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Anyone know what Accelerated Reading is?

9 replies

smee · 19/01/2012 13:12

Apparently my DS is going to do it from now on, but I don't know what it is. Am assuming it's not just reading fast. Grin

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IndigoBell · 19/01/2012 13:17

Is it this

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smee · 19/01/2012 13:24

D'oh, I should have thought of Wiki! Thanks Indigo - it might be. He did some sort of computerised assessment the other day and this is following on from that, but according to DS he's the only child who's doing this Accelerated programme, so I can't quite work it out, as if your link is it, I'd have thought it was across the class not just him. Will obviously ask the teacher, but thought someone on here might know.

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taurean · 19/01/2012 13:26

It is usually cross class but they have to be at a certain standard (well certainly that was case with my DSs class) to start it.

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CoffeeCamel · 19/01/2012 13:44

My dd's school recently changed to this. It's a system in which ordinary children's books (i.e. not created specially as part of a "reading scheme") have been graded into levels. So instead of Orange Book 5 in the XX Reading Scheme, the child could read Harry Potter or Captain Underpants or Judy Moody, etc. etc. This makes it very popular with the children and schools sometimes choose it because it encourages reading for pleasure, not as a "chore".

They need to be at a certain standard to begin the scheme. They do a computerised test to assess their reading level, then they start reading books at that level. The school's books will already have been graded, but he could also read something from home if it's at the appropriate level. There's a way that you can log on yourself and find out what AR level any given book is at. Each time the child finishes a book, he/she does a quiz to check they understood the book, and get scored on that. There are target scores for each quiz. Once they've read a certain number of books on that level, they move up to the next one. They collect points as well, but I don't really understand how those are used, except that they get quite competitive over the number of points, and the teacher gives them a sweet each time they hit a multiple of 10!

Generally, it seems to be a very successful scheme in my dd's school. They seem to like the books much better than standard reading scheme books, as they're "proper stories". However, the school needs to have a large stock of books so that all children can be reading at the right level. The books are also graded by age suitability as well as level, to avoid advanced readers being assigned a book that isn't appropriate for their age. At the higher levels, it's hard to find age-appropriate books. But that would be a problem even outside of the scheme.

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crazygracieuk · 19/01/2012 13:46

That sounds great. I wish our school did that rather than make the kids read all 16 ORT levels.

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MerryMarigold · 19/01/2012 13:50

Our school does this, but ds1 (Y1) is at a very low level. The class is divided into about 6 levels and there are books in boxes for each level, which they can choose. They just find books he could read, and expect him to read at least 50% of it. The idea is just that they are a bit more fun and well written than the reading scheme books.

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ABatInBunkFive · 19/01/2012 13:53

Accelerated reading at my childs school is where they give additional support to a child/ren to get them ready to move into the group up a stage. No idea why they have to have read all the same books when the books are about nothing particularly interesting but there you go.

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smee · 19/01/2012 14:11

Ooh am even more confused now. Bat, I don't think it's the same as yours as they've been doing that sort of thing with them since they were in reception. (he's Yr3 now). Similar with what your school's doing Merry, as that sounds like the system he's been working under up to now.

He's been on chapter books for some time, so I think of all above from what he's said it sounds most like Camel's version. If so, sounds good. Smile

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SonorousBip · 20/01/2012 13:09

YY to what CoffeeCamel says. My Dcs do this. There is an on-line multiple choice comprehension to do when they have finished the book. It works well because the dcs can choose widely, and can then check whether the book they have is an Accelerated Reader (I think to start with some books in thier library were and some weren't, but that now all of them are).

Mine are allowed to do free reading with thier own books from home or from local library, but they need to do a certain number of accelerated readers, just to check they are readin the right sort of books, I guess.

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