1. What is a benchmark assessment? answer >
2. Why is benchmark assessment a valuable use of time? answer >
3. What happens if a student scores well on the Where-to-Start Word Test but is unable to read the corresponding leveled Benchmark book? answer >
4. Why is there a higher criterion for accuracy at levels L-Z? answer >
5. What is the source of the words in the Benchmark word lists? answer >
6. How does the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System address RTI compliance? answer >
7. What is the significance of the self-correction ratio? Why do we switch from reporting ratio to simply reporting the number of self-corrections when assessing reading at levels L through Z. answer >
8. Why are the little books for Benchmark 2 shorter than the ones for Benchmark 1? answer >
9. How does the F&P Text Gradient Levels equate with Basal, DRA, Rigby and Reading Recovery Levels? answer >
10. How does the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System compare to DRA or Rigby PM Ultra? answer >
11. How do Lexile Levels correlate to F&P Levels? answer >
12. Will you be producing more books at each level so that teaches have greater choice? answer >

1. What is a benchmark assessment?
A benchmark assessement system is a series of texts that can be used to identify a student's current reading level and progress along a gradient of text levels over time. The word "benchmark" means a standard against which to measure something.

2. Why is benchmark assessment a valuable use of time? You can:

• Determine your students' independent and instructional reading levels.
• Determine reading placement levels and group students for reading instruction.
• Select texts that will be productive for student's instruction.
• Assess the outcomes of teaching.
• Assess a new student's reading level for independent reading and instruction.
• Identify students who need intervention.
• Document student progress across a school year and across grade levels.
• Inform parent conferences.

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3. What happens if a student scores well on the Where-to-Start Word Test but is unable to read the corresponding leveled Benchmark book?
It may be that your students have had an excellent word study program and are very good at word reading. This is a real strength but does not necessarily mean that they can perform equally well when reading continuous texts. There may be other instructional factors that make it difficult for them to process words "on the run" while reading. If you think this is the case, then adjust the chart on page 214 (Benchmark 1) or page 220 (Benchmark 2) and start two levels lower than indicated by the word test. If the students find the reading very easy, you can skip a level. This will save time in administering the assessment. Remember also, that if a student is obviously finding a level too difficult and you can see that he is making many errors at a rate that will not meet the criterion, you can stop the reading and move quickly to an easier level.

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4. Why is there a higher criterion for accuracy at levels L-Z?
Click here for the authors' response (Word document).

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5. What is the source of the words in the Benchmark word lists?
The Benchmark word lists were compiled to include the words that appear most frequently (in our survey of leveled texts) in the books that children read from earlier levels to about end of grade four. In addition all word lists were checked with several different lists, including both Spache and Dolch. They are not identical to either list but there is a great deal of consistency across them. Finally, the lists were check with teachers.

The words that appear on the word lists are "tier 1 words," meaning that they are frequently used in oral language and in general literature. The lists do not include "tier 2" and "tier 3" words—words not in common use or technical words related to content areas. These words are those that appear most frequently.

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6. How does the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System address RTI compliance?
With the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System, you can monitor reading level three times each year. This assessment will yield level (with equivalent grade levels), accuracy, fluency, and detailed information and scores on comprehension. This system has been extensively field tested. You can have students complete a writing prompt to further assess comprehension. You can use optional assessments to monitor progress in phonemic awareness, phonics, letter learning, and high frequency word knowledge. You can establish expectations in each of these areas based on your own district's requirements. A grid is currently in development to establish criteria for each grade level, beginning, middle, and end.

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7. What is the significance of the self-correction ratio? Why do we switch from reporting ratio to simply reporting the number of self-corrections when assessing reading at levels L through Z.
Self-correction fuels the development of the early reading process. Each time a child makes a substitution it represents a decision made by using information. Stopping, checking the word, and either making another attempt or arriving at the correct word—all are decision points that involve hypotheses based on the reader’s attention to meaning, language structure, and visual patterns. We can not know exactly what is going on in the reader’s head, but errors and subsequent self-corrections give us an idea. For example, if a child reads, "I am going to be at home on Sunday," substituting the word here for home, we would infer that he has noticed the first letter. A self-correction could mean further searching the visual features of the word or noticing that the word here does not sound right in the sentence and isn’t meaningful. A good hypothesis would be that the child has now used meaning and language structure to self-correct.

As a reader moves through the text, what has come before provides a background of information that influences monitoring and self-correction. Hypotheses are easier to make because meaning and text structure support the thinking. That is why readers often gain momentum and pick up fluency towards the end of the text. A wide range of word solving strategies—including the flexible use of meaning and language structure—allow the decision making process to take place more rapidly.

A beginning reader’s self-corrections are overt; that’s why we can tell so much from looking at reading records. But over the next year and a half, the process will change. The self-correction begins to take place before the reader says the word aloud. Or, the reader may note the self-correction in passing but not bother to correct out loud. Too much self-correction is inefficient. Proficient readers generally self-correct only when necessary to read meaningfully.

This covert, self-correction adds to the reader’s ability to produce the language in phrases. In the highly proficient reader around the middle of grade two, we would not expect to hear a great deal of overt self-correction if the reading is taking place with ease.

There is not a linear relationship between self-correction ratio and progress in reading. As children progress, observable self-correction decreases and may become nonexistent. We would not desire a 1:1 or 1:2 SC ratio in highly accurate reading. Just listen to a reader who is making quite a few errors and self-correcting almost every one of them; the reading will not sound good even though the accuracy would be almost 100%. Instead, we want high accuracy and only necessary self-correction.

We want the kind of reading that ignores small errors and/or mentally corrects responses before saying them aloud. We assume that proficient readers are self-regulating both their oral and silent reading; but we will not be able to observe it. That is why we switch from reporting ratio to simply reporting the number of self-corrections when assessing reading at levels L through Z. If we find very high accuracy and also many self-corrections, we would notice it and work with the reader to get smoother processing. To read more about the important role of self-correction see Change Over Time in Literacy Learning by Marie Clay.

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8. Why are the little books for Benchmark 2 shorter than the ones for Benchmark 1?
The books for Levels L-N in Benchmark 1 while longer (16 pp), contain illustrations that give young readers picture support. The books from L-Z in Benchmark 2 are shorter (4 pp), and contain almost no illustrations with the exception of nonfiction text features like diagrams and maps to support the older reader. Length is only one factor in text difficulty and it is not a significant one unless you are talking about a large difference (50 to 100) in number of pages (which would inevitably place a greater burden on memory). A short text can be very hard, with difficult vocabulary, complex sentences, and complex ideas. A long text can be easy, with familiar concepts and vocabulary and simple sentences.

Another consideration was the amount of time required to administer the assessment. The length of selections in the the Benchmark System 2, provides an adequate sample for assessing an older child’s oral and silent reading, vocabulary, capacity to solve multisyllable words, and ability to interpret more sophisticated content.

9. How does the F&P Text Gradient Levels equate with Basal, DRA, Rigby and Reading Recovery Levels?

Click here to view a printable PDF of the Grade Level Equivalence Chart.

10. How does the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System compare to DRA or Rigby PM Ultra?

Please contact your local representative or Heinemann at 603.431.7894, ext. 1143 for information.

11. How do Lexile Levels correlate to F&P Levels?

There may be a statistical correlation between Lexile levels and F & P levels. For example, if you run measures on thousands of books and over many levels, there would be a correlation. We have not performed these analyses ourselves. The lower F & P levels, in general, would have lower Lexile scores. The higher F & P levels generally would have higher scores. But this kind of correlation is not the same as a precise matching of levels, for example, a Lexile range of numbers corresponds to a specific A to Z level in a reliable way. The two systems are based on some of the same text factors but not all. Metametrics uses a mathematical formula, which they can explain. The F & P levels are based on the ten text factors named in several of our books. A group of raters reach reliability after independent analysis. We can not say with high prediction that a given book with a certain Lexile score will fall into a category on the F & P gradient. Every time we have looked at Lexile levels for texts that seem highly reliable on our scale, we have found a number of "outliers."

12. Will you be producing more books at each level so that teaches have greater choice?

We would not want to use more than two books (one fiction and one nonfiction) at each level of the gradient of text. Greater variety would greatly lower the reliability of the assessment. The fiction and nonfiction texts that now exist have been field tested to show their equivalence. Two at each level is enough. More discussion follows.

If a child reads a text and meets the criteria, you would go up to the next level. If the reader does not meet the criteria, you would go down. We would not recommend having the child read both books unless you have a special reason. By the next testing period, you should be able to start assessment at a higher level. If not, the alternative text is available.

Once in a while, you may feel that the child is reading well at the level because he has extensive background knowledge of the topic. Background knowledge is an important factor in reading level and comprehension. But it does not guarantee effective processing.

All nonfiction texts assume that the reader has some background knowledge of the topic. If there is none, the reader can not process the text effectively. So, inevitably, background knowledge is a part of reading assessment, and it becomes more important as you move up the gradient. It can not be separated out. One of the reasons for close observation and for the comprehension conversation is to gain insights into processing. We are all familiar with tests of "reading comprehension" in which almost all of the multiple choice questions can be answered accurately by the reader who has extensive background knowledge. The comprehension conversation allows you to assess whether the reader grasped the nuances of the text as well as what he thinks about the topic.

It is true that there may be topics that for some individual readers are harder or easier than they would ordinarily be. This can happen because of varied background experiences. For example, you may think that the reader is processing a nonfiction text well because of background knowledge and that the assessment does not accurately reflect reading ability. In that case, you can try the fiction text. If that reader processes the fiction text well, then move up the gradient. If it is too difficult, move down. You have assessed the reader thoroughly at the level. If the next level is quite difficult, then, your instructional level would be the highest level on which the reader meets the criteria. In the Benchmark Guide, you will find a number of scenarios, including what to do when you get no instructional level (goes from too easy to too hard). Then, you have to look beyond the numbers.

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