The PM Benchmark Literacy Assessment resources provides teachers with the right tools to:

• accurately identify students’ reading levels
• use evidence to inform teaching practice and lesson planning
• monitor students’ reading achievement and progress over time
• implement consistent assessment practices within and between schools
• capture data for school review and community feedback.

The Pre-Level 1 assessments consist of two cards and a four-page Student Record covering six assessment tasks designed for students working towards Level 1. The Pre-Level 1 assessment covers oral literacy, phonological awareness, phonics and concepts about print.

Each PM Benchmark Literacy Assessment resource includes two texts per level for Levels 1–30. Repetitive illustrated and photographic texts are introduced at Level 1, narratives at Level 3 and non-fiction texts at Level 6. As students progress through the levels, they are exposed to more text types such as recounts, information reports, descriptions, procedures, expositions and discussions.

All Post-Level 30 texts have been carefully curated for confident, independent readers. They provide opportunities for students to engage with authentic texts, such as extracts from popular works of literature and scientific journals. The suite of six Post-Level 30 texts are designed to expose students to complex writing styles with higher-order sentence structures and concepts. The text types included across the two resources are narrative, narrative (historical fiction), poetry, description, information report, exposition and discussion.

The Teacher’s Resource Books have been designed to enable teachers to work within best-practice research for undertaking benchmark assessments. The book includes step-by-step instructions for using the complete kit, as well as an extensive Frequently Asked Questions section compiled through research with teachers from around the world.

There is a Student Record for each Level 1–30 assessment text. The updated layout allows teachers to easily capture students’ reading progression and provide feedback to students, parents and the wider school network. Every Student Record can be accessed digitally via a QR code on the back of each book or card, making it easy for teachers to print a new record.