10.53.407 READING STANDARDS: FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS

1. (1) Reading standards foundational skills for a student at the kindergarten level are:

   1. (a) demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print;

      1. (i) follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page;
      2. (ii) recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters;
      3. (iii) understand that words are separated by spaces in print; and
      4. (iv) recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet;

   2. (b) demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes);

      1. (i) recognize and produce rhyming words;
      2. (ii) count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words;
      3. (iii) blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words;
      4. (iv) isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words (this does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/); and
      5. (v) add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words;

   3. (c) know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words;

      1. (i) demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant;
      2. (ii) associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels;
      3. (iii) read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does); and
      4. (iv) distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ; and
   4. (d) read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.

2. (2) Reading standards: foundational skills for a student at the Grade 1 level are:

   1. (a) demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print;

      1. (i) recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation);

   2. (b) demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes);

      1. (i) distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words;
      2. (ii) orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends;
      3. (iii) isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words; and
      4. (iv) segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes);

   3. (c) know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words;

      1. (i) know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs;
      2. (ii) decode regularly spelled one-syllable words;
      3. (iii) know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds;
      4. (iv) use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word;
      5. (v) decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables;
      6. (vi) read words with inflectional endings; and
      7. (vii) recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words;

   4. (d) read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension;

      1. (i) read on-level text with purpose and understanding;
      2. (ii) read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings; and
      3. (iii) use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

3. (3) Reading standards: foundational skills for a student at the Grade 2 level are:

   1. (a) know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words;

      1. (i) distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words;
      2. (ii) know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams;
      3. (iii) decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels;
      4. (iv) decode words with common prefixes and suffixes;
      5. (v) identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences; and
      6. (vi) recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words;

   2. (b) read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension;

      1. (i) read on-level text with purpose and understanding;
      2. (ii) read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings; and
      3. (iii) use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

4. (4) Reading standards: foundational skills for a student at the Grade 3 level are:

   1. (a) know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words;

      1. (i) identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes;
      2. (ii) decode words with common Latin suffixes;
      3. (iii) decode multisyllable words; and
      4. (iv) read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words;

   2. (b) read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension;

      1. (i) read on-level text with purpose and understanding;
      2. (ii) read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings; and
      3. (iii) use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

5. (5) Reading standards: foundational skills for a student at the Grade 4 level are:

   1. (a) know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words;

      1. (i) use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context;

   2. (b) read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension;

      1. (i) read on-level text with purpose and understanding;
      2. (ii) read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings; and
      3. (iii) use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

6. (6) Reading standards: foundational skills for students at the Grade 5 level are:

   1. (a) know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words;

      1. (i) use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context;

   2. (b) read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension;

      1. (i) read on-level text with purpose and understanding;
      2. (ii) read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings; and
      3. (iii) use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Authorizing statute(s): 20-2-114, MCA

Implementing statute(s): 20-2-121, 20-3-106, 20-7-101, MCA

History: NEW, 2011 MAR p. 2520, Eff. 11/26/11.