PM Benchmarks

PM Benchmarks allow us to uncover a student's independent and instructional reading levels. We use this assessment to sit alongside a student and listen to them read as we take a reading record and note each student's reading strategies and behaviours. Through the use of retelling indicators and comprehension questions we are able to understand the student's level of comprehension. When we analyze running records, we are able to:

note student strengths
plan for next steps
target our small-group instruction

We know that each child is so much more than a reading level and we can use the valuable information gained from administering PM Benchmarks to match students to appropriate text for independent reading, and to guide our instructional moves in the classroom.

Using PM Benchmark Kits in Your Classroom

Reading is making meaning from print and we want our students to make meaning from everything they read. Benchmarking allows classroom teachers to determine the complexity of text to which a student can successfully apply these three reading processes:

1. Decoding – Identify or decode the words in print
2. Comprehension – Construct an understanding or meaning
3. Fluency – Coordination of decoding and comprehension so reading is automatic and accurate

SD22 Primary teachers are regularly assessing their readers using systematic and scheduled benchmarking of all students along with their daily, ongoing observations. Teachers gather evidence of student reading competencies in one-on-one conferences and in small-group instructional settings.

Primary teachers rely on their professional judgement, using both a timely PM Benchmark as well as their ongoing observations when determining a benchmark level to input into EdPlan Insight.

What Do Teachers Input into EdPlan Insight?

Independent Reading Level: A text is at a student's independent reading level if they are able to decode 95-100% of words, and demonstrate proficiency in comprehension and fluency at that text level.

Instructional Level (90-94% accuracy): Text that is appropriate for small-group reading instruction.
Frustration Level (89% and below): Text that is too difficult and will frustrate the reader.
In EdPlan, we communicate the student's independent reading level. If this is not an appropriate assessment to use with a student, please leave the PM field in EdPlan blank (it will auto-fill n/a for students in Grade 1-5).

Accuracy Rate: The percentage of the total words that the student has read correctly (total words read - total errors) / total words read x 100 = accuracy rate

Example:
(99-8) / 99 x 100 = accuracy rate
91/99 x 100 = accuracy rate
.919 x 100 = 91.9%, or 92%
*92% accuracy rate indicates an instructional level of text for a student

In EdPlan, the accuracy rate would need to be between 95-100% because we are communicating a student's independent reading level.

Comprehension: A three-point comprehension scale (1-3) where teacher's use their professional judgement based on the comprehension conversation they have with the student after the reading.
3 - Student demonstrates proficiency in understanding the text
2 - Student is developing proficiency in understanding the text
1 - Student is emerging in understanding the text
Fluency: A three-point fluency scale for evaluating fluency (the way the reading sounds), including phrasing, intonation, pausing, stress, rate, and integration where teachers use their professional judgement based on their observations of the student reading.
3 - Student reads in larger, meaningful phrases or word groups; mostly smooth and expressive interpretation and pausing, guided by author's meaning and punctuation; appropriate stress and rate with only a few slowdowns.
2 - Student reads primarily in two- to four-word phrase groups and some word-by-word reading; some smooth and expressive interpretation and pausing guided by author's meaning and punctuation; some appropriate stress and rate with occasional slowdowns.
1 - Student reads primarily word-by-word with occasional but infrequent or inappropriate phrasing; lacks smooth or expressive interpretation, irregular pausing and no attention to author's meaning or punctuation; no stress or inappropriate stress, and slow rate.

Check out the PM Benchmarks Overview slides under SD22 Resources for more info!

Why Do Teachers Input Benchmark Data into EdPlan Insight?

Listening to students read one-on-one and benchmarking their reading level has been a common practice in SD22 for years.
Listening to students read and carefully analyzing the results provides teachers with valuable information to plan for whole-class, small-group, and independent instruction.
Reading benchmark data at the school and district level helps us better understand where learners are and plan ways to support students, teachers, and schools.

Coming Soon: Videos of SD22 teachers modelling PM Benchmark administration