Reading Level Reflections
Dr. Matt Burns argues that the rigid use of reading levels can be limiting for students. What are your initial thoughts on this perspective?
I agree with Dr. Matt Burns that the rigid use of reading levels can be limiting. In my experience administering Fountas and Pinnell reading assessments (as directed by my admin—I know that these are problematic and have been asking for Acadience for years!), students can place all over the map, and the reading levels don’t really convey their abilities. Sometimes, if a student reads a book about fishing, and he goes fishing every weekend with his Ye’eh and Gigi (grandparents in Sm’algyax, the language of my territory), that student will read the passage more easily and fluently. If I were to give him the same level assessment on a book about spiders, he would stumble over the words and do much more poorly. We use reading levels to inform our instruction, and they are so imprecise that this skews our instruction and makes it less targeted and effective. I was interested in how Dr. Burns emphasized that listening to reading is the most important part of any reading assessment, so that teachers can focus on doing that, rather than paying for or worrying about expensive or extensive reading assessments.
What are some potential advantages and disadvantages of moving away from a strict reliance on reading levels in literacy education?
There are lots of advantages. First, it would be great to get reliable, accurate information about our students’ abilities, and to adapt our interventions and instruction accordingly. Second, I would feel much better about spending time and effort giving reading assessments, if they were valid and reliable. Third, I would like to be able to track the progress of the student or the effectiveness of my interventions.
I can also see disadvantages, based on my on-the-ground experience. My principal and my fellow learner support teachers are horrified that Acadience does not give grade levels, and that it only tells you whether or not students are below or meeting benchmarks. They don’t know how to report on literacy improvement, and would like more accuracy to be able to say ‘our work together moved this student up two grade levels, though they are still below.’ I think that, when we did this before using Fountas and Pinnell, we were reporting inaccurately, and our understandings were still limited, but I can empathise with their discomfort. Parents and guardians, too, want to know where their students are at, and find the Acadience reading assessments (in elementary school, not at middle school) incredibly confusing.
Share personal experiences or observations related to the use of reading levels in your own teaching practice or school. What challenges or successes have you encountered when implementing reading level-based approaches?
We use Fountas and Pinnell reading assessments in my middle school. We have, historically, ensured that each student enters middle school at a 30 PM Benchmark or a Fountas and Pinnell level U. If not, we retest them at the end of the year to see where they are at. This presumably will change next year as our entire district transitioned to Acadience assessments in elementary schools. It has not yet been implemented in middle schools, though, despite regular requests from us learner support teachers for it. We are thus not sure how we will monitor literacy for struggling students next year. We were in somewhat of a grey area this year, too, where the district had implemented Acadience but not with us.
I have found, in terms of my personal experience with reading levels, that students can get very discouraged doing the reading assessments. They know that they are not reading at grade level. Just me stating that I would like to do a reading assessment with them can make some students panicky and anxious. I have had students not come to school on the scheduled date because of the assessment. I try to celebrate progress with students, and this can be very exciting when students make big gains. One student, who had Precision Reading interventions multiple times weekly, gained four reading levels last year, and when I called his mom to tell her, she cried. I have been wondering since doing further learning about reading levels whether I should have reported this or not. I have been skeptical of reading levels but do not have anything else to use, and have been constantly told by my administration to continue using the ones we have. It is frustrating and I am sure indicative of many schools, where the resources and approaches have not yet caught up with the research.
Discuss the potential impact of rethinking reading levels on student growth and motivation. How might a shift in perspective affect the reading development of struggling readers and advanced readers alike?
I would really like to do some professional development on rethinking reading levels with the learner support team and administration at my school. I believe firmly that, when everyone understands the challenges with reading assessments, they will also want to move away from them. I don’t think that anyone wants to use disproven methods, but just that everyone is comfortable with continuing with what has been done. If students can think of themselves as learning to be stronger readers within a continuum, and can discuss the specific skills that they are working to develop or improve, as recommended by Ginsberg, they will be much less discouraged than I currently see. Thinking of themselves on a continuum works better with BC’s curriculum, any way. I think that the scoring of Acadience and other valid assessment programs encourage students to think of themselves as developing skills and constantly learning, rather than labelling them as either a good or bad reader who will most likely shut down, either way.
How might common ground and shared strategies for improving assessment and instruction be established in a way that respects all viewpoints?
I find that this is a tough road to navigate, as some educators can be very entrenched in their ideas about what should be done and what has been done, and can be reluctant to consider or adopt new ideas. I think that educators in general have a bit of fatigue and frustration surrounding new trends and new programs that will apparently solve all education’s woes. If people have been teaching for a bit, they have already encountered several trends and pendulum swings, and can be reluctant to re-vision their teaching and adapt because they feel like things will simply shift back again. I appreciated Dr. Matt Burns’ approach in the podcast to simply listening to students read grade-level passages aloud, as this is actionable and something that most educators do, regardless. I think that this might be a good beginning for reluctant adopters. I hope that school districts and administrators can present the evidence behind new ideas, and work to collaborate with teachers in new programs rather than assigning them without any context or explanation. If administration listens to concerns, most likely reluctant teachers will then feel heard and more open. I think that collaboration is always the answer, and considering our colleagues as smart, educated, and having voices worth listening to. Treating people with respect is always a good strategy.
References
Literacy Talks. (2023). On levels: A candid conversation with guest Dr. Matt Burns. Season 4. Episode 3. https://readinghorizons.com/literacytalks/on-levels-a-candid-conversation-with-guest-dr-matt-burns/
Ginsberg, M. (n. d.) Reading level assessments don’t direct instruction. Reading Simplified. https://readingsimplified.com/reading-levels-assessments/