Oxford Reading Tree

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My LO has just started Reception

She came home with band green first lvl5 now Orange lvl6

I over heard some parents talking that their books only had pictures in

How on earth do they assess these things?

The oxford reading tree website seems pretty vague?

The Oxford Reading Tree is not an inspired choice for the school. They shouldn't be using it still.

It definitely does not use the synthetic phonics approach which has been recommended for the last ten years, more the discredited sight words learning method. The lower level books have pictures only, not words: intending to stimulate discussion I suppose.

Can she accurately read the books without guessing or too much help from you?

Some ORT books are fully decodable: floppy's phonics and songbirds are. Biff chip and kipper are not.

She can read them without any help and seems to understand them fine

But what the system means and to decode how it works is hard work - I get that it doesn’t really matter what grade the kids are on but it would be useful to know so I can support her a bit better

( I’m way to shy to speak to anyone ha ha )

My DS is in year 1 and book band purple. He’ll be 6 in February.
DD started reception this year and is book band pink or red. I think it’s pink. She was only 4 in July.
There is a boy in DS class who is on orange level (I only know this because we got sent home with his book bag yesterday!)

I think they just go by how well they can read the book themselves. DS sped through the levels very quickly.

Neither of my children could read any words before starting school so I didn’t expect them to pick it up quickly but DS definitely did and DD is doing well too.

My ds started reception with orange, and moved up to purple 2 weeks later. It just means your dc grasped reading before others.
Just let dc read books they love, by end of yr2, most of other dc's have caught up to certain level, and some maybe at same level as your dc.

I forget which level is which but for certain level 6 is very good for the autumn of a reception year, congrats on the stealth boast .

Re: books with just pictures in - comprehension is really key and may either lag or I suppose lead a child's 'decoding' ability, e.g. my son in year two is brilliant at decoding, last night he read the following text from 'Prince Caspian' absolutely beautifully, but when I gently grilled him on some of the meanings of specific words & on what was really going on in this conversation [the King's courtiers trying to trick him into agreeing to a challenge of single combat by insinuating that he might be scared to do so] he not unsurprisingly was pretty much entirely in the dark.

[quote]"Well, this is to no purpose," said Miraz, "but as touching the challenge, I suppose there is only one opinion between us?"

"I suppose so, indeed, Sire," said Glozelle.

"And what is that?" asked the King.

"Most infallibly to refuse it," said Glozelle. "For though I have never been called a coward, I must plainly say that to meet that young man in battle is more than my heart would serve me for. And if (as is likely) his brother, the High King, is more dangerous than he why, on your life, my Lord King, have nothing to do with him."[/quote]