I personally think the DRA *should* be a better test for assessing reading comprehension level than the WJ-III - the WJ-III reading tests are very brief (at least what I've seen of them), and for the DRA (that our kids were tested with) the student had to read an entire book.
Our kids have tested lower than their actual level on the DRA because it conflates retelling (and writing) skills with reading comprehension. If a child is behind in retelling or writing, the DRA doesn't allow a lot of room-- it just "looks" like the child doesn't understand, even if he does.
Good luck getting traction on this one. We did briefly, but recently we have been back in "this is all we can measure" territory.
Once you hit 4th grade, it shifts from learn-to-read to read-to-learn. I am trying to regard the whole level business as a temporary annoyance.
