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    Act 135 of 2024

    K-3 Reading Instruction Curriculum Materials Rubric and Vendor/LEA Application

    Act 135 requires Reading Instruction Curriculum Materials to be:

    • Aligned with the Pennsylvania Standards and the Science of Reading;
    • Include a logical scope and sequence for explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction;
    • Incorporate phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and building content knowledge; and
    • NOT include three-cueing, which is a model of teaching students to read based on meaning, structure, syntax, and visual cues (MSV).

    Product/Service Selection for K-3 Reading Instruction Curriculum Materials

    To be considered for the PDE K-3 Reading Instruction Curriculum Materials List, a product or service must meet at least one of the following requirements:

    • Be evaluated by EdReports which results in a determination of Meets Expectations, Partially Meets Expectations, or Did Not Meet Expectations;
    • Be evaluated from The Reading League which results in a determination of Meets Expectations, Mostly Meets Expectations, Does Not Meet Expectations or Declined Review;
    • Receive a determination from the Colorado Department of Education (Colorado DOE) Curriculum List; or
    • Receive a determination from the Ohio Department of Education (Ohio DOE) Curriculum List.

    Products and services that meet the above requirements as of May 15, 2025, are included on the lists released by PDE on June 1, 2025. No additional application to PDE is necessary.

    Products and services that were evaluated by one of the above clearinghouses AFTER May 15, 2025, should complete the vendor application and submit it to PDE.

    PDE will review applications and update lists periodically after June 1, 2025.

    A product or service that does not meet the above criteria is not eligible for consideration by PDE and may not submit a vendor application until the product or service is evaluated by one of the designated clearinghouses. For more information about the evaluation process, contact the entities below:

    K-3 Reading Instruction Curriculum Materials Vendor/LEA Application Rubric

    1. Has the curriculum material been evaluated by EdReports?
    2. Has the curriculum material been evaluated by The Reading League?
    3. Has the curriculum material been evaluated by the Colorado DOE and appears on the Colorado DOE Reading Curriculum list?
    4. Has the curriculum material been evaluated by the Ohio DOE and appears on the Ohio DOE Reding Curriculum List?

    If all the answers to questions 1-4 are “No”, the curriculum material is not eligible for consideration. Do not submit a vendor/LEA application to PDE.

    If at least one of the answers to questions 1-4 is “Yes,” AND the curriculum material is not listed on the PDE list under the specified clearinghouse, submit the Vendor/LEA application to PDE.

    Complete the Vendor/LEA Application