Tip of the Week: How to Identify Your Child’s Reading Level

Are you conflicted over choosing the correct level in a reading series for your younger child? Uncomfortable with simply choosing a grade based on his or her age and hoping it will work out? Don’t want to simply “guess and go,” (the popular trial and error approach)? You’re not alone.

While all reading series are designed to move incrementally from easier to more difficult, readers at the same grade level vary from one publisher to the next. They don’t necessarily provide the same reading experience. And, now that we’re officially in the month of August, you might be feeling like you need to finalize your decision so you’re ready to start school in September.

Choosing the right reader is both a science and an art. Once you’ve found a publisher whose faith tradition and story selection you like, there are three distinct factors to consider when making your placement choice and, ultimately, your purchasing decision. These factors are

• the number of words your child reads per minute
• his or her reading accuracy
• his or her comprehension level

After reading the above, I’m guessing you might be saying to yourself, “Fine, but what are the standards? Just how fast and fluent should my child be reading? How is accuracy defined? And, how do I measure my child’s comprehension level?”

I have created a book that will help you determine that. It’s a step-by-step guide to measuring all three of those factors. You can purchase it by clicking here: How to Evaluate Your Child’s Reading Level.

Thanks for reading,

Curt Bumcrot, MRE