My child's reading level went down

[Anonymous]

Report card for 4th grader shows reading level at a Z quarter 3 and at a Y quarter 4. I'm not sure how this is really possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Report card for 4th grader shows reading level at a Z quarter 3 and at a Y quarter 4. I'm not sure how this is really possible.

Could be explained simply by your child getting one less question right this go round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Report card for 4th grader shows reading level at a Z quarter 3 and at a Y quarter 4. I'm not sure how this is really possible.

Could be explained simply by your child getting one less question right this go round.

What is the evaluation? Is it reading comprehension questions?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't think twice about this. Kids reading substantially ahead of grade level don't benefit from that kind of specific leveling, it's a tool for supporting new or struggling readers and pretty meaningless for kids like this.

-- teacher

[Anonymous]

No need to worry. Both Z and Y are ahead of grade level for a 4th grader and that's great. My second grader scored several grade levels ahead on the MAP-P winter test. On the spring test the score dropped by a few points but was still a few grades ahead. DC said the test was asking questions about calculating areas which certainly isn't covered in 2nd grade so I'm not the least bit concerned about the dip in score. Your kid did terrific... testing above grade level can be hit or miss at times, but they are obviously on the right path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't think twice about this. Kids reading substantially ahead of grade level don't benefit from that kind of specific leveling, it's a tool for supporting new or struggling readers and pretty meaningless for kids like this.

-- teacher

Thanks! I appreciate that. My child was so happy to reach Z last quarter that I think I just won't show her the report card.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't think twice about this. Kids reading substantially ahead of grade level don't benefit from that kind of specific leveling, it's a tool for supporting new or struggling readers and pretty meaningless for kids like this.

-- teacher

Thanks! I appreciate that. My child was so happy to reach Z last quarter that I think I just won't show her the report card.

NP, I think that makes sense. A drop like that could easily be explained by being a little extra tired that day, excited about some event coming up later that day, hungry because it was right before lunchtime, etc. No sense in needlessly discouraging her without more evidence that she's actually lost ground.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes kids are stronger at one passage tupe vs another - think fiction vs science.

[Anonymous]

My kindergartener's reading level went down from a 15 at marking period 2 to a 14 now. I'm concerned -- I know those are both above grade level, but to not make any progress (or to lose progress!) for half a year worries me, especially since the expectation is to move up several levels per year in the early grades. My kid was even going to another teacher's class for a higher level reading group, so I'm really confused by what happened. Makes me think that either the assessments are inconsistent, or that my kid got lost in the shuffle between the teachers. I have an e-mail in to the main teacher to ask about it, but I would have liked to know if there was a problem earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener's reading level went down from a 15 at marking period 2 to a 14 now. I'm concerned -- I know those are both above grade level, but to not make any progress (or to lose progress!) for half a year worries me, especially since the expectation is to move up several levels per year in the early grades. My kid was even going to another teacher's class for a higher level reading group, so I'm really confused by what happened. Makes me think that either the assessments are inconsistent, or that my kid got lost in the shuffle between the teachers. I have an e-mail in to the main teacher to ask about it, but I would have liked to know if there was a problem earlier.

I think the biggest inconsistency you'll find, is with the teaching. Often random.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener's reading level went down from a 15 at marking period 2 to a 14 now. I'm concerned -- I know those are both above grade level, but to not make any progress (or to lose progress!) for half a year worries me, especially since the expectation is to move up several levels per year in the early grades. My kid was even going to another teacher's class for a higher level reading group, so I'm really confused by what happened. Makes me think that either the assessments are inconsistent, or that my kid got lost in the shuffle between the teachers. I have an e-mail in to the main teacher to ask about it, but I would have liked to know if there was a problem earlier.

Your kid is above grade level. What did you do at home to support that? Did your kid get lost in the shuffle at home? My kid is well above grade level so we got lots of workbooks to keep kid engaged. The public school system isn't going to hold your shooting star's hand as far as they'll go. Kid is above grade level... help kid with that. Don't wonder if your snowflake is getting lost in the system. Be a freaking parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener's reading level went down from a 15 at marking period 2 to a 14 now. I'm concerned -- I know those are both above grade level, but to not make any progress (or to lose progress!) for half a year worries me, especially since the expectation is to move up several levels per year in the early grades. My kid was even going to another teacher's class for a higher level reading group, so I'm really confused by what happened. Makes me think that either the assessments are inconsistent, or that my kid got lost in the shuffle between the teachers. I have an e-mail in to the main teacher to ask about it, but I would have liked to know if there was a problem earlier.

Your kid is above grade level. What did you do at home to support that? Did your kid get lost in the shuffle at home? My kid is well above grade level so we got lots of workbooks to keep kid engaged. The public school system isn't going to hold your shooting star's hand as far as they'll go. Kid is above grade level... help kid with that. Don't wonder if your snowflake is getting lost in the system. Be a freaking parent.

Of course we're supporting our kid at home, reading together, helping with writing, etc., and we reached out to both teachers in the spring to see if there was anything specific to work on once my kid started going to the other teacher's classroom for reading. We're seeing lots of progress and learning going on, which is why the test scores surprised me. I don't think my kid is actually a worse reader now than earlier in the year, but the report card indicates that, so I'm surprised and wondering what is happening at school that I'm not seeing at home. Was it a bad day? An incomplete assessment? Or is my kid really having trouble progressing at school? If so, why didn't I hear about it earlier? I would expect that lack of progress over half a year, even if the kid is above grade level, should trigger some kind of message to the parent, but maybe that's too much to expect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kindergartener's reading level went down from a 15 at marking period 2 to a 14 now. I'm concerned -- I know those are both above grade level, but to not make any progress (or to lose progress!) for half a year worries me, especially since the expectation is to move up several levels per year in the early grades. My kid was even going to another teacher's class for a higher level reading group, so I'm really confused by what happened. Makes me think that either the assessments are inconsistent, or that my kid got lost in the shuffle between the teachers. I have an e-mail in to the main teacher to ask about it, but I would have liked to know if there was a problem earlier.

Your kid is above grade level. What did you do at home to support that? Did your kid get lost in the shuffle at home? My kid is well above grade level so we got lots of workbooks to keep kid engaged. The public school system isn't going to hold your shooting star's hand as far as they'll go. Kid is above grade level... help kid with that. Don't wonder if your snowflake is getting lost in the system. Be a freaking parent.

Of course we're supporting our kid at home, reading together, helping with writing, etc., and we reached out to both teachers in the spring to see if there was anything specific to work on once my kid started going to the other teacher's classroom for reading. We're seeing lots of progress and learning going on, which is why the test scores surprised me. I don't think my kid is actually a worse reader now than earlier in the year, but the report card indicates that, so I'm surprised and wondering what is happening at school that I'm not seeing at home. Was it a bad day? An incomplete assessment? Or is my kid really having trouble progressing at school? If so, why didn't I hear about it earlier? I would expect that lack of progress over half a year, even if the kid is above grade level, should trigger some kind of message to the parent, but maybe that's too much to expect.

Look... your kid is doing well and it sounds like your working that well at home. Relax. Testing outside of grade level isn't terribly accurate. Just keep making sure your kid is enjoying learning... especially in kindergarten. Don't worry so much about levels... just instill a passion for learning. Keep instruction at home fun.... turn it into games... dinner time at our house has lately turned into 'guess my marsupial'. A lot of kids in K are still working out their sounds, shapes and colors. Your kid isn't lost in the system.... the system can't keep up. Keep up at home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[

Look... your kid is doing well and it sounds like your working that well at home. Relax. Testing outside of grade level isn't terribly accurate. Just keep making sure your kid is enjoying learning... especially in kindergarten. Don't worry so much about levels... just instill a passion for learning. Keep instruction at home fun.... turn it into games... dinner time at our house has lately turned into 'guess my marsupial'. A lot of kids in K are still working out their sounds, shapes and colors. Your kid isn't lost in the system.... the system can't keep up. Keep up at home

You're right, thanks. This is just playing on some anxieties I have about this kid (advanced in some areas, but young for grade and immature). And annoyances with lack of communication from the school. I have an older kid and have always seen straightforward progress, so this is different. But I know it's not really important and, as you said, we should just make sure learning is fun and enjoyable.

[Anonymous]

My child's teacher went on maternity leave mid-year. During that quarter, my child's reading level jumped two grade levels. Now, I can choose to believe that my child made an astronomical leap during that time, or I can choose to believe the teachers were using different metrics.

I know my kid. They are reading well above grade level and have been since before the "jump." Did I worry a little before the report card reflected reality? Yeah, a little. But I KNEW my child was a strong reader and that for some reason the test just wasn't picking it up yet, ether because of overconfidence and mistakes on my child's part, or because a young and inexperienced teacher was artificially marking the kids down.

Either way, my kid does the vast majority of their reading outside of school, so I just needed to chill and so do you. It'll all come out in the wash. Truly.