Leveled Reading

I was intriguided to read about  the level reading article.  I have always felt that level reading is something that a teacher would never do if the school did not insist that it was needed.  I understand that this is a way of doing assessment on children in the classroom.  My teacher spends time with different children every day talking about the books that they are reading and having them read to her.  She is always talking about the testing that they will start doing next year in first grade.  I think that level reading puts so much pressure on the children.  When a child is a strong reader, you risk the chance that they may become bored with what is being done during this time.  The biggest thing, is that the children know what the levels mean.  My kindergarteners know which colors mean easier books and which do not.  I think that this is something that makes some of the children embarrassed.  This is something that other peers can see as public knowledge on which book their peers are now reading.  I wish that there was something that the state could do that would allow for the assessment that I know is needed, with out having the children feel vulnerable and embarrassed.