DD5 is currently in SK (second year K in Ontario). Yesterday at pick up her teacher mentioned that she tested DD's reading and they stopped at level 20. She said that DD was able to decode very well at that level but that her fluency was slower and she was pausing more frequently.
DD has not received much differentiation in reading instruction in school. Her class is working on phonics and learning the sounds of letters. When the class works on letter sounds, DD works on making lists of words that contain that sound. A lot of her progress has come from her own personal reading and working through RAZ kids, which her teacher assigned at the beginning of the year.
When I mentioned that DD had worked through RAZ kids to level K (I believe level 20 is equivalent to level M) the teacher said, "Oh K is a perfect level for her. Maybe she can go back to where she started and reread up until that point."
Does this advice make sense? If DD is testing at level M shouldn't we keep reading until we get to the level where she's struggling? I don't want to push DD farther then where she is but I also don't want to hold her back from progressing. Going back to the beginning feels like punishing her, why does she have to do the work twice because she's ahead?
I understand the teacher's motivation. She doesn't want DD to get too far ahead as she the has told me that she isn't meeting DD's reading needs in class. The teacher has a meeting with the school's review committee to discuss DD's placement in grade one and has already approached the special Ed teacher regarding testing. It kind of feels like we are just treading water until grade one - Let's not get too far ahead because K can't support her progress, but the problem is she's already beyond K. In order to test her the teacher had to get books from another class. Also, DD is not happy about repeating anything she's already completed she keeps saying she wants to get to Z.
My gut is telling me just to let DD keep going and possibly afterschool reading as the school isn't meeting her where she is. We have almost three months of school left. I don't know how to reign her in and I don't want to be a tiger mom either.
Sorry this was so long and if it's rambly. There's no one to talk about this with in our everyday lives.
