end of year report vs mid year targets/expectations

[jopickles]

My daughter is in reception and during the spring term parents evening I was given her current level and expected levels for the end of year (as I expect everyone was). Now we are getting towards the end of the year I know she won't be at the stage they have predicted for reading - she can read at the level predicted but as they have to read more or less every book at each stage she hasn't got the time to move up. I have to say at this stage I really don't care which band she reads at as long as she is progressing and enjoying it but I feel that her report will be along the lines of 'not meeting predicted standards' simply because she hasn't been allowed to move up. I know they don't mean an awful lot I just feel its not helpful to set targets that she would never have been able to meet

[redskybynight]

It's odd to have a target of reaching at a particular level, it's more usual to have targets of specific skills.

I.e. Rather than a target of "Reach blue reading level", targets along the lines of "be able to decode simple sentences fluently", "read aloud taking account of punctuation such as full stops and commas", "can summarise what happens in the story" etc.

But I agree, it's even odder to set a target that it is actually impossible for the child to reach!

[jopickles]

she didn't have a target as such but she is expected to be at exceeding for reading which is classed as green band I believe but she is currently on blue and only because I asked them a couple of weeks ago to move her up as she was flying through yellow and had been at that level for quite a long time but there is no way at this late stage that they will move her to green before the year ends

[Itshouldntmatter]

I had the same issue. In the end, I gave up on school and used Reading Chest to get appropriate reading material. We used that over the summer too, so she didn't loose the flow.

[Mopmay]

It's a pain. Mine is stuck on yellow which she finds easy. I'm going to keep going over the summer myself

[redskybynight]

OK, so I'm not very familiar with the Reception targets, but certainly the NC ones don't link with particular reading levels, but with particular skills acquired. So no reason why she can't be "exceeding" but still on blue level, as long as she has opportunity to demonstrate all the required skills.

[jopickles]

thanks redsky but we were told on our last school open afternoon that exceeding was classed as the green level but maybe that isn't the case then. Like I said I don't mind and all that matters is that she enjoys reading, we use the reading chest and she loves the fact she gets her own envelope through the door I just hate that targets seem unobtainable right from the start of their education

[WeekendDilemma]

The reports are written already, so moving her now, even if they did, would have no affect other report. But I agree it is frustrating.

If it makes you feel better, my dd is only on red band! :)

[jopickles]

I would be more then happy if she was on red if that was the level she needed to be at as long as she was happy and enjoying it I don't normally go by 'levels' but as they judge them by that it's hard not to I. Cases like this

[toomuchicecream]

If it makes you feel any better, everything I could find on line said that yellow is expected, blue is exceeding. That came from a number of reliable sources.

[poppy70]

Blue isn't exceeding as in the ELG. Exceeding isn't based on stage... More on ability to read increasing completicated words and texts fluently.

[redskybynight]

The colour levels don't link directly to Reception goals AFAIK. If your teacher mentioned "green=exceeding" I would suggest this was more of a guide than an absolute!

Both my children finished Reception on blue level - DD was graded as exceeding, DS was grade as meeting (granted on old framework). They both went on to get Level 3 in Y2.

You mentioned you didn't care what level she was on as long as she was happy and enjoying it - is this not the case? If not, I would suggest that IS grounds for speaking to teacher.