Prepared by Tracy McPeck for Prince William Public Library System. An overview of commonly used reading assessments in Virginia and resources for finding juvenile fiction by reading level.

1. Leveled Reading:
Overview and Resources
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Prepared by Tracy McPeck
for the Prince William Public Library System
February 2013

2. Outline
What is leveled reading?
What are some commonly used
reading assessments?
How can the Scholastic Book Wizard help
me find books for kids?
What are some other leveled reading
resources?
Where can I find more information?

3. What is leveled reading?
―Leveled reading uses various assessment tools to determine how
well your child reads, and then matches her to books that are
challenging enough for her to make progress. Books are categorized
into levels of difficulty, which is how a perfect match, based on
ability, can be made. There are several leveled reading systems
utilized in schools across the country. ― –Scholastic.com: Learn About
Leveled Reading

4. Common Reading Assessments:
Lexile
The Lexile Project:
Lexile measures rank students’ reading levels
and the difficulty of a text.
Scores correlate to the Virginia Standards of
Learning (SOL) reading assessments in grades
3 through 8 and are posted on students’ report
cards.
Lexile level (recommended reading level)=
between -100 and +50 of Lexile score.
 Example: If the Lexile score is 300, the Lexile level is 200-
350.MORE INFORMATION:
HTTP://W WW.DOE.VIRGINIA.GOV/TESTING/SCORING/LEXILE/AT_HOM
E/ HTTP://W WW.LEXILE.COM/

5. Common Reading Assessments:
Accelerated Reader (AR)
 Accelerated Reader (AR) is designed to monitor students’
independent reading practice.
 Students choose books on their level and take a short quiz when finished.
 Quiz results provide feedback, which is used to help teachers or librarians set
goals and direct ongoing reading practice.
 Reading levels are determined in one of three ways: by the Star
Reading Test, a grade equivalent score from a standardized test,
or by professional judgment.
MORE INFORMATION:
WWW.RENLEARN.COM/AR

6. Common Reading Assessments:
Accelerated Reader (cont.)
 Book levels: Are reported using the ATOS readability formula and
represent the difficulty of a text.
 Example: A book at ATOS level of 4.5 indicates the text could likely be read
by a typical fourth grader in the fifth month of school.
 Alternative ATOS levels:
 ATOS 100: A 100-point scale similar to the Degrees of Reading Power scale.
 ATOS 2000: A 2000-point scale similar to the Lexile scale.
MORE INFORMATION:
WWW.RENLEARN.COM/AR
WWW.ARBOOKFIND.COM

7. Common Reading Assessments:
Accelerated Reader (cont’d)
 Finding Accelerated Reader books: Use ARbookfind.com.
 Though the child is encouraged to choose his or her own books,
recommendations by librarians and teachers take into account not
only the level of the book, but also the interest level.

8. Common Reading Assessments:
Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA)
 The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is an individually
administered assessment of the reading capabilities of students
grades K through 8.
 The DRA test measure nine categories of reading behaviors and
six types of errors.
 The test involves the child reading a ―benchmark book‖—one considered
standard for the grade—and retelling the story to the teacher.
 After the test is scored, the child is assigned a numeric (or
alphanumeric) DRA level from A1 through 80.
 The higher the number, the greater the reading ability.
MORE INFORMATION: HTTP://BIT.LY/152KKIT
BIT.LY/W 0BTLR

9. Common Reading Assessments:
Guided Reading
 Guided Reading is an instructional approach for grades K through
6 in which teachers work with small groups of students that
demonstrate similar reading behaviors.
 Guided Reading Levels (GRL) run from A to Z, with A being the
easiest.
 GRLs are assessed at the beginning of the school year using a
benchmark book and one-on-one assessment with the teacher,
similar to DRA.

10. Summary of reading levels
Reading
Assessment
Grade Range Level Range
Lexile • For grades K through
12
• Grades 3 to 8 on
Virginia report cards
• Below 200L= Beginning Reader
(BR).
• Commonly 200L to 1700L.
• 330L to 1100L- typical range for
grades 3 to 8.
Accelerated Reader (AR) • Grades K through 12 • ATOS Book Level: 1 to 12.
• Alternatives: ATOS 100 and ATOS
2000 (most similar to Lexile).
• Books are also assigned points
based on difficulty (ATOS level) and
length of book (number of words).
• Interest level: based on content
and appropriateness for age.
Developmental Reading
Assessment (DRA)
• Grades K through 8 • A1 through 80
• Alphanumeric levels designate pre-
readers.
Guided Reading (GRL) • Grades K through 6 • A through Z

11. Scholastic Book Wizard
 BookWizard.Scholastic.com helps you:
 Find books by grade level
 Find books by Lexile, DRA, and Guided Reading levels
 Find books by similar interests (BookAlike)
 Can filter initial search by grade.
 Searching for ―Similar Books‖ with the BookAlike feature yields
readalikes and how they are similar to one another.
 Results can be adjusted by reading level—easier to harder.
 Each result provides the reading level of the book.
 Can further refine search by theme/subject, genre, series, and
language (English/Spanish).

12. Other Tools
 Accelerated Reader Book Finder: ARBookFind.com
 Can search by interest level and AR (ATOS) level.
 Can search by title, author, or ISBN.
 Can refine search by fiction/nonfiction, topics, or English/Spanish.
 Lexile Find a Book: lexile.com/fab/
 Can search by Lexile level or by grade if Lexile is not known.
 Can search by title, author, or ISBN.
 Can refine search by page count, Lexile code, series books, award winners,
or English/Spanish.

13. Other Tools (cont’d)
 NoveList: PWCgov.org/library/electronicresources/
 Can find books by age, Lexile level, and similar interests (readalikes).
 Can browse by award winners.
 Find book discussion guides for student book groups.
 Find picture book extenders (supplemental content).
 Find curriculum-based booklists and annotated bibliographies.

14. More Information
 Accelerated Reader program:
 http://www.renlearn.com/ar/howitworks.aspx
 Developmental Reading Assessment:
 http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZ4Z4&PMDbProgramId=23661&pro
gnav=po
 Guided Reading explained:
 http://www.fountasandpinnellleveledbooks.com/aboutLeveledTexts.aspx#GR
 Leveled reading explained:
 http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/what-leveled-reading
 http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/leveled-reading-systems-explained
 Lexile and Virginia Standards of Learning:
 http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/scoring/lexile/index.shtml
 Scholastic Leveled Reading chart:
 http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/guidedreading/leveling_chart.htm