College of Education and Human Development

Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement

Minnesota READ Act Curriculum Review Series

The Minnesota READ (Reading to Ensure Academic Development) Act was passed and signed into law by Governor Tim Walz on May 24, 2023. The goal of this legislation is for every Minnesota child, including multilingual learners and students receiving special education services, to be reading at or above grade level. 

The READ Act required the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to partner with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota to “identify at least five literacy curricula and supporting materials that are evidence-based or focused on structured literacy by January 1, 2024, and post a list of the curricula on the department website. The list must include curricula that use culturally and linguistically responsive materials that reflect diverse populations and, to the extent practicable, curricula that reflect the experiences of students from diverse backgrounds, including multilingual learners, biliterate students, and students who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.”

This series aims to empower districts to make informed decisions selecting a high-quality reading curriculum that is ideal for your learners, educators, and community. 

Please begin with the Introduction to the Curriculum Review Series for background, information about methodology, definitions of key terms and indicators, and references.

Curricula highly aligned to evidence-based structured literacy practices 

Literacy curricula that best met the criteria from the CAREI/MDE review process are identified as “highly aligned” to evidence-based structured literacy practices. Highly aligned curricula are an allowable use of READ Act Literacy Aid and Literacy Incentive Aid. Additional information about the Literacy Curriculum Review can be found on the Minnesota Department of Education website.  

Comprehensive curricula

EL Education K-5 Language Arts, Open Up Resources® (2017)

Note: If a school or district chooses EL Education, the only version on Minnesota's 2024 list that is an allowable use of READ Act Literacy Aid and Literacy Incentive Aid is published by Open Up Resources®.   

Foundational curricula

Functional Phonics+Morphology K-5, University of Minnesota (August 2023)

Magnetic Reading Foundations K-2™, Curriculum Associates, LLC (2023)

Note: If a school or district chooses Magnetic Reading K-2, no part of i-Ready® was reviewed by or approved during the Minnesota READ Act Curriculum Review. Therefore, the purchase of i-Ready® is not an allowable use of READ Act Literacy Aid or Literacy Incentive Aid.

UFLI Foundations K-2, Ventris Learning K-2 (2022)

Knowledge building curricula

Wit & Wisdom K-5, Great Minds PBC (2023)

Note: If a school or district chooses Wit & Wisdom, no part of Geodes® was reviewed by or approved during the Minnesota READ Act Curriculum Review. Therefore, the purchase of Geodes® is not an allowable use of READ Act Literacy Aid or Literacy Incentive Aid.

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Curricula partially aligned to evidence-based structured literacy practices

Literacy curricula that partially met criteria from the CAREI/MDE review process are identified as “partially aligned” to evidence-based structured literacy practices. Districts should ensure that instruction and materials are enhanced to align with evidence-based structured literacy practices and resolve issues identified in the report, using district resources. Partially aligned curricula are NOT an allowable use of READ Act Literacy Aid and Literacy Incentive Aid. Additional information about the Literacy Curriculum Review can be found on the Minnesota Department of Education website.  

Comprehensive curricula

Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) K-5, Amplify (2022)

Imagine Learning EL Education K-5, Imagine Learning LLC (2019)

Note: While Imagine Learning EL Education meets expectations for alignment to Structured Literacy practices, the publisher has not agreed to make adjustments to text choices that are not aligned to culturally and linguistically responsive practices; therefore, it is not on the Highly Aligned list and not eligible for READ Act Literacy Aid use. 

Wonders K-5, McGraw Hill LLC (2023)

Foundational curricula

95 Phonics Core Program, 95 Percent Group (grades K–3, 2020; grades 4–5, 2023)

Bridge to Reading Foundational Skills Kit K-2, Literacy Resources, LLC dba Heggerty (2023)

Countdown (K) 2017, Blast Foundations (1st) 2014, HD Word (2nd) 2015, Really Great Reading

Curricula minimally aligned to evidence-based structured literacy practices

Literacy curricula that minimally met criteria from the CAREI/MDE review process are identified as “minimally aligned” to evidence-based structured literacy practices. Districts should ensure that instruction and materials are enhanced to align with evidence-based structured literacy practices and resolve issues identified in the report, using district resources. Minimally aligned curricula are NOT an allowable use of READ Act Literacy Aid and Literacy Incentive Aid. Additional information about the Literacy Curriculum Review can be found on the Minnesota Department of Education website.

Comprehensive curricula

Collaborative Literacy (2nd ed.), Center for the Collaborative Classroom, K-2 (2021), 3-5 (2023)

Open Court Reading K-5 (McGraw Hill, 2023)

The Superkids Reading Program K-2, Zaner-Bloser, Inc. (2017)

Foundational curricula

Ready4Reading K-3, Scholastic Inc. (2023)

Curricula not aligned to evidence-based structured literacy practices

Materials not aligned to evidence-based structured literacy practices did not meet minimum criteria and therefore should not be used. Not aligned curricula are NOT an allowable use of READ Act Literacy Aid and Literacy Incentive Aid.

Minnesota Statutes 2023, section 120B.123, subdivision 3. Curriculum. A district or charter school must use evidence-based curriculum and intervention materials at each grade level that are designed to ensure student mastery of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Starting July 1, 2023, when a district or charter school purchases new literacy curriculum, or literacy intervention or supplementary materials, the curriculum or materials must be evidence-based as defined in Minnesota Statutes 2023, section 120B.1118, subdivision 4.
Additional information about the Literacy Curriculum Review can be found on the Minnesota Department of Education website.

Comprehensive curricula

  • ARC Core® K-5, American Reading Company (2017 Edition, 2022 and 2023 Print Run)

Foundational curricula

Foundations A-Z K-5, Learning A-Z, LLC (2023) 

Non-ranked curricular resources 

Non-ranked curricular resources do not meet the criteria to be classified as a Tier 1 core highly aligned program and therefore are not an allowable use of READ Act Literacy Aid and Literacy Incentive Aid for Tier 1 curricula. 

Fundations® K-3, Wilson Language Training® (2012) 

Note: Fundations® is not given a ranked designation on the READ Act list of curricular resources. This program is unique from other foundational skills curricula because it does not include systematic phonemic awareness or fluency instruction, making comparisons to other resources on this list problematic.

Districts considering the purchase or use of Fundations® should plan for how the missing foundational literacy skills will be taught. Additionally, the report and rubric should be used to ensure that instruction and materials are enhanced to align with evidence-based structured literacy practices.