Criteria for Determining Instructional and Independent Reading Levels What is an instructional reading level? A student’s INSTRUCTIONAL READING LEVEL is where the teacher instructs a student in reading during small group reading time. The teacher is analyzing deficits in reading skills (comprehension, phonics, vocabulary acquisition, fluency, phonemic awareness) and determining the type of modeled direction instruction needed to attain the skill. What is an independent reading level? A student’s INDEPENDENT READING LEVEL is where the student is able to apply oral reading accuracy, comprehension, and decoding/prosody at a determined level of accuracy, rate, and comprehension independently without teacher support. HCPS Criteria Levels Readiness through PP3 Passages Criteria Bands First Quarter Second and Third Quarter Fourth Quarter Accuracy 98%-100% Level Comprehension retelling of 3 or 4 Independent Independent Fluency Rate (wcpm) See Fourth Quarter Fluency Chart Below only Criteria Bands First Quarter Second and Third Quarter Fourth Quarter Accuracy 85%-97% Comprehension retelling of 3 or 4 Level Instructional Instructional Fluency Rate (wcpm) See Fluency Chart below Frustration Level 84% or lower HCPS Criteria Primer through Eighth Grade Passages Criteria Bands First Quarter Second and Third Quarter Fourth Quarter Accuracy 98%-100% Comprehension 80% or higher OR retelling 3 or 4 Level Independent Independent Fluency Rate (wcpm) See Fourth Quarter Fluency Chart Below only Criteria Bands First Quarter Second and Third Quarter Fourth Quarter 93%-97% 95%-97% Accuracy 90%-97% Borderline: 90%-92% Borderline: 90%-94% Frustration Level 89% or lower Comprehension 67%-79% OR retelling of 3 or 4 Instructional Level Instructional Fluency Rate (wcpm) See Fluency Chart below Determining WCPM: When using the ONLINE PALS WIZARD-Teachers must calculate wcpm. PALS will not. This is the formula to use to determine words correct per minute (fluency): WCPM = # of words read correctly in passage X 60 = Words read per minute Time in seconds Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) Hasbrouck & Tindal rates applied to 4th quarter. Range Benchmark Passage Level 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter 1st Grade 20-30 31-47 48-60 2nd Grade 48-55 63-73 74-83 84-90 3rd Grade 68-75 83-92 93-101 102-110 4th Grade 90-97 109-112 113-117 118-130 th 5 Grade 110+ 127+ 127+ 139+ 6th – 8th Grade 127+ 140+ 140+ 150+ The fourth quarter benchmark numbers are ranges reflecting oral reading fluency rates of students in grades 1 through 8 scoring at the 50th percentile. Students scoring 10 or more words below the 50th percentile on two or more unpracticed readings from grade level materials need a fluency building program. Students must meet this rate chart as given. No 5 word rate change allowed. It is already factored into the benchmark fourth quarter criteria. Coding Running Records and Comprehension Procedures PALS and HCPS Running Records Comprehension Requirements Self-corrections ARE NOT counted as errors. Retellings from HCPS binder passages or PALS Levels Readiness through PP3 If a student omits or substitutes a word, it is 1 error. If a student inserts words that are not on the page, each Remove the passage from the students and say, word added is 1 error. “Now tell me as much as you can about the story you just read.” If the student makes the same error (always says a If the students stops, hesitates, provides a limited instead of the) a word more than once, it is counted as response, or provides and off-track response, say an error each time. If a proper name is said incorrectly, “Tell me as much as you can about the story.” correct the error and it counts as 1 error. If they miss it OR “ Can you tell me anything more about the again, ignore it, it does not count against them the second story?” time EVEN if it said differently than the firt time. Then rate the quality of the student’s response using the rubric below. (This is not a timed If a child loses their place, redirect them and but do not retelling.) count it as an error. Quality of the Response Rubric If a child makes a pronunciation/dialectical error, Comprehension is acceptable. (speech/dialect/grammar) it is not an error. Example: It is not Provides 3 or more details in a meaningful an error, for example if a student says “ax” for “ask” or “wif” 4 sequence that captures the main idea for “with”. Make sure instruction is provided in standard Provides 3 or more details in a meaningful sequence English. 3 although the main idea may not be stated If students follow a pattern of always leaving off a certain Comprehension is considered weak. ending, count it as one error each time (never adds –s, - 2 Provides 3 or more details that relate to the passage. ing, -ed etc). Be sure to make a note in the comments Provides 2 or fewer details that may or may not 1 section that endings are an issue to be addressed. This relate to the passage. type of error should not prevent a student from attempting the next reading level. (It counts each time.) PALS Passages with Multiple Choice . Remove the passage. Use the three second rule if a child comes to a word s/he . Teacher reads questions aloud on primer/first does not know. If the child continues reading with a nd miscue, DO NOT INTERUPT them. If the child pauses and grade passage. 2 grade & higher the either attempts to decode unsuccessfully or does nothing, students reads the questions. count three seconds and then give him/her the word. This . See the HCPS table on the front for IS marked as a TEACHER ASSIST. percentage accuracy levels. If a student skips an entire line of text while reading, stop Independent Level the student and redirect him or her to the correct place. 80% or higher Instructional Level Numbers and dates written as numerals (e.g., 45,000, 12th, or 1961) are not counted in the total word count, and 67%-79% therefore, are not counted as errors when reading Frustration Level incorrectly. 50% or lower Revised 8/2015 .