Abstract
The purpose of this study was, first, to determine to what extent the components of a balanced, comprehensive beginning reading program as outlined in Teaching Reading were contained in seven adopted first grade language arts curriculum programs. Second, to determine to what extent these seven curriculum programs aligned with the mandated teacher training in instructional strategies as outlined in SB1777. Third, to determine to what extent policies (instructional strategies training, textbook adoption, and components of a beginning reading program) are aligned. This was a descriptive study using content analysis. All seven programs had a sufficient amount of instructional materials included. All seven programs contained spelling activities; however, Scott Foresman had only five references while the other programs had sufficient spelling activities. Scholastic and MacMillan had a strong emphasis on comprehension and higher order thinking skills. The findings supported the alignment of the components from Teaching Reading with five of the seven programs containing all the components while Harcourt Brace and Houghton lacked one component each. The alignment of the programs with the staff development mandate of SB1777 was evident to a sufficient degree in four of the seven programs analyzed. The remaining three programs (MacMillan, Houghton, and Scott Foresman) were lacking individualized instruction. There was a varying degree of alignment among the three policies examined. Two programs were missing more than one variable. Because of the number of teachers with little training in teaching beginning reading, there was less than sufficient alignment of the three policies. Therefore, staff development will need to be coordinated with the instructional materials adopted by the local district to ensure that teachers receive the necessary information on how to align all the mandates in their daily lessons. If all children are to be on grade level in reading by the end of third grade, teachers must be educated in how to use the materials to meet the individual needs of their students.