North CarolinaLeveling Guide
GCS USES ↓
Developmental Category / Grade Level / North Carolina Assessment Level / Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading / Reading Recovery Level / DRA Level / DRA StageEarly Emergent/Emergent / K-1 / 1-2 / A / 1 / A&1 / Emergent
B / 2 / 2
3-4 / C
Developing / 1 / 3
End of K° / Early
4
5-6 / D / 5 / 6
6
7-8 / E / 7 / 8
8
9-10 / F / 9 / 10
10
11-12 / G / 11 / 12 / Transitional
12
13-14 / H / 13 / 14
14
15-16 / I / 15-17 / 16
End of 1st °
Early Independent / 2 / 17-18 / J / 18 / 18
19 / 20
19-20 / K / 20 / 24
21-22 / L / 20+ / 28
End of 2nd° / Extending
23-24 / M
Independent / 3 / 25-26 / N / 30
34
27-28 / O / 38
29-30 / P
31-32 / Q / 40
4 / QRST / 40
5 / TUVW / 44-50
6 / WXYZ / 60
These levels are approximate and are only provided for general comparison purposes only. The leveling characteristics may differ among the various leveling systems. Book selection is NEVER simply a matter of choosing a book level that matches the reading level or grade level of the students. When selecting books, it is imperative to consider the content of the book, the background and prior experience of the students reading the book, and the overall pattern of performance of the students on other similar reading materials.***
Reading Recovery is a registered servicemark of OhioStateUniversity.
*Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Matching Books to Readers (Portsmouth, N.H: Heinemann, 1999)
**Joetta Beaver. Developing Reading Assessment Resource Guide (Glenview, IL: Celebration Press, 1997)
***Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Guided Reading (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1996)
°We reserve the right to change information in the future. (Revised 8-28-08)