What does Level 1a mean?

[Ladyloo]

My dd has just been assessed in reading by her teacher and she went through a SATs paper with her (the teacher scribed for her) and said she scored a level 1a. She said her reading comprehension was not as strong as her ability to decode, so she is going to read green band books for guided reading and turquoise for story books to take home.

dd is in reception and I always thought she was a very good reader, but I am now worried that her comprehension is not as good as it should be. She has just changed schools. Am I right to worry? Is there anything I can do to help her?

I would have thought 1a in reception good but I'm sure teacher person will be along soon.

She is way ahead, you don't need to do anything and worry????? err no!
Just make sure she is understanding what she is reading, talk about the stories.

I can't imagine why the teacher was doing SATs papers with her when she isn't even in KS1 yet and under EYFS

Thanks, think I just felt as if there were lots of negatives today. Reading has always been her thing and now I'm worrying she's not comprehending well enough.

I'm not sure what the teacher has been doing because SAT papers don't test level 1.
Green band is a good level (roughly a 1b) for a reception child at the beginning of the summer term.

The teacher said she is under EYFS for everything else, but for reading is assessing her using KS1 scales.

Have to go now, but will read and reply when I get back :)

There are many ways to assess rather than to use a SATs paper in YR!

I know she is only young, just felt as if she had made no progress as she started reception on green band! Plus if your child is good at something why focus on the negatives:(

I can't see why a teacher would use a SATs paper for a reception child - I would hope that they would be able to assess the child's reading themselves.

It is quite common to have a higher decoding level than comprehension level and the bands she is reading sound very good for reception. Improving her comprehension would be a good thing - try not to think about it as a negative thing.

I am an obsessive type generally. Just wanted her to have a positive start and her teacher seemed quite negative (although admitted her comprehension was above average).

Plus, I thought guided reading was meant to be done with more challenging texts. dd went to year 1 for this at her last school and they don't do that at her current school, so part of me wonders if it makes it easier for them to put her in a group with the rest of the class.

sorry

Thanks :)

I very much doubt it was a SAT test paper as they don't assess Level 1. The marking schemes do not identify level 1s as they are designed to assess level 2 (if it is the level 2 paper, rather than level 3). Maybe the teacher was completing oral comprehension activities and making notes for APP evidence, which would identify level 1s. Gathering APP evidence and updating the Guidelines is normal practice. Any child who has completed EYFS moves on to being assessed using national curriculum (and usually APP). Level 1a in reception is good, well on track for a level 3 at the end of key stage 1. Don't be worried about the teacher's comment about compehension. I expect they were just giving you development points as your DD couldn't achieve 1a without some level of comprehension, and it is very common for children's decoding to be more advanced than their comprehension. Speaking as a Year 2 teacher, I suggest you just continue to enjoy sharing books and spend time talking about them, that should boost comprehension skills. Many teachers find parents get bogged down in the decoding and forget the importance of being able to discuss what you have read.

Thanks Abigail, that was useful.

My DD is a very good reader (G&T for literacy). I have to say that I never knew what level she was on in either reception or Y1 (I wasn't a member of mumsnet then or I would have been comparing too!).

So it was simple. She brought home books, we read them; she learned to read very quickly, we carried on enjoying books; she got to a certain level, we started getting books out of the library. Sounds like the teacher is trying to explain why your DD isn't on an even higher level - because her comprehension needs to catch up with her above-average decoding skills. Basically she is saying 'very good but not so brilliant that she is ready for chapter books'!

Ime, a good reader just gets better - and your job as the parent is to give her access to suitable books and to enjoy them with her.

You really need to chill. She is 5