Accelerated reading scheme. Seems to be making dd anxious around reading

[turtleshells]

My dds school goes on and on about accelerated reading scheme. It's one big competition in our year about who's read what.

The AR scheme quizzes are once a week at dd school. Dd will read through several books a week and by the time the quiz is there she forgets about the first one and fails the test. Another thing that happens is she has started to read bigger books and the quizzes are longer, her school aim for 100% and anything less than 80% is deemed a fail and she has to redo it but the questions are quite precise and she can't always remember each detail in the longer books.

She has now taken to reading only one book a week very slowly and so anxious that if she doesn't know enough she will skip the quiz that week and continue to read the same book over again until she knows it well enough to get the 100% on the quiz.

I'm wondering if I should say anything or just leave dd to her own little plans. It's more I don't want her to associate anxiety and quizzes with reading which seems to be where this is leading. What is the point of it? Does it actually work? My dd seems to read fine it's just the quizzes she doesn't always get 100% on.

If it was me I'd send exactly this to the school or talk to her teacher. Feedback can often be helpful working out what what works and what doesn't. I doubt the intention is to cause stress but it seems horribly stressful!

Thanks. I feel a bit out of touch with everything. Dd feels like she can't read because she fails the quizzes.

I'm a bit confused because she seems to be able to read the books so when she fails another quiz I'm not sure if this means she couldn't read the book or what it means as she read it to me seemingly ok.

I will email the teacher and see what's what. I did see the teacher last week and mentioned the AR scheme but got a whole load of information about how one dc in her class has reached such a high level and another got some certificate for whatever else they offer and she kind of avoided talking about my dc so I left it because I knew my dc wouldn't be getting any awards any time soon and the school only mention the dc who get awards from it.

I'd pick one book from the AR scheme. Then pick other books at home to read and enjoy and relax with.

We do a different scheme, but similar idea however the quiz follows directly on from finishing the book. 80% is still the pass mark, and it has some weird and random questions, but you can usually look back at the text to gain half marks on that question.

That's really odd. DD2's school did accelerated reader and she often didn't even do the quizzes because she wasn't interested in the certificates/badges and said it made reading a chore, not a pleasure. DD3 goes to the same school now and they've scrapped AR.

Oh gosh I am an adult but this is like me, and was pretty much my fear when I came across the scheme!

I love reading but dont retain info very well at all... book groups used to be "fun." I'd have to take notes... but noone was testing me! I came across the AR scheme when visiting schools and pretty much my first thought was that it would have stressed me - and backfired. I read lots and fast and loved the experience of being swept up in the story even if I didn't retain all the facts.

I think that this is sort of the point - not the anxiety of course - but to encourage children to take their time reading, check they understand everything they're reading, encourage them to check and ask about new vocabulary etc.

DS was (and I was, come to think of it - still am!) bad at racing through text without understanding/ absorbing it and part of maturing in reading is about learning to retain the threads and information in longer books.

The worrying bit is obviously how anxious this is making her and that she (in her own mind - not the school) is only happy with 100%.

20% wrong still allows quite a lot of mistakes / details not remembered and still is enough to pass and move on.

Yes talk to school about how anxious this is making her to see if they can change their messaging - but equally, work with her to show her that 81% is a perfectly acceptable score so she doesn't need to aim for 100% of its causing stress.

I find it hard to put into words my joy that none of my children are on this scheme. It saps the fun out of reading and turns it into a chore. The questions are checking for minor plot details to check the child has read the book rather than their understanding. If there is an American version (e.g. Arsenic for Tea is called Poison is not Polite in US) then questions use the US version (understandable as it is a US program).

We have children with very different reading abilities and it was bad for them in different ways. The more advanced reader as you have discovered is penalised for reading more tricky books while all around them their classmates are whizzing through Rainbow fairies. Also they couldn't gain any marks for reading a book that they enjoyed which was out of their zone, so if they fancied a night of rainbow fairies just for pleasure they felt they were wasting time. The reader who struggled more found it dispiriting that they were being flung into a position where their lack of reading skills was highlighted to the class. It also made reading a chore and, as they were older, they just found ways to cheat the system, as did many of their classmates. It is also massively biased in favour of fiction, so for a child who prefers non-fiction there is little of interest.

This article probably describes the issues more eloquently and with less ranting.

I have forwarded that article to schools. I have made it clear to the schools and my children that I thought it was a bad idea and that the school would get no support for me. Mine were older so a disagreement with school was not such a big thing, you might want to be more subtle if she is ks1. Ultimately none of the schools changed their systems because AR is initially an expensive investment, it provides a measurable way of assessing reading without using teacher time and I imagine for some children it provides the motivation they need to read more. Just killed the love of stories that mine had.

I am sorry this isn't more positive all I can say is that on the other side they are both enjoying reading again, we made it clear that to us all that mattered was that they enjoyed reading and that whilst we backed the school up on other issues we felt that this system did not help them with their reading.

I dont retain facts from novels even if I read slowly 🤣. I've met a few people since like me when discussing this. I think its a brain difference. I learn new info quickly, have to work really hard at revising and then forget most of it too. When I was teaching I pretty much had to go over it every year as Id"lose" key vocab/facts/most of it but it would come back if I looked at the work properly.

But for reading novels it was so true! Even now there's books that have stuck with me and I can tell you how I felt reading them/that it was really powerful/a vague outline of rhe plot but forget all the characters names.

In my case it's similar recalling shows - I loved friends but cant now tell you the storylines or discuss episodes like some friends can.

I don't know what it is - but I've met others (educated, bright etc) who are similar and it just struck me that when I came across this scheme I would have been similar! And other people will read just to stack up boooks and quizzes etc rather than enjoying the process of reading!

Oh gosh all those things Cattitudes too! I was at a secondary school open evening and I have often thought of working in a library, I gravitate there (see name!) And yet this whole thing horrified me as its designed to get people reading without a thought as to enjoyment and surely enjoyment will lead to long term readers!

Hi, we use AR at school. It does need a bit of work to make sure it's working for the children so I think sharing your thoughts might be helpful for the school. They could make tweaks to how they run things.

A couple of things that stood out for me. One is that I would quiz straight away. I wonder why the quiz is once a week? The children shouldn't have to hold three books in their mind to quiz on.

Also, it is not a memory game. She should have her book with her and flick back through to find the answers. As an adult if we were using a text to write something we would go back to the text frequently - that's the skill you hope to encourage. The questions are in order going the book which helps with this.

Mine also found that the questions were fairly obscure and not important to the plot line.

Oh also, at work each child chooses an AR book and also has the option of a library book that's easier/ to share with a parent etc. A bit of flexibility on it not all being AR is possible!

I find this Dead Poets Society clip sums it up nicely. I feel Mr Keating would not be a fan!

This sounds awful 😕 I love reading , I get immersed in the story while I'm reading it but i often don't remember every detail of a book, it would be impossible for me. I read for the plot and the characters, of I had to study it and ensure I could remember every part of it , then that would completely ruin reading for me. A week after I've finished the book then id probably struggle to achieve 80% on a quiz too 😅

@turtleshells

My dds school goes on and on about accelerated reading scheme. It's one big competition in our year about who's read what.

The AR scheme quizzes are once a week at dd school. Dd will read through several books a week and by the time the quiz is there she forgets about the first one and fails the test. Another thing that happens is she has started to read bigger books and the quizzes are longer, her school aim for 100% and anything less than 80% is deemed a fail and she has to redo it but the questions are quite precise and she can't always remember each detail in the longer books.

She has now taken to reading only one book a week very slowly and so anxious that if she doesn't know enough she will skip the quiz that week and continue to read the same book over again until she knows it well enough to get the 100% on the quiz.

I'm wondering if I should say anything or just leave dd to her own little plans. It's more I don't want her to associate anxiety and quizzes with reading which seems to be where this is leading. What is the point of it? Does it actually work? My dd seems to read fine it's just the quizzes she doesn't always get 100% on.

Definitely email this to the school. The last thing they will want is to be putting children off reading.

Rowdowa - like me! I think people who just retain it all think we are not "reading properly" but it is just a difference. I suspect there's a significant minority of people like us!

I think it's important to test test test
Install fear and anxiety
My two very bright older teens can't even fathom the idea that I read because I enjoy it 🤔

Regarding your DD, she can only go by the ridiculous rules in place. If that means slow, slow reading to pass the fucking test then yes, let her do that

Can you get her magazines about something she enjoys, so she is doing some reading for enjoyment by stealth

It really would have put me off reading. I was a high achiever (academically anyway) and reading was my escapism from a tricky childhood. It really put me off the school I was visiting I had that much of a reaction to it!

@PileOfBooks

Rowdowa - like me! I think people who just retain it all think we are not "reading properly" but it is just a difference. I suspect there's a significant minority of people like us!

I'm one of the weirdos who sees the story in my head while I'm reading it lol like a little movie. I wonder is that why I don't retain everything that I read.

Definitely send a version of your op to school. I am an ex English teacher and AR is the work of the devil. It removes the idea of reading for pleasure and very often is allowed to restrict access to books of a “too high” level that the kid might fancy-it smacks of ‘children, Know Your Place’. Horrible.

I really was cross the system exists! Of course people like to read "easy" books for fun. I love an easy read now and then. And why not read something challenging and above your level occasionally. I really dont like how prescrptive it is.

I credit the AR scheme with totally destroying any pleasure my DC had in reading. It was introduced when they were in juniors and followed them to secondary school.

It is the most awful thing to have ever been dreamed up and it makes me extremely angry that it was ever allowed in schools.

Both DC went from enjoying books to viewing them as a chore and feeling anxious and disappointed with themselves when they couldn't remember some random facts for the quizzes. They then cottoned on to the fact that it they chose short and easy books it was far easier to face the tests. So totally counterproductive in expanding and developing their literary experience.

I complained to the school at the time and got absolutely nowhere but maybe you will have better luck.

This is so helpful. I really do think it's sucked the joy out of reading, dd has always struggled through the tests even the earlier ones, I think it's her memory not working not her reading skills and we've now got to a point where the tests are stopping her from reading more. We do read other books at home but school insist on them taking three books home (I've managed to get this down to two) and they have one lesson a week which is dedicated to all the dc doing their quizzes.
They are not allowed the books with them while they do the quiz and are given 10 minutes each to complete the quizzes in order to share the computers.

The longer quizzes are becoming more difficult because of the higher pressure on the time as well as the fact my dd just isn't good at them.

I have emailed the teacher and they have said that other dc manage so it must be my dc and perhaps they should choose easier books next time.

This feels a bit like dd is being held back in her reading for the sake of the quizzes, she can happily verbally tell me about the books but can't seem to answer the questions plus they are quite distinct facts about the books sometimes so if she can't remember it she's stuffed.

The school set the dc in reading groups so this means due to to the quiz results and my dc inability to succeed on them she will now be put down into a group that is reading completely different level to the books she's been reading. It's all a bit strange tbh.

The school set the dc in reading groups so this means due to to the quiz results and my dc inability to succeed on them she will now be put down into a group that is reading completely different level to the books she's been reading.

That is really poor and means that rather than being used as a tool they are just relying on it rather than their professional judgement. We had this with times tables. Because dc couldn't write quickly enough (disability) they were put in a special times tables group, although orally they knew their times tables instantly which was apparent as soon as they were asked. You could raise with the head but in my experience the whole school has bought into the system and because it works for some stick to it rigidly.

Yes it's very much like this @Cattitudes and thanks for your earlier post it was very helpful.
I don't really think the school are going to budge on the AR scheme. I think I'll have to get on with it and get my dc up with their reading at home as pp have suggested.

It's really silly imo to do this, it's not just about reading levels, the joy of reading can potentially be damaged for life in this way, as someone who loves reading I would not enjoy taking a quiz after every book!