Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment Guidance

Instructional Levels for Reading

Grade Aug-Sept Nov-Dec Feb-March May-June
K B C D
1 D/E F H J
2 J K L M
3 M N O P
4 P Q R S

Guidelines for administering the F&P Benchmark Systems 1 & 2:
1. The F&P Benchmark Systems should be administered to all students placed in Tier 2 and Tier 3
for Reading. It may be administered to students in order to collect information to determine an
independent, instructional, or hard reading level of a students ability to read accurately and
comprehend. If there is not sufficient data from school records to determine a starting point
use the Where to Start Word Test beginning on page 154 for System 1 (students reading below
Level L) and page 178 for System 2 (students reading Level L and above.)

Where to Start Chart Benchmark System 1
Number
Correct

Beginning List

List 1

List 2

List 3

List 4
0-5 A A E I M
6-10 A B F J M
11-15 A C G K N
16-18 B D H L N
19-20 Go to List 1 Go to List 2 Go to List 3 Go to List 4 N

Where to Start Chart Benchmark System 2
Number
Correct

List 2

List 3

List 4

List 5

List 6

List 7

List 8
0-5 E I M P R T U
6-10 F J M P R T V
11-15 G K N Q S U V
16-20 H L O Q S U V

2. Administer the F&P Benchmark System 1 as outlined in the Assessment Guide beginning on
page 11. For a quick reference, refer to the Assessment at a Glance on page 331 (System 1 kit)
or page 351 (System 2 kit) of the Assessment Forms spiral book. When administering the
assessment, Words Per Minute should be calculated (F&P calculator directions are in Section 9
of the Assessment Guide) and recorded.

3. Begin administering the assessment in the fall with a fiction selection, continue in the winter
with a non-fiction selection, and finish in the spring with a fiction selection. If you feel a
particular genre does not accurately represent the students reading level, administer the other
genre for instructional purposes.

4. Record Forms can be found beginning on page 143 (Benchmark 1 kit) and page 167 (Benchmark
2 kit).

5. To determine a students reading level range, use the chart below taken from the Assessment
Guide book.
Benchmark System 1
Levels A-K Comprehension

Accuracy
Excellent
6-7
Satisfactory
5
Limited
4
Unsatisfactory
0-3
95-100% Independent Independent Instructional Hard
90-94% Instructional Instructional Hard Hard
Below 90% Hard Hard Hard Hard

Benchmark System 1
Levels L-N Comprehension

Accuracy
Excellent
9-10
Satisfactory
7-8
Limited
5-6
Unsatisfactory
0-4
98-100% Independent Independent Instructional Hard
95-97% Instructional Instructional Hard Hard
Below 95% Hard Hard Hard Hard

Benchmark System 2
Levels L-Z Comprehension

Accuracy
Excellent
9-10
Satisfactory
7-8
Limited
5-6
Unsatisfactory
0-4
98-100% Independent Independent Instructional Hard
95-97% Instructional Instructional Hard Hard
Below 95% Hard Hard Hard Hard

Looking Beyond the Numbers
Now that you collected 1 piece of data on a students reading level, remember to look beyond
the numbers at other factors that come out of your analysis. For placement of a students
instruction, use your analysis of actual scores AND:
Fluency
Phrasing
Text content
Miscues/Self-corrections (meaning, structure, visual information)
Level of independence
Problem-solving actions
Other data points
Created by Fatima Rich TDS Updated Sept 2014