• You must take into consideration the environment the assessment was taken in because the student may not have preformed at their best. 

• You must think about what types on questions were asked on the assessment to see if it was an accurate reflection of what you were trying to assess. 

• Why are you leveling your students? How is it going to help them become better readers?

Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion.

• I really like the quote "meaning does not reside in the printed word of the text or in the head of the reader; instead, meaning is created during the unique 'transaction' that occurs when text and reader are brought together (17). 

• If you choose to use leveled texts in your classroom, how will you make sure that students are not comparing themselves to each other and decreasing their self esteem?

KR

-K.N.

• This one test doesn't always give a valid result. The context of when and where the test is taken is important because you don't know what's going on in that child's life outside of school which could impact performance. These tests are taken only a few times throughout the year at my placement so it doesn't account for different changes in between. Also, it is a load on the teacher to test all the students so it's not always practical.

• Therefore, teachers need to be careful about the uses of the Lexile-level testing. You don't want to discourage the books of their interest, but you also want them to be able to read the texts. So there is a balance between using it as a guide for determining book ideas and making sure not to pigeonhole the student to that level. (Not leveling students)

(2) Share a takeaway from this article and add a question for class discussion.

• Narrowed choices due to leveling can discourage students from reading. Moreover, it is important to understand that the impact of leveling can turn negative if not used correctly.

• How is the library at your school organized? How do you and your mentor guide the students during library time and help them determine appropriate texts to read?

Paige Arendt

The results from these assessments allow for scaffolding to motivate students to become better readers and enjoy reading. These results also show what area students need to focus on whether is be phonic, fluency, vocabulary ,etc. that is limiting their abilities. These skills can be worked on is small groups.

Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion.

A quote that stood out to me is "there is a thin line between leveling books and leveling children" (Gerwin 15)

Why do you think independent reading and sustained silent reading/ voluntary  are important to for children to improve their skills and motivation to read?

CC 

• No inventories or level systems take into account student experiences, social and cultural identities, background knowledge, and motivation.

• Though leveled texts are important, they should be intermixed with student reading choices to keep engagement and encourage independent, lifelong reading skills.

(2) Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion.

• Leveling students can help progress reading over time by identifying specific needs. But, leveled texts should not be the only thing students are reading. Students must be challenged with more difficult, equitable, multimedia texts.

• How can you ensure that your classroom fosters reading that is relevant, diverse, challenging, and enjoyable?

Ellie Lochbaum

My big takeaway from the article is that leveled texts can be useful, but are only one tool that needs to be used appropriately like all other tools. It cannot be the only thing used in literacy instruction, but it can be a part of literacy instruction. It also much be used in a positive and proper way for students to benefit from it.

Question: How will you teach students to find texts that are appropriate for their reading level without teacher help? How will you teach students to approach texts that may be a bit of a challenge for their level? -MS

2) Make sure to level students and measure their progress over time with certain skills. Challenge students with different kinds of text.

How do you level students without making some students feel 'dumb' for lack of a better word.

2. Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion.

   • While I was reading, this quote really stood out to me. "Neither informal reading inventories nor text leveling systems take into account the unique experiences, the social and cultural identity, the background knowledge, and the motivation of the reader all which can contribute to a students frustration level."

     Reading this, opened my eyes to the many different factors that could influence a students reading level. With these crucial factors not being considered a more comprehensive approach is needed in assessing and supporting students true reading ability.

JB

• Reading levels are not always the best option. Students are often identifying themselves to the level they are places at which affects their social identification and can leave a negative impact on the students who are categorized in the lower level.

• Levels were never intended to be a form of hierarchy between students and self esteem but to provide teachers with a level to match students texts. However, levels has been shown to not be the best option, instead we can classify books and allow students to use this opportunity to read books for enjoyment, versus educational purposes.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  (2) Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion.

• I think something that popped out, which should always be noticed is that the level of degree of difficulty should balance the support from the teacher. This can be hard at times when you have students at different points. However, it is you need as a teacher to meet the needs of the student.

• What are the best approaches to help student who have a negative social identification and motivate them to read?

  
  

RG

• We need to consider that while the motivation behind leveling is differentiation--these leveling assessments oversimplify an extremely complex interaction-reading. The assessment results & leveling system fails to account for each individual student's motivation to read, lived experiences, social identity, background knowledge, or previous exposure with these assessment types/reading.

  
  

• Often times students begin define themselves as readers by their text level--the article tells us that there is a thin line between leveling texts and leveling children.

  
  

(2) Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion.

• While I was reading, these two quotes really resonated with me-

  • "Within those hierarchical structures, the focus is moving up the reading ability levels. This focus on climbing up the leveling ladder is producing aliterate readers who have come to believe reading is only necessary for didactic purposes...the purpose for reading cannot be simply learn more about reading."

  • "To maintain intrinsic motivation and engagement that comes with strong reader self-efficacy, Fountas & Pinnell emphasize that we should not situate a reader at a single level and insist that all reading be there."

    
    

  • Questions:

• How will you create a classroom library in your future classroom that fosters the development of independent readers?

• How will you help foster your students intrinsic motivation surrounding reading?

  Isabella DeFeo

-EB

-Level texts are important but as a teacher you also have to make sure students have books that are engaging to them and allow them choice in what they read.

-We also have to remember the types of questions and assessment these tests are asking.

(2)Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion.

-A takeaway from this article is students could kind of know what their reading level is so making sure they don’t lose the love for reading is important when testing and keeping them engaged.

-What do you see in your classrooms? Do you agree with the method your cooperating teachers uses? What would you do differently with the knowledge you have now.

TT

• The first consideration is seeing the environment your student is taking the test in. Some students need an alternate testing site in order to focus in quiet and not be distracted by others during the assessment. Some students that get distracted during the assessments by others, tend to end up not doing their best.

• Another thing that needs to be considered when assessing students is the equity of how leveled tests are. If all students can't succeed on the leveled tests then is it really reliable and equitable? Modified versions to fit specific learning needs can help these leveled tests in order to make the results valid.

2. Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion.

• A take-away I had from this article while reading was that students know their reading levels and reading abilities. Evidence that stuck out to me was "The majority of students, however, did not describe themselves based on their reading lives or potential experiences. They defined themselves based on their reported reading ability level or body of knowledge." (p.27). At a young age students are aware of what they can improve on in their reading ability and this mindset needs to be taught more often so students can succeed.

• Question : What are some ways that teachers can encourage challenging readings without making it stressful on the students?

  -KO

Teachers need to support the skills and strategy students need as they move through that transitional phase of development. You also want to make sure that the students stay engaged with the leveled text, try and pick topics that the students like or are interested in.

When assessing students, you want to make sure that you are asking questions that are reflective of what you taught. Don't ask about cats if you are teaching about dogs.

Keep scaffolding in mind when supporting students at different text levels.

2. Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion.

You want to help students with undertaking the habits of being a life-long reader. You want to support your students in any way for the students to feel like they can fall in love with reading. Level texts are very important, but you still want to make sure you keep the students interests in

mind.

Question:

How can you support your students in reading level texts if they have no motivation to read?

M.B.

G.S.

2. Share a takeaway from this article and add a question for class discussion. 

   a.) Limiting what students can read through leveling might make them less interested in reading. It's crucial to use leveling carefully because if it's too strict or not done right, it can make students feel frustrated or not good enough. We should aim for a balanced and flexible approach to keep students excited and motivated about reading.

   b.) Could you share your approach to mentoring students in the library and assisting them in selecting suitable reading materials?

D.R

1. Recognizing that finding students’ text level or lexile level is a reading assessment, what aspects of the uses of the assessment results do you need to consider? Give your reasoning.  

• Assessment environment is important: limiting distractions or if the student has accomodations

• one assessment may not fully idenfity an intervention needed or provide the information needed, so more may need to be done

• The assessment may not be right for the student, for example it may not take into account their funds of knowledge or even their language that can impact a student's ability on an assessment.

2. Takeaway:

When it comes to the reading process, the teacher should promote reading independence through scaffolding levels texts and then replacing them with student choice to improve engagement in the reflective, metacognitive development necessary to establish lifelong habits of an independent reader. This is what I was missing as a developing reader which was a lot of choice within the scaffolding. This led to a negative connotation of reading which still exists today. However, I see my mentor doing this where students have long periods of independent reading throughout the day of books of their choice from her hand picked classroom library and they also have book check out days from the school library.

-These are important assessments for students to take so that teachers know where their students are at in reading. A teacher needs to remember that environment can be a factor in how students perform. The assessment needs to meet your student's needs and needs to be fair questioning even when scaffolding for some students.

2) Share a takeaway from this article and add a question for class discussion.

-Leveling students can affect their motivation on wanting to read. As teachers, we want reading to be a lifelong resource for students to enjoy. Leveling students may cause them to feel like an outcast/different from their peers.

-How can teachers help a child to be motivated to read when they are discouraged based on what level they are at?

TE

(2) Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion. 

My biggest takeaway is that while leveling text can be a helpful tool in some instances, it is important that we allow our students to challenge themselves with age appropriate and engaging texts so they are not to become disinterested in reading.

Question: What was your experience with leveled text in Elementary School versus your practicum?

• While text and Lexile levels are important components of assessment, they should not be the only criteria that determine what they are capable of completing and the groups they are working with.

• Assessments should be equitable for all students, and sometimes assessments cannot be equitable if they are a one-size-fits-all type of assessment. Make sure that all students can answer the questions on their assessments based on their education in class and personal learning factors like accommodations and IEPs.

2. Share a takeaway from this article and add a question for class discussion.

• I think it's a good idea to use reading levels or Lexile levels as a baseline to start with when students are reading in your class, but after their level has been identified you should focus on making progress based on the individual student instead of what level they are at or reach. Focusing on progress is much better for both the teacher and the student as it focuses on growth instead of being defined by a certain level.

• What is a good way to make sure students are picking appropriate books that are at their reading level while being challenging for them? Some students may lean towards easier/less challenging books for independent reading, how do you fix that if they are picking books by themselves?

JG

1. Teachers should always consider the type of environment students are taking their assessments at as it can impact student performance. Also, the text could have biases, for example, language as some students are ELs also, certain topics can be biased. Teachers should also always be aware to use the students Funds of Knowledge.

2. My biggest takeaway is that leveling students is very important and it is very important to pick appropriate texts for students.

-Share a take-away from this article and add a question for class discussion. Basing students off of lexile levels can determine sometimes what the most comfortable reading level can be for them but it doesn't always determine their efforts or correct progress. challenging students is crucial and essential when it comes to assessing and reading. How can we ensure that our classroom is enabling an accepted environment during testing?