This led me to ask the question, how common is it for a 5-year-old to read grade-levels ahead?? DD5 just turned 5 in January, and with her rapid acceleration, I could see her reading at a 4th or 5th grade level by the time K starts this fall. The K teacher had been teaching A LONG time and only had one child that was gifted like that (and this is in a district with a lot of highly-educated professionals).
My daughter's K teacher said she usually has at least one reader in a class. She said it's fairly common, and it gets less difficult as they get older because the average difference decreases as more able children who couldn't read at the beginning of school learn to read and progress very rapidly and children who were coached a lot continue at a slower pace. She also said it's common to have kids decoding at a far higher level than they can understand.
i think you both are tapping into the big problem advanced readers have - there are lots of optimally gifted kids who read in kindergarten or by the end of kindergarten - who read sight words, easy readers and the like. This is why I think so many swallow the belief that they all "catch up" by third grade. but I think there is a huge LOG with kids that are comprehending much older levels. I think there is a huge difference but it might not be always obvious or even believed. With my DS 5 its apparent in his vocabulary, the thickness of the books he is reading, as well as the vocabulary of those books. But I think what is more distinctive is the use of the material - the retention and application of non fiction and fiction alike. And even with sophisticated conversations, teachers and other parents still poo-pooh it with the idea that either he is not really reading it or that everyone will be doing that soon enough, making it more of a parlor trick than an advancement requiring different material and teaching.
I don't think its very common once you take into account what they are reading. 4th and 5th grade is impressive for a kindergartener but what does that actually translate to. Some stuff at that level is not terribly sophisticated or complicated once you have mastered what is considered appropriate vocabulary for that level. AndI think that's what Tallulah's teacher was referring to the idea that you can read but not quite understand it - its what they understand and how use the material is what sets some advanced readers further apart then others IMO.
DeHe
