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Literacy Classification

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Literacy Classifications are stages of literacy development associated with Scaled Scores (SS). These stages are an easy way to monitor student progress.

The Enterprise Scale has five literacy classifications: Early Emergent Reader (300 to 487), Late Emergent Reader (488 to 674), Early Transitional Reader (675 to 724), Late Transitional Reader (725 to 774), and Probable Reader (775 to 900). The Unified Scale has five literacy classifications: Early Emergent Reader (200 to 682), Late Emergent Reader (683 to 785), Early Transitional Reader (786 to 815), Late Transitional Reader (816 to 851), and Probable Reader (852 to 1100).

Classification Enterprise Scale* Unified Scale Definition
Pre-K to Grade 1 Grade 2 Grades 3+
Early Emergent Reader 300–487 200–682 200–709 200–732 Student is beginning to understand that printed text has meaning. The student is learning that reading involves printed words and sentences, and that print flows from left to right and from the top to the bottom of the page. The student is also beginning to identify colors, shapes, numbers, and letters.
Late Emergent Reader 488–674 683–785 710–802 733–824 Student can identify most of the letters of the alphabet and can match most of the letters to their sounds. The student is beginning to read picture books and familiar words around their home. Through repeated reading of favorite books with an adult, students at this stage are building their vocabularies, listening skills, and understandings of print.
Early Transitional Reader 675–724 786–815 803–829 825–851 Student has mastered alphabet skills and letter-sound relationships. The student can identify many beginning and ending consonant sounds and long and short vowel sounds.
Late Transitional Reader 725–774 816–851 830–862 852–882 Student is probably able to blend sounds and word parts to read simple words. The student is likely using a variety of strategies to figure out words, such as pictures, story patterns, and phonics.
Probable Reader 775–900 852–1100 863–1100 883–1100 Student is becoming proficient at recognizing many words, both in and out of context. The student spends less time identifying and sounding out words and more time understanding what he or she has read. Probable readers can start to blend sounds and word parts to read words and sentences more quickly, smoothly, and independently.

* For the 2023–2024 school year, the Enterprise Scale is only available in Mississippi. The cutoff scores are based on the relationship between Scaled Scores and proficiency in literacy domains and skills. During test development, data showed that students with Scaled Scores of 675 and higher also achieved skill scores above 80 in five sets of skills critical to beginning reading. Students with Scaled Scores of 775 and higher achieved skill scores above 70 in all literacy domains.

Literacy Classifications can be found on the following reports:

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