Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional DRA Question

So DS was tested October 3rd on the DRA and was found to be on the very last level for 2nd grade Reading, RR level for 100 book challenge. Of course he was reading higher than that at home and I am thinking now they didn't test him above that level to see if he were above that level because, I assume, there is a concern what do they do with a kid beginning second grade at a third grade level? Anyway, of course before the progress reports came out they used the DRA from October 3rd to give him his grade. How is that measuring progress? Anyway, I said nothing. Last night DS says to me "everyone is moving up in reading except me. They won't test me and they are just leaving me where I was at when I started this year." He said he's asked a few times to be tested and she puts him off. He was so discouraged. But he also wasn't really fooled. He stated he knows it's "because they do not want him to be higher, he is now well-above 2nd grade and they don't like that." SO, it's January 9th and this kid has not been tested in reading or moved up any levels since October 3rd? Seriously? Meanwhile, se sees everyone else moving up happily. I email teacher and sure enough she hasn't tested him at all since October 3rd. What the heck, was she planning to do just leave him at that level all year? She says she'll test him within the next two weeks. What she's gonna do when he reaches the highest level of third grade on the DRA or 100 book challenge? Just stop there? I guess it's not a big deal since he reads what he wants anyways but still. Way to keep a kid down. I asked if it were normal that a child's progress not be measured in reading for this long and she of course did not respond. Of course.

One school I talked to actually said they deliberately keep kids down. After all the content of a Level Z book would be too "mature" for a second grade kid. I was speechless. Surely there are books out there that are the right level that are "appropriate" in content?

I don't think DS has been tested at all since last Sept./Oct. He was at a Level O last year at this time, then he went down to a Level L. Now he's probably still at a Level L. Talk about bringing a kid down. He does Raz-Kids at home online (the teacher can't hold him back there--once he passes a level it automatically moves the kid on) and he is currently in Level Q and whips right through all the books and quizzes. He loves it and asks to do it most days. So I figure at least my DS is getting some reading instruction at home if not in school.

Awww that is a shame!

Yeah if we "obeyed" and DS read ONLY RR at school and at home he'd probably still be at RR, which I believe is their goal. They want the kids to do well but not too well. I noticed that our school is monitored/graded for "closing the achievement gap" ("Indicators of Closing the Achievement Gap – all student scores are used to define how well a school is making progress toward proficiency of all students")... I wonder if that has an effect. Although, in our case, it could be as simple as DS is way ahead so why bother with him - they have behind/at risk students to worry about ...and I do understand but, still, they could take a minute or two to at least move him up on 100 book challenge levels even without the DRA. He has so many 'lows' he seems to need his 'highs' yk?

Our school uses guided reading.. fountas and pinnel system. I was told they dont test any child above the 40th percentile on MAP. My second grader's MAP score is in the 99th percentile for 2nd and the 90th for 3rd grade. Yet his reading level has been at a level "R" since last March first grade).

I'm curious about the effects of the "closing the achievement gap" monitoring. Does anyone know more about that?

Guided reading has been a frustration for us as well. We were told my daughter would be moved up after three scores of 90% or higher, but her level never seemed to change.

All of these stories of kids not being appropriately challenged and their levels not changing is beginning to sound suspect.

I think part of the problem is that the only want x number of reading groups and you can't get above the top group. I am really glad that ds6 is young for year.

That doesn't explain when they are supposed to be reading and testing independently but still don't move up, though.

DS does read every day during guided reading with the gifted teacher. I wrote the principal last week asking about this. Here is my question followed by her response.


2. He sees Ms. K. for reading every day. I appreciate that as the daily interaction has enabled him to improve his reading. Is there a reason we can't get a reading level for him? I have been told they only access kids that are below 40th percentile. Last year, we had a guided reading level. This year his Raz kids is set at the same level as it was last March, yet his MAP score has increased about 15 points since then. When choosing books, it is easier to find appropriate books if we have a clue where he is at.


-I know the teachers have shared that we don't F&P students above the 40%-tile. With higher students we look at the content appropriateness for the student and interest.
-Are you looking for levels for his self-selected reading choices? On MAP you should have gotten a Lexile level. Many libraries have lexile levels on books as do online books you can order. Does that help? And remember, this is just an approximate level.
-He's making gains which is what we want. Keep doing what he's doing-reading what he wants


He is reading James Patterson's "Treasure Hunters" right now as his home reading.

I would personally not be surprised at all; I graduated high school a few years ago, and although I did not know how gifted I was up until a few months ago, the vast majority of my educators couldn't have cared less about my need for a more rigorous and challenging course load. Unfortunately, my story is the rule and not the exception; the present day education system is an enterprise of egalitarian, collectivist claptrap that does not recognize individual needs and is dominated by the Howard Gardner multiple intelligence school of thought.

The school that I was talking about earlier which told me they like to hold back kids and not let them progress too far with levels, told me that they assess in the fall and assess in Jan. or Feb. The principal was very proud of this new guided reading program they just started, like it is doing such a big service to kids. Assess a kid and then assess again 4 months later? Are they assuming a kid will stay at one level for FOUR WHOLE MONTHS? It would be better to drop the whole thing and let kids choose what they are comfortable reading rather than keep them at a level until they finally get around to assessing again.

Another district that I talked to said they had leveled reading, but they assess kids every two weeks or so. It's a different program, Read Well or something like that.

This is terrible. I think part of it is logistics -- maybe a class just can't support an advanced reader by having a reading group all to themselves (or a tiny percentage of the class) ? At my child's school, reading is tied to reading comprehension and writing (outlines/main ideas etc), so he gets dinged on writing (does the bare minimum) while he is actually very good at reading (reading + comprehension+ retelling)

By the 3rd or 4th term of kindergarten, I started sending 'my own materials' for him (DS now 8) to read in class and with the teacher. For the first two terms, I think he got most of his materials from the year 2 classrooms, choosing for himself.

In terms of 'my own materials', they were books from the school library (I went and personally checked them out), public library, my home library (I have another son 3+ years older) and bookstores. At the end of the year, the teacher brought in a huge bag of books for him to borrow over the summer which belonged to her son (who was 5 years older than mine)! What a lovely teacher :-) I just started year 1 using this approach and have not looked back.

At times I have been frustrated with needing to do this myself. The private school, I am paying big money for should be meeting his needs but we all know that regularly doesn't happen. Rather than the spend my time advocating and arguing with them, I've found it much easier to just help my son myself.