What is the difference between the Basic and Proficient Reading Comprehension assessments?

The Proficient Reading assessment is recommended for students performing closer to grade level expectations (e.g., 30th to 49th percentile — though this is wholly up to the teacher, school, district), and takes a bit longer to administer because the passages are longer and more complex. Depending on the grade, PRdg takes about 30-45 minutes to administer.

The Basic Reading (Deluxe only) assessment is recommended for students performing further below grade level expectations (e.g., < 25th percentile), and takes relatively less time to administer — depending on the grade, Basic Reading should take about 15-20 minutes to administer.

If you are considering choosing one passage over another, try reading a passage from each type of assessment. It may help to decide which assessment is more appropriate for a given student.