Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy "Just right reading levels"

I think that the need to demonstrate progress is at the heart of the problem. Miss rebel teacher explained that to me last year. She was willing to allow my daughter to read at a high level, but she wasn't willing to go against district policy and document what level she was at. She said she would not only get in trouble with the administration, but also with her fellow teachers. If a kid comes into a grade with a documented reading level that is very high, then the teacher needs to demonstrate progress ahead of that very high level. By keeping the kids reading levels scored artificially low, it makes it easier to "demonstrate progress".

Hmm... I hear this a lot. However, our school does something that does not mesh with this. Here is the situation: my son scored at the very top of the grade level during the first weeks of said grade level. He couldn't go any higher without moving up in the grade levels. When he scored at the ceiling in the beginning of the school year (September), the teacher then refused (attempted to refuse) to test him more. They want to leave the child at that same level ALL year. They do this to all the kids that score at the ceiling in the beginning of the year (unless the child's parents know to balk like I did). The school wanted my kid to sit at the same level all year because it was the last level for his grade. However, that would show he made NO progress. And I used the fact that he was *ostensibly* making no progress (because he was not moving up in DRA levels) but that the school was still legally obligated to make sure he makes progress (regardless of his level), to get them to test him to his appropriate level. So, this is screwy. If they have to show progress/growth, why are they leaving kids at the same level all year and not testing then because they do not want them to move up? It does not make sense. When I put that concern in writing to teacher, principal and special ed director, the school really stepped up getting the next grade up reading specialist to test him... and when he ceilinged there, the next-grade-up-reading-specialist was pulled in to test him more. They even went above and beyond and gave him some special tests. All of which showed he was well over two grade levels ahead in reading and comprehension.

Anyway, if they have to show progress/growth, then you can effectively use that to get what your child needs. That's what I did. When I started harping that "something" was "wrong" "due to the fact that my son was not progressing in his reading levels," it did not matter that he was at the ceiling, they immediately started acting to prove that he WAS progressing. Then, once it was demonstrated that he was at a certain level they just couldn't argue for forcing him to read material several levels below that.

So, my son's friend for instance. He also went in at the beginning of the year at the ceiling/end of grade level. He stayed at the same level all year. His parents told me the teacher refused to test him. The child was really upset and unhappy being forced to read books well below his level, that he was not interested in or challenged by. He stayed at the level the ENTIRE grade. He was held in from recess whenever he was caught reading a book not from his 'just right reading level basket.' (My son said he was in form recess for almost an entire month before they broke him!) He was forced during the time in from recess to read books that were at his "just right reading level," which was too low (my son reported that friend said he still did not actually read the crappy books, he "prayed instead"). He began to refuse to read at all at home and his mother lied (and still does) on all his reading logs because he gets in more trouble at school for not reading at home and he also prevents his class for being able to enter into raffles and such for prizes (the class can only enter if all kids have the requisite number of lines logged on reading log). He HATED reading by the end of the year. At the beginning of the next year, he was still at the same level as the beginning of the previous year. He NEVER reads at home, the mom and dad lie on the logs because the stress and tantrums reading causes at home now. I have known this child since kindergarten. In kindergarten he was advcanced reader and loved to read. In 1st, I remember him being the same way. It was in 2nd grade when the refusal to test beyond grade level started and when his teacher refused to allow him to read any books other than the ones that were in the "class basket" at the too low level.

They destroyed this kid's love for reading. And they won. But he made no progress in over a year! What did they get out of that? Yeah, they won the power play ... but they did not eve get to show "progress/growth" It does not make sense!

I am beginning to learn so much about Fountas & Pinnell. It seems like book access is not just a problem here, but a problem in any district using F&P. I thought it was just our district that caps access to books - but actually in reading through the F&P materials, it is the company itself that seems to advocate capping assessments - and hence, book access. In reading through the "teachers lounge" area of the forum - the teachers are asking what to do with their advanced readers and they are being told that they should "grade their assessments more rigorously!" (their emphasis, not mine) and have the student read more broadly at the assigned F&P grade level. The assessment itself is highly subjective, so a student might read and comprehend a text perfectly well - but they can be "rigorously scored" on their ability to draw inferences "beyond the text". Of course, the text they provide is so flat, I think I would be challenged to take anything away from the text at all.

They way they get away with showing progress is by setting the test ceiling artificially low in September when the assessments are "rigorously scored", raising the test ceiling slightly in December, then raising it slightly more for the end of the year. Voila- everyone makes a year of progress in a year. Gifted readers screw up the whole system if they are allowed to begin the year at too high a level.

I think the only way to get an accurate assessment would be to go outside of the school district, and who knows if they would even accept that anyway.

I have a meeting set up with the teacher, but I am feeling a little bit stuck. If this is the school/district policy - I would assume she has had this conversation probably dozens of times with many, many parents over the years. I am guessing the conversation will go something like this: "I have tested your daughter, and she did very well. She passed her baseline assessment. But, I think she is having difficulty with "drawing references beyond the text". I will work with her over the next few weeks and I will test her again at the next level"... October goes by, November goes by and just when it is time for her to move up as per district policy - surprise, surprise - it is time for a new test. Meanwhile, she is still reading several years below her actual ability level. This is CRAZY!

That's a terrible story. I would have been all over that school. That's the sort of thing that should be on the news. Punishing a child for reading more advanced books? Stupidest, most controlling idea ever.

Yes. The research basis for F&P is...shall we say, inadequate?

We also are stuck with Fountas and Pinnell, and I guess that's why we have had similar "lines". In the middle of third grade, someone assessed DD as a "U" or V". Then the next year she transferred schools and I mentioned what her level was in third grade (which by then was about a year earlier), and the teacher gave her the "U" or "V" assessment AGAIN and put her AGAIN at that level. She mentioned how impressed she was by her reading ability. I asked if she gave her a higher level assessment, and she said "no". Ummmm, ok? So now DD is in 5th grade, and guess what level is her "just right book"? A level U! The same as 1.5 years ago. At conferernces I intend to address the "lack of progress" and I'm sure I'll get the line "Oh, she's doing great, she's at grade level, you don't need to worry about her reading level" But at a certain point, this becomes ridiculous. DD said there is a girl in her class who is reading a level "X" (with some awe in her voice, like why does THAT girl get to read so high), when it's quite possible DD would actually also get to read that high if someone would actually give her the X assessment!

Under common core, schools are tasked with equal outcomes for all in order to close the achievement gap and/or close the excellence gap. School evaluations, ratings, and rankings are increasingly based upon equal outcomes for all. Teacher evaluations and compensation are increasingly based on uniform outcomes as well. This means that students in a demographic which as a whole may tend to perform well may now have their growth capped, in order to achieve statistically uniform outcomes. Quotas may be enforced. In some schools, this may create intense competition within a demographic for the opportunity for a particular student to not be capped but rather to learn at one's preferred level and pacing.

The process is data-driven through extensive measurement, testing, and assessment. Unfortunately the process may tend to treat students as statistical demographic labels/stereotypes rather than as individuals. Therefore some may say it is dehumanizing. Others may view the requirement for equal outcomes as fair and/or equitable.

The "just right" reading levels may not be "just right" for the individual student. However they may be "just right" for the goals of the teacher/school evaluation process, which may be based on closing the achievement/excellence gap and creating statistically equal outcomes for each demographic group.

Yes - this is what I have found in looking at the research. So many of the studies are all done on struggling readers, in struggling school districts - and how to get those readers up to speed. It is hard to find research on the best approaches to reading with gifted/above grade level readers.

This is all beginning to make sense though in my other life as a college professor. No wonder my students struggle with reading high level scientific texts! They have been reading just right/ at level texts for so long that when they are forced to dive in to text which is way over their comfort zone - they have no strategies to cope.

This reminds me of an old thread on SAT vocabulary, and whether the average vocabulary is shrinking. It is also my understanding that more college/university courses are going to a textbook-free format. As reading material trends toward online rather than print format, fees may be imposed for access to the online material. Additionally, some online reading material may be presented by software which tracks the amount of time on each page, and by utilizing the device camera, may even record the student eye movements across the digital page. Some libraries are also converting to book-free, digital collections.

It may be time to stock up on good books and dictionaries, from child through college level, while they are still available in print.