Interpretive Tables - Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Grade-Level Expectations

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

Interpretive tables define grade-level expectations for Foundational Skills and Oral Reading tests using Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) measures. ZPD levels map to specific skill areas in Phonological Awareness and Phonics & Word Recognition, including rhyme, syllable, phoneme blending, and CVC decoding/encoding tasks. Performance level tables provide expectations across Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade by term, using a legend such as no expectation, below, approaching, meets, and exceeds.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) levels

Phonological Awareness

Phonics & Word Recognition

Performance levels/grade-level expectations

Foundational Skills tables

Interpretive Tables The tables below provide grade-level expectations for both Foundational Skills and Oral Reading tests. Because zone of proximal development (ZPD) level drives grade-level expectations in two Foundational Skills areas (Phonological Awareness and Phonics & Word Recognition), tables defining ZPD levels are included for these. In this topic you'll find: l Zone of proximal development levels on page 2 o Phonological Awareness on page 2 o Phonics & Word Recognition on page 2 l Performance levels/grade-level expectations on page 4 o Foundational Skills tables on page 4 o Phonological Awareness and Phonics & Word Recognition on page 4 o Language Comprehension (Listening Comprehension and Picture Vocabulary) on page 6 o Print Concepts (Beginner Form Only) on page 6 o Sentence Reading Fluency on page 7 o Oral Reading tables on page 12 o Oral Reading accuracy on page 13 o Words-Correct-per-Minute (WCPM) expectations on page 14 For additional information about Lexile Ranges, visit Using Lexile Measurements. © 2024 NWEA NWEA and MAP are registered trademarks, and MAP Growth and MAP Reading Fluency are trademarks, of NWEA in the United States and other countries. MAP Reading Fluency is powered by LanguaMetrics™ .The names of other companies and their products mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners. Zone of proximal development levels The ZPD measure helps you understand what skills a student is close to mastering. The following tables show the possible ZPD levels and the measures that correspond to them. The Foundational Skills-Beginner test includes only items from levels 0–2 and are indicated with an asterisk below; the Foundational Skills and Adaptive Oral Reading tests can assess all levels. Keep in mind that Foundational Skills is intended for younger students; see Test Segments and Skills Assessed in Each Test Type for more information. Note: The data in following tables corresponds to English MAP Reading Fluency tests only. Phonological Awareness | ZPD Level | Measures | | --- | --- | | 0—Rhymes and Syllables (Introduce) | Rhyme Completion*—Measures phonological rhyme identification skills
Counting Syllables*—Measures phonological syllable segmenting skills | | 1—Rhymes and Syllables | | | 2—Initial Sounds | Onset-Rime Blending*—Measures initial phoneme blending skills Initial Sound Matching*—Measures initial phoneme identification skills | | 3—Blending and Segmenting | Blending Phonemes—Measures phoneme blending skills Phoneme Counting—Measures phoneme segmenting skills | | 4—Phonemic Manipulation | Phoneme Addition/Deletion—Measures phoneme manipulation skills Phoneme Substitution—Measures phoneme manipulation skills | | 5—Phonemic Manipulation (Reinforce) | | | | *Included in Foundational Skills-Beginner | | | *Consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) | Phonics & Word Recognition | ZPD Level | Measures | | --- | --- | | 0—Letters and Sounds (Introduce) | Letter-Sound Fluency*—Measures letter sound correspondence knowledge
Letter Knowledge*—Measures letter identification knowledge | | 1—Letters and Sounds | | | 2—Letters in Words | Build Words: One Letter*—Measures letter sound decoding skills in words
Word Families: Initial Letter*—Measures letter sound decoding skills in words | 2 OF 16 | INTERPRETIVE TABLES JULY 2025 © NWEA | ZPD Level | Measures | | --- | --- | | 3—Decodable: CVC** | Decoding: CVC—Measures early word decoding skills
Building Words: CVC—Measures early word encoding skills | | 4—Decodable: One-syllable | Decoding: Single Syllable—Measures word decoding skills
Building Words: Single Syllable—Measures word encoding skills | | 5—Decodable: One-syllable (Reinforce) | | | | *Included in Foundational Skills-Beginner | | | **Consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) | 3 OF 16 | INTERPRETIVE TABLES JULY 2025 © NWEA Performance levels/grade-level expectations Foundational Skills tables Phonological Awareness and P

FAQs

What does the ZPD measure represent in these interpretive tables?

The ZPD measure indicates what skills a student is close to mastering. The tables show possible ZPD levels and the corresponding measures.

Which skills are covered under Phonological Awareness ZPD levels?

Phonological Awareness includes measures such as rhyme completion and counting syllables, plus later blending and segmenting tasks like blending phonemes and phoneme counting.

How are grade-level expectations organized for Foundational Skills across terms?

Expectations are shown by term (Fall, Winter, Spring) and by grade using performance categories in the legend, including no expectation, below expectations, approaching expectations, meets expectations, and exceeds expectations.

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca