Reading Levels

[yellowbee]

Kindergarten teacher told me our son was tested today and has an 18 DRA and that he will explain more at a later date. When we got home I asked my child what books they read. They said that they read The Wagon (Level 14) and then Thin as a Stick (Level 24) and that both were easy. Who knows though, right?

 

I am just left wondering what we work on at home, if anything, until we learn more from the teacher. Right now our kindergartner can read a Magic Tree House in an hour and a half if left alone and can tell us all about the story if we ask followup questions. Most days we carve out time in a different chapter book we take turns reading a page, so I can make sure (1) the story is being understood and (2) we can work on pacing/timing/etc.

 

I would have thought that they were a higher reading level given what we are reading, but I understand that there is likely more to it than I realize. However, when I ran across the levels for the books that they read to assess, I saw too that there are often ceilings of 18 for kindergarten and it left me wondering if a ceiling was just hit.

 

Ultimately, the number doesn't matter ....but I want to make sure that we are reading appropriate books at home. I just don't want to deciate a lot of time and energy for us all on books that might not be the most effective. Make sense? Should we just keep doing what we are doing? Or should I follow up about maybe getting a reading list to follow at home? This is our first time to be in school so I just don't know how much this stuff matters or doesn't matter. Any thoughts?

Edited August 29, 2012 by yellowbee

[jenbrdsly]

I'm more familiar with Guided Reading Levels. From what you are saying though, it sound like you believe child is reading at a Guided Reading Level M or DRA 24. That's exactly why my son was doing in Kindergarten, so I believe you 100%. :)

 

It could very well be that the test only went up to 18. When my son was assessed in Kindergarten he missed one or two words and that pulled his official score down. One month later his Kindergarten teacher totally blown away when she could see what he could really do.

 

So keep on keeping on at home!

[Dmmetler]

He probably hit the ceiling. My DD had a bunch of different Reading level scores in Preschool and K, and whether she was "2nd grade" or "POst high school" depended entirely on the ceiling of the test and how long it took to hit it (take too long and she'd start giving silly answers so she'd get done-the highest score happened when the librarian gave her the STAR test starting at about 5th grade level, because she was basing it on books she'd seen DD read, so DD didn't get bored with the test when it was still on two syllable words).

[Bang!Zoom!]

(insert 10K content rant)

 

Summary:

 

Yes and No on the question, "do they matter?"

 

The shortest heartfelt everything I know response is this: If you are comfortable with where the kids are reading, do your best to take it all with a grain of salt. Keep good material in the house, read aloud a lot, use a variety of books and do your best to ignore the charts/stats from the schools.

 

The numbers matter to the school in a way that doesn't translate a hoot to a parent in the LONG RUN.

 

There is a LOT of growth between 5 and age 9 for example, ceilings and all of that...(shrug) - I'm pretty immune to it at this stage of the game.

 

I think the ability to understand books for a wide array of purposes is important, but even MORE so, the ability to talk about them, form ideas around them.

[a27mom]

I have done quite a bit of reading on this, and from what I understand in many schools that have a ceiling level for each grade because the testing requires so much one on one teacher time. Also from what I understand the testing isn't entirely based on whether they read and understand the story, it also has to do with how they "interact" with it.

[jenbrdsly]

I have to insert a bit of empathy for the teachers too. It is INCREDIBLY difficult to do one on one assessments (often called "running records") when you are also trying to manage 20+ five year olds.

[yellowbee]

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts. It is interesting to read.

 

I must say that I am in awe of what our kindergarten teacher must manage so I am trying to not focus on the number. I know that the class is in the upper twenties for kids and that is a lot of five year olds! Especially how I know my one five year old can exhaust me most days.

 

But I am a number's person so this is hard and being a first timer, even harder I think because I don't know what it all means and what, if anything, really to do with that information. :)

[slackermom]

DD's school definitely had tests with a ceiling. She was level "M" in kindergarten, but apparently made no advancement in 1st grade (since that would have required a higher level test to be ordered), and then in 2nd, when her teacher ordered the higher level test, DD was level "Z."

 

I would stick with what works for your family, and what your child enjoys. Maybe instead of a specific reading list, you could ask for some ideas for guided discussion with your child. Also, the levels assigned to books can be really inconsistent.