Teachers College Reading and Writing Project

Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Levels A-K
Running Records Assessments
Teacher Resources and Guidebook

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 Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Table of Contents

• Scoring Guide for Reading Assessments

• How to Administer Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments
• What is a Running Record?
• Frequent Codes Used in Running Records
• Searching for and Using the Sources of Information in Text
o Meaning Cues and Tips for Instruction
o Structure Cues and Tips for Instruction
o Visual Cues and Tips for Instruction
• How do I Analyze a Self-Correction Using MSV?
• Integrating Sources of Information
• Reading Fluency: Pace, Parsing and Prosody
• Moving Students to a New Independent Reading Level

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Scoring Guide for Reading Assessments

What factors determine the child’s independent reading level?
Three factors should be checked when assessing a reader (Allington, 2001):
1. Accuracy and self-corrections
2. Fluency and Expression*
3. Comprehension

*Note that before Level K, fluency is not a factor in determining independent

reading level, though it is something to listen for and instruct into.

How accurate does the child’s oral reading need to be?

96%-100% -- Independent Reading Level*
90%-95% -- Instructional Level (Books for small group work)
Below 90% --Hard

*Note: For Levels A and B, accuracy is not part of the calculation for independent reading
level. Instead, reading behaviors appropriate for those levels are considered.

How do I calculate the child’s accuracy rate on a passage?

The child’s accuracy rate reflects the percentage of words the child read correctly. This can
be calculated using the following formula:

(Number of words – miscues) ÷ number of words = percentage of accuracy Number of

words minus errors divided by number of words equals percentage of accuracy

Example: 120 words – 8 miscues = 112 words correct

112 words correct ÷ 120 words = 93%

To make scoring easier, we have marked off the first 100 words of each passage to make
finding a percentage as easy as counting the miscues. You will just need to count the miscues
in the first 100 words of the passage and circle the accuracy rate. If you choose to hear the
student read on, you will need to calculate the percentage using the formula above. Do not
count the miscues that the child self-corrected.

What is the self-correction ratio?

Self-corrections tell us if a child is monitoring errors and re-sampling text to self-correct
errors. (Cunningham, 2004) This is one indication of comprehension and monitoring “book
language.” While we have included a box to record the errors and self-corrections, there is
not a designated box for recording the self-correction ratio. To calculate the self-correction
ratio, use the directions below.

A good self-correction rate is: 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5. The ratio 1:3 is read as
follows: “The reader corrected one error in every three errors.”

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Scoring Guide for Reading Assessments (continued)

How do I calculate the child’s self correction ratio?

The child’s self correction ratio is simply the ratio of total miscues to self-corrected
miscues. This can be calculated using the following formula:

Errors + Self-corrections ÷ Self-corrections = Self-Correction Ratio

(Errors plus self-corrections divided by self-corrections equals Self correction Ratio)

Example: 9 errors + 8 self-corrections ÷ 8 self-corrections = 1:2 Self-Correction Ratio The

ratio is read as follows: “The reader corrected one error in every two errors.”

How do I assess the child’s fluency and expression?

We have included suggestions for observations and notes regarding fluency alongside the running
record. At Levels J and above, we have also included an Oral Reading Fluency Scale, based on the
NAEP 2002 Oral Reading Study and Zutell and Rasinski’s 1991 publication of a Multidimensional
Fluency Scale. The factors incorporated into this rubric include: automaticity (pacing), parsing
(reading in chunks), and prosody (reading with inflection). Students must be able to read the text
fluently, without long pauses or breaks between words (Rasinski, 2003) See section below on fluency
for more detailed information. Note that until Level K, fluency is not required to indicate
independence.

How do I assess whether the child could comprehend the passage?

In order to judge comprehension, students are asked to answer several comprehension questions.
Students need to answer three of the four comprehension questions correctly in order to read
independently at that level. Examples of acceptable responses are provided on the teacher copies of
the assessment forms.

In this assessment we have included four questions for each passage. At levels A-K, there are two
literal and two inferential questions. In all cases, the child must answer at least one inferential
question, as readers must be able to make inferences in order to understand their texts.

How do I arrive at the final level?

If a student can do the following they can read a text level independently:
• Read a text with 96% accuracy as determined by the running record
• Read with fluency behaviors required at that level as determined by a score of 3 or 4
on the Oral Fluency Scale* (Only considered at levels K and above)
• Read with acceptable responses to 3 of 4 comprehension questions

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Scoring Guide for Reading Assessments (continued)

Assess the child for their highest independent level. Don’t stop at the first level at which
the child is able to read independently.

Suppose a student reads a level E text independently, meeting all of the criteria above. Try
the level F text and if the accuracy rate is 96%, continue and assess the comprehension and
the fluency. If the child’s comprehension and fluency is in place, move on to the G. If you
try the Level G text and the accuracy rate is 95% or lower, or if the comprehension is not
sufficient, they will not read independently at level G. In the end, teachers want to find the
highest level that a student can read independently. That is, the reader has an accuracy rate
of 96% or higher, comprehension (at least three correct comprehension questions),
and fluency.

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

How to Administer Levels A-K Text Assessment

• ESTIMATE THE CHILD’S READING LEVEL

Estimate the child’s independent reading level before beginning the text assessment, so that
you do not need to start from the beginning.

Some ways to estimate (you do not need to do all of these):

• Administer the Spelling Inventory. Use the spelling stage to begin the text
assessment at the corresponding reading levels.

• PREVIEW THE BOOK

What to look for: The Teacher Copy is designed to make recording the child’s
reading, counting the number of words read, and taking notes easier to do. It is not meant for
the child to read from. A number of factors on the Teacher Copy make the text more difficult
for the child to read from, and would not give an accurate assessment of the child’s reading.
The child must read from the actual book as the illustrations are part of the meaning.

The text on the Teacher Copy is marked with a word count and/or the first 100 words for
the teacher’s convenience. There is also an area to the left for you check off observations
and to make notes regarding the child’s fluency, expression and any thing else you might
notice as the child reads. These sidebars are specific to each level and are cumulative.

Preview the book and comprehension questions on the Teacher Copy before you ask the child
to read from the book. There are samples of responses for each comprehension question
embedded into the form. You should preview these as well, to be sure you are familiar with a
few acceptable responses to each question. Note that these are not exhaustive lists of
acceptable responses – they are just meant to give examples, but many more responses would
also be acceptable.

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

• INTRODUCE THE TEXT

Read the book introduction exactly as it is written in the Teacher Copy of the assessment.
Be sure that the student hears and comprehends the entire book introduction. You may read
it more than once if necessary, but do not adapt the words.

Example of a book introduction from Level D, Set 1:

Book Introduction: Show the cover of the book to the student and say this to the reader before he or she begins reading:

“The Dog Walker is about a girl named Jill who is a dog walker. One day she went to get three
dogs named Bing, Blake and Spot (have student repeat the dogs’ names). She picks them up to
take them for a walk to the park. Something funny happens. Read to find out what happens
when Jill takes the dogs for a walk.”

• RECORD THE CHILD’S MISCUES

Be sure to record a check-mark above each word the child reads correctly.

If the child reads or says something other than what is on the page, it is important to record it
just above the word that appears in the text. This is called a miscue. Included in this packet
are a set of codes to use for different kinds of miscues (substitutions, repetitions, etc.) As the
child reads from the book, the teacher marks any miscues by coding every miscue above the
text in the Teacher Copy. You can make additional notes during and after the child’s reading
along the side.

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

• COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

Ask the child to answer the questions in the Comprehension Questions Section. However, it
is likely that you will need to ask the inferential questions, as the retell prompt is mostly
to determine literal comprehension.

If the child’s retelling or summary included the answers to one or more of the
Comprehension Questions, mark the question as answered correctly.

The reader must answer at least three of these questions correctly to determine if this is
the child’s independent reading level. Try an easier text if the child could not answer at least
three of these questions correctly (including the information from the child’s retelling).

Example of the Comprehension Questions Section:

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Comprehension Questions: Please ask any/all of the questions. There are many acceptable responses to each
question, some of which are listed below. The reader’s response is acceptable as long as it demonstrates an
accurate understanding of the text. As the reader answers each question, be sure to record the response carefully.

Question Sample Acceptable Responses

1. Literal: Why did Jill go to the park? “To take the dogs for a walk?”
“Because she is a dog walker.”
“The dogs wanted to play.”

2. Literal: What did the dogs do when Jill “They ran.”

took them for a walk? “They went fast.”
“They got excited.”

3. Inferential: Why did the dogs run? “Because they were excited.”
“Because they were happy to go to the park.”
“Because they liked their friends.”

4. Inferential: On the last page it says, “Jill “Watching the dogs play and swim.”
had fun, too!” Why did Jill have fun? “Being outside with the dogs on such a nice day.” “Being
with all the other kids and dogs in the park.”

• FINAL “SCORE”

Answer the questions at the end of the assessment. The text is at the child’s independent
level only if the answer is yes to all “Final Score” questions. Take into consideration that
the text is only one short example of the kind of text the child will encounter at this level.

It is important to note that you should find the child’s highest independent level.
Continue trying more difficult texts until you have found the highest level the child can
read independently.

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Example of Final Score Questions (Levels A-B):

Final Score

Evaluate the reader’s use of Level B reading behaviors by referring to the side panels and the statements
below.

Yes No The reader matches spoken words to printed words.

Yes No The reader moves from left to right when reading.
Yes No The reader uses the illustrations as a source of information.
Yes No Did the reader demonstrate literal and inferential comprehension through one of the following combinations of retell and
responses:
• A clear, accurate retell that incorporates answers to three out of four comprehension questions.
• A mostly accurate retell PLUS acceptable responses to three out of four of the comprehension questions
(or addressed in the retell). The retell need not be well-crafted or completely comprehensive, but if it
indicates mostly inaccurate comprehension, try the next level down.

Is this the student’s independent reading level?

• If you did NOT answer “yes” to all questions in this Final Score box, try an easier text. Keep moving to easier texts until
you find the level at which you are able to answer “yes” to all questions in the Final Score box.

• If you answered “yes” to all questions in this Final Score box, the student is reading independently at this level. However, it is
possible that the student may also read independently at a higher level. Keep moving to higher passages until you can
no longer answer “yes” to all questions. The highest level for which you can answer “yes” for all questions is the
student’s independent reading level.

Example of Final Score Questions (Levels C-J):

Final Score

Yes No Was the reader’s accuracy rate at least 96%?

Yes No Did the reader demonstrate literal and inferential comprehension through one of the following combinations of retell and
responses:
• A clear, accurate retell that incorporates answers to three out of four comprehension questions.
• (or addressed in the retell). The retell need not be well-crafted or completely comprehensive, but if it
indicates mostly inaccurate comprehension, try the next level down.

Is this the student’s independent reading level?

• If you did NOT answer “yes” to all questions in this Final Score box, try an easier text. Keep moving to easier texts until
you find the level at which you are able to answer “yes” to all questions in the Final Score box.

• If you answered “yes” to all questions in this Final Score box, the student is reading independently at this level. However, it is
possible that the student may also read independently at a higher level. Keep moving to higher passages until you can
no longer answer “yes” to all questions. The highest level for which you can answer “yes” for all questions is the
student’s independent reading level.

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Example of Final Score Questions (Levels K-Z+):

Final Score

Yes No Was the reader’s accuracy rate at least 96%?

Yes No Did the student read with fluency? (a score of 3 or 4 on the Oral Reading Fluency Scale)*
Yes No Did the reader demonstrate literal and inferential comprehension through one of the following
combinations of retell and responses:
• A clear, accurate retell that incorporates answers to three out of four comprehension
questions. (This may be with or without non-leading prompting. See directions for retell for
more about non leading prompting).
• A mostly accurate retell PLUS acceptable responses to three out of four of the
comprehension questions (answered or included in the retell). The retell need not be well-
crafted or completely comprehensive, but if it indicates mostly inaccurate comprehension, try
the next level down.

Is this the student’s independent reading level?

• If you did NOT answer “yes” to all questions in this Final Score box, try an easier text. Keep moving to
easier texts until you find the level at which you are able to answer “yes” to all questions in the Final Score
box.

•If you answered “yes” to all questions in this Final Score box, the student is reading independently at this
level. However, it is possible that the student may also read independently at a higher level. Keep moving to
higher passages until you can no longer answer “yes” to all questions. The highest level for which you can
answer “yes” for all questions is the student’s independent reading level.

*Note: Oral Reading Fluency is not taken into account until Level K for determining reading level, though it
should of course be considered and taught at earlier levels

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

What Is A Running Record?

Johnston (2000) states that running records of oral reading are basically a vehicle for
error analysis. He says the teacher must engage in the imaginative challenge of figuring out
the logic of error. For teachers, the most useful aspect of errors is that people do not make
them randomly. There is always a reason for them. If you can figure out the reason, then
you know where best to use your instructional expertise and how to avoid confusing the
student (p. 1). Many teachers of reading record the child’s oral reading using a consistent set
of conventions. Johnston, P. (2000). Running Records: A Self-Tutoring Guide. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level

Assessments Searching for and Using the Sources of Information in

Text

Clay (1991, 1993) and Goodman (1970) made us aware that children are provided with multiple
sources of information when they read text. Effective reading instruction balances the teaching of
letter-sound correspondences and patterns with the teaching of how good readers engage in the
reading process. As children encounter new books each day, they need to practice using all available
sources of information in an integrated, reciprocal manner: the meaning (semantic), language structure
(syntactic), and visual (graphophonic) cue systems. If a child neglects to use or over uses one source
of information, the teacher needs to address the integration of the neglected cue system(s) during
guided reading instruction. Each of the sources of information, or cueing system, is discussed further
below.

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Consider the child’s use of M, S, and V in light of the reading process—

this requires using just enough of each source of information to
accurately interpret the author’s message.
After coding each miscue with an M, S, or V, the teacher begins trying to figure out why
the student used the sources of information s/he did. One must go back to his/her understanding of
the reading process to interpret this information. We know that we want students to use just enough
of each source of information M, S, and V to interpret the author’s message. If we count the numbers
of M, S, and V, in each column, we’ll get a global picture of what the student is using in reading. For
example, if the check marks in the error column communicate that Jenna used 17 M’s , 15 S’s and 5
V’s (remember this is a total of the number of checks in each column of the error MSV section of the
Running Record form that tells what the student was using when s/he made an error), then Jenna is
focusing too much attention to meaning and structure while ignoring graphophonic/visual sources of
information. Our teaching will focus on getting her to attend to graphophonic/visual sources of
information while maintaining her strength in searching for and using meaning and structure.

Make teaching decisions based upon the reader’s needs as determined by

the analysis as described above.
The illustration above shows quite dramatically that Jenna is over using Meaning and
Structure, predicting what the text might say, paying little attention to the visual/graphophonic
features of the text. We would celebrate the fact that Jenna is substituting words that make sense and
sound like they would in a book, but we will need to teach her to cross check with
graphophonic/visual information to get the author’s total message.

Some would challenge that the majority of her miscues make sense, so why not just accept them?
It appears, however, that Jenna is a “lazy looker” if she makes 17 miscues that make sense but do not
match graphophonically. If this is the scenario at level R – Z and the reader demonstrates
adequate comprehension, I would say just accept it. Many adult/proficient readers substitute words
when reading.

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

But if this is the scenario at levels H – L, I would be concerned and would teach for cross-checking
with visual. (“It sounds right, but does it look right? Do the words have the right letters to match
what you read?”)

As a student reading H-L moves into more difficult text, more and more words that are difficult to
decode are going to appear in one sentence. Often, in more difficult text, the reader will encounter so
many unknown words he/she will be unable to glean enough meaning and syntax to assist in making
good predictions.

Jenna must be taught some strategies for integrating meaning, structure and

VISUAL/graphophonics. Johnston, P. (2000). Running Records: A Self-Tutoring Guide. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse

Publishers.

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Instruction focused on teaching self-monitoring, cross-checking, and

self correcting using integration of all sources of information

Clay (1993) states that independent readers possess a self-extending system characterized by
the following:
• The reader has early strategies (directional movement, one-to-one matching, locating known
and unknown words) secure and habituated, freeing him to attend to other things.
• The reader monitors his own reading and writing.
• The reader searches for cues in word sequences, in meaning, in letter
sequences.
• The reader discovers new things for himself.
• The reader cross-checks one source of cues with another.
• The reader repeats as if to confirm his reading or writing so far.
• The reader self-corrects taking the initiative for making cues match, or getting words
right.
• The reader solves new words by these means (p. 43).

In order to assure that this self-extending system develops, teachers must “teach for” problem-
solving strategies based upon the integration of all sources of information. They must also teach in a
way that they facilitate independence in children to monitor and cross check the sources of
information described above alone.

To do this teachers cannot locate errors for the child, whisper helpful hints in the readers ear, or
point to sources of information in words, pictures, or the story for the child.
• Take the opportunity to celebrate the tentativeness of a child noticing something is not quite
right even if they do not self-correct an error in one to one matching or using letter/sound cues
with the meaning and structure of the story.
• Always praise attempts at self-correction, noticing that the child did demonstrate self-
monitoring behavior.

Readers must notice mismatches in sources of information by self-monitoring what they read,
and, in turn, cross-check all sources of information to facilitate getting the author’s message.

Some things the teacher would say to make this happen are as follows:
• “How do you know you were right/”
• “Can it be ____?”
• “Can you find the tricky part?”
• “Take a closer look at _____.”
• “What did you notice?”
• “Why did you stop reading?”
• “How else could you be sure that was _____?”
• “It sounds right to say _____, but let’s look again at that word what do you
notice?
• “How did you know that was ____?

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Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Reading Fluency: Pace, Parsing, and Prosody

FLUENT READERS:

• Focus their attention on making connections among ideas in the text and
their background knowledge
• Recognize words and comprehend at the same time
• Divide words into meaningful chunks so that they are able to read with
expression.
• Score higher on comprehension assessments

NON-FLUENT READERS:

• Focus their attention primarily on decoding individual sounds or

words
• Spend their energies trying to “figure out” the words not the
meaning
• Read in a slow, deliberate, and labored manner often pausing at
inappropriate places
• Score lower on comprehension assessments
• Fluency and automaticity are often interchanged, however they are
not the same thing.

Fluency means reading with accuracy, pacing (automaticity), and expression (prosody).
"The fluent reader sounds good, is easy to listen to, and reads with enough expression to
help the listener understand and enjoy the material." (Clark, Read All About It, p. 282)

Automaticity is the fast, effortless recognition of words that comes with a great deal of
reading practice. "As a result of extended practice, an important change takes place:
students learn to decode the printed words using significantly less attention. Because they
require so little attention for word recognition, they have enough left over for
comprehension." (Samuels, Schermer, Reinking, Read All About It, p. 269)

Parsing: To parse text means to break it up into smaller parts, or breaking up ordinary
text. Parsing involves reading phrases and/or clauses by dividing the text into chunks.
Reading phrase units rather than conventional text does seem to result in improved fluency
(Kuhn and Stahl, 2000).
Prosody is the ability to read in a manner that sounds like normal speech. Voice
intonation and expression needs to mirror normal speech. In addition, prosody is the ability
to read a text orally using appropriate pitch, stress, and juncture, and to project the natural
intonation and phrasing of the spoken word upon the written text. Prosodic cues are the

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 structure of the text and language, which help students identify the appropriate pitch, stress,
and juncture to be assigned to a given text.

Teachers College Reading and Writing Project

Teacher Resources and Guidebook for Levels A-K Reading Level Assessments

Moving Students to a New Independent Reading Level

When a child achieves above 96% accuracy with adequate fluency and comprehension on this
assessment, this is one indicator that students are able to read independently at this level. It
is recommended, however, that scaffolds be put in place to support the student in
strengthening the behaviors and comprehension work required at this level. It is also possible
that students who are approaching independence at a higher level may be introduced to some
of the comprehension work required for that level through conferring and small group work,
even before they have “tested” into that level.

• Several suggestions are listed below to help with transitioning students into a new
reading level. Read books at the new level with a partner already at that level.
• Teachers should consider the reading skills and expectations they have for children
in the new level (e.g. initially, back off from expecting higher level comprehension
than the student was able to achieve at the previous level).
• Confer with the student about how they are handling the new level. This can
provide information for teaching during the conference, or designing strategy
lessons for the student and others like him or her.
• Since a higher load of unknown vocabulary words is possible at the new level, make
sure that extra instruction is provided in how to determine the meaning of an
unknown word from the mood or the flow of the story as well as using the context
of the sentence in which the word appears.
• Provide a scaffolding book introduction that introduces children to the
characters, important vocabulary and gist of the story when the child is new to the
level.

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