The other day another mother told me something that I hear often, which always breaks my heart: “My bookworm son is starting to hate reading”. This absolutely crushes my book-loving soul. We got into a discussion about the way that reading is being handled at his school, and she repeated what I had heard so many times before. The dreaded reading log. This led me down a spiral of sadness and frustration that forced me to make this plea: please, oh please, oh PLEASE, Ignore reading levels!
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I know, I know. If you haven’t already clicked away from this post, you are probably thinking, this woman is crazy. Of course we can’t just forget about reading levels! But stick with me for a little bit and let me explain.
I received my Masters degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in literacy, so I have lots of experience with the reading levels, the assessments, and all the research around them. The bookshelf next to my desk as I type this still holds my guides to reading instruction. And I recognize the importance of figuring out where a child is in their reading. But levels are not the end all be all for reading. Let me say it a little louder for the people in the back… LEVELS AREN’T THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF READING!
Where the Decisions are Made
Now let me make this very clear. I DO NOT blame teachers. I love teachers. I’m a teacher myself. So I recognize the impossible situation that most teachers are finding themselves in right now. Most decisions on the education of students are not being made in the classroom. Teachers have to follow a whole lot of strict guidelines to answer to those in power above them. So please don’t take this as an attack on teachers, because it definitely is not.
What this is, is a plea to everyone to put the reading levels aside and remember that the most important thing to teach our children about reading, is that it is fun! Forcing kids to read books that they have no interest in, but that are “appropriate for their level” is not going to get them excited for the wonderful world of reading.
Related Post: Let Kids Read What They Want
Where is the Disconnect?
The same mother I mentioned above, told me that when she asked her son what he was reading that he didn’t like, he showed her a book that the teacher had recommended for him because it was “on his level”. It turns out that it was a series that he had read years before and had grown out of. When she asked him about another book that he had been reading, he said his teacher wouldn’t want him reading that book.
Now, again, I am not necessarily blaming the teacher. I know for a fact that as a kid, I had similar conversations with my parents where I told them “the teacher said ___” and there was no talking me out of it. I heard what I thought the teacher meant, and I could not be persuaded. (Sorry Mom and Dad!). But the fact that these kids believe that their teachers don’t want them reading things they actually enjoy is a whole separate problem.
The Problem with Levels
One of the problems with leveled readers is that they force children into a very tiny box. There are a lot of benefits to reading books that are both below and above your ability level. Reading slightly above your level makes you work harder to understand what is going on, and to decipher the vocabulary. While reading below your ability level can help with fluency and confidence.
My sister reread the same series of books over and over again for years. (I won’t say which ones or she will be mad at me.. cough, cough, Full House: Michelle). They were obviously well below her reading level, but she found comfort in rereading them, and I firmly believe that that is part of the reason that she is the speed reader that she is today. (Seriously, I cannot remotely keep up with her).
Check out some of her recommendations for YA and adult books here!
What the Creators Say
The most interesting thing that I have found in the fight against reading levels, is that Fountas & Pinnel, the creators of the A-Z leveling system have stated that they did not intend for the levels to be used in classroom libraries. The CREATORS of the system don’t want it used in classrooms! To me, that says a whole lot about the way we are using reading levels!
In 2017, they were quoted as saying, “It is our belief that levels have no place in classroom libraries, in school libraries, in public libraries, or on report cards. That was certainly not our intention that levels be used in these ways.”. They created their system to help inform teachers of the characteristics of a text, so they could make appropriate decisions about how to teach it.
The classroom library should NOT be organized according to level, but according to categories such as topic, author, illustrator, genre, and award-winning books. #FPLiteracy pic.twitter.com/hxJNDow3Qz
— Fountas & Pinnell (@FountasPinnell) September 21, 2018
Fountas & Pinnell have also widely expressed their concern for reading levels being used as labels for children. They never intended for kids to choose books based on an alphabetical label that has been assigned to them. Once again, they were quoted in 2017 as saying, “Classroom libraries need to be inviting places where children are drawn to topics and genres and authors and illustrators that they love.” To me, this speaks volumes about a system that has quickly gotten out of control.
So What Should We Do?
Do I believe that reading levels shouldn’t exist? Of course not. Reading levels help educators to guide children on a path of reading instruction, and help to inform their teaching decisions. However, we need to stop allowing children to base their entire experience with reading on these levels. Stop focusing on the letter levels, and let kids read things that interest them! Reading the assigned leveled books may teach them how to read (or it may not), but it will most likely make them into adults who don’t enjoy reading for pleasure. And that will be a sad outcome.
Are you against reading levels being used in the classroom? Share your thoughts in the comments!
More Posts You May Enjoy:
- How to Read More as a Family
- Let Kids Read What they Want
- Benefits of Reading Interactive Books
