About Guided Reading Levels

Guided reading levels range alphabetically from A to Z, with level A representing the lowest level and level Z the highest. Leveling is based on the complexity of ten common book characteristics: genre, text structure, content, themes, language, sentence complexity, new vocabulary, difficulty of words, illustrations, and physical print features.

Guided Reading Levels, also known as the F&P Text Level Gradient™, is one of the most popular leveling systems in elementary education. It was developed in the late 1990s by well-known reading specialists and former Reading Recovery® Teacher Leaders, Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. The system has since been adopted around the world.

Guided reading is not about practicing reading. It is research-based, targeted and scaffolded reading instruction that gives young readers a path to fluency through increasingly challenging texts. Guided Reading Levels range alphabetically from A to Z, with level A representing the lowest level and level Z the highest.

Leveling is based on the complexity of ten common book characteristics:

  • Genre – a category of literature based on content, form, style, etc.
  • Vocabulary – the body of words used in a particular language or by a particular group of people
  • Illustrations – pictures found in a book that serve to clarify or prove something
  • Sentence complexity – the degree of difficulty of a sentence based on its structure in terms of independent and dependent clauses
  • Content – an idea being expressed through the medium of writing
  • Theme – the central idea in a piece of writing
  • Text structure – how the information within a written text is organized

Guided Reading Levels at MaryRuth Books

MaryRuth Books offers a wide array of children’s books that fit the needs of readers at every stage. You can easily shop our books based on their guided reading levels to ensure you’re choosing the best texts for your students. Shop MaryRuth Books online today!

Sources Include: Fountas & Pinnell, Reading Recovery®, Scholastic

 

Comparison of Guided Reading Levels

There are many different leveling and assessment systems, as well as stages of development when it comes to reading comprehension. Luckily these systems do overlap and work together, as the stage of reading development that a reader is in helps determine what guided reading level of texts he/she should be reading.

Guided Reading LevelDRA LevelStage of Reading Development
A-C1-4Early Emergent Readers
D-E5-8Emergent Readers
F-H9-14Upper Emergent Readers
I-M15-20Early Fluent Readers