TPRI: How do I obtain reading level scores and/or grade equivalents for TPRI stories?

 Answer

The Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) is a criterion-referenced instrument; therefore, the stories don't have grade equivalents or percentile ranks. At the early grades, grade equivalent scores are highly unreliable. The stories have phonic elements and story grammar elements that increase in difficulty from the first story to the second story, as validated in a research study in Texas schools with over 3,000 students. 

With respect to the stories, this means the phonic elements and story grammar elements increase in difficulty from grade 1 to 2. In grade 2, the vocabulary level also is higher and the sentence structure more complex. It’s unreliable to think in terms of grade equivalents, because a student who reads at the Frustrational Level on Story 1 at the beginning of the year, may read at grade level by the end of the year due to excellent instruction.

https://public.cliengage.org/training/education-advisor-support/tpri-toolkit/

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