It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 5:04 pm

HSC AffiliatesClick here for our affiliate link to Christianbook.comDonate to HSC





Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 14 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
 Post subject: Reading level
PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 5:53 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:05 pm
Posts: 3524
Location: Central TX
Does anyone know of a good test to check a kid's reading grade level? I've used one before, but it didn't seem very reliable.

_________________
Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Reading level
PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 7:05 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:22 pm
Posts: 8837
Here's what I found.

"Usually placed near the list price on the back cover of children’s books you’ll see something like this: RL 3.2. This would indicate that the book was written with the reading vocabulary of a typical child in the second month of the third grade." Average the grade level of the books they read.

In public school they chart how many words per minute the student reads and makes sure they improve regularly. Sometimes they have to go back to easier books til they get up to speed. (Similar to the typing skills we talked about earlier.) They also have the kids read thru lists of words making sure they can pronounce them correctly and they have "vocabulary words" for them to master. All of that is sometimes rolled into the reading level.

Comprehension is another matter!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Reading level
PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:16 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:14 pm
Posts: 8115
I have not tried this test before - but it LOOKS like it might work : )

http://www.aceministries.com/assessments/

_________________
http://stuffedveggies.blogspot.com/


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Reading level
PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 11:50 am 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:05 pm
Posts: 3524
Location: Central TX
Thank you! I feel like I've seen quite a bit of improvement in ds's reading, but would like a reliable way to measure it. He seems more fluent, but still not as fluent as dd, who I believe reads above grade level. His accuracy has improved, though. I hear lots of people say their kid reads at this or that grade level and I just wonder how they know that. I will check out that test.

_________________
Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Reading level
PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 1:07 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:22 pm
Posts: 8837
LisaTX wrote:
Thank you! I feel like I've seen quite a bit of improvement in ds's reading, but would like a reliable way to measure it. He seems more fluent, but still not as fluent as dd, who I believe reads above grade level. His accuracy has improved, though. I hear lots of people say their kid reads at this or that grade level and I just wonder how they know that. I will check out that test.


I think the important thing is to use the same "tool" each time.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Reading level
PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 4:59 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:14 pm
Posts: 8115
After your question the other night, Lisa, I found one of those "read the lists" sort of reading level tests, and on a lark tried DD with it. It was HORRIBLY inaccurate (she tested WAYY too high!) If you teach your kids phonics & they "get it" they should be able to sound out nearly any list of words at a very young age. But that is very different from being able to, say, read a college biology or physics text and understand it.

As for the parents who say "my kid reads on "x" level" - I think a lot of it is just the Mommy Olympics again. Parental bragging. And a lot of "reading levels" are determined by the Dolch sight word lists - which are nonsensical to phonics students. Of course you can read "anthropomorphism" in first grade!

But, I took the ACE tests when I attended an ACE school as a kid - and they were very helpful for determining curriculum levels.

If you google "What reading level is Ramona the Pest" (if that's what your kid reads for fun) then you will find what grade level that is (often on the publisher's site). If your kid reads and understands the book, then you can feel reasonably confident that your kid can read at that grade level. Especially if they read several books on that level.

_________________
http://stuffedveggies.blogspot.com/


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Reading level
PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 7:13 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:22 pm
Posts: 8837
I checked the back of dgs's book he's reading. It says RL4.4 (4th month of 4th grade). I looked it up on the internet as Anna suggested and it says the same book is a 3.0. :ugeek:


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Reading level
PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:00 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:05 pm
Posts: 3524
Location: Central TX
Ds enjoys audio books, but unfortunately doesn't read chapter books for enjoyment, so I can't really go by that. The only time he reads, is when we do his Barton tutoring, which is phrases, sentences and short stories. He HATES reading. Even though he also says he feels like he is getting better.

_________________
Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Reading level
PostPosted: Wed May 11, 2016 5:52 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:05 pm
Posts: 3524
Location: Central TX
Well, I started a 30 day trial with Reading Horizons. It's an online program to help kids with Dyslexia and it uses the same method as the program we've been using. I thought it might be something he would like better and thought we would try it out. He just finished the assessments and one of them was the Lexile assessment. I guess that's what they use in schools. It gave me his reading grade level and it was........very discouraging. I feel like we've been doing everything for nothing. He seemed to have made progress with Barton, but either he just did bad on the testing or I've been imagining his progress. I feel so discouraged. I hope this program helps.

_________________
Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Reading level
PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2016 11:19 am 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:22 pm
Posts: 8837
LisaTX wrote:
Well, I started a 30 day trial with Reading Horizons. It's an online program to help kids with Dyslexia and it uses the same method as the program we've been using. I thought it might be something he would like better and thought we would try it out. He just finished the assessments and one of them was the Lexile assessment. I guess that's what they use in schools. It gave me his reading grade level and it was........very discouraging. I feel like we've been doing everything for nothing. He seemed to have made progress with Barton, but either he just did bad on the testing or I've been imagining his progress. I feel so discouraged. I hope this program helps.


The "power of the test"! LISA DAWN! (Had to give you a middle name to give that proper weight! ;) ) While tests can be a tool to help us evaluate, do NOT give it the power to discourage you. The only way to truly measure progress is to use THE SAME MEASURING TOOL for a period of time. Even when you're on a diet you need to use the same scale for proper assessment. It's your baseline.

You have told us of his progress here and there's no way he hasn't progressed. I'd have to go back and find those threads to give examples. Maybe you need to make your own assessment if there's not one you want to stick with. (It would be silly to try different ones until you found one that told you what you wanted to hear, right?) You could even record him reading to compare. Slow and steady wins the race. As long as he's practicing and improving I don't think there's a problem. Comprehension is important, tho'.

It seems to me that people in general, not just kids, think that things should come easy. The internet has made this even more of an issue. We jump from one thing to the next so fast that if something takes more than a few minutes we abandon ship. Reading/comprehending ever more difficult material and learning new math concepts are the basics of education. Communicating that which we've learned to others is how we measure knowledge.

I don't know why some homeschooling educators haven't come up with different reading materials. I've met more kids that have no interest in reading stories. I think they need the kind of reading that is practical. And fun. Clues to finding a hidden treasure. :mrgreen: Instructions on how to build something. A list of things they have to do before they can watch tv. More written communication, period. A menu. KWIM?


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 14 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Theme designed by stylerbb.net © 2008
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]