The tests aren't really comprehension, though. They test memory of details from the books. My daughter had a low score once on a book she found boring (and therefore read quickly) and was told she should go back and study each book. Sometimes it's valuable to stud a book, but I think having to study books one finds boring for no other purpose than remembering small plot details for a Ted discourages rather than encourages reading (her average on the tests is over 90 percent and she just had a lower score once).
So I'm not really worried about whether the program is useful for her (I'm sure it's not). I'm interested in knowing more about the variation in scores (they show high retest scores in the publisher documentation, but my daughter's scores don't make sense to me), what the ceiling of the test is, and whether anyone has had their child reach the limit of the test and then and the school offer something different. What do they do if a child reaches the limit, just make them keep reading at the same level for years?
There's nothing wrong with reading books at the same level for years for fun, but the leveling system is frustrating - I'd rather they just let her read any books or do alternate work at that time. It's my understanding is that the main purpose of the program is to encourage them to read books that will improve their reading, but that can be done with more thoughtful assignments and evaluations.
Last edited by apm221; 08/23/14 09:45 AM.
