(1) An eighth-grade student at the nearing proficiency reading level demonstrates partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills fundamental for proficient reading.   He/she:

(a) demonstrates a literal understanding of the reading material and makes some interpretations;

(b) makes some predictions and connections between new material and prior knowledge, usually locating main ideas, and identifies some important supporting details when reading material appropriate to the eighth grade;

(c) sometimes combines strategies to read material with comprehension;

(d) sometimes interprets elements of fiction and nonfiction, literary devices, and vocabulary at the eighth- grade level;

(e) sometimes articulates but seldom evaluates the strategies used to monitor reading progress;

(f) sets reading goals and sometimes meets them;

(g) sometimes self-selects appropriate material to meet a reading purpose; and

(h) compares information, language, and points of view between and among print or nonprint sources, but seldom integrates information.