New Curriculum Review: Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program

Are you looking for new ELA materials for K-5? Take a look at Learning List’s review of Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program (Amplify Texas).

Amplify Texas is a comprehensive program that supports English language arts instruction for Pre-kindergarten through grade 8. Learning List recently reviewed the materials for grades K-5, which the Texas Education Agency made available to Texas school districts and charter schools at no charge during COVID.

Overview of Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program

Amplify Texas is designed to provide students with a strong skills foundation, knowledge of a variety of topics, and relevant, challenging texts. In grades K-2, Skills units provide systematic, explicit instruction in foundational skills and include decodable readers.

Additionally, in grades K-5, Knowledge units intend for students to apply English Language Arts skills as they learn about topics. Texts are provided at varying levels of rigor and complexity. Because all students read the same texts, some may find certain texts conceptually challenging and overly long. For example, the Skills reader at the end of grade 2 focuses on the War of 1812 and is over 100 pages long. Materials do not include leveled readers or support for guided reading.

Across grades K-5, students write for a variety of purposes, both formal and informal. Typically, all students respond to the same prompt. Skills lessons on grammar and mechanics are provided as separate lessons or as a separate section within a lesson.

Each unit includes multiple student and teacher materials, many of which exceed 200 pages. There are no preprinted materials. Student materials must be used either digitally via fillable PDFs or printed. Supports for teachers include a “Lesson Plan Internalization” document, which provides a step-by-step process for reading and understanding the lesson, as well as heavily scripted lessons with comprehensive teacher guidance. Many lessons require teachers to create materials and purchase or acquire additional reading material for students.

Read Learning List’s Editorial Reviews to learn more about the material's instructional quality, including its support for students with specific learning needs.

About Learning List

In addition to instructional quality reviews, Learning List has reviewed the alignment and technology compatibility of Amplify Texas Elementary Literacy Program. The alignment reports provide a detailed analysis of the material’s alignment to the grade-level TEKS and identify gaps. The Spec Sheet reviews assess the program’s technology compatibility and support for remote learning. To learn more about this product and thousands more PreK-12 instructional materials, contact Learning List for subscription information.

About Amplify*

Amplify strives to “lead the way in high-quality, next-generation curricula and assessments.” The company creates K-12 core and supplemental curriculum, assessment, and intervention programs in ELA, math, and science, with the goal of “helping teachers provide the targeted instruction students need.”

Information in this section is provided by or adapted from Amplify.