A student reads a book, takes an online quiz, and gets immediate feedback. Students respond to regular feedback and are motivated to make progress with their reading skills.

To develop a love of reading in our school, St Anne’s has implemented Accelerated Reader, a reading programme which closely monitors children’s reading performance, their progress and informs teachers of any targets or areas to focus on. This is child-led; children can choose the book they wish to read, depending on the ZPD level set from the STAR reading test. These tests are to be completed by every child in each half term and the first week of school in September.
Our children develop reading skills most effectively when they read appropriately challenging books – difficult enough to keep them engaged but not so difficult that they become frustrated. This is their ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ (ZPD)
AR gives children significantly greater choice in levelled books and quizzes than any comparable reading programme.
Over 27,000 reading practice quizzes are available on books from over 300 publishers and imprints. Independent of any publishing interests and suitable for students of primary and secondary age, AR ensures that there are plenty of books to interest every reader available on the programme.
Research-based recommendations underpin the best practices for AR implementation. The importance of daily personalised reading practice cannot be overstated. Recent studies indicate that when students spend 25 minutes a day reading suitably challenging books which they successfully comprehend (demonstrated by achieving 90% or more on the reading practice quiz), then they will achieve optimal reading age growth. This is the power of personalised practice.

 

This guide is designed to answer your questions about helping your child learn to read and Accelerated Reader. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher.

What is Accelerated Reader?

AR is a computer program that helps teachers manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Your child picks a book at his/her own level and reads it at his/her own pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer - passing the quiz is an indication that your child has understood what has been read.

AR gives both children and teachers feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help the child set targets and ongoing reading practice. Children using AR have a free choice of the books they read, rather than having one assigned to them. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience, as they feel in control and can choose books that are interesting to them. Staff in school will help your child choose books that are at an appropriate reading level. These will be challenging without being frustrating, and will also be at a level at which your child can pass the quiz and experience success.

What books will my child take home after they start school?

Children from Reception to KS1 are provided with a reading book from a range of reading schemes that have been chosen to complement the synthetic phonic programme (Letters and Sounds) that operates in school. This reading scheme is a phonetically decodable scheme which is now recommended as the prime method of teaching early reading skills. In addition, children in KS1 will also supplement this with a book chosen by the child from the school library. This will enable children to engage in the Accelerated Reader scheme as they progress through it, using Oxford Reading Tree books. 

How often will my child’s books be changed?

Generally speaking, we'll aim to change reading books in KS1 as and when required (a number of times a week). We aim to read with your child at least three times a week.    

In KS2 children will change their books on the completion of each Accelerated Reader quiz.

How do I listen to my child read?

Please take time to read with your child at home. This should be a fun activity, so it's important to choose a time when your child is most responsive (ie not immediately before bedtime or during their favourite TV programme!). Find a quiet place to curl up with a book!

This admittedly involves taking time out of often busy schedules. Make sure there are no distractions and that the TV is off. Generally speaking, children should read with an adult. This teaches children that reading is a grown-up thing to do, is valued and is important. If the evening isn't convenient, try reading first thing in the morning instead. Regular reading practise is the key to success. Don’t worry about trying to read the whole book! As your child increasingly accesses longer texts, it would be appropriate to read a few pages well rather than try to race through the whole text.

What do I do when my child is reading?

Encourage them to have a go at words they don’t know by using the pictures in the story, the events of the book. Ask them questions about what they're reading from time to time. Above all, enjoy it! Laugh at the funny bits and enjoy this time!

If my child reads the scheme quickly, will they be a better reader?

No. Children who ‘race’ through the scheme are not better readers. Children who do so often have little comprehension of the words they read, will often struggle to make deductions from the text, or predict. Worst of all, they may actually dislike reading rather than seeing it as a pleasurable thing to do because it becomes a tiresome chore.

If your child doesn't do well in the AR quiz, the teacher may assist him/her by:

• Helping choose another book that's more appropriate
• Asking more probing questions as your child reads and before he/she takes a quiz
• Pairing your child with another pupil or even having the book read to your child

In most cases, children really enjoy taking the quizzes. Since they're reading books at their own reading and interest levels, they're likely to be successful. This is satisfying for most children. Best of all they learn and grow at their own pace.

Is this how reading is assessed in school?

No. A ‘book level’ or ‘reading age’ alone doesn't enable an overall accurate assessment of reading to be made. Through reading tasks in English, through reciprocal reading, the teacher will assess children’s ability:

• To decode print (to know what a words say) eg to sound out
• To use the context of the writing to tackle unknown words
• To vary intonation appropriately when reading
• To understand what they have read (to know what the words mean) e.g. to make predictions about a story
• To ask and answer questions about what has been read
• To discuss words and phrases that engage the reader. AR provides an additional tool for the teacher to use in informing this judgement

For more information about how the school assesses reading, please visit the school website or see your child’s class teacher.

How can I help my child become a better reader?

As with anything, performance improves with practice. Encourage your child to read at home. Create a culture of reading in your household by reading with your child, starting a home library, visiting your local library or bookshop on a regular basis and by letting your child see you reading. When reading with your child stop and ask questions to be sure your child comprehends what they've read, and in general make a habit of discussing books that each of you has read.

How does the school determine my child's reading level?

Teachers determine your child’s reading level in one of three ways: a STAR Reading test, a reading age estimation from a standardised test, or by using his/her best professional judgement based on his/her knowledge of your child.

What is a STAR reading test?

STAR Reading is a computer-based reading assessment program that uses computer-adaptive technology. Questions continually adjust to your child’s responses. If the child’s response is correct, the difficulty level is increased. If the child can't answer a question, or answers incorrectly, the difficulty level is reduced. The test uses multiple-choice questions. For optimal performance, it is recommended for the test be completed in 20 minutes.

What is a ZPD?

Every child in KS2 has undertaken an initial ‘Star Reading’ assessment which has provided them with a reading age, reading level and a zone of proximal development (ZPD) range. This ZPD range will allow the children to select appropriate reading books that will be best suited to develop their reading ability and comprehension.

KS1 children will continue to use the Oxford Reading Tree Scheme to develop their reading. After children move from Oxford Reading Tree stage 7, we'll encourage them to extend their reading by using Accelerated reader.

A child’s ZPD range could change during the year depending on their Star Reading assessment, which will be undertaken every half term.

Is it OK for my child to read outside of their reading level?

Yes – this is fine. However, just because a child can read the words in a book it doesn't mean the content is appropriate. The interest level of the material must be considered. Interest level is based on content—a book’s themes and ideas—and indicates for which age group a book is appropriate. The chart below shows which years fall into each Interest Level.

Interest level year:

• Key Stage 1 LY - Lower Years
• Key Stage 2 MY—Middle Years
• Key Stage 3/4 UY - Upper Years

In many cases a book’s interest level coordinates with its book level. Many books, however, have a low book level but are appropriate for upper years and vice versa.

However, if a book isn't on the Accelerated Reader system, or there's a book that sits outside their ZPD range and they would really like to read it, we won't discourage them in doing so, but suggest that they read it as well as a book within their ZPD range.

What are points?

The most exciting part of the Accelerated Reader program is the quizzes that it provides. When your child has finished a book, they can take a quiz to test their knowledge of it and develop their comprehension skills.

These quizzes can only be accessed and undertaken within school during reading sessions using an iPad or computer.

Certificates are awarded for reading along with class rewards - Please see your class teacher about these.

What do points make? Prizes!!

Children receive rewards based on:

1. The number of quizzes taken. 
2. The number of words read. 
3. The point value of the book.

Every book that has an AR reading practice quiz is given a points value. AR points are based on the difficulty of the book (ATOS readability level) and the length of the book (number of words).

You may notice that some popular books have more points assigned to them than some classic pieces of literature. David Copperfield (unabridged), for example is a 66-point book while Shakespeare’s MacBeth is a four-point book. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean we think David Copperfield (unabridged) is a better book or more worthwhile to read than MacBeth, only that, at 339,112 words as opposed to 19,048 words, it's much longer and provides more reading practice time.

Children earn points on a pro-rata basis depending on how well they do on the reading practice quiz. For example, a pupil who takes a five-question quiz on a book worth one point will earn one point for five correct answers (100%), 0.8 point for four correct answers (80%) and so on. A pupil who reads a book worth five points and takes a ten-question quiz will earn five points for ten correct answers (100%), 4.5 points for nine correct answers (90%) etc. A child needs to pass a quiz with a score of 60% or higher to earn points.

My child isn't a strong reader. Can they still use Accelerated Reader?

Accelerated Reader helps all children become better readers regardless of their reading ability. When children read books at their appropriate level, they experience success. Furthermore, teachers work with children to set appropriate targets based on each child’s reading level.

How are Accelerated Reader points set?

The target-setting chart provides guidelines for the approximate number of AR points children should be able to earn, depending on how much time they read and their reading level. Monitoring AR points earned by children and comparing them to the guideline values listed on the target-setting chart enables your child’s teacher to determine how well your child is using the time provided for reading practice.

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

You can also visit the AR BookFinder at www.arbookfind.co.uk to conduct a search of all available books with AR quizzes.

Can my child take quizzes at home?

The company that runs AR only allows quizzes to be taken on the school network. Unfortunately it isn’t possible to take quizzes at home.

How will I know how my child is doing?

A TOPS report prints automatically after a child takes a quiz to give feedback on your child’s understanding of the book, and shows cumulative data for the marking period and school year.