Reading levels are to the reader like
beds are to Baby Bear. They are determined in relation to the reader by
asking the question, "Is the current text the child is reading too easy,
too hard, or just right?"
An easy text is one that is read with a high
degree of accuracy. Generally speaking the accuracy rate should be 95%
or better. Reading text at this level provides the reader with the opportunity
to be a successful independent reader. Not very much information about
a reader's processing can be gained from a running record of an easy text.
The accuracy rate of an instructional (just
right) text should be between 90%-95%. Reading text at this level provides
the reader with opportunities to do some, but not too much, problem-solving
as they encounter difficulties. Running records of an instructional text
will provide the teacher with a wealth of information about the reader's
processing of text.
A hard text has an accuracy
rate of less than 90%. Reading a hard text provides the reader with an
opportunity to become frustrated and to revert to inadequate processing
habits. A running record of a hard text will probably reveal the information
that the reader tends to rely on most.
Reading level percentages are generally determined by dividing the number
of words read correctly by the total number of words.
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