Is “Grade Level” Good Enough?

It can be easy to assume our children are doing well simply because they’re meeting grade-level expectations. But what does that really mean? And what if they’re just barely meeting them?

Teaching to the Test vs. Teaching the Child

Our current educational system doesn’t always focus on individual student growth. Instead, it often revolves around standards that teachers are expected to cover within a limited time frame in order to prepare kids for a test. Once the test is over, students move on—regardless of whether or not they’ve truly mastered the material.

Arbitrary scores and percentile rankings are meant to represent progress, but they often paint an incomplete picture. The system is designed to teach to the middle, with the hope that most students will keep up. But hope isn’t a strategy—and it doesn’t serve every learner well.

What If We Taught Like Coaches?

Imagine if we approached teaching more like coaching. Coaches don’t just hope athletes figure it out—they study performance, identify weaknesses, and develop a plan to help the individual grow. What if we did the same in education?

What if we:

• Looked closely at where a child’s understanding breaks down?

• Equipped them with lifelong learning strategies?

• Assigned work that was both meaningful and personalized?

• Taught with flexibility, curiosity, and intentionality?

One Learner’s Story

A few weeks ago, I assessed a student I’ve been tutoring for two years. When we began, she was reading at a first-grade level and couldn't write a complete sentence. Today, she is reading at grade level—and writing with clarity and confidence.

That growth is something to celebrate. She has worked hard, and I’m incredibly proud of her. But here’s the thing: I don’t believe the journey should stop just because she’s now “on level.”

Even the best programs and research-based approaches—like the ones I use—can unintentionally reinforce the idea that once a child reaches grade level, they no longer need support. It’s tempting to assume they’ll “just catch on from here.” But learning doesn’t work that way for every child—and, honestly, why should we only offer targeted support to the ones who are falling behind?

Every child deserves individual goals that reflect where they are and where they’re going—not just those who qualify for special education services. A strong reader isn’t just someone who passes a test; it’s someone who can decode with confidence, comprehend deeply, and express ideas clearly. Those are skills worth nurturing long after a benchmark is met.

In fact, I recommend we continue for another year. Not because she isn’t capable—but because mastering strategies and applying them independently is what will make her a strong, confident reader for life.

Why This Matters to Me

I speak from experience. I received special education support until the beginning of 5th grade. I was grateful for the help, but truthfully—I still wasn’t a strong reader or writer. I didn’t have the vocabulary I needed, and I wasn’t confident.

Some might say, “But Audrey, you made it! You got good grades!” And I did. But school should be more than passing tests or memorizing content we forget later.

It wasn’t until I started learning how to teach reading and writing—through Reading Simplified, EBLI, and ThinkSRSD—that I realized how much I had missed.

The Six Skills I Would Build in Every Learner

Here are the six core skills I would continue developing in any learner, regardless of grade level, until they demonstrate flexibility and confidence:

1. Decoding Multisyllabic Words

What it means:
Decoding is the ability to read unfamiliar words by breaking them into sound chunks. As children grow, they encounter longer, more complex words that can’t be guessed—they need to be decoded.

How to practice:

• Break words into syllables by identifying vowel sounds and natural breaks

• Use chunking strategies (e.g., “con-struc-tion” or “mis-un-der-stand”)

• Practice word-building games where learners manipulate prefixes, base words, and suffixes

• Ask them to circle the tricky part or underline unusual spelling patterns

2. Defining Unknown Words

What it means:
Strong readers stop when they don’t understand a word—and they have the tools to figure it out. This builds vocabulary and comprehension over time.

How to practice:

• Teach students to look at context clues and re-read surrounding sentences

• Practice using a kid-friendly dictionary or tool like vocabulary.com

• Have learners keep a "word collector" journal or vocabulary box

• Encourage kids to use new words in conversation or writing that day

3. Understanding Morphology

What it means:
Morphology is the study of how words are built using meaningful parts like prefixes, base words, and suffixes. When kids understand this, they can figure out the meaning and spelling of hundreds of words.

How to practice:

• Build words using real affixes and talk about how the meaning changes

• Use color-coding (e.g., prefix = blue, base = green, suffix = red)

• Include quick morphology mini-lessons in writing or reading time

• Create fill-in-the-blank stories that only make sense if the right morphemes are chosen

4. Asking and Answering Questions

What it means:
Great learners ask thoughtful questions before, during, and after reading or learning. This deepens comprehension and builds independence.

How to practice:

• Model asking “I wonder…” questions while reading a text aloud

• Have students generate one question before reading and see if they can answer it by the end

• Use question stems like: "Why did the character…?" or "What would happen if…?"

• Practice answering using evidence from the text—highlight where they found it

5. Writing to Learn

What it means:
Writing is not just for showing what you know—it’s a powerful way to figure out what you know. Writing clarifies thinking and strengthens retention.

How to practice:

• Have learners write summaries of what they read

• Ask them to explain a concept in writing (e.g., “What is photosynthesis?”)

• Use sentence stems to get started: “Today I learned…” or “This is important because…”

• Encourage journaling and writing about personal experiences using academic vocabulary

6. Improving Reading Speed

What it means:
Reading fluency is the ability to read smoothly, accurately, and with expression. Fluency affects comprehension—readers who struggle with decoding have less brain space left for understanding.

How to practice:

• Use repeated readings of short passages with a goal to improve speed and accuracy

• Time one-minute reads and track the number of words read correctly

• Practice reading aloud with feedback on expression and pausing at punctuation

• Use a mixture of fiction and nonfiction at the right level to build confidence

Mastery Over Movement

As educators and parents, we should never stop supporting our children’s literacy development. Moving from grade to grade should not be our main goal—growth should be.

Let’s teach kids to apply their word work and grammar knowledge in real, meaningful ways. Let’s notice their gaps and help them fill them—not with worksheets, but with authentic reading and writing experiences.

Building Lifelong Learners

When children build a strong foundation in reading and writing, they gain the power to teach themselves. They learn to ask questions, seek answers, and share their ideas clearly.

They become thinkers.

And isn’t that the kind of success we want for every child?