DS6, Ist Grade has a DRA score of 44. I'm not sure what to make of this. He's a Math kid and although he can read is not particularly interested in books unless they cover a topic he likes. Can this score be inflated sometimes?

I haven't been able to find much info on DRA scores. Level 44 is the highest DRA level so it sounds like he's hit the ceiling.
http://studata.sandi.net/assessment/DRA_FAQ.asp
What reading tests does his school administer to children in higher grades and can he be tested on those instead of DRA? I think that info would be more useful in determining his level.

DRA is reading level. Level A is prereading. Then, there are numbered levels, mostly even numbers but not every number. For example, A, 1, 2, 4. When they get up to about 20, they're every 4 numbers for a while, then they go up by 10's after a certain point. A 44 is not the maximum score, but it may be as high as the school in that particular link tests.

At our school, a first grader is considered on grade level if his/her score is in the 10's or close to it (at least an 8). Beginning second graders should be in the 20's, 3rd graders in the 30's, etc. That would put the OP's child at reading on a 4th grade level. That score includes both reading the words and comprehension. The score may be a little "inflated" because the test is somewhat subjective, but he's still reading several years above grade level.

DRA scores ceiling out at 3rd grade for the first test and then there is a second test that covers 4-6. If your child reads above the ceiling level there is no way to tell how much beyond unless they give him the next level test up. Of course if he still ceilings than a different test would be required to determine his level. I do think these tests are not as difficult to score well on as other achievement tests but it can be frustrating when your child ceilings as it gives you little information.

Thanks all. I'm not sure what the next test up is - will have to find out, though I'm mostly just surprised that he scored so high in this area.

a 44 is really great for a 6 year old! i had third graders who didn't read at a 44, and they were on target! it would be difficult to be inflated....he'd have to read the book fluently with very few mistakes and comprehend what he read to "pass" that level.

i now homeschool my 6 year old (who is bright, but not gifted), and he is a dra 14 right now. this is REALLY great for the beginning of first grade...so your child must be a phenomenal reader!

My son is also in 1st grade, has a DRA level of 44 and reading a-z level of U/V. I was told that 44 was the highest the test goes as well. They don't test the kids' reading level after 4th grade and according to his teacher, DRA 44 is the end of 4th grade reading level. This matches up with what he prefers to read at home as well. I don't think it can be overinflated because they have a fluency test and a comprehension test that is part of the higher levels for DRA testing.

I am a first grade teacher and a DRA level of 44 is impressive for several reasons. The test has a few components. The child must first be able to read at an appropriate rate of speed with very few errors (they are timed). This part is the easy part (in my opinion) for early advanced readers. Many can read quickly and accurately with expression. In order to pass the test, though, the child must also provide a written summary with very little scaffolding. This is quite difficult, as many early advanced readers do not have the fine motor to write such a lengthy summary and have trouble synthesizing information in such a way as to produce a coherent summary in the first place. Finally, to pass the advanced level DRAs, students must be able to interpret and analyze the text. They are asked questions like, "What is the author's message in the story?" or "What is the most important event that took place in the story and why?" This is VERY hard for many young readers, again, for the reasons I mentioned above. If your 6 year old was able to pass all three components of the DRA level 44 then it would be very impressive. Even with my very gifted kids they often have trouble with the written summary and text analysis. We have had conversations in our school about how to use the DRA with early advanced readers.

My son's teacher allows him to answer the questions for the comprehension section orally and the teacher takes notes on the answer. He does have to answer the exact question like you have stated. Last week he also had to answer "How do you believe the ending would have changed if ___ had happened first?" and "Explain the character traits of __ and how it is relevant to the story."

I thought those were extremely difficult questions for a 4th grader, let alone a 1st grader! I do appreciate that he is allowed to answer orally because while his reading is comfortably at 4th grade, his handwriting is clearly 1st grade. He would not have been able to provide the depth and detail in his answer if he had to write it. He'd likely write "I don't know" so that he could be done fast!

Well, looking at all of this I'm even more surprised at DS's score. I'm pretty certain that they must have allowed him to answer orally, and I don't know, maybe the subject matter was interesting to him - that could have made a huge difference, as he can be very particular about what is worth doing!