I know, I know: reading levels in Year 2

[IknowIknowIknow]

I KNOW you shouldn't compare, and children develop at different paces etc etc, but would you mind sharing what reading level (Oxford Reading Tree, with numerical levels, not the colours) your Year 2 child is on, and what month their birthday is?

You never leave the scheme at our school, it runs to level 16 and research suggests that 14 is year 4 15 year 5 and 16 year six as a rule of thumb.

At most of the local schools free readers are 11 or 12.

Yes leaving at level 11 may mean 5 years of rainbow fairies.

As for the extended scheme only time will tell if it's a good idea. Done well I suspect it could be. Looking at our school library, I fear not??

Dd2 is sept born and on stage 10 and currently a 2a/3 for reading. (Same as what dd1 was at this stage and both were in the top group).

Don't take anything from people being free readers as its varies between schools. In our school there are tons of reading schemes that last til stage 18 and include books like Sherlock holmes, pride and prejudice etc!

Most don't become free readers in our school til year 4. Dd is working on level 4 literacy (which is good as she's only in year 4) and only became a free reader at xmas!

DS is stage or level 10. I have no idea what a free reader is!

April birthday, lime band, don't know what number that is. Lime seems to be the top level in her class.

I think the reading schemes are great as the whole idea of free reading imo is that you can pick up any book and give it a go! A child reading on stage 11/12 is not able to do that fluently so like tapas said, just spends ages on kiddy books with little scope for discussion. The reading schemes have older themes but organized in smaller chapters and with lots of scope for discussion about plots, feelings, creating tension etc etc.

How does everybody know the levels of the entire class?

In our school they do different things, according to the need of the child. The reading scheme runs all the way up to Y6. My eldest (Y4) is still on it, my youngest (Y1) is free reading. Occasionally he chooses a reading scheme book, because some of them are interesting to him (he loves the 'How to be a xxxx in 20 easy stages' books)

Schools have very different definitions of "free readers" in some it simply means there are no more books of an appropriate level so we let them read anything, in others it means they are free to choose from a given box/shelf/collection and in others it means we only bought books up to lime level so anything after that is free choice. IMHO the whole thing is misleading (but a good boast for the playground so popular) no matter how good a reader primary aged children are still maturing as readers and still need guidance and teaching.

Jesus wept, wouldn't it just be easier if you said my child is a summer/winter child and I think they are not keeping up/a total genius? And give people what level they are on?

mrz - thank you, that's helpful. Totally agree that small children are still maturing as readers. Tbh, there are texts that I find harder / easier, and just reading a book today where I didn't know what a couple of words meant! So we are learners for life.

TurnOver - because I'd then either get the 'don't worry, your child is just a late developed they'll get there' or alternatively 'what, is this some kind of stealth boast', and for you anonymous lot it matters not one jot what my child is on! .

Come again, op?? "It matters not one jot what my child is on", after asking for everyone else's child's levels?? How fucking rude are you?

At our old school they could only become free readers from Y3 when they reached ORT14. Thus progression through levels was intentionally slow for good readers. It still didn't work for DD1, who was at ORT14 early in Y2.

Now we are at a new school. All Y3s choose reading books from a long shelf of Y3 books - various chapter books, with not a single (!) Rainbow Fairy in sight!!!

Flogging - apologies if that came across rudely, it wasn't meant to. If you feel that it's rude to ask about other children's reading levels without sharing my own children's, then no problem, don't reply. I didn't want to say in my OP because then it stops becoming a (very unscientific) survey of the rough range of Y2 levels, and starts becoming about whether or not I am overly anxious or overly pushy or boastful, or something in between.

I genuinely have plenty else going on in my life apart from comparing reading levels, but the great thing about Mnet is that you can start threads on whatever you choose and people might reply if you are lucky.

That is true, of course. I apologise also ( I didn't even share my kid's levels!)

I think you've been rude OP.

Whoever asked how you know everyone's levels, your child tells you. They like benchmarking themselves.

The higher levels are not just about encountering new words, lots of the books require background knowledge that younger children do not have, some are scary or inappropriate. The plots and inference are more complex, they require higher levels of comprehension
Our school is very reluctant to allow fast progression and I can see why, some children will force through the scheme and that's just how it is.

Oh I see you apologised. Why wouldn't you just share though.

Tapasfairy: have explained why I didn't share. I could say my child is level 9 if you want. Or maybe level 14. Or level 5. But surely it really doesn't matter to anyone apart from me (and out of all the things in my life I care about, it's not exactly up the in the top 10) - no one on this thread cares at all about my child, and I just thought I would use the luxury of a connection to a bunch of strangers to indulge my curiosity. I didn't think there would be an element of 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours'.

Thank you to those who have shared though.

I'm leaving now because your clearly a bit rude, if your asked and don't reply that's rude.
( and still you don't get that it's rude)

Your insisting that it doesn't matter a bit too much.

I love all the 'free readers' posts, as if children stop being assessed in Y2, and they're allowed to just read what they like.

They're still guided through stages and only allowed to choose from certain areas.

The term 'free reader' is a bit of a red herring which is why not all schools use it.

Whisk - not so for all. My DD brings in a book from home/library for her reading book. We have no formal guidance from school on what she should choose or what sections she is allowed to read from. The Goth Girl books are the current favourite books of her choosing, school suggested we find her something that appeals (she isn't a Rainbow Fairies kind of girl) and bring it in as her 'reading' book.

Ds1 is in year 2, January birthday and on stage 9 ORT.

It's all a bit meaningless IMO though. You can't directly compare just from levels...especially with the 'free readers'.

A friend of mine has a year 2 dd who's a 'free reader' who appeared to go straight from ORT level 8 to being a free reader...which means nothing other than She gets to choose her own book from a box of 50 within her ability rather than being handed one!

www.beckstone.cumbria.sch.uk/reading_levels_2010_2011.htm

DS1 - free reader at the start of year 1. Zoomed through Biff and chip. Complete book worm. Got level 6 in SATs in year 6. Average in maths.

Year 2 DS2 (July) has just reached Lime officially. Initially zero interest in books so went off piste and stopped reading Biff and chip completely. He's really enjoys reading now we read proper books. Such a joy to listen to.

Free reading officially starts about level 11/12 for us.

DS is a May born Y2 and is on level 12 having taken two terms out as a "free reader". He will now continue on ORT until he reaches the end of level 16 or reaches Y6 - at which point he will become a free reader again.