Winnipeg School Division Leveling System Comparison Chart

Tyner Fountas
Approx. WSD Fountas & Pinnell PM Benchmark Kit, Reading
Differentiated & Reading
Grade Literacy Teaching Model Leveled Literacy PM & PM Plus A-Z
Pinnell Recovery®
Levels Framework K-2 & 3-8 Intervention Book Levels Levels
Levels
Magenta 1
N Pre-Exploration A (Level 1)
aa
gr. 1 Fr. Magenta 1
Imm.
Exploration Stage 1 Emergent A 1 (Level 1)
aa, A

K Magenta 2
Experimenting Stage 2 Beginning B 2 (Level 2)
B

Red 1 Red 2
Stage 2 Beginning C 3-4 (Level 3) (Level 4)
C
Red 3 Yellow 1
1.0 Beginning Stage 3 Fledgling D 5-6 (Level 5) (Level 6)
D
Yellow 2 Yellow 3
Stage 3 Fledgling E 7-8 (Level 7) (Level 8)
E
Blue 1 Blue 2
Stage 3 Fledgling F 9-10 (Level 9) (Level 10)
F
Blue 3 Green 1
Stage 3 Fledgling G 11-12 (Level 11) (Level 12)
G
gr. 1 Fr. Green 2 Green 3
Imm.
Stage 4 Transitional H 13-14 (Level 13) (Level 14)
H
Orange 1 Orange 2
Stage 4 Transitional I 15-16 (Level 15) (Level 16)
I
Turquoise 1 Turquoise 2
2.0 Developing Stage 5 Independent J 17 (Level 17) (Level 18)
J/ K
Stage 5 Independent Purple 1 Purple 2
Evolving K 18 (Level 19) (Level 20) L
Stage 5 Independent Gold 1
Evolving L 19 (Level 21)
M
gr. 2 Fr. Stage 5 Independent Gold 2
Evolving M 20 N/ O/ P
Imm (Level 22)

Stage 5 Independent Silver 1

3.0 Transitional Evolving N 21 (Level 23)
Q/ R
Stage 5 Independent Silver 2
Evolving O 22 (Level 24)
S
Stage 5 Independent Emerald 1
Evolving P 23 (Level 25)
T
Emerald 2
4.0 Expanding Evolving Q (Level 26)
U/ V
Ruby 1
Evolving R (Level 27)
W
Ruby 2
Maturing S (Level 28)
X
Sapphire 1
5.0 Bridging Maturing T (Level 29)
Y
Sapphire 2
Advanced U (Level 30)
Z
Advanced V Z
6.0 Fluent Advanced W-X Z
Advanced Y
7+ Advanced Z
©Winnipeg School Division Levelling Comparison Chart June 2013
 Leveling Systems: What to know and consider
The paper, F&P Text Level Gradient ™ Revision to Recommended Grade-Level Goals, (2012) was reviewed in light
of our use of the Benchmark Assessment System for instruc(on and assessment purposes. F&P remind us in this
ar(cle that “the recommended grade-level goals are intended to provide reasonable guidelines for grade-level ex-
pecta(ons, which should be adjusted based on school/district requirements and professional teacher judgment”.
In considera(on of the F&P revised text gradient scale, the following leveling chart will be used for instruc(onal
decision making and programming for students in Winnipeg School Division.
The leveling chart provided considers the Manitoba Curriculum; the research of Fountas and Pinnell; Reading Re-
covery ™ requirements, PM & PM+ text series (Nelson), Reading A-Z and the work of Beverley Tyner’s reading stag-
es. These sources are considered for the following reasons:
• The Manitoba English Language Arts Curriculum and the Manitoba Educa(on English Language Arts-
Immersion Curriculum, which includes general and specific learning outcomes, is the founda(on of our prac-
(ce
• Reading Recovery ™ is used as a Tier II interven(on strategy in many Winnipeg School Division sites. The sys-
tem of text leveling needs to be understood in order to ensure seamless support for students as they work
between the classroom and Reading Recovery environments. Students who receive the support of Reading
Recovery must have access to ‘just right books’ throughout their learning day, in order to con(nue to prac-
(ce and consolidate reading behaviours.
• The Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System will be used by teachers in the Winnipeg School Divi-
sion to collect baseline and ongoing reading data. The Fountas and Pinnell leveling system is also used in,
The Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Book List K-8+: 2010-2012. This resource can be found in many schools to
support teachers with iden(fying appropriate texts for their students using the books from their classroom
and school libraries
• The PM text series is used in guided reading libraries for Reading Recovery interven(on as well as for small
group guided reading lessons. Reading A-Z is also used for text selec(on for independent and guided read-
ing
• Beverley Tyner’s Small-Group Reading Instruc(on model considers the text leveling system of Fountas and
Pinnell to support teachers in crea(ng groups for explicit instruc(on in reading comprehension and word
study.

According to Fountas and Pinnell,

“When we think about levels of texts, we are always exploring combina(ons of characteris(cs. Not every
characteris(c typical of a level applies to every text categorized at that level. A certain factor makes one text
challenging; something else presents a challenge in a different text. Thinking about levels in this complex
way may seem difficult, but it helps us in our teaching. We want children to experience different combina(ons
of demands so that they expand their reading powers...It is also true that some characteris(cs are extremely
important in differen(a(ng texts at earlier levels, while others become important later on...Factors such as
technical vocabulary, idea sophis(ca(on, theme maturity, and sentence complexity are important in the
assessment at all levels” (Fountas and Pinnell, 2005. Leveled Books, K-8).

February 6, 2013
©Winnipeg School Division Levelling Comparison Chart June 2013
 REFERENCES

• Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes: English Language Arts (1996)

• Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes: English LA-Immersion (1997)
• Winnipeg School Division: The Literacy Framework, draI edi(on Feb 2013
• The F&P Text Level Gradient ™ Revision to Recommended Grade-Level Goals 2012 (hJp://
www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/pdfs/WhitePaperTextGrad.pdf)
• Beverly Tyner (2005). Small-Group Reading Instruc(on: A Differen(ated Teaching Model. Interna(onal
Reading Associa(on, Inc.
• Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. (2005). Leveled Books, K-8. Heinemann.

February 6, 2013
©Winnipeg School Division Levelling Comparison Chart June 2013