Reading Assessment - how is it done

[PommelandCantle]

Just had parents evening. DS is 6 in Yr1. He received a "B" for Reading - Good Standard of attainment - on track to achieve age related expectations. I am happy about this.

What I am not happy about/confused about is how they came to this conclusion. I am a parent reader, so pretty much know how well the entire class reads. DS is on ORT stage 6 - one of 4 in the class. Most of the class is on stage 2-3 with a couple on 4/5. Some of whom I know received an "A" high standard of attainment - on track to achieve above Age related expectations.

According to reading record and what DS says, DS teacher hasn't read with him since October. Teaching assistant has read with him twice this year, both times writing in his reading record that he is reading fluently and confidently. Admittedly he was moved onto stage 6 because they had run out of stage 5 books (2 of the others on stage 6 were moved up for the same reason). Getting the school to buy books is a whole other saga!!

My concern is now that the teacher pulled that grade out the air, so do I believe the rest of the report and secondly is he getting the right reading support at school as they are obviously failing on providing the correct materials. I have not had an opportunity to speak to teacher about it yet as I take time to reflect. DH also thinks I should just leave it.

When should they start doing guided reading?

I really am not being a competitive parent and I am happy with DS being given that grade - I just want to understand how it was reached and what questions I could be asking.

Thanks

[mrz]

I'm afraid there isn't a simple answer. Schools assess in different ways. It could be a word /sentence reading test or it could be a SATs style comprehension test ir it coukd be a grid if reading criteria the child needs to meet or it could be a combination of all or some or something completely different.

Some schools use guided reading from reception others don't use guided reading at all.

[MunichLondonExpat]

I would approach the teacher. Point out that your child reads above grade level, therefore you were "surprised" he did not get an A. Then ask how is grading done? 1) You will learn how the teacher grades your child. 2) You will learn what expectations are and 3) You will learn after asking what your child needs to achieve to get an A.

When my son got his first pre-K report, I was "shocked" he had below average marks. This was in things like organization, attention span, etc. I told the teacher that I was not aware that my child had issues and if I had known I would have helped address them. Now, keep in mind that I was comparing this child's report card to my older children's report cards at the same school for the same grade but different teacher. I learned after talking to her that SHE basically grades all the kids at below expectations for certain things because they children are "evolving" and by the end of the year they should meet or exceed expectations. So basically, my son was fine and progressing as needed.

With a different child, I had our mid-semester parent conference and I learned that she was 1.5% away from getting an A in math. I contacted her math teacher and asked her what she thought my chid needed to work on to achieve an A at the end of the semester. I was told that she was doing great on tests and just need to focus on getting better scores on her math homework and math facts. Going forward, I checked her math homework and she worked harder on her math facts. In the end, she got an A.

With my oldest, I had the experience of her coming home with a 4/8 math test. I thought she had failed and I was shocked. I contacted the teacher and found out that the 4/8 was not a grading scale but an nontraditional rubic assessment. Basically she had done fine.

If you want to be an active parent in your child's education, it's best to speak up and ask questions. With time, teachers know you are not a TIGER mom but a parent who cares about their child's academic success.

[louisejxxx]

I would just ask what would be needed to get him to A standard and mention that you aren't trying to push, but that you just want to know if it is something that is within his grasp.

[MunichLondonExpat]

Asking will help you end the wondering.

I told my son's pre-k teacher that I was worried he was not doing well given his sisters achieved higher marks at his age. She said he was totally fine, doing well. She just graded differently than the teachers my girls had. School started to implement a grading plan to make sure teachers used the same criteria for grades.

[MadSprocker]

You shouldn't really be discussing other children's results and scores with the teacher. It could be a comprehension assessment.

[PommelandCantle]

I wouldn't dream of mentioning other children's results to teacher. I was wondering if anyone could tell me how reading assessments were done so I could go in with actual questions about my DS development. However after mulling it over I have decided it's not worth getting my knickers in a twist over - he's 6, so I'd rather he enjoyed school and learning at this point.