Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums GT Research "Reading evens out" research?

Well put. What is generally meant by "evening out" by 3rd grade is that all students are able to read what is required of them by 3rd grade with exceptions of kids with LDs. So, if the school requires all kids to be able to read the Magic Treehouse series by 3rd grade, it is possible that the late readers have learnt enough of the mechanics of reading by that time and are capable of reading those books.

I think that one key thing that is frequently missed by those who state that all "even out by third," is that those students who HAVE been reading well for all of those years enjoy a qualitatively different experience in those early years, when compared with those who have just started to read.

agreed. I got the distinct impression from some of the teachers that they were actually trying to get the kids to "even out"...or at the very least, completely neglecting instruction for those who are advanced, after all those kids don't "need" anything. I do think when people claim kids "even out" they are implying that their ability levels are all about the same by third grade. From the data I saw on fluency, that's really not the case. Some kids could read 60 words per minute and others could read 160 words per minute. Since they are resistant to doing above-level testing, they probably don't even know how advanced the advanced kids are in terms of comprehension ability. All they know are the results of grade-level tests. I think that most advanced readers will continue to grow, even if they are not given any instruction, since most kids will read at home. They won't do as well as they could, though, if they were actually given instruction. I'm not sure how anyone who actually takes a close look at data could ever claim that kids "even out" or that their ability levels are all about the same. I think it's just a case of gifted kids being completely ignored with reading like everything else, and given material that is way too easy so they look much less advanced than they really are. Kind of like giving a kid who can do long division 30+10 and then saying "see, she's not really advanced, she's doing the same math as everyone else."

I don't mind my nine year old using the 5th grade reading textbook along side his class...he finds the stories in it funny, the poetry just right...he still finds farts hysterical...not going to find much farting in lit at his instructional level (ninth grade). He just gets the work done super fast and has time to read stuff that is more challenging.

I'd love to get a silent reading words per minute rate on him.

Take a sunflower, lily, and dandelion sprout. Put all three in small pots, and give them all a small amount of water and limited amount of sunlight per day. Start adding nutrients and extra sunlight/water to the dandelion when you notice it's not growing as fast as the others.

Then exclaim, "Oh, look, they all evened out!"

What most differentiates children is not their ability to decode words but to *understand* what they read. As Arthur Jensen wrote in "The g Factor",

Thank you all for responding! I will definitely be asking for IQ and achievement testing for his IEP reevaluation. I looked into doing it privately and it runs $1500 which I just can't pull off right now, and I'm hoping I won't have to if they achieve some accurate results with him. I know they use the SAGES 2 to identify kids K-8, I wonder if that is what they will use and what info I can gain from that.
Right now my biggest problem is that everyone around him at school looks at him through a lens of disability instead of ability, if that makes sense. His older brother DS10 went through the same school and has ASD with limited expressive language, so anything DS4 does seems to be framed by that. I don't deny that DS4 has low tone and can't write or draw, but I also see him doing the "I will limit myself verbally and censor my thoughts to fit in at school" thing.
So my hope was that if they saw him reading it might stimulate the thought that maybe this kid isn't playing with kids in preschool and only wants to converse with the aides because he sees them as babies (which he tells me). But the teacher threw the "things even out with reading around third grade" idea the other day so I was wondering what that was based on, so thank you it makes much more sense - those who use that are talking about the behavior of being able to read, not the underlying comprehension and ability to work with text.
So any advice on what to do with a kid who behaves totally differently at home than at school? The CST and teacher explain it as sensory related, thoughts?

I don't know literature in this area, but I would assume that, yes, reading does even out at some point. What I mean is that at some point most people will read at 3rd grade level, or 8th grade level. It's just like all people sooner or later will learn multiplications. But I think the point of differentiation is that, while others learn to reach a 3rd grade reading level or math level, the kids who are already there should be learning something that they don't already know how to do. I just think the argument that "they will level out in a particular area" is irrelevant.

I'm very curious at your thinking here, as it may help unravel the myth. I would use "even out" or "level out" to mean at the same age kids all have the same ability. You seem to be using the concept differently.

I've also seen distinctions here where some people reference "reading" as just processing the words on the page and knowing the meaning of the sentences. Whereas as a category, I think there are different degrees of understanding and depth. With the same word knowledge and reading speed, one kid may read The Lord of the Flies and see it as an adventure story; another might read it and see it as a reflection on society and the behavior of mobs and norms, etc.

Similarly, two kids may read the same vocabulary list and both get 100% on the test. One will mostly recognize the words when the encounter them again, the other will see them as valuable resources and fluently include them in conversation and writing going forward.

"Evening out" is an extreme oversimplification of the value of early reading. Early fluent readers (who enjoy excellent comprehension) can enjoy literature at a (much) younger age, as well as teach themselves any nonfiction topic that is of interest to them (and I've personally seen my kiddos run with this one; there is an unbelievable value to this skill). It is NOT simply a matter of reading - it is a matter of access to knowledge and wonderful stories. Meanwhile, reading strengthens vocabulary skills, as well as skills that will later be used in writing, spelling, etc.

Yes, other children eventually learn to read, but the early readers have undeniably been granted early access to an amazing world of stories, information, and unfettered LEARNING.