Switching reading or language arts? Find where to look first.
First, check whether a switch will help. If it will, pick the program and level you are leaving, or your child's reading stage, and see where to look in 14 programs, with each publisher's placement guidance and the evidence behind every match.
Looking up one program? See grade levels by program, a level-by-grade chart for each program with sources.
Changing math? Try the math switch helper.
How this works
To match levels, each program's levels are placed on one shared reading scale (pre-reader, beginning phonics, phonics, early fluent, fluent, then grade 4 to 12 reading and writing), using the publisher's own level descriptions, grade or age labels and placement guidance. We then look for the level in another program that sits at the same point on the scale.
- Where each match comes from. Every result links its sources. The full table, with every match and source, is on our methodology page.
- Confirmed by publisher means both publishers state the grade, age or skill level we used. Supported by parent reports means at least one side rests on independent reviewers or parents describing real placements. Unverified means we could not find a source, so we grey it out and do not offer it as an answer.
- The limits. This is an estimate. Children vary, and programs teach topics in different orders. The placement test is the real answer.
- Money. A few links are labeled affiliate links, and we may earn from them. That never changes a match: matches come only from the table, and affiliate links appear after the placement test link.
- Your feedback corrects the table. After you give a placement test, you can tell us where your child actually placed. When answers disagree with a match, we review it and update the table.
Disclosure: In the results, the Master Books shop link is an affiliate link and is labeled. We may earn a commission if you buy through it, at no extra cost to you. It never changes a match, and placement test links are plain. Read our disclosure.
Step 1: Should you switch at all?
Many problems can be fixed inside the program you already own. What is going wrong?
What a switch costs, especially mid-year
- Re-buying: teacher guides, student books and kits for the new program, and consumables usually cannot be returned once written in.
- Re-teaching: programs teach topics in different orders, so a switch can mean repeating some topics and missing others.
- Adjustment: expect a few weeks of learning a new format before you can judge it.
Sources: Daily Genius: hidden costs when switching (teacher guides, consumables, returns), Kate Snow, Should I change my homeschool math curriculum?, Every Homeschool: what a mid-year swap costs in re-teaching
Your plan: stay with your current program
That is often the cheapest fix that works. Here is a plan for the next two to four weeks.
If it still is not working after that, come back and compare programs. Nothing here expires.
Step 2: Where to look in another program
Did this match your child's placement test?
Your answer helps us correct the table for the next parent. We only store what you choose here.
Switch checklist
- Give the new program's placement test on a calm day, without helping.
- If your child lands between two levels, the lower one usually goes better, unless the publisher says otherwise.
- Compare the new level's scope and sequence with what your child already covered.
- Use free samples or trial lessons for a week before buying the full level.
- Check the sale calendar link before buying. There is no rush; placement and samples can carry you until a sale.
- Give the new program about four weeks before judging it.
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Questions parents ask
Is this a placement test?
No. It suggests where to look so you can choose which free placement test to give. The test decides.
Should we switch mid-year?
Often a pacing change in your current program works first: slow down, review, skip ahead or trim problems. Switch when the format or content does not fit your child or family.
How do you decide which matches to show?
Each match carries an evidence level. Confirmed and Supported matches are shown; Unverified ones are greyed out under a separate heading, with only the placement test link offered as a next step.
Do affiliate links affect the results?
No. Matches come only from the published table on our methodology page. Affiliate links are labeled and appear after the placement test link.