Reading levels in Year 1. What is 'normal'?

[reikizen]

I'd just like some advice on other people's experiences please. DD1 is in Year 1, but was a January intake for Reception. Her reading is really very poor (I think) although her general intelligence, vocabulary etc is very good. We have always read to her etc. When I look at what her peers are reading I go cold thinking how 'behind' she is. At what point do you assume there is a problem? How long do we just do with the flow for? My brother had terrible dyslexia which was missed by the school and I would hate DD1 to go through what he did.

The range in DS's class runs from ORT2 to ORT8 with all points inbetween

normal in yr 1 is from not being able to read at all to being able to read whatever they want fluently.

It really is that wide a range.

There is a table of what ORT is "average" or whatever at each age, someone might have a link for you.

Reikizen (terrible name to respell!)

My bright DD was one of the youngest in her class and always seemed so 'behind' last year (didn't know phonetic alphabet till summer terms etc). It worried me a bit.

She suddenly 'got' reading last week and has just flown. OK, so compared to some of her peers who are reading the 'Fairy Books series ' already, her reading:
'The red pirate looked in a hole' would seem unremarkable, but even a month ago she couldn't even read 'the'.

Hope that helps. I just don't think she was ready to read last year and did it when she was ready. It was so hard not to be too pushy with her though.

Thanks, that does make me feel better, I don't want to be pushy mum, but don't want to leave her to the lottery of the education system either!

I've said this many times before on threads like these, but neither of my boys could read at all at this stage in Y1

for ds1 something 'clicked' around his 6th birthday and in a matter of weeks went from books with three words on a page to being a completely free reader - able to pick up any book he wanted and read (and more importantly comprehend) it instantly

it was a bit slower with ds2, but again it started clicking in the spring term and by the time he left y2 his reading age was several years ahead of his chronological age

more importantly both boys love reading and devour books at an astonishing rate - they're now 12 and 9

reading clicked for dd in reception so she's been reading fluently for a while, but there are still kids in her class (just started y2) who're on the red and yellow bands (our school doesn't do ORT so I don't know what level that equates to I'm afraid) - so there's still an enormous range of 'normal' in y2 as well

My DS1 is in year one. There are children who can read anything they want and there are non-readers. Most of them are on ORT blue/red/yellow. But the range is very wide.

I bought some extra books for DD and she read them with me over the summer (ie between reception and year 1). It massively boosted her reading and her confidence, and she is now reading at home almost independently (she is already 6 so oldest in class).

If you are worried you should speak to the teacher but if there is a parents night this terms then presumably it can wait until then.

The Book People are good for book sets.

OP, I am sure there is not a problem or else the teacher would have contacted you.
Ds is in yr 1. All the girls seem very advanced. Some of them are on level 22 - of our reading system.
Some of the boys are on level 1.
My son is on level 10. They aim to be at level 14 by the end of the year.
Thus I assume that ds1 is doing 'just fine'.
Please worry about this NO MORE.
Go and have a word with her teacher and i am sure she will put your mind at ease.

Remember that some of the children will already be 6 whereas some will only just have turned 5. Comparing them with each other at this age isn't really helpful.

My DS1 was on the same level of the ORT throughout reception and up to xmas term of year 1.

It just didnt click with him, then from January he started moving up a level every few weeks. His speach also improved greatly at the same time.

I was panicking because he was an August baby and the youngest in his class but something just 'happened' and hes caught up and overtook some now

I'm a teacher of reception and Y1 children, and I would say that Y1 is probably the year where the differences in reading ability are most extreme (talking about children with no special problems).
At the beginning of Y1, some children will be at the stage of recognising some letters or sounds, knowing writing runs from left to right, and sharing a picture book. Some will read simple, easily-sounded-out words, and maybe recognise on sight a few words such as the, said etc. Some children may read quite fluently, and for them the issue is developing their understanding of texts rather than reading harder and harder words (because they will do that anyway if they are keen readers).
Often as the children go into Y2, more of the children 'click' with reading and they catch up quite well. So long as they are getting regular phonics lessons, and reading practice, it should come together over the next few months.
Why not ask your child's teacher if she thinks there is a problem? She will know if your child has problems beyond what might be expected. But it doesn't sound as though there is too much to worry about.