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[quote=Anonymous]If you want to see if he has problems with phonics, give him nonsense words and see if he can sound them out. I agree that phonics is vitally important, but if he’s reading at a fifth grade level and enjoys reading, i doubt it’s the issue.

I think it more likely that you’re hitting a type of ceiling effect. The teacher may not be testing reading past 5th grade. Different leveling systems for reafing material generally correlate, but can vary amongst each other. (Which is harder, advanced vocabulary or sentence structure?)  This article describes sone of the variation in analyzing reading levels.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/reading-minds/201702/three-myths-about-reading-levels

Keep in mind that we usually don’t read at our maximum level. I can read college textbooks, but if I’m reading a novel for entertainment, the reading level isn’t anywhere near that. Knowing if a 1st grader is reading at a K, 1st, or 2nd grade level can make a big difference. I think by the 5th grade level, the levels become much less meaningful. As long as he’s reading interesting material, I think his capabilities will continue to grow, even if that improvement isn’t easily assessed. I think a lot of what matters is exposure to vocabulary and general content knowledge. (Reading about space, American history, dinosaurs, etc., is a lot easier if you have pre-existing knowledge about the subject of the reading to provide context).

I think rather than stressing over his reading level (assuming he has mastered phonics), the best thing you can do is provide him with a rich environment where he can explore his interests, provide him with plenty of reading material to enjoy (but don’t require daily reading), and read together. [/quote]

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