Reading: Foundational Skills in Kindergarten (RF.K)RF.K Standards

Short answer. This is the domain parents worry about most, because it's the mechanics of learning to read. RF.K covers knowing all the upper- and lowercase letters, hearing that words are made of separate sounds (cat is /c/ /a/ /t/), matching letters to those sounds, reading first sight words like the and you, and eventually reading very simple books. It's the foundation everything else in reading stands on.

The four clusters map the sequence. Print Concepts (RF.K.1) covers how books and print work: left to right, words separated by spaces, letter names. Phonological Awareness (RF.K.2) is all done by ear: rhyming, clapping syllables, pulling apart sounds. Phonics and Word Recognition (RF.K.3) connects letters to sounds and brings in high-frequency words. Fluency (RF.K.4) is reading emergent-reader texts with purpose. Most standards here carry lettered sub-skills, so progress comes in small, trackable pieces.