Reading Levels Explained
What Does My Child's Reading Level Mean?
At the end of this school year, you received a letter sharing your child's reading level. Every fall and spring, your child's teacher works with each student to determine where they are at as a reader with fluency and comprehension. Students read leveled books orally and silently, then are asked questions about the book. Reading out loud helps the teacher to know how fast a student can read, as well as how many words they can read correctly within the total number of words read (fluency). Student responses to questions about the story help teachers know the student's level of understanding (comprehension). Each level corresponds to a letter, like Level J or Level M.
Each level letter matches a set of characteristics that is common for a reader at that stage. Also, books are leveled by letter to support the reading habits of readers at that stage so they can continue to make progress into higher levels. So that parents and family can understand what the level letters mean, we have included a guide below that you can click on. Simply look for your child's level to learn more about what to expect. Children read within a range of skills and behaviors, so it is helpful to look at the levels just above and below.
When you are looking for books at the library or bookstore, many will list the reading level on the back of the book. Use the levels as a guide for your child, and the parent tips at each level to help when reading with your child.