Do Reading Levels Matter?

Not really.

Here is the question that you have to ask yourself…is the measurement accurate?

A student who doesn’t like reading is tasked with reading a passage that he doesn’t care about.  He will try his best, but he really doesn’t care.  And I don’t blame him.  I wouldn’t care about Jimmy the puppy either who learns to play fetch with his new owner.  Give me a story about a soldier fighting in the trenches during World War I and I am going to remember all of the details.

What are you going to do with this reading level?  Most teachers don’t do a thing.  It is just information that is shared with parents.  And it’s pretty much useless.

I don’t need a test to tell me whether or not a student can read or not.  All we have to do is open up a book and start reading aloud.  That’s all the test I need.

Also, the tests don’t always have a variety of passages.  They are carefully calibrated with particular passages.  What is the passages are boring?

Relate the story of a student who sat and took a reading test.

Link to article about reading levels.