Geofizz, I use the scholastic site as well to keep track of dd4.9's reading progress. I record the guided reading level, dra, Lexile measure and grade level equivalent data. I have found that many times the 4 don't coincide at all. However, they give me a general idea about where dd is. She started reading only this spring and is reading mostly at end of 2nd grade level no matter which scale I use. However, I recently had her assessed by a reading institute as I wanted to make sure she was okay for the teacher-recommended grade skip. The reading instructor assessed dd at grade level 1.8 to 2.8. She basically used a couple of paragraphs pulled from different books and asked dd to read. She also had dd read aloud 2 books at home and I had to fill out a survey questionnaire on how easily dd could decode unfamiliar words, reading with expression and if dd enjoyed reading the books. Even though it was a brief assessment, what I got was that there is a difference between how a first grader is supposed to attack new words vs. a second grader. The child should be guessing less and using various strategies to really read the word.
