Kindergartner has made no reading progress

[Anonymous]

My kindergarten son has made no reading progress all year. He is still on level 2, which is what he come in on. I get very curt answers from his teacher when I try to discuss this with her. Her responses are things like "I'm getting him where he needs to be.".

I'm thinking of sending am email and asking for the reading specialist to look at him. Thoughts? Or any recommendations for at home reading programs? Tutors?

[Anonymous]

I assume you mean Reading Recovery Level 2, which is early reader/Kindergarten/Grade 1 level. If so, I wouldn't expect him to advance too quickly as he is right where he should be in Kindergarten. What I saw when my child was in K last year, is that its slow going until they start to really get it. Then, they make a bit of a jump - this happens at different paces for each child. Yet, I would still expect him to stay in line with the class, which it sounds like he is. There is more to learning to read than sounding out the words. They are still learning all the rules such as capitalizing, punctuation, spelling, plus comprehension. They tend to work on sight words until they learn enough to read faster/better. Perhaps start working with some flash cards on the top 100 sight words, which should help him read faster and let him concentrate on the new words rather than sounding out all the words.

[Anonymous]

No, he isn't in the reading recovery program, just normal leveled reading books. The rest of the class is way ahead of him. The kindergarten bench mark is level 4 and I don't see anyway he is going to make it.

[Anonymous]

Does he have all the prereading skills? Can he recognize and sound out all letters? My son didn't read till the begining of first grade. He recognized some site words but there were very few books he could pick up and read. We did get him some really easy phonics ones he could read. First grade, he made a huge jump like the second week of school. We have taken a laid back approach and not pushed him, but we read to him for 15-30 minutes a night. I also encourage him to read menus and street signs and the back of the cereal box.

[Anonymous]

The levels are a bit of a mystery to me. That said, if you think thereay be a problem, you should address it before it gets harder to do so. My first Q is whether your son enjoys reading, which in my mind at this age includes being read TO by an adult. Does he seem to follow the story? Does he ever try to read words when you are out together - words on signs, for example. I would try to make a game out of having him read words here and there to you - the "site words" appropriate for K like go, to, etc. I would also email the teacher again, let her know you are concerned and specifically why, and that you would like to talk to her re same bc you plan tocall the reading specialist but want her advice/input first. I find that some teachers (my DC are in MoCo publics) get defensive or dismissive if you want to inquire about something, which is why I would try to couch the email that you want her help/expertise. If she doesn't provide you any real insight as to why she thinks your child is where he should be and why, then I would call in the reading specialist. GL.

[Anonymous]

Are they using the Rigby Lit levels and Literacy by Design? That is the only one I know of that would put him at a 4 by the end of K. Is he a late birthday? Many kids lag in the levels when they are younger than the other kids.

[Anonymous]

have you set up a meeting w/the teacher? i don't know anything about levels, but if he really has made no progress at this point in the school year, it is definitely time for a sit-down with the teacher and maybe the reading specialist. Given the emphasis and time the schools (at least MCPS) place on reading in K, no progress after almost 8 months should be a red flag to everyone.

The teacher's response sounds defensive, and I think you want to find a way to discuss this with her where she doesn't feel like it's about her. It's not. It's about all of you trying to figure out how to best help your child.

[Anonymous]

Maybe when he entered he wasn't really reading at Level 2?

I know lots of parents in my kids K class insisted their child could "read" at the beginning of the year. Most are all at the same level now with one or two a little ahead.

Many of the kids who could "read" had books memorized so when the books changed so did their reading ability (even though their parents were adamant they had not in fact memorized them). Some had some site words recognized but then couldn't sound out very simple words so the progress has slowed.

[Anonymous]

How are you judging what level he is on? in my DD's class, they didn't start bringing books home until January -- at that time, the books -- though basic -- were a stretch for her. Recently, she has made what seems to me a huge leap in her ability (knock wood), but she is still getting books on relatively the same level sent home from school -- and I am ok with that. First, she needs to develop fluency and the easier readers are helping with that. Second, I think some (not all, but a good chunck) of her improvement has come from a knowledge of sight words and a confidence level in making predictions based on her growing phonics skills and her knowledge of the stories (and before she reached the level she is at now, she wouldn't make predictions and guess a word), but that she still needs to work on her phonics skills, which is why the teachers are sending home the more basic books. I think I have lousy phonics skills, and, in tests as a child, there would be gaps between all my other testing and my phonics skills. I want to make sure in K my child is working on the phonics. Third, we have other sources of books at levels close to where she is and she has freedom at home to choose a book that we read together so it isn't like she is only reading the book from school. Good luck. I'm not sure what reading system you are using so I can't actually tell if you child is where he should be . . .

[Anonymous]

MY DS entered 1st grade as a 3. He has bascially always been on grade level since. What is frustrating is that that still means he is in the lowest reading group as grade level defintely does not mean average. Also be aware that the school has great incentive for keeping your child on grade level (even if they are really not) because if they slip below they have to provide more resources. Don't worry about those chapter book readers (there is a big range of fine at this age), but do keep an eye out and follow your gut. No progress in 3 quarters of the year does sort of stand out to me as worth of an explanation. Do not wait for the school to admit there is a problem.. Maybe a small amount of tutoring over the summer..more to get the tutors unbiased opinion on his skills than for actual help though that wouldn't hurt either. My son didn't get to the point where he would pick up a book to enjoy on his own until 3rd grade..

[Anonymous]

OP- Do you have some written report card/progress report showing he was on the same reading level at the beginning of the year? If so, email the teacher explaining that there has been no progress since then and you'd like to have a meeting. If you do not get that meeting, email the principal about it. Our principal would never allow zero progress and have nothing happen b/c of it. It could be that he will progress over the summer/beginning of first or this could indicate a problem. Someone needs to find out which it is.

[Anonymous]

OP here, we are using Rigby Lit levels and Literacy by Design. Mont County expects all kids to be at a level 4 when the graduate kindergarten but if you look at the "keys for college" success say kids should be at a level 6.

He has been bringing home reading books at a level 2 since October. I have met with the teacher and she is very defensive. It is almost like she has decided he is not going to learn and has stopped teaching him.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried either headsprout or reading eggs online? Helpful in getting my DC who was resisting sounding out to sound out . . .

[Anonymous]

OP, I understand your concern, but I doubt that the teacher has decided he isn't going to learn and has stopped teaching him. But, in order to get information, you can call the principal or guidance counselor and request an EMT (education management team meeting) to discuss his reading. They are typically set up very quickly - within days sometimes. At the meeting, you can share your concerns and you should get information about your child's progress and reading level. If your child isn't progressing, you can request a formal assessment. You will also find out whether he is receiving pull out services for reading, which is common where kids are lagging behind early on and does not require an IEP or 504.

You are right to be concerned, but if you are basing your concern on the books that he is bringing home, you may find that the reason he is bringing home books at the same level is that those are the books he requests and that this isn't at all an indication of his abilities or progress.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP-

I tutor kindergarten children who are struggling with reading. I have 16 years of experience teaching decoding skills, and strategies. My strengths are that I make reading "FUN," and I have activities, and materials for interactive & creative learning.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

If you are interested, please contact me:
[e-mail]

Thank you,
Rebecca