Do reading bands directly correlate to teacher assessment grades ?

[CheeseMeisterGeneral]

Just wondering, for instance my DD is on blue band and has been given a 1B for reading, but another child on blue band has been assessed as a 2A ??

Don't get wound up by it, it doesn't really matter. But maybe the child on 2A has better comprehension than your DD.

V unusual to be reading blue band and be a 2a. If I was his Mum I'd be wondering what the hell was going on. (Unless she is really on turquoise not blue? - but even turquoise isn't a 2a)

Whereas a 1b and blue band is if anything a wee bit generous. So looks like you're fine.....

Not a teacher, obviously, but blue band and 2a???? Nah, can't be right, 1c or 1b as I remember. Think white band is equivalent to 2a, so 6 NC book bands higher.

One of my (Y1, DT's is on blue band (Level 4) and has been given a 1C almost a 1B.

My other DT is on turquoise band (Level 7?) and has been given a 2B.

Also, don't know whether its relevant but our school move them through the reading scheme very slowly.

They do guided reading in class and I think the assessment grades are based on much more than they book band.

DD has two books per week from school and guided reading maybe 1/2 times per week. We read every night, so 4 nights of the same book sometimes, its a struggle to keep her interested and find different ways to use the book. We also supplement with weekly visits to the library. We also have a reading diary to fill in daily.

l have never asked whether DD is ready to go up a band, l have left it to the school to decide. But l do think maybe other parents are requesting a band up. DD is l think ready, but not sure whether l should mention it or not to her teacher ?

The spelling tests and difficulty thereof are also not directly atributable to the spelling age then ?

Some schools use different colours as well as different grading.

My DD's teacher gave a combined grade for reading and writing so although dd is reading ORT level 12 (which I think is white / lime) her target is 2a combined for end of year. Her writing is weaker than her reading. I don't know if they will split it up for the final result but I'm guessing not as this would have given her a different target. Hope that makes some sense.

dd1 in Year 2 in currently on gold band reading books. Last weeks parent's night, we were told she was currently rated at 2A for reading / comprehension. Writing the same.

Levels are down to teacher evidence. DS is reading beyond lime books but still "officially" only a 2B - as the teacher hasn't yet collected sufficient evidence.

I posted about this a while ago. DD is in year 1 and is a free reader, but has only been given a 1a grade for reading, and a target of 1a for the end of the year too. We have parents evening on Monday so I am going to be asking why that is and what it is that she's not doing, given that she is reading at a higher level than most of the year 2s. Her current reading book from school has 300 words to a page.

aaarrrggghhhh who cares??? Why is MN obsessed by reading bands?

The children start on the first level. When they are ready they go up a level. Eventually they get to the last level.

All these children will learn to read. Does it really matter whether they are on blue/green/stripy?

geeeez....

The sad fact, Onion, is that some kids do not learn to read at all well and go to secondary school struggling. I don't think it is on to diss parents who clearly want to do the best for their children and help all they can.

Ive been a TA in a primary school for nearly 17 years and have never come across coloured reading bands!! My DS's school doesnt use them either.
All our assessment is done through work evidenced teacher assessment.

I wouldn't give a child reading at blue band a 2A (or even 1A)

forwantofabetter1 how old are your school reading books!

My DD's school doesn't use the coloured reading bands eithe, depsite having a wide range of books including very new ones. Sme f the books ave the colour banding strips on them, (as some are preprinted) and others have levels, etcon. But the school don't atcually place children on colour levels, etc. It does the reading bit in infants very different to the state infant school I work at - which does have the colour coded boxes of books.

The newer books will have the coloured book bands (as publishers include them with their own stages/levels) whether you choose to use them or not Hulababy so it's difficult not to have encountered them if you work in a school... we use book bands but don't have colour coded boxes of books (and assess using a variety of methods)

Yeah but lovecheese, its also too easy to get over obsessed with these levels and I think that is what onion meant.

My feeling is that, on the whole children of parents on here will not fall into the category you mention as they are supportive parents who are helping their kids learn or are aware of the special needs their children may have in learning to read. (I could well be wrong!)

Its easy to get too bogged down in trying to second guess what the teachers are doing and what the differences between levels are. so I recommend relaxing a little and commmicating with school alot. Someonbe on MN once said learning to read is a marathon and not a sprint and they all generally get there in the end.

(I hope I am not putting words into onions mouth)

@MigratingCoconuts

No, you are not. Of course there is a problem with some children not attaining a basic level of literacy in primary school. I very much doubt any child of a parent concerned enough to post on MN falls into this category.

If a child has specific needs and the parent is involved, it will be picked up by teachers and addressed.

Whether a child moves onto pink-with-purple-dots level by Easter is not pertinent to their overall level of achievement in KS1/Primary/life.

Relax. He/she is 4/5. Its not a big deal.

Mrz- Though I dont have a lot to do with the lower end of the school I'm mainly higher KS2 I know they use mainly the oxford reading tree scheme and a couple of other sideways schemes (wellington square and allaboard included) but we try to get children on to reading a variety of non scheme books as soon as we feel they are reading. I know that the ORT are included in the bookbands but it just something we dont find necessary to use

In most of the newer schemes the stage matches the book banding but ORT has been around a very long time so their stages don't (same applies to allaboard) I'm surprised you use Wellington Square as a sideways scheme when it intended for SEN but whatever works for your pupils.