two colour book bands on same ORT book

[squashpie]

Hello, my DS brought home yesterday an ORT Stage 11 treetops fiction book. On the back, it says "KS1 Book Band 10 white/ KS2 book Band Y3 brown" Can anyone explain to me how the same book could be for KS1 and KS2 at the same time? Are the different Key Stages looking for different things from the kids reading the same book? Does Y3 stand for year 3? He's currently in Yr 2. I'm ! TIA!

[sarahfreck]

I think it something to do with the fact that the books overlap the KS1/2 boundary and you will have KS1 and 2 children working at the same level, but the relevant book band colours are different in KS1 and 2. So ORT stage 10 is in a white book band in KS1 and Brown book band in KS2. Maybe it is to stop the KS2 children feeling they are still on KS1 books?

[NoahAndTheWhale]

I've been vaguely wondering about this as DS is in Year 2 and has a stage 10 book with just KS2 book band brown Year 3 on it. There is a chart here which shows levels up to 11 in KS1 and then levels from 9 in KS2. Looks like the book bands for KS2 cover more ORT levels.

Don't think it matters much and tbh I think our DSs are both doing fine at reading given the books they are on :)

[NoahAndTheWhale]

Just found this which says the Treetops are intended for KS2 readers, but some texts can be used with KS1 readers. So I think that explains the dual banding.

Other documents I have seen about book bands and eg national curriculum levels only use KS1 - not sure if it is only ORT using KS2 ones, although I would assume not.

[sarahfreck]

OUP have a structure chart for Project X books here www.oup.com/oxed/primary/projectx/structure/ that shows book bands for KS1 and 2 and their relationship to ORT levels

[squashpie]

Have looked at all those links. Still don't really see why they need stages and book band colours. But, as you say, Noah, would seem they are doing fine!

[sarahfreck]

As far as I know book band colours are so that you can mix different reading schemes (where levels might mean different things) together and have a broader selection of books. So a book banded brown will be suitable for a child at a particular stage regardless of which scheme, publisher etc

[squashpie]

Aha (sound of penny dropping)! I understand now! Still think it's a bit odd to have white and brown band colouring on the same book but there we are.

[Tishypops]

My Daughter is in Reception and came home with a Red/Yellow band book.....I thought maybe because it was the old level 2 and is a cross over from the two levels?
Also does anyone know if their are two blue bands? My other daughter is in Year 1 and has dark blue, light blue, and dark/light blue banding.
We are having a meeting about the new assesment after half term so I am hoping they are going to explain in a little more detail then because right now they have just put the children on it with no real explanation and with my elder daughter I found they moved her back quite a bit and she was bringing home a lot of books which she had last year, only now has she seemed to have levelled out at blue band probably almost green (when she was first put onto the new grading system they had her on red despite her being on level 3 for 2 months already before they broke up for summer in reception)
I think it has been a lot about the teachers getting used to the new system but unfortunatly for the children because they will have been moving up to a new year with a new teacher and especially the ones moving up a key stage it seems that they have had to take a few steps back and build their way back up from there.

[mrz]

There is blue banding, turquoise banding and navy blue banding ...
The system has been around for over a decade so teachers should be familiar with it by now.

[Tishypops]

hmmmm maybe our school have just moved onto the colour banding then because we have always just gone on the level numbers on the back.
I can't see dark blue on any of the guides the lists I keep finding online are
Pink,Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange, Turquise, Purple, Gold & White

[mrz]

Lime Brown Grey Dark Blue Deep Red

[missmapp]

White is at the top of KS1 book banding ( followed by Lime) , brown is KS2 for those working at 3c, so the same level, but different colours to allw companies to sell more book banded books.

[mrz]

Lime is also KS1

Lime is roughly a NC level 3C
Brown is roughly a NC level 3B
Grey is roughly a NC level 3A/4C
Dark Blue is roughly a NC level 4B/4A
Deep Red is roughly a NC level 5C/5B

[Iamnotminterested]

mrz But a child's NC reading level is not determined by what book band they are on, is it, it's how they do on the standard reading comprehension papers; begs the question as to why I should make my DD read the deathly dull school books.

[mrz]

that is why I said roughly but to some extent the NC reading level will be determined on what book they can read... and not all schools use reading comprehension papers except for the statutory NC tests in Y2 and Y6.

the books are aimed at that level but obviously if the child doesn't possess all the skills required they won't be working at that level and that is where the teacher's judgement is required.

[UniS]

turquoise stickers are harder to find than light blue....
DS's turquoise band book I can see on the floor has a royal blue sticker half covered up with a light blue sticker and is an ORT magpie stage 9.