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About Benchmark Books

  • Each level has 1 fiction and 1 nonfiction Benchmark Book.
  • Only the first 100-150 words of each Benchmark Book are used in Running Records.
  • Lowest level readers will read the entire book.
  • Highest level readers will read a couple of pages for the Running Record and read the rest silently.
  • Levels aa-G available on Raz-Kids.com

Benchmark Books

Benchmark Books help assess students' instructional levels for leveled reading sessions and their readiness to progress to the next level.

How Do I Use Benchmark Books?

  1. Give a student a Benchmark Book he or she has never seen before to read aloud.
  2. Record the student's reading behavior using the book's Running Record form.
  3. If a student scores 90 percent, assess the student's comprehension using a Quick Check from Level C-Z or a Retelling Rubric.
  4. If a student scores above 94 percent on both the running record and the comprehension quiz, he or she is ready for the next level.
    (For more details, see Running Records)
Editor's Note: Foreign language editions should not be used as formal assessments of a student's reading progress in that language.

LEVEL aa LEVEL A LEVEL B
I Go f
LEVEL C LEVEL D LEVEL E
LEVEL F LEVEL G LEVEL H
LEVEL I LEVEL J LEVEL K
LEVEL L LEVEL M LEVEL N
Spiders nf
LEVEL O LEVEL P LEVEL Q
LEVEL R LEVEL S LEVEL T
Robots nf
LEVEL U LEVEL V LEVEL W
LEVEL X LEVEL Y LEVEL Z