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Original poster

Reading Ages - how do people know what their child's is?

45 replies

tortoiseSHELL · 21/09/2007 14:45

Just interested - there've been a LOT of posts recently - my child is 2.5 has a reading age of 8.5, my child is 4, has a reading age of 9 - how do people know this?

I have NO idea what reading age my children are except for ds2, who has a reading age of 0 . Ds1 is in Y2, and reading ages have NEVER been mentioned. I'm not sure it's a helpful thing anyway, for lots of reasons - presumably it doesn't take into account the content being read, just the words? And once you know your child's reading age, what do you do with it?

Thanks!

OP posts:

marymoocow · 21/09/2007 14:48

we had them printed at the bottom of the report for the first time this year (well last school year iyswim). Couldn't tell you now what they were though, and doesn't mean alot as far as i am concerned. Wouldn't worry if i was you.

Hallgerda · 21/09/2007 14:48

I don't know either - never been told, never asked, think it's probably pretty meaningless for the reasons you give.

Original poster

tortoiseSHELL · 21/09/2007 14:49

NOt worried, just something that seems to be quoted on here a lot. Especially for very little ones - 2,3,4 year olds.

OP posts:

Original poster

tortoiseSHELL · 21/09/2007 14:50

Ds1's report classified everything as 'working as expected', 'working to higher than expected', 'working towards expected'.

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marymoocow · 21/09/2007 14:52

our reports are like that, but then for some reason they had tacked the reading ages to the bottom. Didn't have any explanation as to what it was really supposed to tell us, or why they had decided to do it. Suppose some parents like to compare with each other, and its something that they can quote. No idea other than that.

Original poster

tortoiseSHELL · 21/09/2007 14:52

Gah! Hate comparing children!!! Worst thing about school imo!

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robinpud · 21/09/2007 14:54

Here's the formula
number of books read divided by number of trips to MacDonalds multiplied by stage of ORT they are on plus average number of fruit shoots consumed in a year divided by the number of times their parents have read War and Peace

and then most parents add on 5 just to impress and intimidate others...

So it's all utterly meaningless as clear as mud isn't it?

marymoocow · 21/09/2007 14:55

can't agree more. Ds2 (third child) just started in reception, and already you can see the parents eyeing the dc up wondering who is going to be the best.

Don't know why they're bothering. Its obvious its going to be mine

ChasingSquirrels · 21/09/2007 14:55

they get them measured on a scale (there are various tests that test reading age).

Original poster

tortoiseSHELL · 21/09/2007 14:57

but a 2 year old? who would conduct the test?

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ChasingSquirrels · 21/09/2007 15:01

and why.....

BUT if your 2yo has taught themselves to read you might be justifiably concerned that you get them the proper support and aducation, and therefore might then go down the getting them tested route.

My mum was doing her teacher training when I started school so she always used to test me. She has a indepth report on me as a 6yo that she did for one of her projects.

Original poster

tortoiseSHELL · 21/09/2007 15:05

Just found the Burt reading test online - they seem to read groups of words.

Now, I think this is fundamentally flawed - it doesn't test understanding, or ability to read different size letters, blocks of text, reading without a picture, being motivated to read a 'harder' book. All of which are factors in a child's 'reading age'. For example, ds1 can read most things. He is 6. What he LOVES reading are ladybird books and Horrid Henry. He could read adult books, but wouldn't either understand or enjoy them. So I would say his reading 'age' was about 7, as that is the sort of book he enjoys - the ones aimed at 7 year olds.

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Original poster

tortoiseSHELL · 21/09/2007 18:19

Hmm, just looked at the reading test thing - I find it extraordinarily hard to imagine that any 2 year old would be scoring on this test what would give a reading age of 8 - this means reading words such as nourishment, formulate, commenced, overwhelmed, luncheon.

Perhaps there is another test that is used. Am very about the whole reading age thing. Although, just tried ds1 out on it, and he came out at 8.1, which I guess is about right for him - he's 6.3, but a very good reader, and certainly above average for his age, so maybe they're not so flawed....

....but they still don't take into account any understanding - a robot could read the words perfectly if programmed with the rules of english language, but wouldn't have any clue what the words it was reproducing meant.

Anyone with little ones (2-4 year olds) who 'have a reading age' - how did you find this out, and what is their reading actually like - i.e. what sort of things can they read? Thanks! Am very interested!

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snorkle · 21/09/2007 18:40

maybe wrong, but I thought that reading age by some measures was reading something appropriate to your age as well as an average person of the older age could. So if you could read a yr1 reader as fluently as a typical 8 yo at 5 say, then they wouldsay you had a reading age of 8. This obviously isn't quite the same thing as reading like an 8 yo, though it might be.

SlightlyMadSweden · 21/09/2007 18:45

I think there are different ways of doing it. I think I read (on here?) that one system consisted of lines of random words. The child reads doewn the page until they get more than a couple on each line wrong (bit like a sight test). they tells you reading age.

I think there are other systems which take into account comprehension as well.

I think on the ORT website there is a chart which says that if your child is on this level this is their reading age (or maybe it is just siggested age of a child reading a given level - can't qiute remember)

Basically, lots of ways, accuracy of each way disputed, does it really matter?

Blandmum · 21/09/2007 18:45

The school tested them and told us

Blandmum · 21/09/2007 18:47

Oh and the ed psych tested ds and told us. Ironically he was being tested for dyslexia, and came out with a reading age the same as his actual age. the dx was dyspraxia.

hay ho

Reallytired · 21/09/2007 20:06

"Now, I think this is fundamentally flawed - it doesn't test understanding, or ability to read different size letters, blocks of text, reading without a picture, being motivated to read a 'harder' book. All of which are factors in a child's 'reading age'"

lol... If you need pictures to read then you are not reading. You are just simply guessing from pictures.

Seriously there are different aspects to reading. The Burt test measures the ablity to decode words, pure and simple. You could alternatively use the Ruth Miskin nonsense test.

www.rrf.org.uk/Ruth%20Miskin%20Nonsense%20Word%20Test.pdf

Personally I think that the Ruth Miskin nonsense test is better if you are just testing a child's decoding ablity rather than understanding.

The question is what do you want to do with the results of a reading test. I think the burt test is fairly useless, it does not show you where the holes are in a child's knowledge.

Comprehension is a completely different area, although just as important as decoding. How you test a child's comprehension I have no idea.

twinsetandpearls · 21/09/2007 20:50

I thought you might be asking about a school aged child as I have just had all mine tested as it helps me know if they can access the curriculum being set for them.

How do you know a 2.5 year old has the reading age of an 8.5 year old?

Original poster

tortoiseSHELL · 21/09/2007 21:04

oh, it was only through reading a few of the G&T posts on here, and given that even ds1 of mine hasn't been given a 'reading age' and he's in Y2, I was surprised that parents were quoting reading ages of 8+ for 2 year olds. And wondered how on earth that could have been measured. Have to confess I'm still sceptical that a 2 year old could achieve that. And presumably not with any understanding - surely!

Still not sure it's a helpful measure tbh.

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lucykate · 21/09/2007 21:07

ds is 2 and has just finished reading war & peace

fihi · 21/09/2007 21:07

OMG - despite being a teacher i thought reading age tests went out with the 1970's!!! Am shocked!

AeFondKiss · 21/09/2007 21:11

I would like to know more about comprehension and reading, my dd has just been moved down in her reading level, the teacher says dd is a "fluent reader" but she has not past some criteria to do with understanding, it is no big deal but.... sigh, I am just a bit perplexed about it all.... stage a stage b, level whatnot, it means zilch to me.... is my ignorance damaging my child... is she going to be judged for the rest of her life for the reading "age" she has as a 6yr old... ?

Carotte · 21/09/2007 21:12

We were told a reading age with our ds in primary, mainly that it was below his age therefore a problem. Not sure if they were tested/announced as a matter of course though.

Wallace · 21/09/2007 21:13

love that nonsense words teat made me giggle

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