four children of different ethnicities sitting on the grass reading children's books together

The Truth About Reading Levels: Why They Don’t Work and What to Do Instead

As parents, we all want our children to become confident, skilled readers. To do this, they not only need to practice but must also have strong foundational skills that support their current reading abilities, as well as their long-term academic journey. 

When choosing books for your early reader, one previously popular approach has been “reading by levels” —otherwise known as leveled reading. However, educational research has found that leveled books are not the most reliable way to facilitate skillful reading. In fact, the science of reading suggests that this method could be holding children back from mastering the skills they need. 

Let’s explore why reading by levels might fall short of effective literacy development and discover a more approachable way to help your child discover their love of reading.

What is Reading By Levels?

Reading by levels is a system that categorizes children’s books based on perceived difficulty. They’re often leveled using letters or numbers to indicate progression, such as Level A, B, C, D; Level 1, 2, 3, and so on. 

Popular reading systems that use this approach include Fountas and Pinnell, Reading Recovery, and Lexile levels. The idea is that children should be able to read books at their designated “level,” gradually moving up as their skills improve. These arbitrary reading levels are rated based on text content, vocabulary, sentence structures, themes, and even print structures and visuals. 

Unfortunately, these different reading systems do not consider phonics in their leveling categories. The types of words in very early readers can be very challenging from a phonics perspective. Some children can show difficulty progressing from one ‘level’ to the next. There are so many factors to consider it can be hard to know how to help this child. To remedy their struggles, educators must know what specific skill a student lacks proficiency in—such as alphabet knowledge, decoding, or comprehension. 

Why Leveled Readers Can Be Challenging for Kids Learning to Read

There are a few issues that literacy experts notice when teachers and students try to approach reading education from a “leveled reading” approach. While any material your child is willing and able to read is helpful, strictly following levels is the thing we want to avoid—especially among students who may be struggling. 

To choose the best books for your child at their current stage of literacy development, you need to make informed decisions. First, understand the main shortcomings of leveled readers. 

1. Arbitrary Categorization

One of the main issues that come up with reading levels is that these “levels” are quite random and unsupported. The criteria used to assign levels can vary widely between systems and publishers, making it difficult to rely on them consistently. A book labeled as Level G in one system might be considered easier or harder in another system, leading to confusion for parents, teachers, and students.

2. Limited Skill Development

Leveled reading often focuses on overall text difficulty rather than specific reading skills. This approach can mask underlying weaknesses in crucial areas like phonemic awareness, decoding, comprehension, or fluency. As a result, some students might look like they’re progressing through levels without actually developing the foundational skills necessary for long-term reading success.

Some students can use their strengths in language comprehension to make good guesses about words and compensate for their lack of skill in word-reading. These students can appear to be ‘reading’ leveled books, but struggle to read an individual word without the support of visuals and context in leveled books. 

3. Lack of Scientific Basis

Despite their widespread use in classrooms, libraries, and book fairs, many popular leveled reading systems—such as Fountas and Pinnell—have been criticized for lacking a strong scientific foundation. The science of reading has shown that effective reading instruction requires a more systematic and explicit approach to teaching foundational skills. These literacy skills should be easy to assess so that intervention can take place when necessary.

4. Potential Discouragement

When children are limited to reading books at their designated level, they may feel discouraged from exploring texts that interest them but are deemed “not the right level.” Students should be encouraged to read materials that they get excited about, can decode with confidence, and present enough challenges to strengthen their developing skills. Leveled readers can dampen kids’ enthusiasm for reading and limit their exposure to ideas.

A Better Approach: Focus on Skills and Decodables

Instead of relying on arbitrary reading levels, parents and educators can focus on helping students develop specific reading skills, using decodable books to support this process.

Rather than looking at a single reading level, consider assessing your child’s foundational reading abilities in:

  • Phonemic awareness
  • Alphabet knowledge
  • Decoding
  • Fluency
  • Comprehension
  • Spelling

Tools like the PAST test can help evaluate children’s phonemic awareness skills, providing a more accurate picture of their foundational literacy skills.

The Power of Decodable Books for Beginner Readers

Decodable books are specifically developed to align with a child’s current phonics knowledge, making them an excellent tool for building reading skills. 

Decodables are typically effective because they involve:

  • Targeted practice: Decodable books contain words that children can sound out based on the phonics patterns they’ve learned, reinforcing their decoding skills.
  • Confidence building: As children successfully read these books, they gain confidence in their abilities and develop a positive attitude towards reading.
  • Skill progression: Decodable books typically follow a systematic sequence, introducing new phonics patterns gradually as children master previous ones.
  • Reduced guessing: Unlike leveled readers that might encourage children to guess words based on context or pictures, decodable books promote accurate decoding.

If you’re interested in finding decodable texts for your child, check out the List of Recommended Decodable Books for beginners!

Choosing the Right Decodable Books

Additionally, you can make sure a text is decodable by confirming that it meets the following criteria for your student.

  1. Aligns with phonics instruction: Look for texts that match the phonics patterns your child is currently learning.
  2. Age-appropriate content: Ensure the stories are engaging and suitable for your child’s interests and maturity level.
  3. Quality of text: Choose books with natural-sounding language and coherent stories, despite the phonics constraints.
  4. Gradual challenge: Opt for a series that systematically introduces new phonics patterns as your child advances.

By moving away from reading levels and embracing a skills-based approach with decodable books, you facilitate methods that align with the science of reading. This evidence-based approach emphasizes explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension to ensure strong readers and curious learners for life.

Help Your Child Master Their Reading Skills 

Learning to read is a complex process that requires mastering multiple sophisticated skills. By focusing on these foundations and using appropriate tools like decodable books, you can help your child grow into a strong reader so they can thrive academically and beyond.

Remember that every child progresses at their own pace. Celebrate their small victories, maintain a positive attitude towards reading, and seek professional guidance if you have concerns about your child’s reading abilities. With the right approach and tools, you can help your child become a confident, skilled reader who loves exploring the world through books.

Want to find tips and decodable activities to help your child master their reading skills? Download the Reading.com app, a science-backed educational platform that helps young readers grow! 

You might also like