I "think" some schools have a policy about testing too far out of grade level. That is, I think in some districts there is a ceiling that the tester won't go beyond.
When the school is limiting kids to a ceiling, the DRA number will end in an '8'.
The new skill required in the 30s of the DRA is to be able to infer the feelings and intentions of characters in a story. For immature kids, literal kids, or those who otherwise struggle with such social inferences in the real world, the child will stagnate in the 30s.
I have repeatedly asked that DS be tested on comprehension, fluency, and accuracy independently within the DRA mess, but to no avail, even where we have diagnoses indicating difficulty with these specific skills. Maddening.
