DRA Reading Level 16 at the end of 1st grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is the one who is currently at 20. His teacher sends home a leveled book each week and she has moved him up to a 20. Most either have a number on them or use the letter scale. You can see a comparison of the different systems here: https://www.readinga-z.com/learninga-z-levels/level-correlation-chart/

There are different levels. 16 is probably his mastery level and 20 is probably his working level. Working level is where they can read most of it with a few mistakes. Mastery of 16 is reading with no mistakes in a prescribed time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you think that your child is capable of doing more - practice reading and writing over the summer.

Have them read a story and write a paragraph or two paraphrasing what they read.

Or have them write down how they spent each summer day. They'll get some writing practice and you'll get a treasured keepsake.

Participate in the library reading program. They have great suggestions for kids.

I have teens and I was worried about their writing/reading levels too at that age. The above really helps.

This is great advice, although for a struggling or reluctant reader, I would skip anything that turns them off reading or writing-- which for a lot of kids, is anything that is aimed at eliciting information about their level of reading comprehension. Talk about books for pleasure and conversation (over meals, in the car), grab a pencil and paper when he starts to tell a story and write it down (if he asks, say "I want to make sure I remember this one!" and then read it aloud at dinner to show him the importance and joy of writing in your lives-- in fact, write down funny things over the course of the day and bring your notes to dinner; all the greatest conversationalists and writers I've known do this, and inspired me to try it out).

If your child is at a DRA16, what he needs is lots and lots of practice. He knows the general rules of phonics and needs exposure to lots of words. I'd be inclined to skip the reading tutor and just scour lists of books at, a little above, and a little below his reading level and surround him with them all summer long. In addition, I've found it helpful to always read books aloud to my children that are far beyond their reading level-- this helps them build the vocabulary necessary to read on their own, and is also a great pleasure for all of us because we can then talk about the books or play book-related games in ways that aren't an assignment or a test.

I'm not going to remark on your comment about his "smart" friends except to say that reading level in first grade is not a measure of overall intellect. And I have a strong first grade reader, but she was not an early reader.

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to weigh in that whether he's "truly behind" really is relative. I grew up in a small town and was a pretty good reader by age 5. I grew up thinking I was some sort of savant, because everyone else couldn't read for several more years. Not being a strong reader at 7 wouldn't have been vaguely abnormal in my home town.

Now reading standards have changed with an earlier emphasis and my kids attend an expensive preschool where all the kids have ambitious parents with advanced degrees. I think literally every kid in the school is further along than I was at the same age. But I think this says more about changing times, changing expectations, and how many naturally bright kids there are in this area.

[Anonymous]

I used to be a teacher, and it's true that many kids are reading in the 20 and 30's by the end of first, but not all of them. Some kids develop faster than others, and some kids just like reading more than others. My child is at the end of 1st and is a 16 also, but he absolutely hates to read and only does it when forced. FCPS just pushes them so hard that sometimes the effect is counterproductive. I would try to make sure there isn't any "summer slide," but otherwise I would not worry.

[Anonymous]

Now that my kids are older, I can tell you that early or late readers should not be viewed as intellectual benchmark. I remember when my older kid was in first grade, a few early readers (reading Junie B by themselves) were showing off their skills. They were identified gifted but by 4th grade, some of them are barely keeping up. Being able to read is not the same as understanding the material.

On a different note, a friend has a son who was at the border of benchmark at second grade somehow tested full score at 5th grade but was still a poor writer. A year later, the middle school teacher identified him as gifted.

So, just let your child grow naturally. Don't let the crazy parents make you feel bad.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean when you say he can't read a book? A chapter book? A picture book? At a level 16 he should be able to read some sort of book.

[Anonymous]

My son was a DRA 16 at the end of first and regressed over the summer. He was a 12 at the beginning of 2nd. He has been in reading intervention with a specialist all school year, pulled out a couple days a week. It's worked wonders for him. Reading just isn't his strength, which is common for children with ADD/ADHD. 2nd was hard because while he's still struggled, other kids are reading Harry Potter. He has felt inferior to his classmates at times, but that is also a co-morbid behavior of ADHD. He's currently at a 24 for non-fiction and a 20 for fiction. I believe the goal for the end of 2nd is 28. The more we read, the better he gets. For 3rd grade, he will be in a PBL classroom. Those activities provide many opportunities during the day to practice his reading. Since implementing Project Based Learning the 2012-2013 school year, the Reading SOL scores have improved from 77% passing to 90% passing. I really think PBL will be a great year for him. It will work with his learning style and the frequent opportunities to move throughout the classroom will only do him good.

Good luck OP. It will come in time. Might not come very quickly, but it will get there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son was a DRA 16 at the end of first and regressed over the summer. He was a 12 at the beginning of 2nd. He has been in reading intervention with a specialist all school year, pulled out a couple days a week. It's worked wonders for him. Reading just isn't his strength, which is common for children with ADD/ADHD. 2nd was hard because while he's still struggled, other kids are reading Harry Potter. He has felt inferior to his classmates at times, but that is also a co-morbid behavior of ADHD. He's currently at a 24 for non-fiction and a 20 for fiction. I believe the goal for the end of 2nd is 28. The more we read, the better he gets. For 3rd grade, he will be in a PBL classroom. Those activities provide many opportunities during the day to practice his reading. Since implementing Project Based Learning the 2012-2013 school year, the Reading SOL scores have improved from 77% passing to 90% passing. I really think PBL will be a great year for him. It will work with his learning style and the frequent opportunities to move throughout the classroom will only do him good.

Good luck OP. It will come in time. Might not come very quickly, but it will get there.

My DC has dyslexia and we found that audio books at his cognitive level were the saving grace. He would work on his reading at his reading level, but he would also listen to books (read by us and on CD) at higher levels. This enables him to keep up with the vocabulary and the character and plot developments. It does double the "reading" time at home. We still listen to books on longer car trips (30+ minutes).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son was a DRA 16 at the end of first and regressed over the summer. He was a 12 at the beginning of 2nd. He has been in reading intervention with a specialist all school year, pulled out a couple days a week. It's worked wonders for him. Reading just isn't his strength, which is common for children with ADD/ADHD. 2nd was hard because while he's still struggled, other kids are reading Harry Potter. He has felt inferior to his classmates at times, but that is also a co-morbid behavior of ADHD. He's currently at a 24 for non-fiction and a 20 for fiction. I believe the goal for the end of 2nd is 28. The more we read, the better he gets. For 3rd grade, he will be in a PBL classroom. Those activities provide many opportunities during the day to practice his reading. Since implementing Project Based Learning the 2012-2013 school year, the Reading SOL scores have improved from 77% passing to 90% passing. I really think PBL will be a great year for him. It will work with his learning style and the frequent opportunities to move throughout the classroom will only do him good.

Good luck OP. It will come in time. Might not come very quickly, but it will get there.

My DC has dyslexia and we found that audio books at his cognitive level were the saving grace. He would work on his reading at his reading level, but he would also listen to books (read by us and on CD) at higher levels. This enables him to keep up with the vocabulary and the character and plot developments. It does double the "reading" time at home. We still listen to books on longer car trips (30+ minutes).

I try to get him to do that, but it's like pulling teeth. The kid drives me bonkers with it, lol! It's hard for me to accept because I love reading but we're powering through. We did have all the psychological & educational testing done by the school district. He's definitely a visual learner, verbal learning is NOT his forte, totally tanked that part of his CoGAT and the additional specialized testing by the school psychologist.

OP, are there any other things at play? ADD, ADHD, Sensory issues? If so, your child would qualify for a 504 and additional accommodations can be made, including unlimited time for tests and more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son was a DRA 16 at the end of first and regressed over the summer. He was a 12 at the beginning of 2nd. He has been in reading intervention with a specialist all school year, pulled out a couple days a week. It's worked wonders for him. Reading just isn't his strength, which is common for children with ADD/ADHD. 2nd was hard because while he's still struggled, other kids are reading Harry Potter. He has felt inferior to his classmates at times, but that is also a co-morbid behavior of ADHD. He's currently at a 24 for non-fiction and a 20 for fiction. I believe the goal for the end of 2nd is 28. The more we read, the better he gets. For 3rd grade, he will be in a PBL classroom. Those activities provide many opportunities during the day to practice his reading. Since implementing Project Based Learning the 2012-2013 school year, the Reading SOL scores have improved from 77% passing to 90% passing. I really think PBL will be a great year for him. It will work with his learning style and the frequent opportunities to move throughout the classroom will only do him good.

Good luck OP. It will come in time. Might not come very quickly, but it will get there.

My DC has dyslexia and we found that audio books at his cognitive level were the saving grace. He would work on his reading at his reading level, but he would also listen to books (read by us and on CD) at higher levels. This enables him to keep up with the vocabulary and the character and plot developments. It does double the "reading" time at home. We still listen to books on longer car trips (30+ minutes).

I try to get him to do that, but it's like pulling teeth. The kid drives me bonkers with it, lol! It's hard for me to accept because I love reading but we're powering through. We did have all the psychological & educational testing done by the school district. He's definitely a visual learner, verbal learning is NOT his forte, totally tanked that part of his CoGAT and the additional specialized testing by the school psychologist.

OP, are there any other things at play? ADD, ADHD, Sensory issues? If so, your child would qualify for a 504 and additional accommodations can be made, including unlimited time for tests and more.

Many times we "hooked" DC into a book by slipping it in on a car ride and thirty minutes in, he was hooked. He would listen to the rest in the house if it was not finished on the trip.