What level (for reading group) is your 1st grader assigned to? (MCPS)

[Anonymous]

I remember they capped the levels in kinder. Last year (in K), my child started at level 9 (which I was told was the cap) and finished at 16 (again, told this was the cap).

She started this year, in first grade, at level 16. I don't know if this is the cap or not.

I'm sure there are first graders who are more advanced in reading than she is - I just don't know if she tested to a 16 (which would be low, per her K teacher last year) or if she is capped there. Due to some shyness/inattention issues, I'm sensitive to whether she is demonstrating at school what I know she can do at home.

So, is 16 the cap for kicking off first grade? Or does anyone have a child who is in a higher reading group than that?

As an aside, there are 8 kids in my child's reading group - seems large to me!

[Anonymous]

My DD is in first grade and the guided reading books she is bringing home are level K (I think this must be the first lettered books, since the first guided reading book she brought home was I think level 17, and then the level K came next.)

[Anonymous]

J is the first letter.

[Anonymous]

Level I is same as level 16. After level 16 or level I is J,K,L and so on. I am not sure that there is any cap for reading level but I might be wrong. My 1st. grader is on level M.

[Anonymous]

This is helpful to know, thank you. She is clearly not in the highest reading group this year, which is fine, but it is a change from last year.

She did mention to DH that she missed a kindergarten sight word during the assessment at the beginning of the year (which surprised us, since she knew them all a year ago), but I think it was just a mistake. I don't know if that affected placement or not.

Okay, we'll just watch during the year, continue to read with her, and keep an eye out for progress.

Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of caps in MCPS for kindergartners or 1st graders on reading levels. The kids where my kids go are accommodated based upon their needs. If someone needs more challenging reading, they get it. I know kids who read Harry Potter in kindergarten who were given appropriate level reading materials throughout their school experience.

[Anonymous]

In K and now in 1st, I've never been told my DS is at particular reading level or in particular reading group. (At the end of K, I was just told he was reading above expectations.) And, I was never able to guess at his particular reading level by what materials (books) were sent home. No books have been sent home so far in 1st grade. At back to school night, the teachers made it a point to emphasize that both teachers had reading groups at all levels. (So, you couldn't deduce that your child was in a higher reading group just because he/she was with a particular teacher for reading.)

So, I just don't understand how parents are able to compare what reading group their child is in (and why it is important).

[Anonymous]

My son just brought home a book that is a level 7. He is in first grade.

[Anonymous]

At some point (for our older child, it was the end of 1st) they start including writing in the assessment of reading level. So a child who is at M at the beginning of 1st is likely to go down. Also, our school uses a data notebook where the kids fill in their reading level every month or two. I'm surprised some people aren't told about their child's reading level. It seems to be a big deal at our school. And my kids h e always known which reading group they were in....

[Anonymous]

There is a cap in Kindergarten at our school. They did not test the kids past level 16. There is no cap in first grade. The test at the start of first grade incorporates writing as well. The highest kids in my son's class last year started at J/K and ended at P.

16 is likely not the highest group at the start of the year.

[Anonymous]

My son is bringing home books on level I books, but I know he can read at a higher level.

I think the books go along with the comprehension level assignments - text features, settings, feelings, etc.

[Anonymous]

They often use easer books for reading group then what they are capable of reading.

[Anonymous]

The reading level is also determined by the writing level, so even if your kid is an awesome reader, he probably can't compose sentences or paragraphs at the level of Harry Potter. My dd is reading the Ramona series, but her reading level is k because that's how she writes about the books she reads.

[Anonymous]

A lot of times kids can read at a very high level, but they don't comprehend what they are reading. That could be why kids are reading books at a perceived lower level than their perceived capabilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of times kids can read at a very high level, but they don't comprehend what they are reading. That could be why kids are reading books at a perceived lower level than their perceived capabilities.

I agree. My son (books at I level), still needs extra help w/ comprehension...for example: he knows what the problem of the story is, but needs to think why this is a problem, which is what the teacher is looking for.