If you judge me by my reading level, you will find that you don’t know me very well.

If my performance task is “build a premium bunk loft with attached desk” and you give me the pictorial instructions from the box of wood pieces, I will fail.

If my performance task is “decide which book to read next in your TBR pile of 50 books,” I could do it, but I would complete a few prerequisite tasks: organizing, skimming and scanning, and mock voting.

If my performance task is “bake 150 chocolate chip cookies for the school fundraiser” and you don’t offer me the ingredients, and the written steps in the order they should be included in the recipe, I will fail, and you will not receive, or sell, my cookies.

If my performance task is to “read at least 3 texts written by a chosen author, then present a compare/contrast presentation of the works according to found patterns, characterization, and plot moves,” with no other instructions, I will still receive the highest marks on your reading presentation rubric.

I need to teach my students so they learn. They all have strengths and weaknesses, just like me.  Some are wonderful artists. Some can figure math problems in their heads. Some can read well. Some can build intricate creations. If I judge a student by their assessed reading level, I put them in a box. That is the greatest disservice I could provide. We MUST think outside the box. Please do not judge a student by their quarterly (or semester!) reading level.