Reading progress for early reader

[DoneWithStruggling]

DS was an early reader - one day he could just do it. He wasn't hot-housed or anything, we just read a lot and he picked it up. He was a pretty fluent reader on starting school and was on white band books at the start of reception. He was pretty average at everything else, and frankly a little behind socially and physically (I expect reading developed at the expense of other skills, but it has evened out now). At the start of Y1 he was graded at 2a for reading. At the pre-Christmas Y2 parents evening he was still 2a. I asked about progress and was told he would be going to the junior library to get books, doing accelerated reading quiz program that the juniors do and generally that the school were "on it", but the teacher did express her opinion that once someone could read, they could read.

Week before half term I was chatting to TA about something else and mentioned that he has only had 3 books from junior library and hasn't managed to get a quiz done as there is always a problem with computer/wrong teacher/inconvenient for DS to go to juniors etc. TA checked a log book and I saw on the page that DS is still down as 2A. Next week we have parents evening, and I will check reading level with teacher, but shouldn't DS really have made some sort of progress since start of y1 (and possibly reception)?

What could I ask/suggest? I don't want to sound like a NC level nut, but I do feel that reading-wise DS has been abandonned by school while they deal with everyone else, and the apparently unchanging NC level seems to reflect this. I am grateful that he can read, and especially that he absolutely loves reading and constantly has his nose in a book. We have a lot of books at home, and visit the library twice a week. He understands what he has read, and can spot and discuss metaphors and themes in poems. What else should he be doing at home or school? I would prefer work at school and pleasure at home...

"However, I do think that a lot of the skills mrz mentioned up thread are easier to do in a book that a child finds fairly easy to read ( my experience not necessarily the teachers!)"

That's exactly why teachers sometime drop children down reading levels Simpson. It's much easier to focus on those skills if you aren't putting too much effort into reading challenging texts.

The flipside is the mum who complained that she couldn't find any higher order reading skills in a Biff & Chip book.

A sensible person looks for higher skills in a higher book.

A sensible parent like Simpson understands that if the child is putting 80% of their effort into reading the words and vocabulary they have only 20% left for the higher level skills whereas if 50% of their effort is going into reading the words and vocabulary they have much better chance to work on the higher level skills

This is why I am not that fussed that DD does guided reading 4 or 5 levels below her actual level.

But even the vocabulary in The Railway Children is pretty simple most of the time. OK, the opening line is a bit of a stinker. But once you get going the text is alright. Surely it makes more sense to be doing higher skills on that than on Biff & Chip Counts Dots.

After all, if we really believed that our children had deficiencies in understanding we'd be reading them Papi and Mami Go to Sleepyland
at bedtime instead of Alice in Wonderland.

To me it is about getting the balance right and having a mixture of both (easy and hard books).

DD is atm reading a hard book (for her) so the aim is to make sure she is understanding the basic storyline, nothing more.

I can't really understand the simple books argument.

As far as I can tell the simple books argument goes like this: Comprehension is about lots of discussion topics around the story and a child can't discuss the story if he's too busy trying to decode the words

right?

Who said the discussion has to take place right in the middle of the child struggling to work out

acc-i-den-tall-y

DS enjoys reading all sorts of books and isn't particularly bothered if a book is considered "easy" because he enjoys reading. Just as I enjoy reading childrens' books from time to time as well as my scientific journals. His guided reading group at school read easier books than he is capable of, partly because his cohort contains fewer able readers at the moment. There is no-one else off the reading colours yet, and only one on white, then another big gap. But I am hoping that guided reading is about investigating the book and discussing it, rather than a mechanical reading exercise, thus making the level of the book largely irrelevant.

simpson It is great that your school are catering for your daughter's high reading ability - did this happen automatically, or is it something you had to press for?

So, two further questions:-

1. If DS was 2a at start of Y1, what would be expected progress now (half-way through Y2). I know children progress in fits and starts, not evenly - but what ballpark should he be in?

1. What should/can I expect school to be doing in order for DS to learn/demonstrate these higher order reading skills that he needs to progress?

Thanks!

This link explains the progress part quite well. A child levelled at 2a would normally be ready for the level 3 curriculum. If he's not receiving this (and you're not providing it at home) then he won't move to 3c and if he had received a year & a half's worth of level 3 teaching you'd at least expect that.

So either he's not received this or he's not ready for those higher level skills & perhaps his previous 2a level was over inflated. Have you looked at the 3c and 3b reading APPs to see whether or not you think he's progressed in the required skills and abilities?

Agree with tired in that if your DS is not being taught L3 then he is unable to progress.

I have not had to push for DD to get extra work, the school just do it. Her teacher is very good at giving me advice on how to extend her writing/reading at home which is helpful.

Not sure of what DD's target is for the end of yr2 but I do know that the KS1SATS are capped at a 3A so I would guess she will go down as that.

Key Stage 1 SATs have no cap Simpson if a child is level 4 the teacher can assess as level 4 (some schools use the KS2 tests to support this assessment - we have in the past).

Retelling is a very low level comprehension skill

Wow, I'm more baffled than ever by 9yo DS, then. He struggles to tell any story but apparently keeps up as on target in English. ^3

And the idea that DS could "explore underlying themes" or any of the rest of mrz's long list is a joke!! DS can't emphasise with anyone. he's the one who asks constant questions about the plot in every TV programme we watch, he can't follow.

Mrz - I know they are not supposed to cap but a lot of schools do

My DC school cap at a 3A and the school I am in caps at a 3B.

However, I am saving this argument for next year

I can understand why because it puts lots of pressure on the child - level 4 in Y2 would give a target of level 7 (or a GCSE) for KS2

Also I guess its pressure for the teacher.

The school I am in say they cap because they just don't teach to that level (higher than a 3B) in KS1.

I thought a L4 would be a target of L6 at KS2?

Agree that it will be more challenging but not impossible to progress to level 3 if work not being specifically differentiated (teachers can surely do this by working on higher order reading skills even if the reading books in school are easier than he can manage at home?) I think your concerns about progress would definitely be worth discussing with school though..

DD is working at a similar level in reading and is predicted 4c at the end of this year (yr 2). There doesn't appear to be a cap on NC levels at our school

Level 4 is the "expected" level for the end of KS2 (just as level 2 is the "expected" level for Y2) but there are able children who are quite capable of working comfortably at higher levels.

I am sure there are but I would be uncomfortable with my child having a L7 target in KS2 SATS because they got a L4 in KS1 SATS iyswim, it just seems a big ask (not impossible but as you say a big pressure).

However, I will be having a chat about the capping next year.

Shouldbe - out of interest what level did your DD finish yr1?

schools have to show 3 levels progress for it to be considered "good"

Gosh

Tbh I am not bothered what her NC Levels are particularly but just don't like the idea that she could be capped iyswim.

On the whole it is much more important to me that she enjoys school and is happy/thriving/learning etc.

You can see why levels are going. It's daft. Primary school levels are not respected by secondary schools and primary schools often push/coach children to the test to inflate the levels so their school looks good. Madness. And a one size fits all approach re progress is especially daft is it not? Re a young child who might achieve a high level, but then plateau due to needing to mature.

I am well aware that my 7 year old can read better than some 13 year olds but I have no inclination for him to be "expected" to be at GCSE level in say 4 years time. Ho hum....