Literacy doesn't fit in a box
Do you know your child’s ‘reading level’?
Do you know what it means? Or how it was determined?
Here’s the answer you probably haven’t heard before: there’s no such thing as a ‘reading level’.
In my opinion, reading levels are a false sense of (alleged) data driven benchmarks.
I believe in literacy assessments and learning more about each child’s literacy personality - I just don’t believe in a system that comes in a box with levels and labels.
Working in public schools for many years (most of them as a special educator) I’m all too familiar with assessments. It was my job to test students for eligibility for special education using cognitive, achievement, and academic assessments. It was also my job to help students fit ‘into the box,’ to get them to read ‘on grade level,’ or to behave a certain way.
After years of assessments, management, and modifications -
Guess what didn’t grow? Their curiosity, creativity, or enjoyment of literacy.
Guess what did grow? Their anxiety, self-consciousness, and distaste for academics.
Was that the desired outcome? No. But it’s the best we could do with what we had. Which is why I am DETERMINED to do better.
So what do we do at Rising Tides Academy? and how and why does it work?
We implement formal and informal assessments - formal assessments are great sometimes. They’re well-researched and thoroughly formatted. Our formal assessments might include the DRA, F&P, or GORT which we use on demand (not a scheduled time of the year, but when we think it’s appropriate to gather standardized information). We also use informal assessments ALL THE TIME! We talk about literacy, we listen to learners read, we have book chats, they do independent work, and they take risks (or don’t) when there’s natural literacy occurring in their every day environment. Informal is AS important (if not more so) than formal. We do BOTH and get the best of both worlds.
We do ongoing assessments - there’s not just one day or one time of year - it’s all the time. I remember when I was teaching, teachers would be so stressed for the block of time that was scheduled for literacy assessments. We’d have to schedule subs to watch the rest of the class while we did 1:1 assessments (which created more chaos than it was worth) and the kids would feel so much pressure to leave the room and read in a dusty corner or the hall. It’s not natural. Many kids do NOT do their best when the setting is different than it would normally be. Imagine you’re doing your job, every day, - think about what you do, where and how you do it… now imagine someone puts you somewhere else - with no-one else there, and demands you do your job on demand. Is it your best work? Some rise to the occasion - many do not. And is this a skill we really need to assess? Can you read well in an isolated setting from a scripted book with scripted questions and a timer going?
We are happy to throw assessments out the window if they don’t match what we see every day. If we do implement a formal assessment and we notice that the learner performs worse, is nervous, or maybe they do really well - we just use that as more information. We don’t design their every day learning based on 1 assessment. It’s just a piece to the puzzle.
We don’t do whole class lessons - no 2 students read the same way - we don’t process, learn, or retain information the same way as our peers - even same aged peers - even peers that are at the same ‘reading level’. So why would it make sense to teach them the same way? It doesn’t. Its cheaper and easier - which is why public schools and other school systems have to, or choose to, teach this way. But it’s not best for the learners. Which is why you’ll never see a ‘whole class literacy’ lesson.
We use multiple programs - there’s no one program that works for every child. If there were, there wouldn’t be so many options! And there would be no ‘struggling readers’ ‘reluctant readers’ or ‘reading below grade level.’ So we don’t choose just one - we have a bunch to choose from, we’re always looking for more, and we will piece together the programs that work for your child’s literacy personality.
In our first year, these are the reading programs we’re choosing from: Reading with TLC (Lively Letters and Sight Words You Can See), Waseca Reading System, Fundations and Wilson Reading System, LexiaCore5, Explode the Code, DRA, Fountas & Pinnell, and All About Reading.
In our first 3 weeks, we have already determined each learners reading personality - their preferences, hesitations, stumbling blocks. And we will continue to learn and re-learn about them all. year. long. Without the need for levels or labels.
As you can see from this visual (page 1 and page 2), building a literacy foundation begins before they can read, and is extremely important. What would happen if you built a house with a crummy foundation? It wouldn’t last long, would it? It might look nice, beautiful, shiny and new, but it won’t last long - and how valuable is it, truly, when it comes crumbling down?
Slow and steady wins the race. We spend time - time to get to know each learner - and more importantly, time for them to get to know themselves. Literacy foundation and resilience is more important than a level. Each learner is involved in the conversation - they know their own stumbling blocks - so they can decide how to proceed.
Many of our young learners are lucky that they have little to no literacy conditioning to undo. They can start with a blank slate and we can build their literacy building blocks from the ground up. They will have phonological awareness before moving into phonics, and they will read with automaticity and expression in order to increase vocabulary and comprehension. It’s methodical and it just plain makes sense.
Some of our older learners who have built their literacy knowledge in different school systems have some conditioning to undo. Though this is a bigger topic (see posts on deschooling and behavior) the important pieces as it relates to literacy is that there may be unnecessary resistance and there may be gaps. So it’s our job to discover, explore, and repair. We want our learners to read with curiosity, enthusiasm, and vigor - not as a chore or a way to beat the system.
How do we support literacy at RTA?
We’re excited - we love to read! We read aloud all the time. If they ask us to read them a book, we do! It might be a picture book, a chapter book, a comic book, or a caption - it’s all reading and we’re happy to do it!
We’re kind - we honor where they are and how they feel - we don’t try to force them to read, nor do we pretend everyone is going to love reading right away. Sometimes, they need to be able to say they hate reading without an authoritative figure shaming them.
We’re curious - if they don’t love reading - we wonder why. We explore, we investigate, and we don’t give up. Curiosity is contagious - want to catch it?
We’re knowledgeable - we have extensive education and experience with child development - including realistic and developmentally appropriate expectations. Don’t believe everything you hear (or have been led to believe).
How can you support literacy at home?
Be aware! Just by reading this post, you’re already taking a step to understanding literacy - you rock!
Be kind - we all have baggage from our past. belief systems (especially around literacy) or memories of our own educational journey. Be kind to your children and to yourself.
Be a role model - kids do as they see, not as they hear. If they see you reading, they may read. If you tell them to read, they may be annoyed by you AND whatever you’re telling them to do. So just let it be! Rediscover your own love of reading.
And above all else - don’t take my word for it! Be curious and explore literacy for yourself. What does it mean to you? To your child? To your family?