Benchmark Assessment System 2, 2nd Edition (Grades 3-8, Levels L-Z, Part of the series: The Benchmark & LLI Series)

Engaging and Informative Benchmark Books

• 30 newly created high-quality books have been written expressly for the purposes of literacy assessment along the F&P Text Gradient™, A-Z.
• Each book was developed under the careful direction and supervision of Fountas and Pinnell according to their strict leveling protocols.To further ensure proper leveling, Fountas and Pinnell asked a team of experienced classroom teachers to vet each book, and Heinemann conducted a formal field study of the leveling that involved a broad spectrum of students across the U.S.

Sensitive and Reliable Assessment Data

• Recording Forms guide teachers through a Reading Record that reveals a wealth of information about the reader, including the reader’s accuracy and self-corrections, comprehension, and fluency.
• An innovative Comprehension Conversation is part of the assessment protocol at every level and provides details about a reader’s thinking within, beyond, and about the text.
• Optional assessments allow teachers to gather further details when necessary to more precisely pinpoint a reader’s needs.

Linked to Teaching to Inform Instructional Decision Making

• The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System includes a copy of Fountas and Pinnell’s The Continuum of Literacy Learning: A Guide to Teaching. This tool helps teachers link the results of the assessment to their teaching to ensure students’ growth as learners.

PLUS Practical Technology Resources

• F&P Calculator/Stopwatch provide teachers with time-saving options for calculating scores.
• The Online Resources site is a repository of printable lesson resources and record keeping forms.
• The Professional Development DVD presents video models of teachers implementing the assessment, opportunities for coding and scoring practice, and data-analysis discussions.
• Assessment data can be managed systematically and effectively with the Online Data Management System. A  one-year subscription is included with purchase.

Enhancements include:

Assessment Guide

• Improved design, including tabs for each section
• Expanded Case Study section, profiling ELL and SPED students, and detailing implications for instruction using The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Prompting Guide 1, When Readers Struggle, Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency and Leveled Literacy Intervention
• New Optional Assessment section with scoring criteria in the appendix
• New Technology section, detailing how the Data Management System helps make teaching more systematic and effective
• Expanded FAQ section
• Index for ease of use

The Continuum of Literacy Learning

• New prekindergarten continua including oral language, story telling, and print awareness to provide a strong foundation for kindergarten
• New content reflecting latest research in assessment and learning
• User-friendly design

Little Books

• Updated, contemporary design including more age-appropriate covers for BAS 2 fiction books
• Minor text changes to two BAS 2 books (Snake Myths, Earthquakes) to reflect new scientific advancements
• Running word changes to nonfiction books at upper levels to include oral reading of headings Recording Forms
• "Beyond/About the Text" key understandings in comprehension conversation at levels A-K to encourage thinking about authors’ craft
• Condensed Recording Forms to reduce paper expense Professional Development DVD
• New and improved video with more assessment conferences and greater emphasis on analysis