Choose books the child is currently reading. Often reading levels are listed on the back cover of a book. A book level of 4.2 indicates a reading level of the second month of fourth grade. If the book level is not listed on the book, there are databases of leveled books available.
Select passages that meet the following criteria:
Grade 1; 14-15 words in length; 4-5 sentences
Grade 2-3; 40-60 words in length; 6-8 sentences
Grade 4-5; 75-100 words in length; 6-8 sentences
Grade 6-8; 100-150 words in length; 6-8 sentences
Grade 9-12; 200 words in length; 6-8 sentences
Use the Fry Graph for Estimating Readability if leveled reading materials are not available. This graph, created by Dr. Edward Fry, is one of the most widely used tools for measuring text readability levels.
Instruct the student to read passages, marking words missed. If a student misreads more than three words, move to a lower-leveled selection.
Create a question for each sentence of the passage. A student's reading level is not only dependent upon an ability to sound out or call words. Understanding reading is vital to an accurate measurement of a reading level. Students should miss no more than one question out of five. (For the sample sentence, "Cassy licked her paws, rubbed them over her milk-covered whiskers and meowed loudly," a question might be, "What kind of animal is Cassy?"
Obtain grade level words lists. There are many leveled lists available on the Internet, but using words taken from leveled books is a terrific way to measure reading level based on what a student has actually read or similar types of texts.
Determine reading fluency level. Listed below, find the approximate number of words per minute students should be reading at each grade level with a 98 percent correct accuracy rate.
Grade 1: 60-70 words per minute (wpm)
Grade 2: 70-90 wpm
Grade 3: 90-120 wpm
Grade 4: 120-150 wpm
Grade 5: >150 wpm
All Higher Grades >150 wpm (using appropriate grade-level passages)
Use the readability passages, comprehension results and fluency levels to obtain a reading level. Combining all three measures is a more accurate way to select books on a student's instructional level.
Keep a running record of books levels children read and comprehend successfully to obtain an average. This is probably the most reliable measure, as it does not rely on a child's testing ability and is generally not influenced by anxiety, inattention or other factors.
Meet with the student's teacher. Many schools offer a variety of diagnostic tests like the Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and the Standardized Test for the Assessment of Reading (STAR) to determine reading levels. Remember a variety of factors can influence a child's performance on these tests.