Comparative Report

 

Comparative Report: Efficacy of the Kinestema Program in Spanish Reading Development for Kindergarten

Introduction

This report analyzes the impact and progress of students enrolled in the Kinestema Program, a kinesthetic and multisensory approach designed to strengthen early Spanish literacy skills in Pre-K and Kindergarten bilingual classrooms. The analysis is based on data obtained from local district assessments, created and captured via ESGI software at Crain Elementary (VISD). These results are compared against the expectations set by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) within the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Spanish Language Arts and Reading in Kindergarten.

Strategically, Kinestema serves as a highly effective complement to current curricula. This allows schools to maintain the use of their existing resources and adopted textbooks while significantly accelerating mastery of reading and writing. Notably, correct recognition of phonetic articulation in Spanish strengthens the foundation for precise articulation in English, thereby facilitating the transfer of bilingual skills through the Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP).

Methodologically, the approach integrates articulatory and body movements to help students differentiate and remember phonemes. Its application follows a structured sequential acquisition: it begins with "continuous kinesthemes" to facilitate blending and the formation of syllables, words, and sentences; subsequently, it introduces "forced and brief kinesthemes" for more complex decoding. Once the student acquires the kinestheme—combining body movement, articulatory sensation, sound, and visual perception—the letter does not need to be memorized in the traditional sense. It is assimilated organically through a strategy called a "connector," which proactively prevents letter reversals and mitigates future writing difficulties. This aligns with the orthographic transparency of Spanish, emphasizing syllables as the key unit for reading success.

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Texas Education Agency (TEA) Expectations for Spanish Reading Programs in Kindergarten

The TEKS for Spanish Language Arts and Reading in Kindergarten emphasize the integrated development of foundational skills. Given the high phoneme-grapheme consistency and orthographic transparency of Spanish, the curriculum establishes a priority focus on syllabic awareness. Key TEA expectations include:

• Phonological and Print Awareness: Identifying syllables in words, performing blending and syllabic segmentation, recognizing uppercase and lowercase letters, and understanding print concepts (such as book parts and reading directionality).
• Phonics and Word Recognition: Decoding one- or two-syllable words using structural patterns such as CV and CVCV, and language-specific digraphs (ch, rr, ll), as well as manipulating syllables to form new words.
• Fluency and Comprehension: Reading independent texts with purpose, formulating predictions, making inferences and connections, and monitoring self-comprehension.
• Writing: Tracing letters with correct directionality, writing common syllabic patterns, and composing simple texts applying basic conventions (complete sentences and gender/number agreement).
• Bilingual Considerations and Transfer: Developing a solid foundation in Spanish to accelerate literacy acquisition and facilitate transfer to English. This is achieved by capitalizing on cross-linguistic connections and using strategic scaffolding, such as cognate recognition and native language support.

Monitoring and Performance Goals: To ensure compliance with these expectations, student progress must be measured using official instruments approved by the TEA Commissioner, such as the TX-KEA assessment. These measurements are administered at the Beginning (BOY), Middle (MOY), and End of Year (EOY) for continuous monitoring. Based on this data, effective programs establish rigorous local goals—such as projecting 70% mastery in phonological awareness—to exceed the state average and ensure optimal student readiness.

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Kinestema Program Description

Kinestema utilizes kinesthemes—articulatory and body movements—to reinforce phoneme-grapheme connections. The categories are:

Category	Sensation (Kinesthesia)	Phonemes (IPA)	Graphemes	Articulation	Examples
Continuous (18+1)	Fluency: Free passage or constant friction without breaks.	/a, e, i, o, u/, /m, n/, /l/, /f, s, θ, x/, /r/, Silent (h).	a, e, i, o, u, y, w; m, n; l; f, s, z, c, x, j, g; r-, -rr-; h.	Full opening; nasal resonance; lateral escape; uninterrupted friction; repeated vibration; no phonation.	mano, luna, humo.
Forced (3+2+3)	Tension: Moderate resistance requiring energy.	/b, d, g/, /ɾ/, /ʝ/, /tʃ/.	b, v, d, g; r (intervocalic); y, ll; ch.	Soft contact; single contact; palatal friction; friction + occlusion.	boda, dedo, ganar.
Brief (6+1+1+1)	Impact: Total cutoff and explosive release.	/p, t, k/, /ɲ/.	p, t, k, c, qu, x, gü; ñ.	Total closure and release; nasal palatal block.	papa, niño.

 

Development progresses from continuous (for blending and syllables) to forced and brief, aligning with TEKS by prioritizing syllables and early decoding. As a supplement, it integrates existing books for practice, raising results to 97% in phonological awareness (vs. 70% state), 89% in initial decoding (vs. 65%), and 93% in emergent writing (vs. 73%), with an overall gain of +22 percentage points.

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Progress Analysis: Crain Elementary Data (VISD)

ESGI assessment data show significant advancement from BOY to EOY, with mastery levels near 100% in key areas, exceeding TEA expectations.

Main Category	BOY (% Correct)	MOY (% Correct)	EOY (% Correct)	Observations
Print Awareness	77.9%	98.7%	100%	Rapid progress to total mastery; aligned with TEKS print concepts.
Colors	71.9%	83.2%	93.0%	Improvement in categorical vocabulary; essential for TEKS descriptions.
Shapes / Icons	53.8%	84.4%	94.9%	Notable gain in visual recognition, supporting illustrated text comprehension.
Phonological Awareness (Syllables)	51.4%	93.7%	97.2%	Performance far exceeds state average (97% vs. 70%); strong blending/segmentation.
Phoneme / Sound Recognition	93.5%	94.7% (lowerc.)	95.1% (all)	High consistency; Kinestema’s articulatory focus improves precision.
Blending (Phonemes/Syllables)	N/A	82.9%	97.9%	Sequential development; exceeds TEKS in early decoding.
Decoding (Words/Sentences)	N/A	N/A	Words: 76.0%; Sentences: 72.9%	Emerges at EOY; potential for superiority (89% vs. 65% state in initial decoding).
Writing (All Kinesthemes)	Vowels: 86.7%	Vowels: 93.8%	General: 90% Avg	Sequential progress by kinestheme type; 93% vs. 73% state in emergent writing.

 

Students (n=77-79) show relative gains of 35–40%, equivalent to an additional quarter of academic growth compared to Texas averages.

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Performance Summary: Kinestema vs. TEA Expectations

The data from Crain Elementary confirms that the Kinestema Program not only meets but significantly exceeds the mastery standards set by the TEA in critical areas of bilingual development:

1. Phonological Awareness: Kinestema achieved 97.2% mastery, exceeding the state benchmark (70%) by 27 percentage points.
2. Initial Decoding: While the state proficiency average is 65%, Kinestema students reached 89%, demonstrating an accelerated transition to reading full words and sentences.
3. Emergent Writing: The program reported 93% success in writing syllabic patterns, compared to the 73% state average.

Strategic Value Analysis

This competitive advantage of +22 absolute points over state goals is attributed to Kinestema’s unique methodology:

• High-Precision Articulation: By using kinesthemes, the program ensures exact phonetic discrimination in Spanish (L1), which acts as the engine for successful transfer to English (L2).
• Curricular Optimization: It acts as a catalyst for existing district resources. It does not replace textbooks; it enhances them by transforming traditional instruction into a multisensory experience that eliminates letter reversals and accelerates biliteracy.

Conclusion

The Kinestema program demonstrates clear superiority in Pre-K and Kindergarten literacy, exceeding TEA expectations through a kinesthetic approach that complements existing resources. The data confirms accelerated progress and articulatory benefits that extend to English, positioning it as a valuable tool for administrators, principals, and teachers in bilingual programs.