But that said, it’s still important to take note when a student has been in the same level for what seems like too long. It’s even more important to take note of this and to intervene when the student is below benchmark.
When thinking about levels in the upper grades, it helps a great deal to have a sense of which levels are similar to the one before, and thus don’t require as much effort to move into, and which levels are larger jumps from the previous one. Upper grade levels can be grouped into bands of levels, levels that have similar characteristics.
The bands of levels are as follows:
If a student is stuck at a level, it helps to explore whether she is attempting to move into a new band. She may need more coaching to tackle the complexities expected of her at the new band. If a student is stuck at a level and is not attempting to move into a new band, other interventions may be required, such as vocabulary support, help increasing stamina, or even tests for visual issues.
At this week’s TCRWP Twitter chat, Shana Frazin and Marie Mounteer will lead a discussion on powerful interventions for upper graders who are stuck at a reading level. Don’t miss what is sure to be an informative chat to help even your most stuck readers.
Anna Cockerille, Heinemann Editor and Coauthor of Bringing History to Life (Grade 4) in the Units of Study for Teaching Writing Series, was a teacher and a literacy coach in New York City and in Sydney, Australia, and later became a Staff Developer and Writer at TCRWP. She also served as an adjunct instructor in the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College. Anna has been a researcher for Lucy Calkins, contributing especially to Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement (Heinemann 2012), and the Units of Study for Teaching Reading, Grades 3–5 series (Heinemann 2010). Anna is currently serving as an editor on the forthcoming Phonics Units of Study series for grades K-2, and previously served as an editor for the Units of Study for Teaching Reading, K–5 series Units of Study for Teaching Reading, K–5 series.