Year 1 expected reading level

[hazbaz]

Sorry in advance as I know this is a cliché but my DS1 just brought home his mid year report today. He is reading green band books & I thought doing ok - no indication from school of any issues with reading at previous parent teacher evenings or his YR reports. Now according to the new system he is below expectation & reading at a level of reception. Although good effort apparently.

I'm shocked & will clearly be speaking to his teacher but just wanted to know is green band really below average for a boy in Yr1?!?

My son has just gone up to turquoise band and we were told he's in the bottom half of his high achieving class. He's a summer born too. The teacher didnt seem to think he was doing very well.

Notmymuse really? My DD's teacher said she is doing very well! I thought turquoise was a good level at this point in time in year 1? ....am confused now

I think the point is how good "turquoise level" might be and where it is on the old NC levels rather depends on the school and the teacher. Some schools like to challenge them, some like to keep them in safe territory. Some have skills tick-lists and won't move them up till they also reach a certain level at comprehension, inference, reading aloud with character etc, so for those schools reading levels might equate more closely to NC targets. Others are more focussed on what level the child can read and enjoy the story.

I think ds just happens to be in a really high achieving class. There are 22 in the class and at least 6 or 7 of them are easily reading chapter books. Quite a few are on white or lime books. I know because I listen to readers! The lowest is on green band and there's only one or two then a handful on orange, a few on turquoise and the rest above. Some well well above.
It is a state school by the way.

It all depends on the school doesn't it. My DD is in a good but small state primary. She is on turquoise level (actually at home she reads more complex books but lets park that for a minute) and she is the only Y1 out of 14 on this band (others are below). We are told she is a great reader and exceeding expectations.

That said if my DD were at my godson's premier big-hitting super academic prep school in London turquoise would probably be considered a poor show. In any case she would have been pushed so she would probably have been a "free reader" before she finished YR.

What does it all mean? Not much. First of all the level the school have the child on doesn't necessarily represent their ability. Second what you consider to be "exceeding expectations" or "meeting expectations" depends on whose expectations they are!

It's just one class don't compare because you can have a class where all are ahead or one where they are all behind. My dd is on turquiose too, she is learning to read fine. In my 'normal' world I have no idea what the other children are on.

There really is an element with reading that those who are progressing fine will end up in the same place at the end, they are 5 fgs!

The coloured book band is a "red herring" what is important is the range of skills displayed by the child.

Book band levels here. This chart says that green is a good level for year one!
www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/AssetsLibrary/SECTORS/Primary/PDFs/StructureCharts/RigbyStarGuidedJun09.pdf

Aligned to the old curriculum not to current expectations

ah right yes, so basically everyone these days has to be above average. They are 5......

MRZ..pks.enlighten us what are current expectations for english & Maths in year 1..by the end of year 1 where should our kids be level wise e.g 1a/1b/2a ?..thanks..a very curious mum.

They've done away with levels - allegedly anyway. But I think they like year 1s to be a 1a / 2c at least by the end of year 1 so that they are a 2a / 3c by the end of year 2.

Doc as I've repeatedly said expectations have nothing to do with book bands or publishers levels rather it is meeting the skills expected of that year group.