# Foundation/Prep English · weeks 5–6 evidence check

**Purpose:** choose next instruction after Days 21–30. This is a formative sample, not a standardised test, diagnosis, ranking or claim that the Foundation English achievement standard is complete. Proposed ACARA v9 Foundation links: `AC9EFLE02`, `AC9EFLY05`, `AC9EFLY09`, `AC9EFLY10`, `AC9EFLY11`, `AC9EFLY12`, `AC9EFLY13`, `AC9EFLY06`, `AC9EFLA09`. Human educator review remains pending.

## Set-up and fair interpretation

Collect adult-read story understanding and created-sentence evidence during Day 30's 25-minute class lesson. Schedule a short private sound/letter/word check for about **five learners per day** during ordinary independent-work periods on Days 26–30. Allow about 5–6 minutes per learner; this time is outside the 25-minute mini-lesson. If that rotation is unavailable, extend the checking window and mark unobserved items honestly. A whole class cannot be individually heard reading five words in one 25-minute block.

Read directions aloud. Repeat the same direction once on request and note the repeat. Record the first independent attempt before teaching or prompting; give feedback and a retry **after** the record. Offer speech, AAC, pointing to sounds, tactile/movable letters, accessible typing or handwriting as appropriate, and note the route. A correct picture choice after adult reading is listening comprehension evidence, not independent decoding. If hearing or speech access changes what a sound task can validly show, plan interpretation with the learner, family and relevant specialist.

## Exact prompts and answer notes

### A · Fresh adult-read story

Read [*The Loose Wheel*](MATERIALS.md#oral-story-e--the-loose-wheel-day-30-assessment) **twice**, with print hidden. Ask:

1. “Who spotted the wheel after it rolled beneath the shelf?” **Dev**. Nari pushed the cart and both children stopped it; the text names Dev as the one who spotted the wheel.
2. “What went wrong?” **A wheel came loose and rolled under the shelf.**
3. “What did they do before testing the cart again?” **Stopped the cart and asked an adult to put the wheel back.** A response naming the safe adult repair is key; the adult-read text then says they tested it slowly.

Offer three blank event boxes or safe toy-cart props without giving the answers. Record open responses separately from adult-supplied choices or hints.

### B · Spoken sound awareness, with all print hidden

1. “Which rhymes with **hen**: **pen** or **dog**?” Expected **pen**.
2. “How many beats in **basket**?” Expected **two**; accept two taps or counters.
3. “Say the sounds in **sun**, in order.” Expected /s/ /ʌ/ /n/.
4. “Put these sounds together: /v/ /ɛ/ /t/.” Expected **vet**.
5. “Say **sip**. Change the first sound /s/ to /z/. What new word?” Expected **zip**.

Use a locally clear pronunciation. If a communication route or accent makes an item ambiguous, annotate the equivalent used; do not silently alter the scored task or treat an access barrier as a skill error.

### C · Letter–sound links

Shuffle and show the **eight new lower-case** letters **b, u, h, k, v, w, j, z**, one at a time. Ask for the common sound practised here: /b/, /ʌ/, /h/, /k/, /v/, /w/, /dʒ/, /z/. Separately sample the **15 prior lower-case** links **m, a, s, t, p, i, n, c, e, r, d, o, g, l, f** and record a count out of 15; this is continuity information, not part of the new-eight rubric. If a learner names a letter instead of giving its sound, ask once for the sound and record both responses separately. Capitals **B, K, V, J, Z** may be observed as an extension, not folded into the lower-case score.

### D · Transfer to five **unseen printed** CVC words

Show **bud, hut, kip, jot, wed** one at a time, without a picture. These exact printed words do not occur on the child-reading lesson cards. Their graphemes and sound values have all been taught. Ask: “Touch each letter, give its sound, then slide the sounds together.” Note sounding through, a guess, self-correction or a content hint. Explain a word's meaning **after** the attempted blend if unfamiliar: a *bud* is a small new plant part; a *hut* a small shelter; a *kip* a short sleep; *jot* means write a quick note; *wed* means marry. Meaning is not this decoding score.

For a learner still building a two-sound blend, record a supported **up** separately. It informs teaching but is not counted as independent CVC decoding.

### E · Encoding from speech, with printed word hidden

Dictate **jug, vet, zip** one at a time: “The word is ____. Say its sounds. Put down or write one letter for each sound. Read what you made.” Repeat the whole word once on request without separating its sounds. Accept movable/tactile letters, accessible typing or pencil. Record the exact sequence, prompt level and whether the learner reread. The words use only taught correspondences.

### F · A short sentence for an audience

Give taught word tiles **Bob / Val / Jem / Zak / Kit / hid / ran / got / wet / had / fun / .** and a blank strip. Ask: “Make a sentence that tells an idea. Read or explain it to me. Show where it begins and ends.” Valid examples include **Bob ran.**, **Kit got wet.**, and **Val had fun.** Do not offer an example until after the independent attempt. Record whether the learner selected a meaningful order, used a capital name and full stop, and decoded what they made. Adult-scribed unrestricted language is welcome as a separate creative-language record.

## Analytic rubric

Mark each domain independently. **Do not add a total score or set a pass line.** “Independent” means after the standard instruction and permitted non-content access route, without an answer hint. Retain the item record for the useful detail a level cannot show. Mark an inaccessible or missed check **not observed** and arrange another route or time; zero is reserved for a completed check with no independent evidence.

| Domain | 0 · No independent evidence in completed check | 1 · Emerging | 2 · Developing | 3 · Secure in this small sample |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A. Story meaning | Completed check through an accessible route, but no story element communicated independently. | One story element with answer options or content prompt. | Two elements independent; another needs a prompt. | Person/role, wheel problem and safe adult-help action communicated independently in a coherent retell or equivalent sequence. |
| B. Spoken sound awareness | 0 of five items independent. | 1–2 of five independent. | 3–4 of five independent. | All five independent. |
| C. Eight new letter–sound links | 0–2 of eight independent. | 3–4 of eight independent. | 5–7 of eight independent. | All eight independent in this sample. Record prior-set count separately. |
| D. Unseen CVC decoding | 0 of five independently sounded and blended. | 1–2 of five independent. | 3–4 of five independent. | All five independent; note self-correction if it occurred. |
| E. CVC encoding | 0 of three correct sound–letter sequences independent. | 1 of three correct independent. | 2 of three correct independent. | All three correct independent; rereads at least one made word. |
| F. Created sentence | Completed check through an accessible route, but no meaningful sentence made independently. | Meaningful sentence only after adult model or answer hint. | Meaningful sentence made independently, with prompt for word order, capital or stop mark. | Meaningful sentence made and explained independently with capital name/start and full stop. |

## Local individual record

**Learner code:** ______  **Date(s):** ______  **Teacher:** ______  
**Response route / access supports:** ______________________________________  
**Adult-read story:** *The Loose Wheel* (original; print hidden)

| Evidence | Exact response or marked items | Independent, repeated direction, or content prompt? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A1 role; A2 problem; A3 safe action |  |  |
| B1 rhyme; B2 syllables; B3 segment; B4 blend; B5 change first sound |  |  |
| C new **b u h k v w j z** / prior-set count ___ of 15 |  |  |
| D bud / hut / kip / jot / wed |  |  |
| E jug / vet / zip |  |  |
| F learner-made sentence; capital; full stop |  |  |

**Domain levels A–F:** ______ / ______ / ______ / ______ / ______ / ______  
**Exact strength shown:** ________________________________________________  
**Next teaching move and recheck date:** _________________________________  
**Access or source question for human review:** __________________________

## Choose a next teaching move

| Pattern in the evidence | Next instruction |
| --- | --- |
| Listening meaning is difficult to show | Check the response route. Re-read an original oral story; model people → problem → safe solution with three props, then fade prompts. |
| Prior 15 links are uncertain | Revisit the actual missed links before adding more child-reading words. Keep the learner in the richer oral story and meaning work. |
| New **u** is confused with **a/e/i/o** | Contrast two spoken CVC words differing in the vowel, change one letter tile, blend again, and recheck an unseen regular word. |
| **b/k/v/w/j/z** links are uncertain | Model only the uncertain links with a clear sound and letter, practise a small set, then test a fresh CVC word. Do not treat a global count as the teaching diagnosis. |
| Sound links are known but unseen words are guessed | Cover pictures, model left-to-right touch–say–sweep, and give an unseen word from the same taught set. |
| Decoding is stronger than spelling | Segment a spoken CVC with three counters, replace with letters, and reread the constructed word. |
| Words are read but a sentence is hard to make | Model a person/action sentence with tiles, discuss the idea, then have the learner make a different one with a capital name and stop mark. |
| All sampled items are secure | Add new regular combinations and teacher-read texts with richer ideas. Explicitly teach any new vowel value, digraph, consonant cluster or irregular high-frequency word before asking the child to decode it. This does not complete Foundation English. |

Framework mapping uses the [ACARA v9 workbook](https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/content/dam/en/curriculum/ac-version-9/downloads/curriculum-workbook.xlsx). The check–respond cycle is informed by [AERO Monitor progress](https://www.edresearch.edu.au/guides-resources/practice-guides/monitor-progress). Both local alignment and assessment design remain **pending human educator review**.