1. Accelerated Reader

2. What is Accelerated Reader?
Computer based program to manage and monitor children’s reading practice
Select books at their own level and read at their own pace
Feedback for progression
Reading for pleasure
A computer based program to help us monitor children’s reading practice, ensure they are reading appropriate texts and to help progress their reading.
The program is designed to help children select books at their level – I will explain how this happens shortly.
Computer program has a range of tools that will help us to track your child’s reading ability, habits and how they are progressing.
Program is designed to help children foster a love of reading. If a child enjoys reading, they will read more which has a positive impact on their learning across the curriculum.

3. What does Accelerated Reader involve?
STAR tests
Inform book selection
Comfortable reading range for progression
Range of books that will challenge your child without causing frustration or loss of motivation
Quizzes
24 hours after finishing a book
Quizzes are taken in school
Your child will complete STAR tests at various points in the year. The questions adjust depending on you child’s response, so if your child gets an answer correct, the questions become more difficult; if they miss a question or give an incorrect response then the difficulty of the next question is reduced.
STAR tests give a Zone of Proximal Development. A score that is designed to direct your child towards a range of books that will challenge them without causing frustration or a loss of motivation. We will use the results of the STAR tests to assign your child a range of books that they should be reading. Teachers can adjust these ranges using their professional judgement based upon the needs of your child.
Once your child has finished reading a book they will take a quiz in school to check their understanding of what they have read. This will help your child’s class teacher to monitor their progress and ensure that they are reading books suitable for their level.
Quizzes will generate a TOPs report to show how your child did on the quiz. We are looking in to a way of sending these home but for the time being, if you want to know how your child did on a specific quiz then please speak to the class teacher.

4. How can I support my child at home?
Create a culture of reading at home
Read for 20 minutes each night
Talk to your child about what they are reading.
Visit the local library or book shop regularly.
AR Book Finder
Search ‘AR Book Finder’
It is really important that you continue to support your child at home with their reading.
We will still expect your child to be reading at home each night, this can either be independently or with an adult depending on their ability.
Even if your child is reading independently, it is still vitally important that you are talking to them about what they have read.
Accelerated Reader does have a facility that allows you to search for books that we may not have in school.
You can either visit the website or just search for ‘AR Book Finder’

5. This is where you can search for book titles.

6. Results will give all the information on a book you need including the interest level, book level and the number of points available.

7. There are hard copies of an AR Book Finder parent guide.
The PowerPoint and parent guide will also be made available on the school website.