DBIS News

Assessment of Reading

Dear Parents 

Over the last few years there have been some significant changes to the way in which we organise the teaching of reading throughout our school.  These changes have seen us move from a generalised 12 reading level system to a specifically graded 30+ level reading system.  There has been a major investment in new reading materials, training for the teaching staff and an increase in the amount of curriculum time allocated to the teaching of reading.  All students from Y1 up now have four diagnostic reading tests each year to ensure that they are making the expected progress and to serve as a check to see that they are receiving the correct leveled reading material matched to their ability. 

The school currently uses two different types of reading diagnostic tests; PM Benchmark and Probe.  PM Benchmark is more suitable for younger readers, testing the child’s technical ability to decipher text, whilst Probe is more suitable for older readers and focuses more heavily on the comprehension part of the text. In essence, Probe assists in checking on a student’s understanding of what they have read. Therefore in KS1 (ages 5-7) students are learning to read and in KS2 (ages 7-11) students are reading to learn. 

As with all systems this is not perfect and we do have an issue in the transition from the PM Benchmark testing system to the Probe testing system.  It is not unusual for a student to receive a lower test score on the Probe compared to the PM Benchmark.  This is essentially because the test is focusing on a different aspect of the student’s reading ability.   We will be making the change from PM Benchmark to Probe when the children move from Y2 into Y3.  This may mean initially that some students will stay on the same reading level or move down some levels.  This is not because their reading ability has deteriorated but that we are focusing on a different aspect of their reading development. 

All students will continue to read a wide range of texts in school and you can continue to support their reading at home through the home readers, library books and your child’s own personal collection of books. 

If you have any queries, concerns or further questions please do not hesitate to contact me at dbis@dbis.edu.hk. 

Yours sincerely 

Ian Hunt

Deputy Principal