Reading Questions To Ask A Kindergarten Teacher

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Struggling Kindergarten Reader?

Kindergarten reading skills are clearly defined, but what happens if your child is not hitting the developmental milestones? Parents should get ahead of any reading struggles as soon as you see red flags. The first step is to set up a meeting with the teacher if you suspect your child is behind in reading. You want to ensure you have their undivided attention instead of catching them on the run. Below is a list of questions to ask a kindergarten teacher about reading growth. Have this list handy during your meeting to make sure you stay on track and get all the answers you need.

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Reading Questions To Ask The Teacher

  • What kind of progress is your child making in reading?

It is important to get specific information. Reference the checklist in our guide to kindergarten reading skills during your meeting. Where does your child stack up to each bullet point on the list? The list was pulled from the book Overcoming Dyslexia, by Dr. Sally Shaywitz. She is also the co-director of the Yale dyslexia center. The list is an important reference for developmental milestones and should be your baseline.

  • How does your child’s reading compare to their peers? 

Ask to see reading and writing samples of your child’s work. 

  • What reading group is your child in? How does that compare to the other reading groups? 

It is a common practice for teachers to split their classrooms into groups for manageable reading instruction. Think of it as a low, medium, and high grouping system. Ask to see the reading material each group is working on so you can see exactly where your child is. For instance, what activities are each group working on? How do the expectations differ for each group if they are all working on the same activity?

  • What reading program is being taught? Is it whole word or structured literacy?

Structured literacy teaches the components of reading and writing explicitly and systematically. The whole word method relies on the memorization of words. Research supports that structured literacy is a superior reading strategy. Make sure your child is set up for success and receiving structured literacy. 

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  • How is your child’s progress being monitored? Is it possible for you to see your child’s progress monitoring?

To monitor progress, the teacher would do some sort of screening at the beginning of the school year to see where your child is on their literacy journey. Then they would do the same screening throughout the year and see how much growth has been made. For instance, part of their screening in kindergarten would be to check how many letters a child knows. They might only know a few letters at the beginning of the year. Progress monitoring will hopefully show that they know all their letters at the end of the year.

  • What is the action plan to ensure your child is progressing?

This question is another opportunity to get specific. 

  1. What intervention is being used? Make sure to write down the name so you may do research. You want to make sure the intervention is based on science and research.
  2. How many days a week is your child receiving the intervention? 
  3. How many minutes a day? 
  4. How many people are in the group? 
  5. Is there specific progress monitoring for the intervention?
  • Has your child been screened for dyslexia?

Many schools have a standard protocol of providing a dyslexia screener in kindergarten. If your child has not been screened, request that they be screened as soon as possible. Dyslexia is not a developmental delay. Research shows that dyslexia red flags exist in kindergarten. If not remediated, the reading gap continues to grow between them and their peers.

Having a list of questions to ask your child’s kindergarten teacher will be so helpful. It is very easy to get caught up in the conversation and miss out on important questions. Are there any questions you have found helpful that are not on the list? Let us know in the comments!