Leveling

By Amy Piller

By no later than six weeks into the year
conduct a informal reading inventory for each child
it is important to know what level he or she reads on
a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, I, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, or z

Your classroom library is labeled accordingly
and until this is done, they won’t be reading
in the zone of proximal development
(so really you’re stunting their growth)

While the class works quietly (?)
sit alongside each child one by one
have them read you a passage from a given level

To identify which level to start them on
make an educated guess, w being The Daily News
j roughly Green Eggs and Ham

Listen to their cadence, noting their mistakes
Were they visual, meaning or semantic-based
Did they self correct? At what percentage?

Add points for accurate answers
to follow up comprehension questions
take note of and analyze their answers

If they score above the 95th percentile it was too easy
Go down a letter and repeat all above steps

If they score below the 90th percentile it was too hard
Go up a letter and repeat all steps above

Once you’ve narrowed it down to a letter
inform students they can only read
books with that letter affixed to it

Repeat this process with your 102 students
every six weeks