Fountas & Pinnell reading levels (commonly referred to as “Fountas & Pinnell”) are a system of reading levels developed by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell to support their guided reading method. Reading text is classified according to various parameters, such as word count, number of different words, number of high-frequency words, sentence length, sentence complexity, word repetitions, illustration support, etc. While classification is guided by these parameters, syllable type, an important consideration in beginning reading, is not considered as part of the leveling system. Small books containing a combination of text and illustrations are then provided to educators for each level.

While young children display a wide distribution of reading skills, each level is tentatively associated with a school grade. Some schools adopt target reading levels for their pupils. This is the grade-level equivalence chart recommended by Fountas & Pinnell...

The Fountas and Pinnell Assessment System in one way our district identifies a student’s reading level at the primary grade levels. The assessment provides valuable information about reading accuracy, comprehension, fluency, and more.  This is just one tool used to determine your child’s strengths and weaknesses. They read a combination of fiction and nonfiction books, mistakes are recorded, and questions are asked to gauge understanding of the text.  Students must be able to verbalize their thoughts for this type of assessment. 

The assessment can…

• Determine your child’s “independent” and “instructional” reading level
  • INDEPENDENT-Read with 95-99% accuracy with satisfactory comprehension
  • INSTRUCTIONAL-Read with 90-94% accuracy with satisfactory comprehension
• Determine reading placement levels and group students for instruction
• Identify students who need interventions
• Assess the outcomes of teaching strategies
• Document student progress during a school year and over several years
• Inform parents of progress over a period of time