Reading levels? Please explain.

[fourlittleangels]

I keep seeing things on here about reading levels.

How do you know what reading level your child is on, and is there some official level guide that is the same across the education system.

I'm interested as I have never been told what level dc is reading at. I just read the books with here that come home from school...I would have no idea if she was reading the 'right' books or what level they equate to.

What reading books does your child get??

What year are they in?

Each book should have a colour band on the back but schools use different schemes so it can be hard to work out

There are two different types.

One only has three levels then the book number. Can't think what they are called now. She has finished them now they bridged a gap as the others she was reading she did not enjoy...

Think the others are Jolly phonics books.

We have been alternating between the two as she progressed through the jolly phonics books they got increasingly boring for her so it put her off the quantity. One stands out particular about discovering Antarctica.

She is in yr2.

I did wonder how you equated the 'level' when there are so many different reading schemes.

Look at this www.readingchest.co.uk/book-bands

I think it explains the levels in a straightforward way and you can browse the books if you are so inclined to get an idea.

Each school may use its own system but the book bands are used in a lot of schools.

Ok thanks, I've always kind of ignored it as it can be to easy to get into that 'comparing' situation!
But can't help but be intrigued :)

I've always just trusted the school to provide what they feel best...but have had my doubts at times!

Well, from the responses of teachers that I've found so far, if you've always trusted that teachers knew what they were doing and had it right, then you're the perfect parent. (Heaven forbid that a parent goes in to school and asks why have you given my daughter the same book for six months?)

But to be fair to most forum contributors, the typical answer to stupid school books, (and there seem to be a lot of stupid school books,) is go to the library!

The jolly phonics books are dull, dull, dull!!!

The level of the JP one will depend on its colour and within each colour there are six levels...

Luckily DD has now brought something else home (not tempting fate as she will probably get another JP one)....

Well the last jolly phonics book she had was a green one that was bids ago because she had just gone back after the summer into year one.

But is a younger one so just 5 at the time, she started not wanting to read the books and I don't blame her they were seriously boring. Hence the change to something else which are much better but minimum quantity, now they are finished so i'm expecting the dreaded JPs again :(

learnandsay I have asked them about her reading etc and how she is doing. (As I have been worried she is struggling in the past)
But I haven't really questioned the books too much, as in levels. Just asked for something else after the incredibly boring ones!

I'm shocked it could go that long before a book is changed...and there was me moaning to DH that our daughters hadn't been changed for a couple of days!

I think you should at least have had a report at the end of Y1 saying what level she was on. There's a chance that you should have had more feedback than that by now.

My own personal view (for what it's worth) is that the school's national curriculum levels are teaching/institutional tools and unless parents take a huge interest in precisely how they are calculated and what they contain they aren't much more than a rough guide that the child is making some sort of progress.

My own approach is to read and write with my child and then I can tell for myself what's what.

As far as I'm concerned the school's approach is a matter for the school. There is of course an overlap when the school sends books home for me to read with my child. Of course these school books don't always go down well if I think that there is a huge gap between what the school is sending home and what my daughter is reading from the library. Ultimately if there is a huge gap, (and the library books are harder and more appropriate,) then what I do is read the school books as quickly as humanly possible with my daughter, make a brief comment that it's done and turn to the library books. I then consider the library books and my behaviour with my daughter the main source of my daughter's reading and literacy learning and school's involvement as largely incidental.

Green level is stage 5.

The JP books are awful, DD only got as far as yellow level thankfully (but may get them back again!!)

DD hated the font with the silent letter in a word and there was never any story just pictures and a series of sentences about each picture.

You can check out the Oxford owl for free ebooks to read...

I have to admit, I have unconsciously adapted the same approach. Mainly because she is much more keen to read a book from our bookshelf that one of the school ones.

The school is small so the teacher is at the classroom door to greet parent and child each morning, so if anything I have felt maybe I can ask too much (if I have had concerns) but I've never actually asked about levels.
I have just been reassured that she is reading well and they have no concerns.

Then I came on to the education section to past a thread about something else and got intrigued.

I've heard the odd, dare I say, competitive parents saying my child is on 'x' level but I've not really paid attention so just assumed it would be different across each reading scheme.

I will double check the report later.

My son school in YR was using oxford tree and in Y1 bug club(we moved ).Still he feels all books are easy.he is given phase 5 books.He reads Fantastic Mr Fox and Horrid Henry.Well he is bored,but have to stick with the books.

I think that if my daughter ever said to me, why do I have to read these school books, they're boring, I'd try to find substitute books for her. I don't think I'd ever try and force my daughter to read a book that she didn't want to read (even if it was a school book.) The world is full of books. What's the point in making life unnecessarily hard for oneself?

If I thought the books were dull but appropriate and she didn't mind them then I'd say nothing.

Luckily we seem to have finished with the JP books now and DD had a guided reading lesson yesterday and is going to be put up to green level (was only on blue for a week!!)

Anyway my point about this is that the JP books don't really test a child's comprehension (IMO) and I think it's no coincidence that she has gone up 2 levels in a week since coming off these damn books!!

I agree re JP books and comprehension...surely someone in the know must realise that children need to actually enjoy what they are reading, I mean some may, but my daughter wasn't feeling the discovery of Antarctica at five years old!
It was like pulling teeth reading that one.

Glad it wasnt just me (and my DD) then!!!

Hopefully we have seen the back of them

At our school we are encouraged to change school reading books as often as we like. Do other schools not allow free access to books? They are in boxes according to colour so you can choose a different level if you want.

We just ask for a new reading book whenever we want but can't choose as such.