Secondary school - reading age.

[Iloveitall]

My year 7 has come home with a slip about their star reading report. It seems a load of gibberish to me but it says reading age is 10.05. I’m assuming that means 10 years and 5 months? Seems so low. Guess we will be upping the reading in our house this summer.

Yes that’s a little under where they’re meant to be but not insurmountable.

Child is 12 years 4 months - so nearly 2 years behind 😢

@Iloveitall

Child is 12 years 4 months - so nearly 2 years behind 😢

Have the school not told you about this before? Has he being doing Accelerated Reader all the way through? X

Oops! Didn’t mean to add the X

Their reading may well be great but it also tests speed and vocab so maybe read with them out loud through the summer?

Nope. Not been told before. Last report from primary I’m sure stated he was at expected levels for reading. If not excelling. I’m going to dig it out and check but def wasn’t below expected standard. I’m gutted. We will be doing lots of reading over the next 6 weeks I think. Both him on his own and me listening too.

Also I’m not sure what accelerated reader is.

Accelerated Reader is a computer based programme. Children are assessed by doing a reading test on a computer. They have about 30 questions. It starts off with just one or 2 sentences, a question and a choice of 4 answers. The computer individualises questions according to whether the child answered a previous question correctly or not. By the end of the test, some children will still have a couple of sentences which use fairly basic language while others will have a paragraph which uses much more complex language.

This assessment is the Star Reading Test. It gives a lot of information including the child's reading age.

Schools don't necessarily give all the data to parents and children.

My school just gives children their "zpd" level. Schools using Accelerated Reader grade all reading books and children choose a book which is within their zpd range.

Ah ok. They’ve done the star reading test which has lots of info on, but, to be honest, it doesn’t make that much sense to me, as a non teacher.

ZPD level is 3.6-5.6.

I have no idea what that means.

@meadowbreeze

Their reading may well be great but it also tests speed and vocab so maybe read with them out loud through the summer?

The Star Reading test does assess comprehension and vocab but not speed. We make our children take at least 20 minutes and tell them not to rush or guess (if they don't know an answer, they have to wait and let it time out). If they finish in less than 20 minutes we make them retake it on anothrr day because we want them to read the text, questions and answers carefully so that they are really showing what they're capable of. If they need more than 20 minutes, that's fine ; they can have as long as they need.

It's OK really, considering disruption to learning caused by lockdown has created between 1 and 2 years lost learning in lots of students. If your child had done year 6 and 7 without lockdowns, they might well be around 11.6 to 12.. Don't worry. A bit of reading is good, anything they find interesting, could be websites or books, also anything that builds vocab like a nature documentary or a bit of newsround is good too. Don't stress. They will be fine by year 11

@Maryjane3227

It's OK really, considering disruption to learning caused by lockdown has created between 1 and 2 years lost learning in lots of students. If your child had done year 6 and 7 without lockdowns, they might well be around 11.6 to 12.. Don't worry. A bit of reading is good, anything they find interesting, could be websites or books, also anything that builds vocab like a nature documentary or a bit of newsround is good too. Don't stress. They will be fine by year 11

Thanks. Should it be around 11.6-12 in year 7 then? What does it mean?

I know it’s a zone of development but I’ve no idea where he should be and what the numbers mean.

The numbers are the range of books they should be reading to make progress relating to school year. So 3.5 would be the level someone halfway through year 3 should be at, which should be easier for the child to read and also understand. The top end would be a challenge for them

@Iloveitall

ZPD level is 3.6-5.6.

I have no idea what that means.

This refers to the level of books he will find appropriatly challenging. So in his school library the books will have labels with a number on (they are also colour coded) and he should aim for books between those numbers. Most important thing is he enjoys the book though. Accelerated Reader is the name of the program and it is designed to boost their reading age; keep encouraging reading at home (more than 20 mins per day on average is the key amount for him to make progress) and sounds like the school are doing the rest. Also I have worked with children with substantially lower reading ages in year 7 and the most important thing is his engagement with reading and school in general.

He should be at his age. Did you ever notice he can read fine but doesn't grasp what he is reading? It's more about comprehension at this stage and sometimes this weakness presents itself more as they get older. Definitely reading lots over the Summer is helpful . Do you think he is the type of guy who put his best foot forward in the assessment as sometimes they don't give it their best shot.
All you can do really is encourage lots of reading. Maybe join the library if not there already.

@Iloveitall

ZPD level is 3.6-5.6.

I have no idea what that means.

Zpd is "zone of proximal development" (I think). I haven't heard it used outside Accelerated Reader so I think it's a bit of jargon that they made up.

It does sound a bit low but nothing to worry about with plenty of reading practise over the summer.

There's a great free website called Accelerated Reader Bookfinder. Take your ds into a bookshop over the summer, get him to choose a few new books that he'd like and use the website to check if they are in his zpd before buying. Encourage him to choose books from the higher end of his reading range; if they are all from the lower end, then he'll be coasting and not challenging himself.

Hi OP. It can be a bit of a shock. I'm not a fan AR levels tbh as if child doesn't respond well to the test they can score below their actual age. Iv got 2 children who are behind a bit (one is dyslexic). I'm using word hornet (if attached website for info). You can buy the book from any online provider and work through it. Toe by toe is also good and it's by same people
www.wordwasp.com/

The 1 to 2 year drop in learning was evidenced by a UK wide writing sample if Year 7s. Look up Daisy Christodoulou Comparative Judgement if you need reassurance. This can all be turned around and I'm sure there won't be more lockdowns

Nessy website is good too but can be pricey

Iv find audio books going to sleep great for increasing vocabulary

Oh wow. Year 3 age books? Gosh. So books suitable for a year 5 would be challenging for him?

Right, 20-30 mins a day of reading I think. I just hope he doesn’t start to resent / hate it.

It's all approximate, no definite number or one size fits all. Roughly speaking, if you're close to average or the expected reading level for your age, you're probably going to be OK. A lot of teachers and SENCOs don't like using the term "reading age" as it can be very insulting for a 14 year old to be told they have the reading age of a 7 year old (which does happen, just as that top 2 percent - nationally-of kids who are going to get a Band 9 in GCSE English often have the "reading age" of a 16 year old in Year 7). If you think of it as below, around average, above average, it would probably be better.
No one test ever gives a true picture of a child.
If you think your child normally performs above average in Literacy, you could try getting them back into reading. I'd advise borrowing different books from a library, trying the first couple of chapters with no expectation that they finish. Let them do this until they find the genre that captures their imagination, and it doesn't have to be fiction.

A Good plan, also things subtitles on TV reading magazines and instructions (for cooking or making construction sets) as well as books. Try and vary book type, non fiction is often trickier than fiction but gives a wider range of vocab. Star reader assesses comprehension rather than whether a child can just read the words. Try and encourage reading for pleasure rather than just because they have to. I am sure they can catch up!