Kindergarten: Master letter sounds and sounding-out skills
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Fall
Fall 
Can identify initial sounds in spoken words.
Can name and identify letters in their own name.
Can correctly sequence first five to 10 alphabet letters.
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Spring
Can completely segment and identify initial, medial and final sounds in spoken words.
Can substitute rhyme segments in spoken words.
Can name and identify all alphabet letters in random order.
Can correctly sequence all alphabet letters.
Knows most letter sounds.
Has word attack/sounding-out/blending ability.
Knows common sight words.
Grade 1: Transition from sound-by-sound to whole-word reading
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Fall
Can name and identify all alphabet letters in random order.
Can correctly sequence all alphabet letters.
Knows all letter sounds.
Knows most sight words.
Has blending ability but still “reads” sound by sound.
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Spring
Knows most sight words.
Reads by whole word rather than sound by sound.
Is building reading fluency to 50 words read correctly in 1 minute.
Grade 2: Increase oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and oral reading comprehension
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Fall
Is building reading fluency to 50+ words read correctly in 1 minute.
Can retell some key elements of story read orally.
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Spring
Is building reading fluency to 90 words read correctly in 1 minute.
Uses context clues in understanding new vocabulary.
Can retell most key elements of story read orally.
Grade 3: Increase oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and oral reading comprehension
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Spring
Is building reading fluency to 100 words read correctly in 1 minute.
Uses context clues in understanding new vocabulary.
Successfully retells key elements of story read orally.
References
Educational Leadership, ASCD. Early Intervention at Every Age. October 2007, Volume 65. The Perils and Promises of Praise, pages 34-39.
Fitzpatrick, Jo. Getting Ready to Read. Creative Teaching Press, CA. 2002.
Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (2001). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Readinga-z.com
Teaching Parenting the Positive Discipline Way. “Praise and Encouragement.” www.positivediscipline.com
Additional Resources: Quick-Reference Session Guide