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Original poster

Really confused about levels, bands, and oxford reading tree equivalents in year 1

35 replies

enchantedbroccolligarden · 14/05/2009 19:20

Any teachers out there, please?

Very confused about DS's reading level, which was benchmarked this week.

He's rising 6 and in year one. I was told he's level 10, and in the same breath, that they're putting him on 'half blue.'

Does this relate to Oxford Reading Tree and if so, how? DS tells me that half blue is 'very easy,' so I'm not sure if and how this relates to his benchmarking.

All google searches lead to confusion.

Could anyone please give a link other than to the Oxford Reading Tree site, which doesn't help me.

Many thanks, confused of London.

OP posts:
Original poster
enchantedbroccolligarden · 14/05/2009 20:04

Should have added, I'm a dad, not a mum, not that it makes any difference to the OP.

OP posts:
mrz · 14/05/2009 20:10

I'm not sure what "half blue" means but level 10 is blue band under the RR book banding system. I can only suppose that as the blue band covers levels 9-11 in this system your son is half way through.

oandemum · 14/05/2009 20:11

i am as confused as you, anyone out there who can explain this in idiots guide terms? my ds is same age and reading level 4a oxford reading tree, i have no idea if this is average or not although i do know he is struggling in general with literacy and writing!

ellingwoman · 14/05/2009 20:12

We say that when the child currently takes home two yellow reading books and they are not quite ready for two blues. So they are on 'half blue' - i.e. one yellow, one blue.

Does that sound likely?

hohoba · 14/05/2009 20:13

i think the best tip is NOT to worry about this if your son is a good reader. As long as he likes reading ( and is obviosusly good at it) then chillax! there is plenty of time to worry about all this.

if he is attaining what you know hes capable of then leave the angsting to the teachers!

Original poster
enchantedbroccolligarden · 14/05/2009 21:44

That's a very helpful idea, but I now think the number (10) relates to the reading recovery scheme levels, which operate right up to year 6. So half blue means bang in the middle of the blue band - level 10.

Hey presto.

Thank you.

OP posts:
Original poster
enchantedbroccolligarden · 14/05/2009 21:46

Thank you MRZ - that's what I concluded since posting.

Ciao

OP posts:
Original poster
enchantedbroccolligarden · 14/05/2009 21:48

Thanks Hohoba, too.

Actually, that's the point, he far too easily reads the books that he takes home. So there's a mismatch between what he is capable of reading and what he gets.

OP posts:
hohoba · 14/05/2009 21:57

Do you know I had htis recently and it drove me nuts, so they sent much harder books back and HE HATES doing school reading now.

hohoba · 14/05/2009 21:57

Now i think , if he can read and will face no obstacles, then what is the rush? He needs to discover reading is fun.

KEAWYED · 14/05/2009 22:00

my sons in year one and he was on the same half blue which his school joined with the green band because they said the bands were similar.

kid · 14/05/2009 22:01

Lots of children are able to read harder books but are unable to process what they have read so the balance needs to be made. Once the childs comprehension increases, so will the level of the book.

Sounds like he is doing great

Doodle2U · 14/05/2009 22:04

I have the ORT 'tree' if that helps - hang, I'll link.

Doodle2U · 14/05/2009 22:10

tree - scroll down pdf to page 3

My DD is on stage 6, just turned 6 years old and appears to be bang on average, so your son sounds like he's flying! Go mini-Enchanted

Original poster
enchantedbroccolligarden · 15/05/2009 04:32

Doodle2U, that's great. Thanks for the encouragement.

OP posts:
Buda · 15/05/2009 06:12

Don't worry about the books seeming easy for him. He sounds as if he is doing really well for his age. My DS is in Yr 3 but an August birthday so one of youngest in year and he is on Stage 11 on ORT.

I go into DS's school to hear children read and one of the things we are asked to do is make sure the child understands what they are reading. One of the boys in my DS's class flies through books but the teachers feel he doesn't always understand what he is reading.

If he is reading at level 10 I would read the school books but also encourage him to read as many other books etc as he wants. Fostering an interest in books is as important as learning to read.

Original poster
enchantedbroccolligarden · 15/05/2009 09:29

Hi Buda, thanks for that encouragement.

Can I clarify, it's reading recovery level ten that my DS has been benchmarked at. It's a completely different scale to the ORT scale that you're looking at, and my DS certainly isn't on level 10 ORT.

I think it's potentially confusing that there's a national curriculum level, a reading recovery scale, and the ORT colour-coded levels to compare. Frankly very difficult unless you have an inside-track!

Thanks

OP posts:
Buda · 15/05/2009 09:48

I agree! I think they do it deliberately to confuse us poor parents.

CountessDracula · 15/05/2009 09:51

I really don't worry about these levels
I can tell by looking at a book if it is suitable for dd's reading level
And if she comes home with something too easy we just read one of her non-school books and write about that in the reading diary.

Current faves are things like Roald Dahl - do you have some of these sort of things that she can try?

Doodle2U · 15/05/2009 17:07

Ah right - I didn't 'get' the reading recovery thing. I have just Googled it and the odd sites I clicked on, all seemed to be saying that a child goes on to reading recovery which entails one to one reading for a 20 week period.

I don't know anything about this and how it works and where it places a child in terms of his peers and where The Establishment feel he should be at.

So, my advice....trog up to school and talk to his teacher

I would just add though - if he's been placed on a reading recovery path, it sounds like his teacher is on the case. She/he had identified his weak areas and is cracking on with rectifying. It's all good

Original poster
enchantedbroccolligarden · 15/05/2009 17:27

The school is on the case - certainly after a chat with them recently.

But in fact the material they were giving him to take home was woefully too easy for him. Too easy is dull, and dull isn't good.

But I think we're on track now.

OP posts:
hellywobs · 15/05/2009 18:04

I get totally confused as well. My son was on Treetops which are stages 9-11 and now he's apparently "gone up! to stage 8. I know there are differing levels within stages but this does seem very strange and he flies through the books. I get so confused. But it doesn't really matter - he reads very well (7 in November, in Y1).

Original poster
enchantedbroccolligarden · 16/05/2009 14:00

Hi Hellywobs,

Didn't know about Treetops but looks as if there's an interesting range there. Good to hear your son is reading so well and enjoyably at 6.5 years old.

Thanks

OP posts:
Karam · 17/05/2009 10:45

OP - I use this link to keep a general idea of where my DD is at. It is compiuled by Cliff Moon, who is supposed to be a child's reading expert. My DD's school uses lots of different books from different systems, so I am able to keep track of where she is etc. I find it helpful...

"herewww.kaleidoscopesets.com/downloads/IndividualRead.pdf""

hth

cazzybabs · 17/05/2009 11:10

WOW - I it means he is doing very well. Very few of my year 1 class are on ORT level 10...which I guess has a reading age of (and it is a guess) over 8