Ye Olde K Reading Group Question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some schools cap reading levels. She might be at the top level offered.

It's not so much that they "cap" levels, it's that beyond a certain level, there is a writing component required to advance to the next level. If your child hasn't mastered the writing, he or she has not mastered the level.

No, at our school the cap the level. They won't test kindergartners past level J.

OP here. I wonder if that's true for ours also. Our school is a little laid back (which I generally like). Pp do you mind saying which school?

[Anonymous]

actually, our school is one of those that does stops testing at a certain point for kinders. they assume a child that age cannot pass the written component so they don't bother checking. had a long discussion with the principal about this at the beginning of the year and they had the reading specialist do additional testing for my dd but only because i asked.

she's a decent writer and actually passed the written comprehension questions for several levels above the cap according to the reading specialist and can pass the verbal comprehension at 7 levels above the cap. they are doing nothing to advance her in her class, however. she's still working with the rest of her fluent reader classmates on books that are at the cap.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some schools cap reading levels. She might be at the top level offered.

It's not so much that they "cap" levels, it's that beyond a certain level, there is a writing component required to advance to the next level. If your child hasn't mastered the writing, he or she has not mastered the level.

No, at our school the cap the level. They won't test kindergartners past level J.

OP here. I wonder if that's true for ours also. Our school is a little laid back (which I generally like). Pp do you mind saying which school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The books they read at school are not meant to be an exciting story but texts short enough to read together and write about. The writing is the part they are working on. I would try to explain that versus talking to the teacher. She's got a long way to go, it will be years of this. My son has always been in the highest reading group (K through 3rd grade) and the books he has read have always been way beneath the level he reads at home. I told him that's because he was working on his writing.

Thanks, that's helpful. I don't think that the "reading group" part is also the writing part, though, is it? To hear her describe it, the reading group doesn't involve a writing component. But then they have "writer's workshop" where they pick out a book and read it and write about it. For that, she gets to pick a book she wants to read, so that's fine. It would be good to actually know this stuff. I suspect it differs from school to school. But even if they do read short texts, i get the sense from her that it's all really basic words. Is that how it's supposed to be?
But I think i'm going to wait a bit, see what the reading level says on the report card and if it jives with what I see at home. Also, give it a couple weeks to shake out.

So what was the reading level on her report card, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The books they read at school are not meant to be an exciting story but texts short enough to read together and write about. The writing is the part they are working on. I would try to explain that versus talking to the teacher. She's got a long way to go, it will be years of this. My son has always been in the highest reading group (K through 3rd grade) and the books he has read have always been way beneath the level he reads at home. I told him that's because he was working on his writing.

Thanks, that's helpful. I don't think that the "reading group" part is also the writing part, though, is it? To hear her describe it, the reading group doesn't involve a writing component. But then they have "writer's workshop" where they pick out a book and read it and write about it. For that, she gets to pick a book she wants to read, so that's fine. It would be good to actually know this stuff. I suspect it differs from school to school. But even if they do read short texts, i get the sense from her that it's all really basic words. Is that how it's supposed to be?
But I think i'm going to wait a bit, see what the reading level says on the report card and if it jives with what I see at home. Also, give it a couple weeks to shake out.

So what was the reading level on her report card, OP?

12. Not 16! But I looked at the samples for reading levels, and she's totally past 16. So either she had a bad day for the assessment, or she hasn't had one in a while, or my understanding of the levels is totally off. But i can see why she's frustrated. I just don't want her to be upset about it. I think that it's likely she'll move up if there's another assessment soon. If not, the reading group time just isn't that much time and we'll make up for it at home. Meanwhile, getting the kid to write is like asking her to brush her teeth with glass... always something.
Anyway, these are lucky problems. Healthy, happy kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The books they read at school are not meant to be an exciting story but texts short enough to read together and write about. The writing is the part they are working on. I would try to explain that versus talking to the teacher. She's got a long way to go, it will be years of this. My son has always been in the highest reading group (K through 3rd grade) and the books he has read have always been way beneath the level he reads at home. I told him that's because he was working on his writing.

Thanks, that's helpful. I don't think that the "reading group" part is also the writing part, though, is it? To hear her describe it, the reading group doesn't involve a writing component. But then they have "writer's workshop" where they pick out a book and read it and write about it. For that, she gets to pick a book she wants to read, so that's fine. It would be good to actually know this stuff. I suspect it differs from school to school. But even if they do read short texts, i get the sense from her that it's all really basic words. Is that how it's supposed to be?
But I think i'm going to wait a bit, see what the reading level says on the report card and if it jives with what I see at home. Also, give it a couple weeks to shake out.

So what was the reading level on her report card, OP?

12. Not 16! But I looked at the samples for reading levels, and she's totally past 16. So either she had a bad day for the assessment, or she hasn't had one in a while, or my understanding of the levels is totally off. But i can see why she's frustrated. I just don't want her to be upset about it. I think that it's likely she'll move up if there's another assessment soon. If not, the reading group time just isn't that much time and we'll make up for it at home. Meanwhile, getting the kid to write is like asking her to brush her teeth with glass... always something.
Anyway, these are lucky problems. Healthy, happy kid.

You do understand that to test a child's reading level it is far more than asking general comprehension questions like you have done, don't you?

[Anonymous]

op, there are a few schools, mostly in the wealthier parts of moco, that have started using the writing component starting at a level lower than 16. my guess is you are at one of those schools. it sounds bad, i know, but it's not a bad thing.

Anonymous wrote:
12. Not 16! But I looked at the samples for reading levels, and she's totally past 16. So either she had a bad day for the assessment, or she hasn't had one in a while, or my understanding of the levels is totally off. But i can see why she's frustrated. I just don't want her to be upset about it. I think that it's likely she'll move up if there's another assessment soon. If not, the reading group time just isn't that much time and we'll make up for it at home. Meanwhile, getting the kid to write is like asking her to brush her teeth with glass... always something.
Anyway, these are lucky problems. Healthy, happy kid.

[Anonymous]

Is she in the highest reading group for her class? That's one way of figuring out if there's a cap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The books they read at school are not meant to be an exciting story but texts short enough to read together and write about. The writing is the part they are working on. I would try to explain that versus talking to the teacher. She's got a long way to go, it will be years of this. My son has always been in the highest reading group (K through 3rd grade) and the books he has read have always been way beneath the level he reads at home. I told him that's because he was working on his writing.

Thanks, that's helpful. I don't think that the "reading group" part is also the writing part, though, is it? To hear her describe it, the reading group doesn't involve a writing component. But then they have "writer's workshop" where they pick out a book and read it and write about it. For that, she gets to pick a book she wants to read, so that's fine. It would be good to actually know this stuff. I suspect it differs from school to school. But even if they do read short texts, i get the sense from her that it's all really basic words. Is that how it's supposed to be?
But I think i'm going to wait a bit, see what the reading level says on the report card and if it jives with what I see at home. Also, give it a couple weeks to shake out.

So what was the reading level on her report card, OP?

12. Not 16! But I looked at the samples for reading levels, and she's totally past 16. So either she had a bad day for the assessment, or she hasn't had one in a while, or my understanding of the levels is totally off. But i can see why she's frustrated. I just don't want her to be upset about it. I think that it's likely she'll move up if there's another assessment soon. If not, the reading group time just isn't that much time and we'll make up for it at home. Meanwhile, getting the kid to write is like asking her to brush her teeth with glass... always something.
Anyway, these are lucky problems. Healthy, happy kid.

You do understand that to test a child's reading level it is far more than asking general comprehension questions like you have done, don't you?

Um, you actually don't know what kind of questions I've asked, but thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is she in the highest reading group for her class? That's one way of figuring out if there's a cap.

She doesn't know and I dont really want to ask and make it an issue. To be honest I don't actually care. If she keeps being frustrated and it doesn't change, I may ask. But even if she's reading stuff that's too easy for her, I'm ok with it as long as she's happy and interested in reading at home. That is the good thing about this. When she gets a chance to read at home, she acts like it's this huge treat that she gets to pick what she wants. So maybe it's not such a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:op, there are a few schools, mostly in the wealthier parts of moco, that have started using the writing component starting at a level lower than 16. my guess is you are at one of those schools. it sounds bad, i know, but it's not a bad thing.

Anonymous wrote:
12. Not 16! But I looked at the samples for reading levels, and she's totally past 16. So either she had a bad day for the assessment, or she hasn't had one in a while, or my understanding of the levels is totally off. But i can see why she's frustrated. I just don't want her to be upset about it. I think that it's likely she'll move up if there's another assessment soon. If not, the reading group time just isn't that much time and we'll make up for it at home. Meanwhile, getting the kid to write is like asking her to brush her teeth with glass... always something.
Anyway, these are lucky problems. Healthy, happy kid.

Could be. That doesn't make sense to me, but I can live with it.

[Anonymous]

Wow, no wonder she is frustrated. My first grader was in one of the lowest groups until recently and her report card said 14. I thought they did always re-did the assessments before the report cards.

[Anonymous]

I would say you are lucky they go that high - a lot of the kindergarten classes at the local schools cap the students at level 6/D.

[Anonymous]

My DD is a kindergardener and at K on her reading assessment so I don't think they cap it at her school.

[Anonymous]

The cap varies school to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say you are lucky they go that high - a lot of the kindergarten classes at the local schools cap the students at level 6/D.

Source? I teach K at a Title I school, and we have reading groups currently in the 12-16 range. I have extreme doubts that a school could "cap" reading groups at grade level.