Teachers give assessments in order to get a picture of students’ progress and mastery toward skills. Similarly, teachers in lower grades assess students’ reading to find their “just right” level. This is crucial information to have in identifying any gaps in decoding, fluency, or comprehension. You may want to know your child’s reading level so that you can be in the loop about their reading progress, and know what steps, if any, to take at home to help your child grow in reading.
How do teachers find students’ reading level?
Reading levels are determined through running records. When administering a running record, the teacher sits with one student at a time. The teacher has a book chosen, and will usually give the student a sentence or two of background, show them the cover, and read the title to them. Then they ask the student to read the book (or only the first few pages) out loud as the teacher marks accuracy, misread words, fluency, expression, etc. Some teachers time students on their reading, some don’t.
When the student has finished reading the book, the teacher will ask the student comprehension questions to determine the level of meaning the child was able to take from the book. These questions often belong to one of three categories: within the text, beyond the text, and about the text. Within the text questions deal with information that the student only needs to recall. If they were paying attention to what they read, they should be able to answer these questions. Beyond the text assesses how well students can think more critically about the text by making inferences about characters, drawing connections to their own lives, etc. About the text questions deal with text structure, text features, and author’s purpose. If the student scores within a certain range, then that is their “just right” level. If they score below the range, the teacher retests on a lower level, and if they score above the range, they retest on a higher level.
How important is my child’s reading level?
As far as your teacher is concerned, knowing your child’s reading level is very important so they can properly instruct and guide your child toward the right reading level to promote progress. It is important for you to be informed about whether your child is reading on, above, or below grade level, and that information may be best relayed by telling you your child’s exact level. However, it is not always necessary for the student to know their level themselves. There may be cases where it is helpful to tell the child their level. For example, if the student is frequently drawn to books that are far too easy, knowing their level and giving them access to books that are labeled accordingly, will ensure that they are choosing books appropriately. In other cases, telling students their levels can often be counterproductive. Some students get so caught up in levels that knowing actually causes more anxiety than it’s worth.
The Bottom Line
Teachers need to know students’ reading levels in order to instruct appropriately. Parents may want to know levels, but shouldn’t be too concerned unless the child is reading well below grade level, in which case the teacher will probably discuss options. Even then, it’s never a good idea to make a big deal out of reading levels, especially in front of a child. Becoming a reader is about finding joy in reading, not reaching a higher level. Students should be choosing books based on what interests them. As long as the books they choose are appropriately challenging (not too easy and not too many words they don’t know), then they are on the right track.