What is Accelerated Reader? 

Accelerated Reader (AR) is used as part of a comprehensive reading program at our school. While we continue to teach the skill of reading in class through shared texts, the AR books chosen by your children, provide them with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have developed. Children using AR are encouraged to progress at their own pace and they have personalised targets based on their reading ability. The aim of AR is for all children to succeed in achieving their targets. 

The program is divided into two parts: Star Reading and Accelerated Reader.

Star Reading

A computer adaptive reading test used to asses pupils' reading ability and to determine their recommended reading levels for Accelerated Reader. The star reading measures growth over time.  

All children taking part in AR will complete a STAR reading test at the beginning of the year and at the end of each term. This is a multiple choice reading assessment completed individually on a computer at school. Questions continually adapt to your child's responses, so if their answer is correct, the difficulty level is increased. If they miss a question or give an incorrect answer, the difficulty is reduced.

The results from the STAR reading assessment along with teacher judgment assist in identifying your child's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) range. 

What is a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)? 

The ZPD is a numerical range of books (eg. 2.4 - 2.7) which will give your child the appropriate level of challenge according to their reading ability. Your child will be given a ZPD range after they have taken the STAR reading test. It is important for children to read books within their ZPD, as they must be able to understand the book which they are reading. These will be adjusted based on your child’s progress.

Accelerated Reader

Accelerated Reader (AR) is the computer program that helps teachers to manage and monitor a child's independent reading practice. Children pick a book to read which falls within their ZPD range. When they have finished reading, they take a short quiz on the computer - passing the quiz is an indication that they have understood what they have read. 

If they are reading at the recommended level for them, most children are likely to be successful and enjoy the books and quizzes. Best of all they learn and grow at their own pace. 

This is an example of an AR quiz: 

How do they choose a book? 

Children select books appropriate for their individual reading level and interests that is within their ZPD. All books in the school library are labeled in the following ways to help guide choices: 

Book level

Books are levelled using a nationally recognised readability formula with the level representing the difficulty of the text. The levelling criteria covers factors such as vocabulary, average word length, average sentence length, grammatical complexity etc. - not how long the book is or how many pictures it contains. Our reading books have been levelled and labelled to make it easier for the children to choose an appropriate book. You can find the book level on the spine of your child’s reading book. Each book level has been given a colour to make it easier to select a book off the shelf.

Interest level

Relates to the content and appropriateness:  

• LY = lower years, approx. age 5-8 (KS1)
• MY = middle years, approx. age 9-13 (KS2/3)
• UY = upper years, approx. age 14+ (KS4)

Points

Each book that has an AR reading practice quiz is given a point value. These points are based on difficulty and length of the book. Students will earn more points depending on how well they do on the quiz. Children have daily access to iPads/tablets to enable them to take a quiz. It is important that they take their quiz as soon as possible after they have read their book, as this will give them the best chance of passing. In order to demonstrate that they have understood their book, your child should be aiming for a pass rate of 85%. If they achieve this several times, your child’s class teacher may suggest they try the next book level band. If your child consistently achieves lower than 85%, the class teacher may suggest altering the book level band until they have built their confidence.

You will notice that the number of points assigned to the books varies according to their length and the amount of reading time required for example Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is worth 32 points while Fantastic Mr Fox is worth 1 point. This information is on the inside of all books from the school library. 

How will I know if a book has an AR quiz? 

There are over 20,000 books, both fiction and non-fiction with an AR reading practice quiz and many of these are available in the school library. The majority of books with quizzes are labelled. We encourage children to read books they may have at home or borrowed form the local library. To find out if a book has a quiz you can login to AR bookfinder: 

https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/ 

What if my child does not like reading? 

In most cases, children really enjoy taking quizzes. Using AR, your child will be reading books at his/her own reading and interest level so that after completing the book they should do well on the quiz. This success will encourage your child to read more and with continuing guidance and success even those who say they do not like reading will often develop a love of reading. 

Children can monitor and celebrate their progress every time they log into their AR account. Recognition will be given for the number of books read, the amount of words read and their overall quiz scores. They will also be able to see suggested books to try within their ZPD. 

How can I help at home? 

Encourage your child to read at home every day. Create a culture of reading in your household by reading with your child, starting a home library, visiting your local library or book shop on a regular basis, letting your child see you reading and discussing books that each of you has read. When reading with your child, stop and ask questions to be sure your child is understanding what they read. Reading with your child, no matter what their age, is an important part of developing a good reader and building a lifelong love of reading and learning.