Parents may have heard, "Mom I'm a level 10 reader," or "Dad, I moved up to a level 12!"

What does this mean and is this an appropriate way to describe a child's reading progress? Let us begin with a brief comment on what it means to say: "I am reading a book of a particular level".

Today, many classrooms are filled with books that have letter, number or colour-coded levels at the back. These books come in sets and are graded from easy to more complex. This is known as a text gradient. Upon closer inspection of the books, it is easy to see at first glance the leveling is a system of placing books on a continuum from what appears to be very easy to more complex. However, this description is far too simple and must not be all we consider when trying to understand the leveling system of books.

Books are levelled to assist teachers in selecting just right fits for children. The success of placing just right books in children's hands rests in the teacher's extensive knowledge about text characteristics and children's reading behaviours. As stated by Margaret Mooney: "Many levels are assigned by a combination of the following: the introduction and repetition of basic vocabulary or words that can be decoded by applying certain phonological rules or patterns; the number of words, lines or sentences on a page, the text-illustration match; and the perceived relevance of the content. While all these may be very important considerations, they barely skim the surface of the factors that contribute to a text's complexity."

On first glance at books leveled early in the gradient (between 1-3 or A-C), it is easy to note these books have things like consistent placement of text, high picture text match, one or two lines of print consistently placed on the page and easy sentence patterns to follow. However, as levelled books increase further on in the gradient, it is obvious the text becomes more dense, content more varied and complex, pictures have less match to the words, spacing, print alignment can vary from page to page, and even headings, chapters and other text features become more prominent. What must be considered is the intent behind the levels.

Levelled texts were designed to help teachers make appropriate choices for teaching children at the early stages of reading development. Teachers must study carefully the simplest details of the text, including sentence patterns, vocabulary and content to determine if a book is suitable for a particular child. The level does not determine if the book will be easy for the child to read but by what the reader can control. A teacher can assign a leveled book to a child and think the book is easy, but may find the text is actually quite challenging. Why? Much has to be considered in terms of what the student can do while reading, the complexities of the content, sentence grammatical patterns and sometimes even the hidden meanings. Therefore, as a guide to teachers, text levels should never be about labeling a child's reading. What may be an easy text for one child can be quite challenging for another – depending on what the child is able to do while reading and the careful analysis of the text beforehand by the teacher. Making a choice for assigning a book to a child must include content in relation to children's personal experiences, language patterns, vocabulary, illustration support for meaning of the text, and narrative style.

Should report cards indicate a child's book level? Book levels should not be placed on a report card if used as a label to describe a reader. What parents need to know from the teacher is "what does a book level indicate about my child's reading". Specifically, what reading behaviours is the child controlling and what reading behaviors need instructional support (from the teacher). More precisely, if your child is described as reading at a particular book level, ask the teacher – "what does this mean about the books at this level". The teacher should clearly explain the text features of the level and the reading behaviours required in order for your child to read successfully and with good understanding. More should be discussed in terms of what a child does when problem solving on text, how the reading sounds, what kinds of connections are made after the reading and what will be supported (taught) next.

This is about teachers clearly articulating to parents how the student is developing as a reader along a continuum and why the teacher is selecting books of a particular level to support this development. There should also be shared information about the reading group your child is placed in, how many times a week your child is involved in explicit reading instruction (guided reading) and what is the expected end point in terms of the proficiency expected at the end of the year. Books sent home that are leveled and made to appear as if they are a label for a child's reading development, should be read easily, with good phrasing and intonation, with decoding that is fairly fluent (not laboured) and good understanding, determined by what is discussed after the reading.

The book level is not the priority, the reading process that is being developed is the defining issue. The priority for the use of book levels is for the teachers to have a guide for text selection for students, a chart for ensuring the reader is progressing over time and a tool for analysing the demands of a text on readers.

Next Month in Literacy Matters: How to help your child with literacy homework.

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