School libraries prohibiting students from checking out books on reading levels different than theirs

This is another sore spot with me. Do they do this anywhere else? My mother said this system was in effect when she was in school during the 60s that the school libraries don't allow students to check out any books that are on any different reading level than the one the student is on...so what, the student can't strive for anything above his reading level unless the school decides he's capable of it? What's the point in that?

This is the fiirst I am hearing of this. What a stupid rule.

Indeeeed, my neighbor's kid who's in the 6th grade apparently reads at best on maybe a 2nd grade level, and he has a book report coming up, so he wasn't allowed to check out any books past the 2nd grade level for it.


All in all, it sounds like communism in my book, or socialism, or voodoo-ism, I don't know, some kind of ism. And to quote Ferris Bueller 'isms in my opinion are not good'.

Supernova wrote:Indeeeed, my neighbor's kid who's in the 6th grade apparently reads at best on maybe a 2nd grade level, and he has a book report coming up, so he wasn't allowed to check out any books past the 2nd grade level for it.


All in all, it sounds like communism in my book, or socialism, or voodoo-ism, I don't know, some kind of ism. And to quote Ferris Bueller 'isms in my opinion are not good'.

You don't think the bigger problem is that a 6th grader made it that far but can only read at a 2nd grade level? I thought your rant was going to be along the lines of a 2nd grader reading at a 6th grade level not being able to take out a higher level book.

alan smithee wrote:
You don't think the bigger problem is that a 6th grader made it that far but can only read at a 2nd grade level? I thought your rant was going to be along the lines of a 2nd grader reading at a 6th grade level not being able to take out a higher level book.

Sure it's the bigger problem but you tell me if the school won't allow him to read any higher grade material, HOW is he supposed to catch up by staying in the same place?

And if that were the case, yes that's a problem too because when my mother was in school she read at the top of the level so it wasn't a problem for her, but for other students who weren't as smart, they wouldn't have the same opportunities she did. Now I can understand prohibiting young children from checking out very adult novels, but prohibiting them from reading anything outside of the level they're stuck in and shutting them off from most of the books accessible in the school's library, isn't that some form of censorship or something?

Supernova wrote:

alan smithee wrote:
You don't think the bigger problem is that a 6th grader made it that far but can only read at a 2nd grade level? I thought your rant was going to be along the lines of a 2nd grader reading at a 6th grade level not being able to take out a higher level book.

Sure it's the bigger problem but you tell me if the school won't allow him to read any higher grade material, HOW is he supposed to catch up by staying in the same place?And if that were the case, yes that's a problem too because when my mother was in school she read at the top of the level so it wasn't a problem for her, but for other students who weren't as smart, they wouldn't have the same opportunities she did. Now I can understand prohibiting young children from checking out very adult novels, but prohibiting them from reading anything outside of the level they're stuck in and shutting them off from most of the books accessible in the school's library, isn't that some form of censorship or something?

By getting outside help because it sounds like he needs it. I'm surprised they haven't tried to stick him in a Special Ed class. Does the librarian have a clue as to what his reading level is?

I don't think any of the staff even knows the difference in their heads and a hole in the ground. It's funny because we always read in the papers about the students of the month and the honor roll, but we sure never KNOW anybody like that, we know all the ones that the teachers can't be bothered to do anything with.

Well, if the librarian doesn't know he has a problem then I don't blame them for not allowing a 6th grader to take a 2nd grade level book. Again, that's a bigger problem than your original point.

alan smithee wrote:Well, if the librarian doesn't know he has a problem then I don't blame them for not allowing a 6th grader to take a 2nd grade level book. Again, that's a bigger problem than your original point.

No no no, it's if he reads on a 2nd grade level, then they will ONLY let him check out 2nd grade level books, he can't get anything else, and I can't find any kind of sense in that.

This used to happen when I was in school too. I remember being in the 6th grade, and the librarian telling us on library days that we couldn't check out books in this certain section, because they were "high school" books, and meant exclusively for the 8th graders. I think it was meant to make the 8th graders feel special. They got their own section that was off limits to everyone else.

Supernova wrote:This is another sore spot with me. Do they do this anywhere else? My mother said this system was in effect when she was in school during the 60s that the school libraries don't allow students to check out any books that are on any different reading level than the one the student is on...so what, the student can't strive for anything above his reading level unless the school decides he's capable of it? What's the point in that?

I have NEVER heard of this. Granted, when I was in school, the books were labeled by grade level but we were never stopped from checking them out. That's a dumb rule. What if you read above your grade level? I've always checked out books above my grade level.

Nystyle709 wrote:

Supernova wrote:This is another sore spot with me. Do they do this anywhere else? My mother said this system was in effect when she was in school during the 60s that the school libraries don't allow students to check out any books that are on any different reading level than the one the student is on...so what, the student can't strive for anything above his reading level unless the school decides he's capable of it? What's the point in that?

I have NEVER heard of this. Granted, when I was in school, the books were labeled by grade level but we were never stopped from checking them out. That's a dumb rule. What if you read above your grade level? I've always checked out books above my grade level.

I have to agree because when I was in school, we were a bit more advanced in the curriculum, looking back now I really don't see Robinson Crusoe as being a 4th grader's book necessarily, or Lorna Doone the 5th grade, but that's what I read at the time, and if there ARE kids that find them interesting at those grades, but the school says they're on a higher level, how's that fair to the kids?

I have never seen a situation like the kid you describe, but if that is his situation, if he is seeking other books, his parents need to step in and purchase or borrow more challenging books until the school raises his level.

My son's elementary did limit the younger kids from checking out books from the higher grades on library day. That is to prevent a third grader getting too difficult books just to impress his friends, only to not read them anyway. When that happens, then the high grade book selection is depleted for no good reason. And for kids who were at a higher reading level, the teacher had books in the class for assigned reading that were more challenging.

Ridiculous.

Maybe it's a case of the sections devoted to certain grade levels being so limited that they want to ensure that the kids in that grade will always have first crack at them.

When I was in elementary school, my school library had a policy like that. Any book could be read inside the library, but certain sections were reserved for certain grades, as far as check out went.

I went to an upper elementary school that was next week to a middle school. Our library systems were combined and ran by one librarian who was a giant bitch. I remember when I was the 6th grade, my friend and I decided to check out books that were listed as 8th-9th grade reading level and this librarian told us that we weren't advanced or mature enough to read check out those books. I sort of brushed off the incident,because I had dealt with this librarian's attitude before. Over time, she had the same attitude with several other students and eventually some of those students complained to teachers and parents. A few of the teachers stood up for the kids and showed evidence to the librarian that many of the students were reading at advanced levels. Several parents did go into to complain to her.

But this librarian was never fired by the school board despite numerous complaints. Part of the reason was because she had been dealing with cancer off and on for several years. This was a small town and I think the school board and some school employees just felt sorry for her. I thought her not being fired was a very sad thing. She was pretty hateful with kids in addition in the incidents in which she didn't let kids check out certain books. If a kid forgot to bring a book back on the due date, she would throw a huge bitch fit. I heard her say some stuff to kids that was a little demeaning.