Accelerated Reader

[Readytomakechanges]

Hello,

We've just been informed that DD (5yo, year 1) will be taking a 'star test' and be put on accelerated reader.

Her reading is 'level 30', although I'm not sure what the level corresponds to book band wise. Her recent book says ORT 15/16.

Please can someone tell me about accelerated reader and what the star test consists of. Google tells me DD will be required to take regular tests. Do you think this will be 'too much' for a year one?

I've asked school, but the year one teacher doesn't usually deal with accelerated reader so DD will be looked after by the year 2 teacher for this and I haven't managed to speak to them yet.

Thank you

Not entirely convinced by the above re.the tests apparently they get more points the harder the tests so he is not picking easy books. I think imo no reading scheme is perfect and there are always critics, until your child uses it you aren’t going to know if it’s right for them.
I was certainly very dubious about it before he started it, however, it’s been absolutely fine

Do you know how AR defines “harder” books? More letters in a word, more syllables per word, more words per sentence. Like most reading measures harder rarely means more complex.

My dc's primary school use it. My older two weren't into reading anyway until they got into the Twilight series, but it has been a great motivator for my youngest, who has also never been much of a reader but set herself the target of a million words this year. Last year she read 300000words, while some of her peers were reading 2-3 million, not because she couldn't read, she just wasn't interested.

Norestformz can you please tell me your research source, I personally also feel that having to do, and pass, a quiz at the end of reading a book is a sure way to kill off reading for pleasure but wasn't aware there had been any research showing the negative impact of AR. Would like to read (and share) it. Thanks

Krashen has written a great deal regarding AR

Conrath, R. A. (2007). A comparative study for the effects of a supplemental reading program on eighth- grade students’ reading comprehension growth Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.

Biggest D. (2001). The argument against Accelerated Reader. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 45, 72-75.

Cuddeback, M. J., & Ceprano, M. A. (2002). The use of Accelerated Reader with emergent readers. Reading Improvement, 39(2), 89-96.

Gallagher, K. (2009). Readicide: How schools are killing reading and what you can do about it. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Gallagher, K. (2009). Readicide: How schools are killing reading and what you can do about it. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Melton, C. M., Smother, B. C., Anderson, E., Fulton, R., Repogle, W. H., & Thomas, L. (2004). A study of the effects of the Accelerated Reader program on fifth grade students’ reading achievement growth, Reading improvement, 41(1), 18-23.

Peak, J., & Dewalt, M. (1994). Reading achievement: Effects of computerized reading management and enrichment. ERS Spectrum, 12, 31-34.

Persinger, J. (2001). What are the characteristics of a successful implementation of Accelerated Reader? Knowledge Quest, 29(5), 30-35.

Persinger, J. (2001). What are the characteristics of a successful implementation of Accelerated Reader? Knowledge Quest, 29(5), 30-35.

Stevenson, J. M., & Camarata, J. W. (2000). Imposters in whole-language clothing: Undressing the Accelerated Reader program. Talking Points, 11(2), 8-11.

Thompson, G., Madhuri, M., & Taylor, D. (2008). How the Accelerated Reader program can become counterproductive for high school students. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 51, 550- 560.

White, W. Q. (2005). An investigation of the Accelerated Reader program in one small school district: Students’, teachers’, and administrators’ perceptions. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Smith, A. F., & Westberg, K. L. (2011). Student attitudes toward accelerated reader: “Thanks for asking!” Current Issues in Education, 14(2).

libraries.ne.gov/rvls/files/2010/04/AR-5.pdf

http://blog.penningtonpublishing.com/reading/the-18-reasons-not-to-use-accelerated-reader/comment-page-2/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-minds/201702/three-myths-about-reading-levels

I don't think in this OP's dd's case, use of AR has negative effect, imo.
School seems to recognise her ability, happy to give her access to higher leveled books which suit her.
Op is checking if the book is appropriate.
For able and willing reader, any book could be a joy to read, harder or easier. And she is only 5, there are so much to gain for her from any exposure to any books. AR is only small part of her reading.
OP, she is doing great, hope it works out for you and your dd.

The OPs daughter is five years old so I’d suggest that a whole language program is unlikely to be what she needs at this stage.

So many threads on here about trusting your children’s teachers and letting them do their jobs.
AR has been used successfully in this school, am going to trust their judgement over some (fairly) old research articles and an internet random. After all that’s what we all are on mumsnet.

And so many threads show teachers are fallible even human. Often the decision to introduce programs has nothing to do with teachers who simply have to comply with management imposed choices.

But the difficult thing for parents is, that once the school introduced something, we have to follow that no matter what. No way they change bought in scheme just because some parents think it's no good.
So best we can do as a parent is find out how we can use them effectively for our children, not find fault and be unhappy about it.
And that is what I would like from experienced MN teachers, to help us guide our children when school is doing something not so great.
Phonics teaching is great example. I am sure a lot of parents are aware that mixed methods aren't great now, and doing something about it, all thanks to great teachers on here continuously educating us parents about how phonics teaching should be.

This is just it. AR I was dubious about has been fine as I’ve said however all I really see from likely teachers on here is lots of negative comments about things shouldn’t be done not advice on how to work cohesively with a School that’s already decided on how something will be done.

It depends how it'd done in my experience.

E.g. I use it and the star tests are stress free. Students have a range to start with but if they are reading and passing quizzes on a series of books that are higher then thry will often read the whole series. I'm not a slave to the number range.

We still do whole class reading. I still read aloud to them. I still teach them how to work with challenging books. We do reading skills.

With my lower ability class, they like being able to read a book in their range and pass a quiz on it hecause it's a sense of achievement after spending years feeling stupid. AR doesn't replace my literacy teaching but it supplements it. The lower group also still gets lots of teacher input, class reading etc too.

But, as I've said, I have seen it done badly too.

“they like being able to read a book in their range” the point being how AR assigns “range” which results in books written for young adults being categorised at primary age

Unless the teacher is familiar with every book in the program of course.

I think that it is easier to say work with the scheme and make the best of it If your child is not actively discouraged by it. I did not feel strongly either way when the scheme was introduced, it was heavily sold as a 'very successful ' integral part of the English programme at my children's middle school. I thought it looked gimmicky, with the points win prizes approach but assumed as my children didn't struggle with reading it would be fine. I was wrong. It was a massive headache as my children who didn't struggle with reading had free access to any book (within reason) at home were limited in their choices at school and made to look at reading as yet another chore. Seemed counterintuitive to me.

My youngest child has yet to start middle school, she will probably do fine, she is NT, likes to be seen to do well and enjoys quizzes so she will become obsessed with getting more millionword certs than her big brother... so it has some limited use but AR should be optional if used at all.

Norestformrz
So librarians and teachers talk to children about book selection.
All the libraries in schools I have worked at have had some books flagged on the computer that can only be taken out by y9 and above for thay reason (unless we have a note from home).

The reading range makes zeeo claim about the content of a book. It is telling you the difficulty of a book. There are books with more young adult content and lower levels because they are aimed at secondary students with lower reading levels who probably don't want to be reading kid books (it does NOT mean they are suitable for primary). If someone is silly enough not to vet book choices before putting them in a school library then they are daft.

AR isn't perfect and I've seen it used inefrectively. It also isn't a one stop reading intervention solution (anyone using it that way is daft), but in my experience how effective it can be is down to how the teacher uses it. It isn't always the big disaster critics make it out to be.

I’ve never taught in a primary school that could afford the luxury of a librarian and none of the primary schools my children attended or those friends children attended had librarians. Teachers are trusting souls and if the school reading program says a book is Y2 or Y3 they are inclined to believe it unless they are familiar with the book.
However that doesn’t address the fact that AR is a whole language program

I agree with Maisy - AR is what you make of it. We use it in my school. I would expect children to read as part of homework anyway, so when they finish a book, they can quiz. Testing can be done as early finisher work or while eating a breaktime snack in class. The children love it and really enjoy doing the quizzes. I would agree with Maisy that for my weaker pupils, the quizzes are actually a great way for them to get a sense of success.

I don't rigidly keep children to book levels and my class still have reading and comprehension skill lessons - just as we did before AR was introduced. I find that the Star Tests are helpful when setting up literacy circle groups as well. Of course I use other assessments as well.

AR isn't a be all and end all, it's just one string to a bow.

Are the children in your school aged just 5?
I’m assuming Maisy is secondary given she talks about Y9

I teach in Ireland, in a primary school. I've personally done AR in class with 7 year olds and 10 year olds. It's been implemented with 2nd - 6th class (so roughly 7 to 12 years old).

She maybe 5, but she is reading a lot higher level than average 5 years old. Op said(I think, on the other thread) that she was placed with children in higher year groups, and they don't normally use it for yr1 children.

I could understand doing AR with some fluent readers at a younger age - with the little ones we focus on literacy and they also do some ict skills, at 2nd class they can quiz independently. It would be madness trying to manage it with all the Junior Infants!

I posted more so to share my experiences with AR - we've had a pretty good run with it so as the discussion was swinging towards the pros and cons of AR, felt that should be shared.

That’s partly my concern Irvine. If I remember correctly the OP was concerned and spoke to the school and suddenly they enrol her five year old on a whole language program.