Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Reading Level Capped

I dug around in some of my old papers from when I tutored reading. I think I figured out why the first grade teacher demoted DS to a Level L (he was at a O last year). I found a chart showing a BAS CEILING for first grade, mid-year of Level L. Yes, a ceiling. They apparently don't even assess higher than that.
Then I found this board.
http://www.heinemann.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=600
I'm annoyed. No wonder the teacher gave me some line about DS needing to "work on comprehension". He probably did just fine on the Level L assessment but they didn't assess higher because that was the BAS ceiling and the district is simply not going to do that. This is a "new" system that was not in place last year, and if the K teacher assessed him it was something she did on her own. Now she is probably being advised that she has to keep her K kids at their BAS ceiling of Level D.
I am going in to talk to his current teacher next week and the principal and curriculum specialist from the district will be there as well. Can anyone advise me? They are just going to tell me that pushing a kid ahead in reading is detrimental to them.

Ds's second grade teacher has him at an "R". He has been at that level since last March. His MAP score in that same time frame has increased by 17 points. Go figure!

I was told this week at conferences that they dont want to put him higher because they are having difficulty finding age appropriate books for him .. grrrrrrrr

They are being "generous" because the BAS ceiling for 2nd grade is Level P.
You know what makes me really mad about this? DD's computerized achievement testing for reading which THEY gave her shows her FIVE grade levels ahead for reading. She is in third grade but scores like an average eighth grader. The district g/t coordinator had the nerve to tell me that she is WEAK in reading, she may need support, and she might struggle with the gifted reading program at the magnet. Hello? Maybe if they didn't keep kids under a CEILING and limit them to one year ahead, they could get the scores they are looking for.
Please someone tell me what to say to these people, I will memorize it and say it. Otherwise who knows what profanities will come out of my mouth.

I doubt this is helpful but you are not alone...

I am so tired of hearing about comprehension!!! I do realise it is important, thank you very much.

The only thing that has helped is outside testing achievement testing (WIAT-II)... reading comprehension grade equivalent grade 7:2 for my newly 8 year old (mid- year 2). Decoding he maxed out (year 12:9), I am not saying he knows every word he can decode but clearly he is reading well above grade level!

Never mind, I explained he read The Hobbit between year 1 and 2 (and was upset with the first movie only covering a small bit of the book). The full Eragon series, Harry Potter, etc.

I remember asking his teacher when he was age 5 to explain how he could possibly spend so many hours on end reading if he didn't have a good idea of what he was reading.

PS - From year 1 onward I sent all my own books either that I owned (my DS has an older brother so we have a lot) or from the school or public library. His teacher didn't question me :-)

My knowledge about my son's (well my sons') reading level(s) come from the fact that the two boys (5 years apart and annoyingly to the older boy) read many of the same books and then engage in in-depth conversations about the books. In fact, they make me read (or I choose to read) some of the books they read and we have basically what amounts to our own book club meetings in the car or at dinner, led by them.

Also, I still read to them at night and stop and make sure the 9 year old understands words he might not have seen before (and he always already knows them or has figured it out) and stop and ask him to predict what will happen next (we both give our opinion and then see who is closer) and all sorts of comprehension conversations. The boy can comprehend, he can make connections, he can question and theorize, he can find the author's purpose, use context clues, and then use techniques he sees in his reading in his own writing. He can summarize.

He could do this in K reading 3-5th grade level stuff. The first grade teachers gave me the whole "but we need to work on comprehension". I just rolled my eyes. Second grade teacher was where he bloomed because she didn't do the entire "comprehension" line. She got him and recognized his ability.

At my daughters TAG school they stop the test when the student hits two grade levels above their own. It is annoying because it would be nice to know where dd is actually reading. Their reasoning is that if they followed through to the exact level for each child, they would be testing for months on end because each child is reading well above grade level.
They do not restrict books, however. Students choose their own reading.

I looked in DS's "book box" and there were books in there ranging from L through around N, maybe an O or two. But last year at this time in K that's exactly what his book box looked like as well (except he was reading mostly O's). In addition, I think in K, DS was on Level O Fountas and Pinnel, and now it is Level L "A-Z" and those level L's are different, with A-Z actually being lower. The teacher assigned an internet reading program "Raz-Kids" for the kids to do at home. She put DS on Level L a couple months ago. He whipped through it and is now at a Level Q (because there are about 16 books at each level and as long as kids pass the quizzes it moves them on). I asked him if the books he's reading in Level Q are "too hard" "too easy" or "just right" and he said "Too easy, can we just go up to an R?" I was like "Ummmm, maybe you should talk to your teacher about that." She probably thinks I'm coaching him to say things like that. I said in an email that he's in Level Q in Raz-Kids and does just fine with that. Now she'll probably go back and change it to Level L (or Level O if she's generous) and add 80 more Level L-O books. Because god forbid he read above his comprehension or maturity level in terms of content.

Seriously. I find all of this disturbing. Particularly that teacher's lounge link you posted! I had no idea this was a common practice/strategy to have a ceiling. I guess this is why my DS's school is trying to get away with not testing DS. He isn't even that high but he tested one year ahead already at the beginning of the year so I guess they were hoping to just leave him there b/c where would he go if they ceiling him at a year ahead? No wonder the kid is bored. And then she (teacher) has the audacity to try to make me a part of this by punishing DS for me providing him books at his interest and ability level. Imagine if we all (home and school) just left him at that level? Same with math. Last year his teacher insisted he should just stay his level. I finally got the picture and got enough and got him some outside help and he is so happy and surging ahead no problem. My DH has been grumbling "why do we have to pay people to teach DS? Why can't the school do it?" I said because their goal is not to teach him, it is to get him at a certain level. he's at the level so they just stop teaching him. That's their philosophy. Hopefully DH will start speaking up about it now.

I just talked to DS, and he told me he doesn't think the teacher has any books above a Level O in the classroom. I think I'll just say that I'm going to send in some of DS's own books to put in his book box, and that's what I want him to read. I did this once already, and DS had a favorite book, but another kid has it now (a kid that was in his K class last year and the teacher always partnered them up). DS gave it to him before he was done with it. I will put his name in the books and say that I want them back rather than donating them to the classroom. Because if I donate them, then they won't stay in the book box.