Refusing to put dc on next reading level or even assess

[Blueschool]

Dc in in year 2. Has been on same reading level since September.

My dc may not be good at a lot at school, but reading is dc strong point. Not the top of class but quite advanced. Not just my opinion but her previous teachers and helpers.

Her current level is not a challenge anymore. Mentioned this weeks ago. Given a huge list basically telling me why dc is a crap reader in teachers opinion. Very surprised as one area always was praised on reading.

Took it on chin and we worked hard to resolve the issues like "not enough expression".

Dc reading is just fine. I can not find not fault.

My comment I wrote last week was the "book was not a challenge". Teacher took a whole page up in dd reading record to again tell me how crap dc is.

I felt the comments were utterly unfair and do not reflect reality at all. She also told me I could buy books to read at home! Very unfair assumption dc reads for pleasure all the time and has 100+ at home.

She said IF she wants she will assess her after Christmas she will.

My issues are

• I thought parents and teachers were meant to be in partnership with education. How is this a partnership?

• IF dc is genuinely reading badly at school WHY? Why is there such a difference? Why is her educational environment not making her feel confident and supported to show her real abilty?

• Another parent has told me they have had similar issues as the teacher gets herself stressed. Im sorry, but holding a child back because you are stressed is quite something.

What should I do?

There is also research that shows you can make research prove anything you want

Let's not criticise research for the sake of criticising it. We all point to our favourite research when we want to make a point.

here it is

We did buy scheme books (Songbirds 6-in-1 collections) for DS when in reception.

He wanted to have books that he could read. As Learnandsay says, he hadn't learnt the necessary phonics to read 'completely' any other texts.

He wanted more books that he could read on his own, but school were not prepared to change books more than twice a week (on set days). They also were not prepared to send any books home during school holidays.

We continued to read to him (well, DH did - I can't) as well.

Now he is up to orange book band, there is so much more available that he can read (with some help) that we don't need to use early scheme books.

I wasn't criticising learnandsay

I think we're all being a bit unfair here. We value literacy highly. We're using a literate medium in order to communicate. But there are going to be people out there who can't read very well and perhaps can't write very well either but who can dismantle a tractor and reassemble it. I can't.

mrz one of the questions on the Yellis test given to Yr 10 students and used to form GCSE grade predictions asks about how many books there are at home. This data helps inform the Yellis band that students are placed in, and thus there predicted grades.

I don't know the weighting given to this question, but it must be asked for a reason?

radicalsubstitution, I bought the Songbird phonics for my dd in reception for exactly the same reason. They used them at school, along with Floppy's phonics etc, but it was great to have them at home for those first couple of terms then, as you say, the world of literature opens up...

Well if my son took the Yellis test he would answer 1000+ books (not counting the ones that are stored elsewhere) and his grade predictions would have been totally wrong radicalsub

I must be a genius then. When my mum died the auctioneers found she had three thousand books in her house! Where do I answer the questions for my GCSE predictions?

3000+ books - that must be a big house!

Do Kindle books count?

Yes, it was. It had a wing that nobody went in. I'm pretty sure Heathcliff was in that bit.

learnandsay .

I hope Kindle books count - it's all I can read these days.

I suppose they can only count if your DC knows how many you have?

I've never been very sure about that question on the Yellis test. I think the test is all multiple choice, so the categories must be really enormous.

Something like: 0-10, or 10-100, or 101-1000, or 1001-15,000,000

As I mentioned, I don't know the weighting given to this question, but Yellis predictions are actually quite useful.

It's a bit of research that I remember and refer to as it amuses me. It's a bit sad as well though isn't it, as it basically shows "life is unfair".

Mind you just asked DH (very successful in life and big reader) if he had books in his house when he grew up and the answer was "no". They got them from the library, but in answer to that question re books in the house it's still "no" or a very low number indeed, and then DH started collecting them himself, spending his pocket money on them when he was 8 or 9 awwwwwwwww..... .

Better off than many who don't visit libraries or get pocket money mind you...

Msz - I'm a big fan of Cops and Robbers, Burglar Bill, Each Peach Pear Plum, The Jolly Postman. These were the books written in collaboration with his late wife, Janet. After she died, I think the books became less creative - not surprising, and this had been a wonderfully creative colaboration. The couple of Biff books I read seemed much more mechanical - written to order - more suitable for a younger competent reader perhaps?

The first edition of Mr Biff the Boxer (1980) was illustrated by Janet Ahlberg.

His books about the Gaskets are great. They were written after his wife died.

I love the Gaskets books, I have bought them for DD.

Tgger there is also plenty of research that shows children living in homes with access to electronic media read less and that home computers have a negative impact on reading habits and a child's development.

There is so much research looking for the reason why children read less and IMHO there isn't a single reason but a combination of many factors. However I don't agree with blaming reading instruction ... reading "primers" have been around for hundreds of years and lets face it nothing is going to put you off reading for pleasure more than the inability to read.

I did write a reply about J & A Ahlberg last night and for some reason I lost it but the whole happy families series was written as a husband and wife collaboration and there is only one book about Mr Biff so I'm not sure what books you are thinking of allchildrenreading.

That's just about everyone then eh mrz....internet at home is normal now. Kids accessing it for hours obviously going to take time away from reading, as is TV, play stations, activities, playing.....
Agree completely re readers. Perhaps attitude towards them from both (some) teachers and parents has got a bit skewed though?

Well I know I don't read as much as I once did Tgger, probably because I spent too much time on MN

I stand corrected - the earlier Happy Families were illustrated by Janet Ahlberg, the later ones by a number of illustrators. I picked up a couple of them ages ago in a Charity Shop and remember feeling very, very disappointed.
My point really was that it seems to be counter-productive to keep children on a certain book if its causing distress, boredom.

I felt very sorry for OP and her child.

I don't the child is being kept on a certain book rather she is being given books of a certain level of difficulty which the teacher believes is right for her ability whereas mum disagrees.