Implementation guidelines may be modified to best fit the needs of your students and your school. We recommend that schools consider the master schedule and time dedicated to instructional blocks when crafting an implementation plan.  

Foundations Typical Pacing and Implementation:

There are two potential starting points for Foundations: Foundations A or B. If students already have basic phonics knowledge from the previous year, they may be able to begin with Foundations B in their first year. In some cases, they will be able to move quickly through B before spending most of the year completing C. There is a placement test online to help determine if your students are ready to start with Foundations B or would benefit from going through Foundations A first. 

• In Kindergarten, teach Foundations A and all or part of B every year.
• In First Grade, we recommend that you plan to spend the first month of 1st grade reviewing the lessons students completed in Kindergarten (typically A and all or part of B) and then pick up where students left off. If you are in your first year of implementation and students have not yet been exposed to Logic of English, you may begin with Foundations A or Foundations B. Start with Foundations B if 1st Grade students already have a strong foundation in segmenting and blending sounds and words, knowing all the sounds of the A-Z single-letter phonograms, reading unfamiliar CVC words, and writing the lowercase letters. After completing Foundations B, you will move to Foundations C. 
• In Second Grade, you can choose to use our Foundations curriculum or choose to move into our Essentials curriculum. If using Foundations, we recommend that you begin where 1st grade left off, which often means you may begin the year with Foundations C or D. You could choose to begin with a review of Foundations C in the first month of school and then transition to Foundations D as you gauge the readiness of your students. You could also start with Foundations D, as it is cumulative and integrates all the skills students have learned in previous levels. If you complete Foundations A-D prior to 2nd grade and determine that Essentials is the best starting point for the 2nd-grade year, please feel free to reach out with additional questions about our Essentials curriculum.
• Learn more about the typical pace through Foundations lessons here.

Essentials Typical Pacing and Implementation:

• Second/Third Grade: If beginning implementation in 2nd grade, teach Essentials units using Level A. Depending on the needs of your students, you may begin with the ten Pre-Lessons offered and then teach units at a slower pace by teaching units 1-7 in the first semester and complete units 8-15 in the second semester of the school year. If beginning implementation in 3rd grade, consider whether students need the Pre-Lessons based on previous exposure to the skills. You may adjust your pace to include units 1-22 throughout the year if skipping the Pre-Lessons.  
• Fourth Grade: We recommend using the Essentials Placement Test to determine if it is most appropriate to use Level A or Level B for whole group instruction based on student needs. Consider teaching units 1-15 using the level you determine will best match the needs of your students. If time allows, add units 16-22 to your instruction.  

• Fifth Grade: We recommend using the Essentials placement test to determine if it is most appropriate to use Level A or Level B for whole group instruction based on student needs. Consider teaching units 1-22 and add 23-30 if time allows.  

• Sixth Grade and Above:  Consider teaching units 1-22 and add 23-30 if time allows. Use the placement test to determine the most appropriate level to meet student needs. If using Essentials for intervention at these levels, we recommend focusing on Part 1 and Part 2 of each lesson, as well as using the Essentials Reader.