1. Jennifer Evans 2015 St. Clair County RESA
Guided Reading Implementation Guide
Tasks Not Started
Unacceptable
In Progress
Approaching
Acceptable
Achieved
Acceptable Variation
Achieved with Fidelity
Gold Standard
Management: (Classroom
Environment)
 My goal is to highly engage
students in productive
reading activities while I
am working with groups.
 My goal is to highly engage
students in productive
reading activities while I
am conferring with
individuals.
 My goal is to create a
positive literacy
environment.
 My goal is to develop
appropriate routines and
procedures.
I have not yet established
a system for independent
reading; students need a
great deal of attention and
I cannot work productively
with small groups.
Students continually
interrupt my work with
other students.
I have begun to teach
students how to engage in
silent independent reading
and build stamina, but the
routines and procedures
are not yet established. I
am beginning to establish
a schedule that will allow
for independent, relevant
work while I teach small
groups and work with
individuals. Students at
times still interrupt.
My system for independent
reading is well established
and I am conferring with
individuals. Students are
using reader’s notebooks
and logs, and I am working
with guided reading groups
on a regular basis. Routines
and procedures are
established and students
are able to work
independently most of the
time, not interrupt, and be
successful with relevant
activities.
My classroom is well managed
during the entire reading block.
Routines and procedures are
clearly established. Students are
engaged in silent independent
reading or responding in their
notebooks. Relevant activities
are completed and learning is
transferred. Students are able to
work completely independently
while I work with regular guided
reading groups and confer with
individuals.
Grouping:
 My goal is to form small
groups of students who are
similar in their
development of a reading
process and read at the
same level of text so that I
can teach them in guided
reading.
 I also use data to identify
I am just beginning to
observe students’ reading
behaviors and to think
about forming groups
based on levels of text; I
have not identified other
ways that I use to group
students. Usually I teach
the whole class.
I have formed and met
with some
needs/interest/skill based
groups when I notice that
there is something that
students need to learn or I
look at assessment data. I
know how to apply some
assessment measures and
have tentatively formed
some level-based groups.
I continue to meet with
needs/interest/skill based
groups on a regular basis,
using relevant data to
determine groupings. I
have established level-
based groups and am
keeping regular records of
reading behaviors. I meet
with groups daily.
Every student in my class is
served with small group
instruction. Groups meet
regularly, and strategies/skills
taught are based on assessment.
Appropriate texts are selected to
meet the needs of the students.
Learning transfers to other
situations.

2. Jennifer Evans 2015 St. Clair County RESA
particular needs and
interests for focused guided
reading groups.
Lesson Management:
 My goal is to provide fast-
paced, lively engaging
lessons with all
components working
together effectively.
 My goal is to ensure
learning objectives are
evident to the students.
 My goal is provide timely,
relevant, positive feedback
to all students.
 My goal is to provide
students with ample
opportunities to practice.
 My goal is to provide
students with visual aids to
help scaffold instruction.
I have not yet
implemented any of the
components of a guided
reading lesson (Before –
Teacher introduces text,
vocab., sets purpose or
teaching point, etc.
During – teacher listens as
students read
independently recording
observations and using
formative assessments to
guide instruction.
After – Teacher
restates/reinforces/links
today’s learning to
ongoing work/learning /
application, etc.)
I have begun to introduce
texts to students and to
ask them to read
independently. I am
learning about the
components for various
levels of guided reading
lessons. (Before – Teacher
introduces text, vocab.,
sets purpose or teaching
point, etc.
During – teacher listens as
students read
independently recording
observations and using
formative assessments to
guide instruction.
After – Teacher
restates/reinforces/links
today’s learning to
ongoing work/learning /
application, etc.)
I provide relevant activities
for students to do in the
guided reading groups. In
group, I provide all
components of guided
reading instruction. (Before
– Teacher introduces text,
vocab., sets purpose or
teaching point, etc.
During – teacher listens as
students read
independently recording
observations and using
formative assessments to
guide instruction.
After – Teacher
restates/reinforces/links
today’s learning to ongoing
work/learning / application,
etc.)
Sometimes my groups and
lessons are too short or too
long.
My lesson is well-timed,
smoothly managed, integrated
with guided reading level
instruction. Activities are
relevant and at appropriate
levels. I successfully address all
components of a guided reading
lesson. (Before – Teacher
introduces text, vocab., sets
purpose or teaching point, etc.
During – teacher listens as
students read independently
recording observations and using
formative assessments to guide
instruction.
After – Teacher
restates/reinforces/links today’s
learning to ongoing
work/learning / application, etc.)
Students are using metacognition
and transferring learning to all
content areas.

3. Jennifer Evans 2015 St. Clair County RESA
Text Selection:
My goal is to select texts that
are appropriate in terms of
level for my groups.
Text Variation:
My goal is to provide students
with experiences across a wide
range of fiction and nonfiction
texts.
I am just beginning to
analyze texts for level of
difficulty and
opportunities to develop
processing strategies.
I am just beginning to
learn about genres and
how they vary in structure
and other characteristics.
My book collection does
not provide variety to
meet my students’ needs.
I am selecting texts with
attention to level and text
characteristics but often
they are not suitable for
many of my groups.
Students have choice for
reading at home but not
for independent reading at
school.
I can identify genres and
know about their structure
and characteristics. I am
just beginning to analyze
what my students know
and to plan for more
variety in my guided
reading program.
I can generally select texts
that meet the needs of my
students in terms of level,
but I am still working on
using text characteristics
effectively to help students
extend their knowledge.
Students have choice for
their independent reading.
I understand and use my
knowledge of
characteristics of genre in
planning for guided reading
lessons. My students are
provided with fiction and
nonfiction texts on a
regular basis.
I select texts that are appropriate
and meet the needs of my
students. I can analyze text to
discern opportunities to learn
and use texts effectively to help
children extend their strategies.
Students are also able to
appropriately select texts for
their independent reading.
I have an in-depth knowledge of
the characteristics of different
genres. I plan students’ reading
carefully so that they are
introduced to new genres in
guided reading instruction and
they incorporate them into their
independent reading.
Teaching Strategies: (Points)
 My goal is to teach
intensively in every part of
the reading lesson in order
to expand my students’
ability to use background
knowledge, solve words,
check on their reading,
access and use information,
think beyond a text, make
connections, maintain
phrased, fluent reading,
and think about the text in
critical ways.
I am just beginning to
understand processing
strategies and to observe
students’ reading
behaviors.
I am beginning to
accommodate students’
needs.
I am able to find evidence
of processing strategies as
I observe students
reading. I support their
development of strategies
by providing texts at
appropriate levels but
have not yet developed
expert teaching skills. I am
not always accurate with
selecting appropriate
strategies based on the
needs of students.
I have systems in place to
I observe students’ reading
behavior continuously and
am able to find examples
and powerful teaching
points to bring to their
attention; I am observing
the impact of my
introduction, interactions,
and teaching after the
reading.
I have begun to incorporate
some differentiation into
initial instruction.
I provide interventions to
My decisions and interactions are
well-timed and powerful in
illustrating processing strategies
for students. My decisions allow
students to use what they know
to process a text. I am aware of
and teach for a wide range of
processing strategies and I see
evidence that students are taking
on these strategies for
themselves.
I differentiate for all students to
meet students’ needs so that
they are successful on their first

4. Jennifer Evans 2015 St. Clair County RESA
 My goal is to successfully
implement fluent, relevant
lessons based on students’
reading behaviors.
 My goal is to successfully
implement all components
of a guided reading lesson
including before, during,
and after activities.
 My goal is to provide
explicit, scaffold
instruction.
 My goal is to utilize the
gradual release model for
instruction.
 My goal is to accommodate
all student needs with a
MTSS (Multi-Tiered System
of Support.)
assess and re-teach in
order to accommodate
students’ needs.
targeted students but am
inconsistent.
attempt.
I assess, teach, and monitor the
learning of students on a daily
basis.
I provide interventions to
targeted students daily.
Adapted from Guiding Readers and Writers, by Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell