3Rd Graders Progress.. Not So Hot! Please Help!

To test them, they are timed. So it could be that he just stresses when the timer comes on. IMHO, as long as I know that my child can read and comprehend what she read, I don't worry about their scores. I really don't care that she's the fastest reader in the class; I care that she understands what she's read. Her teacher is of the same opinion.

I am a teacher and I agree that this may be a comprehension issue- I have had students read to me with amazing speed and accuracy. Then I asked them about the setting or the main character and I am met with a blank stare.

Read together. Ask him the who - what - when - where - why and how questions. Ask him to predict what will happen next and really engage him in the story. Grow these skills and I'm sure you will see improvement.

On a completely different note, yes, he could have just had a bad day. We all do! Check in with the teacher, see if he can have a re-do so you can compare the scores.

You may also want to ask the teacher to check his de-coding skills. If he is spending too much time sounding out words (many kids who aren't fast readers have this problem), it can interfere with his comprehension. Just a thought...

Good luck- keep us posted!

It could be his reading comprehension is lagging behind. (He can read the words but does not understand what he reads). Then again it could be he found the story he read and was tested on was so boring he did not pay attention and therefore received a poor score hence the 1.2.

I would request in writing that you would like a full evaluation.

For what it is worth my 5th grader has a 12.2 level. She is a good reader but not that good. I don't put much stock in those tests but if my child was behind I would definitely seek further testing in the event there is a problem.

I agree though...kids who read wimpy kid books should not score 1.2. You need to find out what happened.

AR also takes comprehension of what they are reading into account. Just because he is reading a book at a 4.2 level, doesn't mean he is passing the test at that level.

I would work with him a bit on remembering the details of the story. My best advice would be to have him read a chapter or two to you every night, and when he is done have a short discussion on what happened in those chapters. You might also have a quick review over what happened in the previous chapters before he starts reading the new ones. This way, you will be able to tell if he is really comprehending/remembering what he is reading. If he is struggling with that, there is your problem and solution. Just keep practicing. If he is comprehending well, then he is likely having issues with the test (some kids are smart as all get out, but just don't take tests well.) and you can discuss that with the teacher.

Good luck!

How well is your son comprehending what he reads? He may be very capable of reading the words in Wimpy Kid but not fully grasping the meaning of what he's reading. Reading level includes both the ability to read the words and the ability to comprehend what you're reading. If he's not reading quickly, he may be struggling to understand everything he's reading, and therefore takes longer to read it so that he can try harder to get the meaning.

Talk to the reading teacher directly to get more specifics. Set up a meeting, or at least a phone call, as things aren't always communicated well via email. Most importantly, ask what you can do to help your child catch up.

He should be reading out lout to you for about 15-20 minutes every day. After he reads, ask him questions about the text and see how well he can answer. Have him come up with some questions to ask you as well, as that will further gauge his understanding and force him to think about what he has read.

Finally, while I don't think there is anything wrong at all with the Wimpy Kid books, I don't think they are a great way to judge reading ability. They skip around more than a regular (non-diary style) novel and can be a little harder to follow. Have your child try reading things like the Mouse and The Motorcycle series by Beverly Cleary, or the Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing/Fudge series by Judy Blume.

I would ask if he could retake the test as he could of just had a bad day! Also, if it is the same AR test that we take in my district then it is a computerized test. Sometimes effort and motivation can a play a big impact on the results of these tests and so therefore it is the bigger picture that is more important and I would never place so much emphasis on just one test! However, if there are other tests that show low results then I would be more concerned.

Just a perfect example, my child took a computerized test this school year in which he performed at 2 years below his grade level for phonics. I knew for a fact, that could not be the case being that he has always been great with phonics and reading above his grade level since K. So I questioned the results, and the teacher came to realize that he had the audio on the computer off for that part of the test (since they needed to hear the word to pick the correct one) and so instead of saying something about it, he just thought he did not understand the directions and picked anything. He retook the test and scored 4 levels higher than previously. So just ask! Especially if it's not consistent with what you see at home.

My third grader is quite the little jokester and during his testing at the beginning of the year read so slow and stuttering and then pretended not to be able to answer any questions about the reading. His teacher was quite shocked as he was marked as an above average reader.

Sp she explained to him that if she marked down the score he just made he would be in the reading group doing work he did back in first grade. Or he could try the reading again and be in a group where they would be reading new work and getting to check out more advanced library books, etc.

He retook the test and scored well above grade level.

So maybe your son either was pulling her leg or just playing around or bored the day of the test. Can he be retested?

How do the scores compare to where we was last year? Seems to me he just needs a retest. Good luck!!

That does seem quite off. Maybe he needs to retest.

I do agree with some other posts that his comprehension could be lower than his reading ability.

Are there websites the teacher recommends? Raz-Kids and some others seem to engage the student. The quizzes at the end are too easy, but at least something fun and a way for you to see if he is grasping the material.

The AR test is a specific list, for our school, that matches up with what they have the tests for. The tests, tests for comprehension. So even if he is reading Diary, if he isn't remembering what they are looking for, he won't test well. It is also a timed test, so if he reads more slowly, he may not get to the part where most of the questions are from.

Has he had his eyesight checked?

I am assuming you have checked his eye sight. One daughter had a lazy eye and that had an affect on her grades. They went up quite a bit when she had that corrected.

The other daughter is a reverse reader/writer. That also had an huge effect on her reading and as well her other grades. She was in the schools reading program last year. We put her in Kumon 7 months ago and she is now if not 1 maybe 2 grade levels above her grade level and her other grades are up as well. It has made a huge difference.

It sounds like he's not reading the AR books on the class list and testing on THEM. He can read books much higher than he's reading for testing. It may be he's testing on books below his level.

You should write a letter to your school system's psycologist (the guidance counselor can give you her name and the address) and request an evaluation of receptive/expressive skills in comprehension. They have 10 days to get back to you about when to schedule the test. My guess is that your child has learning disabilities and you need to get him help NOW. Last year is not the only reason this child is at first grade level. It's almost February and he hasn't caught up.

Please get this done quickly. Speech therapists don't just work on speech issues. They work on comprehension and I believe this is a very important avenue for you to be working on with him. The therapist can also tell you if he needs additional evaluations.

Please don't blame last year's 2nd grade teacher if your son is currently reading at 1st grade level. He could very well have a learning delay or a visual perception problem that hasn't been identified yet. My suggestion is for you to request a Planning and Placement Team Meeting so that you can then formally request an evaluation for him to see if there are any learning delays, learning disorders, or signs of developmental delays or disorders. I would also have an independent evaluation done by your own specialist (pediatric neurologist, behavioral-developmental pediatrician, child psychiatrist).

This may very well be an issue of "teach to the child, not the class/test" issue and that would therefore require some evaluating. It could explain why he does better with you one on one than in a classroom setting and when he's testing on the AR.

The whole timed reading stresses my daughter out and she performs way below her abilities. As soon as she sees that she is being timed, her anxiety shoots through the roof and basically its over for her. Last year 2nd grade, this testing anxiety put her in the kinder reading level.. which was stupid and not accurate. This year, I let the teacher know that she has to hide the stopwatch, she did and she scored fine, at grade level for speed and 2 grades above for comprehension and vocab. The way we measure our kids these days makes no sense to me at all.... lets make sure they can read fast..Quantity... instead of focusing on what matters... Quality. There needs to be a balance...

My son is reading Harry Potter books in 3rd grade. He's past the Wimpy Kid books. His reading level is high but last year the problem was that he read these books but wasn't having a good comprehension of them. You have to have comprehension and not just be able to read all those big words. His teacher didn't want him reading all those books just because he could. Make sure that he goes back and explains to you what he's read. Know what he's reading and ask him hard questions about what he's read and have him explain to you what he's read. That's a big key with teachers. Kids at this young age are very eager to move on to "chapter books" but do not learn comprehension. You may want him to back up the level of reading he's doing at home when he's reading to you since he's reading slow. That's a red flag if he seems to be reading too slow.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets