Here are 5 years of media checking out by my son at school
k- not allowed to check out/bring home books (teacher on disability and maternity leave most of first half of year) went to media center for story time, time to read books pulled by the specialist on the tables afterwards, teacher checked out to the classroom up to 50 books for classroom reading. I took him to public library (or went by myself) weekly basis for appropriate reading material for him and bedtime stories I read to him. When teacher came back assessed him at DRA level of 40 and his needs were met by teacher instructionally and books available and enrichment group. I don't know if they checked out books or not when she came back...he didn't bring them home.
1-new school with dual language program...teachers didn't agree with DRA of 40 from previous school. Media rule was each week check out one book in Spanish, one picture book around first grade level, one informational book. I went in and got a notation on his card that he could chose a picture book or a chapter book up to third or fourth grade level. He spent the rest of the year reading every Geronimo Stilton and goosebump book in the school media center. No one helped him at the school with selection so I continued to support him after school at the public library.
Summer in between first and second grade he read up a storm over a hundred books. About 2 weeks into school year I took a huge shopping bag full of books he had read and a list of those we had checked out of the library...the show and tell was to explain that he could read any level and that he was a voracious reader. Nobody was to put Baby in a corner. About two months later staffed gifted.
2-from that conversation wasn't limited and checked out one Spanish book, one informational, and one his choice (other kids had to pick in their assessed AR range). They tracked AR points and he won out of the entire school (beating 3rd, 4th and 5th graders).
3rd grade he skipped
4th grade same as second
5th grade same
I had to supplement with public library and our own rules until we were all on the same page in the second grade. But really, I still have to now, just less. And he is a media center helper this year and she lets them get extra books above the three book limits if she knows they are fast readers and he is in there every morning so he returns and picked out books all the time.
