It is testing time! Fall, winter, and spring are great times to check reading progress.
In the fall, we get a baseline (where the student is functioning) for the beginning of the school year.
In winter, we get to see if all that great teaching we are doing is working and the kids are making good progress! If insufficient progress is being made, we need to reevaluate our teaching strategies, look to increase support, and possibly add a supplemental program.
In the spring, we get a snapshot of the year’s growth.
I have had some questions lately about frustration, instructional, and independent reading levels. Here is a guide to understanding the levels:
- Independent: 95% success (no more than 1 in 20 words difficult)
- Instructional: 90% success (1 in 10 words difficult)
- Frustration: <90% success (more than 1 in 10 words difficult)
Teach at the instructional level, but have students pick books from the library at the independent level. (See my post on Lexile numbers for picking the right level.)
Parents, if you do not know your child’s reading level, get this from his/her teacher!
