiple-choice and short-answer assignments. These tutors can be available at home 24/7 in any household with internet access, allowing students to seek more personalized instruction.
- Personalized learning paths: These AI-powered platforms will work particularly well for math students by adapting to each student’s skill level and pace, offering tailored exercises and challenges that cater to their strengths and identify areas of improvement. They will analyze students’ performance and adjust the difficulty of content, ensuring that students get targeted support and opportunities to progress.
More to explore
To dive deeper into AI in math education—and get rolling with AI in your classroom—check out this two-episode mini-series on our Math Teacher Lounge podcast focused on just that:
- Season 5, Episode 7: Discerning the role of AI in education with former teacher, current education technology entrepreneur, and general partner at Reach Capital Jennifer Carolan, who has a lot to share about how AI can partner with educators to foster social learning opportunities.
- Season 5, Episode 8: Utilizing AI as a teaching tool with educator Kristen Moore, who discusses how she uses ChatGPT to revolutionize student learning and streamline lesson planning.
“I’m a believer that learning is inherently social,” says Carolan, who is quick to emphasize how technology can enhance that quality, not replace it. The same can be said for the role teachers play in the classroom—a role technology can support, but never take away. To learn more about this topic (and discuss it with your fellow educators!), head to our Math Teacher Lounge community!
S3-04: Using AI and ChatGPT in the science classroom
In the latest episode of the Science Connections podcast, we explore AI in education and its impact on students. Listen as I sit down with teachers Donnie Piercey and Jennifer Roberts to discuss ChatGPT and how we can use it to build science and literacy skills in K–12 classrooms while preparing students for the real world.
And don’t forget to grab your Science Connections study guide to track your learning and find additional resources!
We hope you enjoy this episode and explore more from Science Connections by visiting our main page!
Jennifer Roberts (00:00:00):
If a kid graduates from school without knowing that AI exists, they’re not gonna be prepared for what they face out in the world.
Eric Cross (00:00:07):
Welcome to Science Connections. I’m your host, Eric Cross.
Eric Cross (00:00:12):
This season of the podcast, we’re making the case for everyone’s favorite underdog, science. Recently we’ve been highlighting the magic that can come from integrating science and literacy. So if you haven’t checked out those recent episodes, definitely go back in your feed after you’re done with this one. This time around, we’re going to deep dive into what artificial intelligence means for literacy instruction, and how science can be a force for good, in responsibly exposing students to AI. To help me out, I’m joined by two extremely accomplished educators. Jen Roberts, a veteran high-school English teacher from San Diego, who among many things runs the website LitAndTech.com. And I’m also joined by fifth-grade teacher Donnie Piercey. In addition to being Kentucky’s 2021 Teacher of the Year, Donnie also has an upcoming book about bringing AI into the classroom. Whether you’ve never heard of ChatGPT or whether you’re already using it every day, I think you’ll find this a valuable discussion about the intersection of science, English, and technology. Here’s Jen and Donnie.
Eric Cross (00:01:17):
So first off, welcome to the show. It’s good to see you all. What I wanna do is kind of start off by introducing both of you. And so we’ll just go K–12. So <laugh>, Donnie.
Jennifer Roberts (00:01:30):
Donnie goes first.
Eric Cross (00:01:31):
Donnie’s gonna go first. Donnie out in Kentucky. Just a little background. What do you teach; how long you’ve been in the classroom; and what are you having fun with right now?
Donnie Piercey (00:01:38):
Yeah, so my name is Donnie Piercey. I’m a fifth-grade teacher from Kentucky. Live and teach right here in Lexington, Kentucky, right in the center of the state. I’m the 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. But I’ve been teaching elementary school for the past … I think this is year 16 or 17. It’s long enough where I’ve lost count, and I can’t even count on fingers anymore. My friends like to joke that I’ve taught long enough where now I can count down. You know, it’s like, “All right, only so many more years left.” But yeah, teach all subjects. Science definitely is one of the subjects that I don’t just try to squeeze into my day, but make sure that … it’s not even a devoted subject, but one that I definitely try to — don’t just have that set time, but also try to do some cross-curricular stuff with it. So definitely the rise of AI in these past few months, which feels like years by this point, has definitely played quite the role, in not just changing the way that I’ve been teaching science, but really all my subjects. So, excited to chat with y’all about it.
Eric Cross (00:02:47):
Nice. I’m excited that you’re here. And Jen?
Jennifer Roberts (00:02:51):
Hi, I’m Jen Roberts. I teach ninth-grade English at Point Loma High School, and that’s where I usually stop when I introduce myself. But for your sake—
Eric Cross (00:03:00):
I will keep introducing you if you stop there. <laugh>
Jennifer Roberts (00:03:04):
I am nationally board-certified in English Language Arts for early adolescence. I am the co-author of a book called Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning, from Stenhouse, with my fabulous co-author Diana Neebe. Shout out to Diana. I blog at LitAndTech.com about teaching and technology and literacy and the intersection of those things. And I’m looking forward to talking about how AI is showing up in my classroom and the fun things I’m doing with it.
Donnie Piercey (00:03:31):
And one of us is actually secretly a robot, and you have to guess which one.
Jennifer Roberts (00:03:35):
Have to guess which one. Yes. <laugh>
Eric Cross (00:03:37):
That would be super-meta. And you were the CUE — Computer-Using Educator — outstanding teacher or educator? Whatever. Either one. Of the year.
Jennifer Roberts (00:03:45):
I was the CUE ’22 Outstanding Educator. Yes. And I’ve won a few other things as well.
Eric Cross (00:03:53):
The gaming backpack.
Jennifer Roberts (00:03:54):
I’ve won a gaming backpack recently! Yes. I once won an iPad in a Twitter chat.
Eric Cross (00:03:58):
What?
Donnie Piercey (00:03:58):
What’s a gaming backpack? Hold on. We need to talk about that.
Jennifer Roberts (00:04:01):
We will talk about that. <laugh> And then, I was once a finalist for county Teacher of the Year. That’s as close as I got to Donnie. Donnie was the Kentucky Teacher of the Year. He got to go to the White House and stuff. That was exciting.
Donnie Piercey (00:04:13):
<laugh> I mean, to be fair, there’s only three million people in Kentucky, and about what, 50 million people that live in California? <Laugh> So odds are definitely stacked in my favor, I think.
Jennifer Roberts (00:04:23):
So you’re saying we’re even there? Is that, is that what you’re going for?
Donnie Piercey (00:04:25):
Yeah, evens out. Evens out.
Eric Cross (00:04:27):
So I’ve been looking forward to talking to you both for a while now, and talking about artificial intelligence. It’s like the big thing. And both of you, at different ends of the spectrum and in my life, have contributed to this. Donnie, you’ve been sharing so much great information online about how you’re using AI in elementary. Jen, you are the reason I got into education technology years ago, right when I was becoming a teacher. And so being able to talk with you both about it excites me a lot. So first off, for the listeners who may not have any experience with it — and there’s still a lot of people out there who have not been exposed to it, haven’t got their feet wet with it yet — I’m hoping we could start off maybe with an explanation of … we could do AI, ChatGPT, I know that’s the big one. But simply explaining what it is, just for the new person. And whoever wants to start off can tell us about it. Or maybe we’ll start … we’ll, let’s actually, let’s do this: Let’s continue going like K–12? So Donnie, maybe you could … what’s your pitch to the new person of, “Hey, this is what it is”?
Donnie Piercey (00:05:31):
All right. So, AI, artificial intelligence, probably the way that most people are exposed to it, at least since November when it launched, is through ChatGPT. Where if you Google it, you know it’s made by a company called OpenAI. The best way to describe what it is … when you go there for the first time, make an account, it’s free. You have like a little search window, looks like a Google search bar. And instead of searching for information, you can ask it to create stuff for you. So for example, like on Google search, you might type in a question like, “Who was the 19th president of the United States?” Where on ChatGPT, instead of just searching for information, it creates stuff for you. So you could say, you could ask it to, “Hey, write a poem about the 19th president of the United States.” Or, “Write a short little essay comparing, I don’t know, Frederick Douglass to Martin Luther King Jr.” And it would do that for you. You know, that’s most people’s first exposure to AI, at least in these past few months. Instead of … you know, it’s artificial intelligence, but it’s not just chatbots. There’s lots of other AI that exist out there.
Jennifer Roberts (00:06:47):
And I think that’s the thing: that people don’t realize how much AI is already in their lives.
Donnie Piercey (00:06:51):
For sure. Yeah.
Jennifer Roberts (00:06:52):
You know, they just haven’t seen … the term that I see being used a lot now is “generative AI.” AI that can produce something. It can produce writing, it can produce art, it can produce a script, it can produce a character. But the AI that has been helping you pick what to watch next on Netflix and the AI that’s helping Google help you get where you wanna go on Google Maps faster, those are forms of artificial intelligence as well.
Donnie Piercey (00:07:21):
Yeah. I mean, even those, when you get that that message in Gmail, and instead of having to type out that response that says, “Yeah, that sounds great,” you can just click the little button that says, “Yeah, that sounds great.” I mean, that’s been in Gmail for years, but that’s artificial intelligence too.
Eric Cross (00:07:39):
Absolutely. So why is it important, do you think, for educators to, to be familiar with it? Like, why are we all so excited about it?
Jennifer Roberts (00:07:47):
So, educators need to know what kids are into, and kids are obviously into ChatGPT. And anyone who’s an educator right now has probably already had something cross their desk — or more likely their computer screen — that was written by AI and passed off as a student’s own work. And that is, of course, the great fear among teachers everywhere, that this is what kids are just gonna do these days and they won’t be able to catch it and children won’t be doing their own work and this and this. But I think the big reason teachers need to know what’s going on is because teachers need to be futurists. Our clientele will live in the future. We teach kids, kids will become adults, adults will live in the world. And so if we’re not thinking about and trying to predict on some level what’s gonna happen 5, 10, 15 years from now … we might be wrong, but what if we’re right?
Jennifer Roberts (00:08:38):
And if we’re not at least trying to think about what is their future world gonna look like, then we’re not serving our students well. I did a whole night talk on that. So I think ChatGPT is part of that. I teach seniors. I had this moment of realization I felt a few months ago. I’m like, “This is gonna be the world they graduate into. They need to know what this is before they leave me.” If I don’t teach them how to use this well, and not the way they’re using it — which is to copy and paste the teacher’s assignment and drop it into ChatGPT and take whatever it spits out and turning that in without even looking at it — if I don’t teach ’em how to use it critically, if I don’t teach them how to write effective prompts, if I don’t teach them how to use the AI as a tool, as a collaborator, then they’re gonna graduate into a world where they lose out to people who do know how to do that. And I think the advantage goes to kids who have access and knowledge of what’s in front of them and what’s available, and can use all of the tools at their disposal. Because when you’re writing in school and you write with a collaborator, that could be considered cheating. But when you do that out in the adult world, that’s considered doing a good job. <Laugh> Being a team player. <Laugh> You know, adults don’t work alone for the most part. And adults are expected to churn out beautiful, perfect content no matter how they got there. So if I’m not teaching my kids how to use this, they’re not being ready. They’re not gonna be ready to be the adults that I want them to be.
Donnie Piercey (00:10:07):
A hundred percent agree. And I also believe … as you know, I teach elementary school. I also don’t think anybody is saying that on the first day of kindergarten, you hand a kid a Chromebook and load up an AI chatbot or ChatGPT and say, Hey, this thing’s gonna do all your work for you for the next 12 years; just coast through life. You don’t have to think creatively. You don’t have to learn how to develop a paragraph or learn how to write a speech or develop an idea. Like, I don’t think anybody’s saying that, because as an elementary school teacher, there’s many days when I’m like, “Y’all, we’re just putting the Chromebooks away today and we’re just gonna go old-school. We’re just gonna maybe just jot down five quick ideas and stand up and present those ideas to the class.”
Donnie Piercey (00:10:54):
Because while AI definitely will, like you were saying, Jen, play a significant role in the lives of our students who are, not just graduating, but the 10- and 11-year-olds in my classroom this year. A significant role in their lives. It’s also really important to recognize that we’re not saying that this means that “Hey, kids don’t have to work anymore.” They still have to put forth that effort. There’s still — one of the ways that you become a good writer is by trial and error. And sometimes that trial and error comes through talking to a teacher or talking like you were saying to a peer or collaborating with a peer and saying to them, “Well, this sentence here, this paragraph here, really doesn’t make sense.” And I do believe one of the ways — especially as AI starts to become more fine-tuned and starts to be embedded more and more in tools like Google Docs and Microsoft Word — is it’s almost going to be a tutor to students.
Donnie Piercey (00:11:56):
Mm-hmm. <affirmative> Where I could very easily see in a few years, or maybe a few months, who knows what Google or any of these other big companies has rolling out, where a student could highlight a paragraph that they wrote simply, and then say, “Hey, proofread this for me,” or “Check for coherence.” Or even just ask a simple question: “Does this paragraph make sense?” Because you can already do that. You can copy a paragraph over into a chatbot and say, “Hey, does this make sense?” You know, “Rate my idea from one to 10,” and it’ll do that for ’em.
Jennifer Roberts (00:12:26):
We did that last week <laugh>.
Donnie Piercey (00:12:28):
Yeah. Right. I mean, that’s the thing. That technology exists now. It’s just not totally embedded yet. But based on what I’ve read and what I’ve seen, that’s gonna happen sooner rather than later. And it’s really, really important that we teach our students that, “No, you’re not just gonna use this, this tool to cheat, but you can use this tool to help you become a more creative student.”
Jennifer Roberts (00:12:50):
This is the use case in my classroom. Can I talk about that? You ready for that?
Eric Cross (00:12:53):
Please.
Jennifer Roberts (00:12:54):
OK.
Eric Cross (00:12:54):
Please.
Jennifer Roberts (00:12:55):
So my ninth graders are writing a comparative analysis essay, where I took them to the student art gallery and I made them pick two pieces of completely unknown student art and take notes on it, so they could go back and write this essay. And as soon as we got back to class, I said, can ChatGPT write this for you? And they all kind of froze ’cause I didn’t tell them what ChatGPT was. And they weren’t sure if they were allowed to know or not. And finally one of them kind of bravely raised his hand and said, “No.” And I said, “Why not?” And he said, “Well, the AI hasn’t seen the art. How can it write an essay about art when the art is completely original that we just went and looked at?” I said, “It’s almost like I planned it that way, isn’t it?” And they laughed nervously. And then I said, “Does that mean it can’t help us with this assignment?” And they said, “Well, no — of course it can’t help us, because it has not seen the art.” And I said, “Well. …” And I open ChatGPT, and I typed in what they were trying to do: “I need to write a comparative analysis essay comparing two pieces of student art on these reasons. And I need to choose which one did it better, basically. Can you help me with an outline?” and ChatGPT produced a lovely outline. And I looked at that with my students and we looked at it together and I said, “This is what it gave us. Would this be helpful to you?” And they’re like, “Yeah, that would be helpful to us.” So we — to be clear here, I was the only one using ChatGPT in the room. They were not actually using it. We were using it together. I copied and pasted the outline that it gave us and put it in their learning management system where they could access it so they could use the outline that the robot provided, and then they could use that to make their own writing better. So then I let them write for a little while, and, after they’d written for a little while, I said, “Does anybody wanna let me share your first paragraph with ChatGPT and see what it thinks of how you’re doing?” And a brave student raised his hand and we took his paragraph and we put it in ChatGPT, and it spit back advice. We said, “This is what I have so far for my first paragraph. Do you have any advice for me?” And we gave it the writing, and the first piece of advice it gave back was very generic, you know, “Add a hook,” you know, like kind of thing. But after that, it started to get more specific about things he was actually doing in his writing. And it started to give him some feedback. And we looked at that together as a class. And I said, “Does any of that feedback help you?” And he said, “Oh yeah, absolutely. I’m gonna go add some revisions to my paragraph.” And other students did too. They looked at the feedback he got and used that to improve their writing. And so everybody went and revised. And I said, “Look, if you take what the robot gives you and you copy and paste it, and you turn it in as your own work, it’s gonna get flagged for plagiarism. And that’s not gonna go well. But if it gives you writing advice the same way I would give you writing advice, and you decide that advice is good, and you take that advice and you incorporate it into your own writing yourself, then the robot’s making you better, but you’re still the one doing your own writing.” And the writing they turned in from that assignment was, was better. It wasn’t written by ChatGPT; it was still about the student art that they found in the gallery. But I showed them a path. Like, it can help you with an outline, it can help you with feedback. Right? These are fair ways to use it that’s gonna make you better. And they really liked that. They really liked — no one had shown them that before. The idea that you don’t just take the teacher’s prompt and give it to it … like, these are new uses to students and worked well.
Eric Cross (00:16:17):
So right now, you both just laid out these ways that you’re using it. And I do this with people that I’m trying to introduce to ChatGPT or AI. ‘Cause I get excited. Anyone could write a 500-word persuasive essay on the use of color in The Great Gatsby or The Outsiders, and they can get something back within seconds. But for a lot of educators, it might feel like the sky is falling.
Donnie Piercey (00:16:43):
Oh, understandably! Understandably. I mean, that totally makes sense.
Eric Cross (00:16:49):
What would you say to them? Donnie, go ahead.
Donnie Piercey (00:16:51):
Yeah. Well, I feel like every teacher kind of goes through the same experience when they see like a generative chatbot. I mean, all these major companies are gonna start incorporating AI, the generative AI piece. And a lot of times, when they see it for the first time, two things. First they’ll say “Oh, but I’ll know that that’s not my students’ writing.” Which, frankly, I think is a good thing, because that tells me that the teachers know their students’ writing. They’ve seen them write in person. They’ve conferenced with them one-on-one. And if a student were to turn something in to me, who I know might be a struggling writer, maybe it’s not their strength, and all of a sudden they’re turning in this10-page dissertation-worthy thesis written at a PhD level, I’m like, “All right, man, you’re nine. Can we talk about where this came from?” <laugh> But I also don’t think that at like the heart, I don’t feel like kids want to cheat. I really don’t. I feel like sometimes like kids are in a situation where they’re like, “OK, I’ve got nothing left. I gotta get this assignment done.” And when those kind of things happen, that’s when we as teachers, we have those one-on-one conversations. Even when I showed my students ChatGPT and even some of the AI image-generating stuff for the first time, and I talked to them about, “What do y’all think about this?” Because, you know, they’re under 13. In my district, ChatGPT is blocked for students. Staff, we have access to it. And that’s just because one, it’s so new, and at the same time, we need to figure out, “What’s the best way they can go about using this tool?” But when we were talking about it as a class, you know, I didn’t want to ignore the elephant in the room. So I asked them, I said, “Hey, do you feel like this is something that you all would use to. …” I mean, I used the word. I said “cheat.” And to be honest, the majority of the students in my class, they were taken aback. They’re like, “What? You think we just would cheat all the time?” Right? <Laugh> And I’m like, “Oh, well good. I’m glad to know that integrity is still alive and well.” But yeah, that’s definitely my thoughts on it, as far as not only the student integrity piece — I think that that’s the big thing that you need to just bring up with your students. Because again, I like to think that I’ve seen my students write enough that if they were going to turn something in that wasn’t their voice, or it didn’t sound like them, like I could have that conversation. And don’t be surprised, too, if in the next … I don’t know, one month to a year, there’s lots of AI detectors that exist. A lot of them are these like third-party things. You can go ahead, but I would not be surprised if in the next year or so, like you start to see those AI detectors be built into Google Docs, into Microsoft Word, into even Canva. And honestly, it’s almost like a fail-safe button for teachers, that we could say “All right, this is telling me that this is 99% probably written by AI.” So you can have that conversation with a student that way.
Jennifer Roberts (00:20:03):
I mean, if you’re worried about it, Formative, right now, will even tell you if something is copy-and-pasted into the boxes that they give you for students to write in. I find that kids who cheat are desperate, you know. Especially at the high school level. They’re panic mode. And, and usually their panic comes from, “I have no idea how to even start this assignment.” And so part of what I wanna use ChatGPT for is to lower that barrier for them. Like, you’ve got an assignment, you don’t know where to start. Tell the robot, tell ChatGPT, about the assignment and ask it for a list of steps. You know, ask it for an outline. Ask it for a time management plan. I see so much tremendous potential for this to help many of my students with IEPs who have executive functioning issues.
Donnie Piercey (00:20:49):
Oh, a hundred percent, right?
Jennifer Roberts (00:20:51):
Yes, a hundred percent. This can be their personal assistant who, you know, instead of me sitting with them one-on-one and saying, you know, “This is the task you need to do, let’s break it down into these six discrete chunks,” the artificial intelligence can do that for them. And it can do that for teachers too. <laugh>
Donnie Piercey (00:21:09):
Jen, I was just thinking about, how long until we see like the phrase artificial intelligence written onto a student’s IEP? I could see that happening very, very soon.
Jennifer Roberts (00:21:20):
Right? They should be able to use that. And then, also, of course, all of its amazing beneficials for teachers. I had to completely rewrite a unit of my curriculum. I knew what I wanted to do. I had some ideas of things I wanted to put in there. And I resorted to, I went to EducationCopilot.com and typed in my stuff that I had: You know, what standards I wanted to cover, what outcomes I was hoping for mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And it generated an eight-week unit for me. And I actually told it then to go back and do it as a 12-week unit so that I’d have more stuff in there to go and cherry-pick to decide what I really wanted to do. But it gave me ideas. It gave me places to start. It saved me an hour of just brainstorming. And I don’t think that was cheating. I still got to go in and decide which ideas were valid. And I still got to … you know, I mean, I’m a teacher. Can I get accused of cheating? I don’t think that’s a thing. It’s—
Eric Cross (00:22:18):
That’s collaborating! It’s collaborating!
Donnie Piercey (00:22:20):
Collaborating! It’s a feature! It’s a feature.
Jennifer Roberts (00:22:22):
It’s Tony Stark talking to Jarvis. You know, they’re figuring it out together.
Donnie Piercey (00:22:26):
Oh, when you use the AI, Jennifer, do you call yours Jarvis? In my class we call him Jeeves. ‘Cause remember Ask Jeeves?
Jennifer Roberts (00:22:33):
I think Eric calls it Jarvis.
Eric Cross (00:22:35):
Yeah. Jarvis is gonna be the AI’s name when, when I can get that fully functioning. There are some things that you had said, I just wanna circle back on. Donnie, Jen — so what I heard was like, best intentions. The part you said about integrity and students wanting to cheat … even the mindset that we go in assuming our students, what they would want to do and assuming best intentions, really kind of frames how you look at this kind of technology. And then Jen, you kind of brought up why students cheat, and realizing that either they don’t feel equipped, or maybe it’s time management, or something else. But most people — and I believe this as an educator — most students want to learn, and they want to be able to perform and achieve. And when they cheat, it’s because they didn’t feel like they could, for whatever reason. Whether it’s it’s outside factors, whether it’s something internal, motivation, whatever it is.
Jennifer Roberts (00:23:24):
Or they were very disconnected and just didn’t care.
Eric Cross (00:23:27):
Sure.
Jennifer Roberts (00:23:27):
This is just busy work the teacher’s giving me, so I’m gonna give it very little of my time and energy. But I think, yeah, it can be that. But if the kid cares about it, if they wanna learn, they wanna learn, you know?
Eric Cross (00:23:40):
Right.
Jennifer Roberts (00:23:40):
This is the day of the internet. Any kid can learn anything they really want to learn. And we see that all the time in our classes. The kid who has zero interest in what I’m teaching in English, but he is an expert coder, and that’s what he wants to spend his time learning. He’s like, “Can I read this C++ book as my independent reading book?” And I’m like, “You know, actually, you can. Go ahead.” <Laugh>
Eric Cross (00:24:01):
Yeah. And for both of you, saying that this makes content more accessible … and I think Donnie, or Jen, you said something about IEPs. I actually put in having it write an IEP to see what would happen. I gave it a prompt for a student’s ability level and I asked it to create a plan. And then I asked it to create a rationale. And it did! And it was good! I went through and vetted it. And right now … you know, a lot of it is funny, ’cause the conversation I’m having with different teachers is kind of like the Wikipedia one. Remember when Wikipedia first got out and everyone was like trying to discourage everybody from using it, because, well, it could be changed by anybody? And now everyone’s like, “Oh, check Wikipedia, and then steal the sources, ’cause they’re already done for you.” Like, the mindset has shifted since then. And I was talking to someone and they said, “Well. …” And I said, “We can use AI, it could be a tutor, these other things. …” And they said, “Yeah, but what happens?” And then insert apocalyptic scenario. Like, what happens if you don’t have access to wifi? And it reminded me of, for some reason, cooking classes. So in the 1700s you probably had to be able to farm to be able to generate your food. Right? Like, you had to get it from somewhere. But if you take a culinary class now, you just go to the grocery store. And someone might say, “Well, but you should know how to farm, ’cause what if there was this worldwide apocalypse and nobody could go to the grocery stores?” <Laugh> And you’re like, “Well, balance of probability though.” You know, it’s like we’ve been really been living in these iterations of life, and I think this next step for some folks … like, we don’t even realize, even like something like bank statements, right? So many folks are paperless. And there’s always a what-if scenario. What if you need it and the internet goes down. But we get so used to to to technology advancing and making our lives different. This kind of seems like that next iteration. And I wanna ask you this question: Are we looking at like the next calculator? The next internet, with this tech? Or do you think it’s too early to say?
Donnie Piercey (00:26:01):
Well, I’ve seen a lot of people compare ChatGPT to a calculator. I’ve seen that pop up on social media. There’s, “Oh well, no, this is like when the calculator was invented. Everyone was up in arms about how ‘that’s not what math students should do.’ Math should be pencil and paper, math should be this.’” However, you can give a kid a calculator and you can give ’em a word problem and they can punch in all the numbers, but they could do the wrong operation or they could put the decimal point in the wrong place, ’cause the student is still the one who’s controlling what’s on the calculator. Where with AI, all you gotta do is just copy it and then paste it into the bot and it’ll spit out whatever the question asked it for. Whether it was, you know, a 500-word rationale or proof for something in geometry, or if it’s analyzing data on a chart, it’ll do all that.
Jennifer Roberts (00:27:00):
Yes. But it’s not that magical. It’s back to what Eric did with the IEP. He put in a prompt and then he knew enough to ask for a rationale and then he knew enough about IEPs to critically read the results he got and make sure they actually worked for what he needed. He had to know all that. He was an expert using it to do an expert thing. My husband’s a computer scientist; he got ChatGPT to help him write an app, and it was a new programming language to him, and he could put in the data and he could ask for things that I would’ve never thought to ask for. But because he knows the language of computer science, he knew what to ask for. And when it gave him results that were bad, he could see that, and he could say, “Yes, but do it again, but without this,” or “make this part more efficient.” He, again, knew what to ask for. So I think the generative AI is, as a partner with humans, a powerful thing. But if the human doesn’t know what they’re doing, yeah. You’re still not gonna get great results.
Donnie Piercey (00:28:03):
<laugh> And I think that’s why I’m coming at this from the elementary school perspective, right? Because in K–5 students are still learning, like, “Hey, where does the decimal point go?” They’re still learning, you know, if you’re dividing by a two-digit number, where does the first digit go, if you go in the old long-division algorithm? And so they’re still acquiring that base-level knowledge that … I don’t know, maybe this is similar to in Jurassic Park when Jeff Goldblum says, “It didn’t take any knowledge to attain,” you know, “they stood on the shoulders of geniuses,” that whole thing. Like they had to acquire the knowledge for themselves, was his whole point. And so that’s why I don’t think it’s exactly the same as the calculator. It is definitely going to change things, in a similar way that the calculator did. But to me it’s just a whole new animal. And I don’t know if it’s going to be like the next internet, Eric — if you’re gonna get little devices that have AI built into it, like a Star Wars kind of thing, like a droid or something that follows you around — all that would be kind of cool, not gonna lie. But whether it’s something that you’ll access through the internet, something that’s built into your TV, that part I don’t know. But I do know that there’s a reason why all of these apps and all these companies are investing so much — not just energy, but time and money into it. Because they’re recognizing. “OK, this really has the potential to change things.” But if used well, and used safely, to change people’s lives for the better.
Eric Cross (00:29:41):
So I definitely hear that you both agree with the statement that if AI ChatGPT was used in the classroom, it could be a force for good. And literacy development. And I wanna shift gears a bit and then come back to the AI. So with that said — and we’re gonna get into some best practices in a minute — in Science Connections right now in this season, we’re making the case for how science can do more in classrooms and in schools. And so I’m I’m curious about what both of you think about the role in science fostering a better future when it comes to AI and education. And this season we’re really talking a lot about literacy. You know, in schools, so often it’s taught in a siloed way. And Donnie, you’re doing multi-subject. Jen, you’re single-subject: English. And we’ve really been trying to make this case for how science can actually support literacy, and these skills that students are trying to develop. So we’re going a little old-school, kind of diving into your content specialty, but maybe even pre-AI, or maybe AI has a component in this. But Don, maybe we’ll start with you. How has science been a way that has been helpful for your own literacy instruction? I know you do a lot of science, because I see your Google Earth stuff and the thing you did with the solar systems back in the day. And I think —.
Donnie Piercey (00:30:54):
Oh my gosh! You remember my <laugh> … wow.
Eric Cross (00:30:58):
That was amazing!
Donnie Piercey (00:31:00):
We haven’t done that since the pandemic. But I had my students go out, and using Google Earth, we built a scale model. Each of the students partnered up and they planned out on Google Earth a scale model of the solar system. They picked an object from around their house and we talked about like, “Don’t pick something bigger than a beach ball, or else, you know, your Neptune’s gonna end up like 10 miles away.” But you know, they just picked like a small ball, like a basketball, soccer ball, something like that. Or football, for international friends. And then we calculated the size of every other planet. And then on Google Earth, using their front lawn as where the sun was, then we went and we calculated where other planets would be, and then we actually drove to those locations and like held up the objects that would represent Neptune, Jupiter, Saturn, and all that. But it was a lot of fun.
Eric Cross (00:31:59):
And is that still accessible? ‘Cause I know you have some websites that you put resources out there.
Donnie Piercey (00:32:03):
Yeah. Yeah, I can … I wanna say on my Resources page — Resources.MrPiercey.com — I’ve got a link on there to a couple of student examples that I can share. And if not, when we get off this call, I’m gonna go on and put them on there <laugh> so people can find it. I’ll even throw on there just the assignment itself. So if you wanted to copy that and do that with your students, you could.
Eric Cross (00:32:27):
Donnie, the reason why I brought that up is because I saw that you had posted that or shared it a long time ago, and I just thought it was the coolest thing that you could totally do with middle-school students or high-school students. Jen, when I became a teacher, you said, “We’re all teachers of literacy.”
Jennifer Roberts (00:32:43):
<laugh> Yeah. I think we forgot to tell them that I was one of your professors.
Eric Cross (00:32:47):
Yes. <Jennifer laughs> One of the people who’ve definitely influenced and shaped my teaching. And that statement has never left my mind: that we’re all teachers of literacy. And I want to ask you, at the high-school level, how can science educators, or how can science — how have you seen it, or how does it, support literacy, when it’s done right?
Jennifer Roberts (00:33:09):
Like I said, I think we’re all teachers of literacy, but I think literacy is bigger than just reading and writing. I don’t think someone is literate if they can’t talk somewhat knowledgeably about what’s happening with climate change. I don’t think someone’s literate if they don’t know what’s going on in the world. And I think so much of what’s going on in the world has to do with science. We’re doing that all the time. If I could teach English just by giving kids articles about science, things to read, that would make my day. Right? We would never read another piece of fiction again. It would all be, you know, what’s happening to the ice sheet in Greenland. My students thrive on reading non-fiction. And then whenever that non-fiction touches on science is even more interesting. And whenever I can get them writing about data, particularly their own data that they collected, I think that’s building those science literacy skills as well. So I think science and English blend together very, very well. I think the literacy aspects of that are fantastic. There are more subject-specific vocabulary words, advanced vocabulary words, in science than any other discipline. And I don’t see why those shouldn’t come up in English as well. You know, my seniors will do a unit at the end of the year on the new space race. Unless I replace it with a unit about generative AI, which I’m seriously considering doing, ’cause I think they really need to learn about bias in AI algorithms and things like that. And I would like to have them read a whole bunch about that stuff. And I wanna give them the open letter that all those CEOs signed that said that AI research should slow down, and make them part of that live conversation about what’s happening in that field. So science comes into that. You know, when we read Into the Wild, we start talking about a whole bunch of scientific concepts. And when it rains in Southern California, we pull up weather maps and look at radar and talk about that and how that works.
Donnie Piercey (00:34:59):
That’s like once every 10 years, Jen? <Laugh>
Jennifer Roberts (00:35:02):
Well, actually, this year it rained a lot. It rained a lot in San Diego. Which is actually very high-interest for them. ‘Cause they wanna know, is it gonna be raining at lunchtime?
Eric Cross (00:35:12):
Jen, you said something … you have your students writing about data?
Jennifer Roberts (00:35:16):
Oh yeah.
Eric Cross (00:35:17):
Can you tell me more about that?
Jennifer Roberts (00:35:19):
So, this is something we’ve done with the ninth grade team for a long time now, is writing about their own data. So it started with a unit about stereotypes and stereotype threat. And they would collect data individually and then they would enter that data into a Google form and then we would give them the spreadsheet of the aggregate data from the whole ninth grade. And then we morphed that unit into one about academic honesty, and they filled out a survey at the beginning of the unit about their feelings about academic honesty and about experiences with academic honesty and cheating and homework and things like that. And then we would do the unit. We’d do all the readings in the unit. And they’d have these “aha” moments about things that were happening at other schools. And then at the end of the unit, we would give them back their own aggregate data and ask them to write about whether or not academic honesty was an issue at our school. And then to support that answer with evidence from their own dataset. So they had that spreadsheet to comb through and figure out, you know, where am I gonna stand on this? We give them the multiple-choice questions we gave them as the graphs, in Google Slides, so that they could write about them and talk about them, too. So yeah, getting kids to write about data. And the the sentence frames we gave them were sentence frames out of, They Say, I Say, from the chapter on writing about science. And <laugh> as they write this stuff, they’re like, “I feel so smart writing this way.” And I’m like, “I know, ’cause you’re writing about big important topics!” Right? And writing about their own data come to think of it is another great way to make an assignment both very personal to them, but also make it ChatGPT-proof, you know, if you’re looking for something that kids can’t just hand to the robot, the robot doesn’t have that data set.
Eric Cross (00:37:08):
Absolutely. And Donnie, at the elementary level, do you, do you make connections between science and literacy? In your class? You talked about with math, definitely with the solar system, but now, I’m curious, what are your newer projects? What have you been working on lately?
Jennifer Roberts (00:37:23):
What’s up now, Donnie?
Eric Cross (00:37:24):
Yeah, what are you doing?
Donnie Piercey (00:37:25):
Oh, man. Well, let me think. I’m just trying to think of some fun projects that we’ve done this year. Science that we can tie in Literacy and also some student creation. Just recently we had a … so I’ve wanted to expose my students to famous scientists that weren’t just white dudes from Europe. So for this year, what I did — and I actually used AI for this — I went into ChatGPT and I asked for 64 famous scientists and it listed them all off. And then I asked it, like, how many of these were white? And I think it said like 61 of them. You know, it had like Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and a couple of other … I didn’t know who they were. So I’m like, “All right, so we need to make this more diverse and make this more equitable.” ‘Cause you know, with the student population in my classroom, try to find equal representation to make sure they can see themselves in some of these scientists. So, eventually got it narrowed down to where I had about 64 scientists. Half are women, half are men from all continents except Antarctica. I assigned these scientists to my students. Some got two; some got three. And their assignment was to go and one, do some individual research on this person, find out what they were famous for, what they were most well-known for, turn it actually into a persuasive piece, where I said, “Hey, you’re gonna have one slide.” And I’ll tell you why I gave him one slide in a minute. On that one slide, you’ve gotta convince the person who sees it that this scientist is the most important scientist since the dawn of creation. I said, “You could use images, text — I don’t care if they were famous for something that you didn’t even understand what it was. It’s a persuasive piece. You’re 10. Go all out. Add gifs, do that whole thing.
Eric Cross (00:39:21):
This is awesome.
Jennifer Roberts (00:39:21):
I wanna do this project.
Donnie Piercey (00:39:23):
And if you picked up on the number 64, and I did this in March, so what we did was throughout the weeks of March Madness of the women’s and men’s NCAA tournament, whenever a game was going on, we had another round of voting. I just paired ’em up. I was gonna like seed them, like 1 to 64 — that’s just way too much work for me <laugh>. So I just kind of did random kind of thing. But all the students had to do — they just saw the slides side-by-side, and the only question they had was, “Based on what you see here, who is the most important scientist? This person or this person?” And it eventually came down to Carl Sagan going up against Marie Curie.
Eric Cross (00:40:04):
OK, that’s a good matchup.
Donnie Piercey (00:40:06):
Yeah, well, the Marie Curie slide, they just liked the radium piece. So they added like some green glowing gifs. And I said, “Guys, it doesn’t always grow glow green.” But whatever. Anyway, eventually Carl Sagan, in case you wanted to know, according to the 10-year-olds in my classroom, is the most important scientist in the history of the world. So I don’t know if I agree with that per se — I think maybe Newton or somebody else might have had something else to say about it — but fun assignment. It was a unique way to expose my students to a bunch of ideas. I remember the student that I assigned Newton, the only thing that that she knew about Isaac Newton was “Didn’t he get hit in the head with an apple?” And I said, “Well, not exactly, I think you might have read or maybe seen too many like old-school cartoons or whatever.” But she ended up doing some research. She’s like, “Oh, I’ve heard of that before! That equal and opposite reaction thing.” Didn’t know what it meant. I had another student that just got really … you know, if you’ve ever been on one of those YouTube kicks where it’s just, you go like nine levels deep onto like, “What does this theorem mean?” Student sits in back of my classroom, I walked by one day and he’s just watching something on like the fifth dimension and what it might be. And I said, “Oh, your scientist got you started on that.” So definitely was a lot of fun. Unique way to combine reading, writing, but also expose my students to some ideas. And we’re definitely gonna do it again. I’ve actually done this assignment before. I picked 64 random elements on the periodic table. But their only slide that they have to make is “What’s your element? What is it used for? And then, why is this the most important element since the dawn of creation?” <Laugh> And, you know, there’s always that student that gets hydrogen. They’re just like “Sweet!” Right? They get excited about that one. <laugh>
Eric Cross (00:41:59):
Explosions.
Donnie Piercey (00:42:00):
Yeah. But then, for that kid who likes a challenge, or that student with the “gifted” label, you give them, like, einsteinium or palladium. Some of the more challenging ones. And they go all out with this. I didn’t use AI for that one, but it was kind of fun, and I figured it’d be neat to share an idea that another teacher could try.
Eric Cross (00:42:20):
Well you probably have at least two teachers right now that are gonna go and try that. And we’re both looking at you. So.
Donnie Piercey (00:42:24):
Go for it.
Eric Cross (00:42:25):
Thanks for that idea. I’m imagining my students coming in with jerseys with “neon.”
Donnie Piercey (00:42:29):
Oh yeah. <laugh>
Eric Cross (00:42:30):
“Neon” on it. Just all ’80s out.
Donnie Piercey (00:42:33):
The game behind it, too, is you tell kids — again, this is just so the 10-year-olds in my class don’t get their feelings hurt — but I say, “Hey, and if your element gets knocked out, you just have to start cheering for whoever beats you in the tournament.” So by the end, you kind of got half the class cheering for one and half the class cheering for whatever.
Jennifer Roberts (00:42:53):
So the only thing I got outta that whole story that I’ve got for you is, as a child I met Carl Sagan. That’s all I got.
Donnie Piercey (00:43:02):
For real?
Jennifer Roberts (00:43:02):
For real.
Donnie Piercey (00:43:03):
So did he talk with that cadence and tone?
Jennifer Roberts (00:43:06):
Yes.
Donnie Piercey (00:43:06):
Like in real life? Wow.
Jennifer Roberts (00:43:07):
Yes. My father was one of the cinematographers on the original Cosmos. And I got to go to the set a few times.
Donnie Piercey (00:43:14):
That’s incredible!
Jennifer Roberts (00:43:15):
I did not appreciate what I was seeing as a child. But as an adult, I’m like, “That was cool. I was there.”
Donnie Piercey (00:43:20):
“You can see my shadow off in the distance.”
Jennifer Roberts (00:43:23):
I mean, maybe that’s part of why I’ve always had an interest in science. I’ve always had fantastic science teachers. Every science teacher I ever had was amazing.
Donnie Piercey (00:43:31):
I credit mine to Mr. Wizard. I don’t know if you ever watched Mr. Wizard and Beakman’s World?
Eric Cross (00:43:35):
I remember Mr. Wizard. Yep. Yep. I definitely remember Mr. Wizard, Beakman’s World, all those. That was on Nickelodeon back in the day. I had to get up early to watch that one. But there’s a YouTube video—
Donnie Piercey (00:43:44):
Six am!
Eric Cross (00:43:44):
<laugh> It was! It was super-early! But there was one, Don, I don’t know if you’ve seen this on YouTube, but it said “Mr. Wizard Is Mean,” and it’s just clips of when he’s—
Donnie Piercey (00:43:56):
Yelling at kids!
Eric Cross (00:43:56):
Chastising. Or being really direct. It’s just one after another.
Donnie Piercey (00:44:02):
He always asked ’em a question and if the kid, you know, didn’t answer it right, he’d be like, “Well, you’re not right, but you’re wrong.” You know, whatever. <Laugh>
Eric Cross (00:44:14):
I have to make sure I’m not subconsciously saying Mr. Wizard quotes when I’m talking in the classroom, when things are happening. But yeah, that video’s hilarious. So I just want to bring us back to AI, and ask this question: Do you think science has a special role to play when it comes to teaching kids about AI responsibly? Does science have a special role in that?
Jennifer Roberts (00:44:36):
I think the responsible piece of AI I wanna teach my students about is the part about the bias in the algorithms and the bias in the training. And I want them to understand how it works, well enough to make informed decisions about how it impacts their lives.
Donnie Piercey (00:44:56):
Hmm.
Jennifer Roberts (00:44:57):
Because I do have concerns about a tool that was trained on the internet. And the answers it gives you is the average of the internet. And do we trust the internet? And the answer from kids is always, “Well sorta, no.” <Laugh> So I want them to understand the social science behind that.
Donnie Piercey (00:45:18):
Yeah. And just along that same point, having the students recognize that just because, you know, you copy-and-paste a question in, the answer it spits out might not always be correct. So, teaching them that just like you would with a source that you find about a topic that you’re researching, you’ve gotta fact-check.
Jennifer Roberts (00:45:44):
It’s just like being a good scientist. A good scientist wouldn’t always accept a single result or the first result. You know, you would look at multiple angles. You would try things different ways. Last week I took the article my seniors were reading about victim compensation after 9-11, and in front of them, I gave ChatGPT, I said, “Are you familiar with this article by Amanda Ripley? And ChatGPT came back and said, “Oh yes, this was written in the Atlantic in 2020 and it’s about these things, blah, blah blah.” And my students looked at that and went, “That’s not the article we read.” And I said, “I know. It got it wrong. That’s amazing!” Yeah. And I was so happy that it got it wrong! ‘Cause I wanted them to see that happen.
Donnie Piercey (00:46:21):
And I guess one of the big science questions there, or one of the big science components there, is that idea of inquiry. Right? It’s almost like you have to teach students how to ask those deep questions about what AI spits out.
Eric Cross (00:46:35):
All of those tips are great. And it leads me to this last question I want to ask. New teachers that are out there — it actually doesn’t even matter; new teachers, experienced teachers, all of us are kind of new at different levels of this race. We’re all kind of starting it together. I mean, it hit mainstream. We’re all getting exposed to it. You all really dive into it. When tech comes out, I know you two really like, “OK, how can we use this to transform education and do awesome things for kids?”
Donnie Piercey (00:47:04):
Usually, when new tech comes out, “How can this make my life easier?” is usually the question. Yeah.
Jennifer Roberts (00:47:09):
“How can I save myself time with this?” Yes.
Donnie Piercey (00:47:11):
“How can this result in me watching more TV and you know, less grading,” sometimes.
Eric Cross (00:47:16):
And I start there like you, but then I end up more time that I fill with another project. And I need to learn how to stop doing that. I’m like, “Oh! I got more free time! … to go take on this other task.”
Jennifer Roberts (00:47:28):
Oh, all of my tech adoption is driven by “how can I work less?”
Eric Cross (00:47:32):
So you’re you’re talking to a new teacher, teacher’s getting exposed to this, they’re starting the school year or they’re just getting their feet wet with it. What advice would you give them about AI, incorporated into content or even just best practices? Where you’re at right now in your own journey, and someone’s asking you about it —what would you share with ’em? And Jen, I want to start with you.
Jennifer Roberts (00:47:53):
So, the first thing I did is I was in the middle of grading, you know, 62 essays from my seniors about Into the Wild, when ChatGPT became a thing last November. And I wanted to see what would happen. So the first thing I did was take the prompt that I had given my students and gave it to ChatGPT, ’cause I had just graded a whole bunch of those essays and my brain was very attuned to what my rubric was doing and what I was expecting as the outcome. So I could take what ChatGPT gave me as that quote unquote “essay” and evaluate it critically. And I was ready to do that. So my first advice is take something you’re already asking students to do and ask ChatGPT to do the same thing. So that as you look at the student results, you can compare that to what ChatGPTgives you. If what you’re finding is that ChatGPT can generate something that would earn a decent grade from you, you might need to change that assignment. And it doesn’t need to be a big change, but it might need a tweak or something, so that it, it does rely on the student voice, the students to do something more personal. I’m finding very helpful in my classroom is having my kids do projects where they are recording themselves on — I like Flip. So they’re writing a scene together and they’re having to record the scene together. And I’m emphasizing more of the speaking roles than the writing roles necessarily. So yes, first, take something you’re already doing, paste in to ChatGPT, see what the results are, see how that fits with what your students are doing, and then do that for every assignment you give and just sort of see what comes out of that, and see which assignments are failing and which assignments are working. ‘Cause that’s gonna give you a sense, when you do see one of those results from your students, you’ll be able to recognize it. But it’ll also help you tweak your assignments and decide, “How can I make this a little more original or a little bit more authentic for my students?” And if the robot, if the AI, can’t generate a response, what could the AI do that would be helpful to your students? Would be my next question. So can you use the AI to help them generate an outline? Can you use the AI to help them generate a list of steps to help them get started? And when you’re comfortable enough doing that by yourself, then don’t be afraid to open it in front of your class. If it’s not blocked at your school site, which I hope it’s not. Because I think the advantage goes to kids who have access to this in the long run, or at least see what it is and know what it is. Right? Because if a kid graduates from school without knowing that AI exists, they’re not gonna be prepared for what they face out in the world. So give them a chance to see you using it. Model effectively using it. I have a blog post about that. I just wrote it. LitAndTech.com. You can check that out. “Introducing 9th graders to ChatGPT.” How it went, right? There’s a chart there you can have. It’s my very first draft of this, but it seems to be very popular. So, you know, show students how it can be used as their mentor. If I can’t come read your paragraph because I have 36 kids in my classroom and I cannot stop and read everybody’s first paragraph, can you, if you want to, give your first paragraph to ChatGPT and ask for advice? And will that advice be helpful to you? So showing students how it can be used responsibly is, I think, something every teacher should be doing right now. And don’t hold back just because you’re afraid you’re gonna be teaching them what this is. They know what this is. Right?
Donnie Piercey (00:51:13):
They know what it is.
Jennifer Roberts (00:51:13):
Especially if you teach high school. They know what it is. I’ve had parents thank me for showing them how to use it responsibly. You know, this can actually be a really useful tool, but if you’re trying to make it do your work for you, it will probably fail you. If you’re trying to use it to help you do your work, it will probably be helpful. Sort of the way I’m breaking it down for them at this point. You want the great metaphor? The great metaphor is if you build a robot and send it to the top of a mountain, did you climb that mountain? No. If you build a robot and ask it to help you get to the top of the mountain, and you and the robot go together, did you climb that mountain? Yes.
Eric Cross (00:51:53):
I like that. I’m thinking through this. I’m processing that now.
Donnie Piercey (00:51:57):
Me too.
Eric Cross (00:51:59):
Yeah. I just imagine a robot holding my hand climbing Mount Everest and I’m like, “Yeah, I did it.”
Donnie Piercey (00:52:04):
If I got a robot though, like I would have to dress it like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2. Like I would just have to.
Eric Cross (00:52:10):
Of course.
Donnie Piercey (00:52:10):
Of course.
Eric Cross (00:52:13):
Donnie, same question. Advice. Teachers getting immersed into it. Tips. What would you say?
Donnie Piercey (00:52:20):
So, I would definitely agree with everything that Jen said. Just, if anything else, to familiarize yourself with it. Almost like pretend like it’s a student in your classroom and it’s answering questions, just so that way you can see what it can do. And you’re kind of training yourself, like, “Oh, well, if I ever need examples, exemplars.” If you’re in a writing piece and you don’t wanna sit there and write out four different types of student responses — you know, advanced writer, beginning writer, whatever — great way to to do that is you just—
Jennifer Roberts (00:52:48):
Oh yeah. We did that.
Donnie Piercey (00:52:48):
—copy the prompt in and give a beautifully written piece that a fifth grader would be impressed with. Boom. It’ll do it for you. In my classroom, the way that I approach it is I kinda look at AI as almost like this butler that I don’t have to pay. That if I need it to do something for me, it’s just bookmarked. I can click it. And I mean, sometimes I just talk to it like it’s a person. And it’s almost like, in the chat window, I’m just rambling at it, what I’m trying to do. And it’s almost like I’m talking to a coworker, and I’m trying to hedge out some ideas for a lesson. Simple example: For a science lesson, if you’re trying to come up with … let’s say you’re a fifth-grade — or, sorry, I teach fifth grade. Say you’re a seventh-grade science teacher. And you’re trying to teach the students in your class about Newton’s third law of motion. You know, every action [has an ] equal and opposite reaction. Look around your room. See what you have. Maybe look around and you’re like, “All right, I got a whiteboard, microscope, I’ve got magnets, a cylinder. …” And you just copy all this stuff into ChatGPT. Say, like, “Hey, I have all of these items. Cotton balls, peanut butter, whatever.” And say, “I’m trying to teach students Newton’s third law of motion. Give me some ideas of some ways I could teach it using some of these materials.” And it’ll do it! It’ll give you like five to 10 ideas!
Jennifer Roberts (00:54:15):
And then tell it what your students are into. Like, my students are really into basketball. Can you work that into this lesson?
Donnie Piercey (00:54:21):
Yeah! They’re into the Avengers! Hey, find some way to tie Spider-Man into this. You know, that was a pun that didn’t go so well. But, you know <laugh> figure out some way that you could incorporate this and it’ll do it. And Eric, like you said, it won’t be perfect. Right? But if anything else, if you’re a starting teacher and you’re trying to brainstorm ideas — try it.
Eric Cross (00:54:44):
And Donnie, as you were saying that, I was thinking — first, I imagined Spider-Man shooting cotton balls with peanut butter all over them — and then my mind went to having students have these items, like you were saying. And then they create labs, working alongside AI. To do inquiry. To create a lab about something, and then going and performing and collecting data. OK, that’s — now I wanna go do that tomorrow!
Donnie Piercey (00:55:10):
Listen, it is so easy to do. If you have an extra computer in your classroom. … We were talking about Jarvis and Iron Man and Tony Stark earlier. Make a new chat in ChatGPT. Tell it, “I want you to pretend that you are Tony Stark. Only answer questions as if you are Tony Stark.” Or “Pretend you’re Jarvis.” Whatever. “Stay in character the whole time. I’m going to have sixth grade students come up to you and ask you questions about science or forces of nature, and only answer questions like you’re Iron Man.” And guess what? You keep that station in your classroom. Students are working on a project — you know, in elementary school, a lot of times we’ll have that, “ask three before me” — you’re supposed to ask three friends before you go and bug the teacher. Well, maybe one of those “three before me” can be that little computer station, where they go up and ask Tony Stark a question, and then it answers them as Jarvis or Iron Man. I mean, we’re really just scratching the surface with all this AI stuff. And as more and more companies and more and more creatives are gonna start to realize everything that it can do, we’re gonna start to see it more and more. And hopefully we as teachers can really figure out how to use this tool to, of course, help students, but also help them be creative and explore and learn on their own.
Eric Cross (00:56:35):
That’s amazing. And just both of you are just dropping gems right now. And I wanna wrap up by saying — and I’ve said this before on earlier podcasts I’ve done — but at this phase in my life, the people that I’m the biggest fans of are teachers. And it’s true. I don’t mean that in a cliche way. When I watch celebrities and things like that, when I watch professional sports, that doesn’t fill me the way it used to when I was a kid. At this point, as a professional, I get inspired by other educators who are just doing awesome things. And when I think about educators who are doing that, you two are on that list of people that make me better. And when I get better, I can do better things for my kids. And so, one, I want to thank you for staying in the classroom and continue to support students. They’re so lucky to have you both. The second thing I wanted to say is, Jen, I wanna start with you. Where can people — and I know we said at the beginning — but where can people find the stuff that you put out? You got blogs, your social, your book.
Jennifer Roberts (00:57:28):
I got lots of social. Twitter, I’m JenRoberts1 on Twitter. And then my blog is LitAndTech.com. And then I’m on lots of the new social too, the Mastodons, the Spoutables, the Posts — those kinds of things — as just Jen Roberts, because I got in early and I got my real name without a 1. And there was some other one I’m on recently that I’ve forgotten about. But there’s lots of ’em. They’re fun. And I’m Jen Roberts. You can find me there.
Donnie Piercey (00:57:56):
And I’m SergeantPepperD on AOL, if anyone’s interested.
Eric Cross (00:58:00):
If you wanna hit Donnie up on AIM. <Laugh>
Donnie Piercey (00:58:03):
SergeantPepperD.
Jennifer Roberts (00:58:04):
You know, speaking of rock stars and people who do amazing things, I did write a blog post about using ChatGPT in the classroom, but I hear Donnie wrote a whole book.
Eric Cross (00:58:13):
Oh yeah. So, Donnie! Donnie, that’s a great segue. Thanks Jen. Donnie, how do people find out more? And can you tell us about this book you wrote, that’s coming out in the summer?
Donnie Piercey (00:58:22):
Yeah, so the book I wrote is called 50 Strategies for Integrating AI Into the Classroom. It’s published by Teacher Created Materials. They reached out to me. They had seen some of the stuff that I was doing, not just with ChatGPT, but also some image-generating AI stuff. You know, I got featured on Good Morning America, which was kind of cool. And they saw that and they said, ‘Hey, that looks really neat.” Reached out to me and asked me to write a book. And the idea behind the book, that launches this summer, it’s just 50 ideas, 50 prompts, different things that, as a classroom teacher, that you can do. So, you know, I think there’s so many AI books that are out there now. A lot of them are big ideas, which I think are important. Definitely important discussions that need to be, have around, the ethics of AI. What’s the role that AI should play in the classroom. But I just wanted to write a book, kind of like the discussion that, that Jen and I were just having, which is like, “Can we just share a whole bunch of ideas, different things that we could try with our students?” So definitely check it out. And I appreciate you giving me a shout-out too. That was cool, Eric. Thank you.
Eric Cross (00:59:35):
Of course. Definitely. And Donnie, your Twitter is again. …
Donnie Piercey (00:59:39):
Oh, @MrPiercey, M R P I E R C E Y.
Eric Cross (00:59:44):
Follow Donnie. Follow Jen. Tons of stuff on there. Both of you, thank you so much. For your time, for talking about students and how we can take care of them, science, literacy, AI. I hope we can talk about this again. I feel like even if in just six months, we might be saying different things. In a year, the landscape might completely change. And that makes it really fun. But thank you both for being on the show.
Jennifer Roberts (01:00:04):
Thank you for having us, Eric.
Donnie Piercey (01:00:05):
Thank you so much, Eric. We appreciate it, bud.
Eric Cross (01:00:10):
Thanks so much for listening to my conversation with Jen Roberts and Donnie Piercey. Jen Roberts is a veteran English teacher at San Diego’s Point Loma High School and author of the book Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning. You can keep up with her at LitAndTech.com. And Donnie Piercey is a fifth-grade teacher from Lexington, Kentucky. He hosts the podcast Teachers Passing Notes. Stay up-to-date with him at Resources.MrPiercey.com. And let us know what you think of this episode in our Facebook discussion group, Science Connections: The Community. Make sure you don’t miss any new episodes of Science Connections by subscribing to the show, wherever you get podcasts. And as always, we’d really appreciate it if you can leave us a review. It’ll help more people and AI robots find the show. You can find more information on all of Amplify’s shows on our podcast hub, Amplify.com/hub. Thanks again for listening.
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Meet the guests
Jen Roberts is a Nationally Board Certified high school English teacher with 25+ years of experience teaching Social Science and English Language Arts in grades 7-12. She has had 1:1 laptops for her students since 2008 and is the co-author of Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning. A Google for Education Certified Innovator since 2011, Jen was named the CUE Outstanding Educator in 2022. Her interests include literacy instruction, standards based grading, and leveraging Google tools to make her teaching more efficient and effective.
Donnie Piercey, the 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, is a fifth-grade teacher in Lexington, Kentucky. With a passion for utilizing technology to promote student inquiry, learning, and engagement, he has been teaching since 2007. In addition to being in the classroom, he runs a podcast, Teachers Passing Notes that is produced by the Peabody Award winning GZMShows, and holds several recognitions, including a National Geographic Fellowship to Antarctica in 2018. His most recent work in Artificial Intelligence has not gone unnoticed, earning him multiple appearances on Good Morning America, the Associated Press, and PBS. His upcoming book, “50 Strategies for Integrating AI in the Classroom” published by Teacher Created Materials, is written for educators looking for practical classroom approaches to using AI. All told, Donnie has been invited to keynote and present at schools in thirty-three states and on five continents.
About Science Connections
Welcome to Science Connections! Science is changing before our eyes, now more than ever. So…how do we help kids figure that out? We will bring on educators, scientists, and more to discuss the importance of high-quality science instruction. In this episode, hear from our host Eric Cross about his work engaging students as a K-8 science teacher.
