Locating and Analyzing Benchmark (Pretest) Scores

The benchmark, formerly known as the pretest, is a short, adaptive quiz that helps determine each student’s initial reading level. It ensures students start at the right difficulty by adjusting in real time based on their answers, making sure they receive reading passages that match their current skill level.

📑 Table of Contents

How Does the Benchmark Work?
Where Can I Find The Benchmark Scores?
How to Check if a Student Has Completed the Benchmark
Related Articles & Resources

How Does The Benchmark Work?

Every student is automatically given the benchmark the first time they log into their account. Here's how it functions:

The benchmark starts at a 3rd-grade level by default.
If the questions are too difficult, the system will move the student down to a lower level.
If the questions are too easy, the system will move the student up to a higher level.
The benchmark is adaptive, meaning the number of questions varies based on the student’s responses.
Most students complete the benchmark in 20 minutes or less.
Once completed, the student is assigned a grade-level score and begins receiving tailored reading practice based on that result.
The benchmark must be completed in one sitting. If the student logs out before finishing, they will need to start over the next time they log in.

⚠️ Important: Students should complete the benchmark independently. Help from a teacher or parent may lead to inaccurate placement and misaligned quiz levels.

Where Can I Find The Benchmark Scores?

Teachers can view pretest results from within their classroom dashboard:

Log in to your teacher account and go to your Progress Reports page.
Choose the class you want to view using the dropdown menu.
Under Class Reports, select Grade Level Progression.
Look for the orange dots. These indicate the pretest score. Hover over a student’s data point to view their pretest score.
You can also switch to Table View to see all students’ pretest scores at once.

⚠️ Note: Benchmark scores will not appear until a student has completed at least one additional quiz after finishing the pretest.

Lexile Level Progression Report

To view benchmark scores with Lexile Levels, utilize the Lexile Progression report.

1. Log in to your teacher account and go to your Progress Reports page.

2. Choose the class you want to view using the dropdown menu.

3. Under Class Reports, select Lexile Progression.

4. Look for the orange dots. These indicate the pretest score. Hover over a student’s data point to view their benchmark Lexile score.

5. You can also switch to Table View to see all students’ benchmark Lexile scores at once.

select table view lexile level progression

⚠️ Note: Benchmark scores will not appear until a student has completed at least one additional quiz after finishing the pretest.

How to Check if a Student Has Completed the Benchmark

Before looking for scores in your reports, you can quickly check a student's benchmark status from My Students:

Go to the My Students tab.
Look for a colored circle next to the student's name. Hover over their name for more details.
1. A green circle means they've completed the benchmark.
2. A red circle means the student has not yet completed the benchmark.

An Achievement Badge next to a student's name indicates that they have completed the pretest and additional quizzes. The badge indicates a student's Knowledge Point status. For more information, view What are Knowledge Points?

💎 With Premium, you can also see the student's last login date under the Last Seen column. This helps you confirm whether, and when, the student has signed in at all.

📌 Note: If the benchmark is complete but data still isn't showing in your reports, the student likely hasn't finished an additional quiz yet. Once they complete one more quiz after the benchmark, their data will begin to populate. See Related Article: Why Isn't My Student's Data Appearing?