Accelerated Reading Program
Grades 1st thru 2nd Will use the STAR assessment portion of this program. They will be tested at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year.
Grades 3rd to 6th Will use both the Accelerated Reader portion as well as the STAR for assessment
STAR TEST Star Reading is a customized reading test for students to take on a computer. The test is designed for students in grades 1 through 12 (also for students in kindergarten who have basic reading skills). Teachers can use reports from Star Reading to determine the reading level of each student and to measure growth.
READING PRACTICE QUIZZES are the foundation of the Accelerated Reader program . They help measure students' comprehension of books read To, read With, or read Independently. The quizzes are motivational because they ensure a successful, positive experience if the student has read a book at the proper level. These quizzes are designed to be taken immediately after a student finishes reading a book (take the quiz within 24 hours of finishing a book so that the quiz tests comprehension and not memory.) PLEASE NOTE: This quiz taking falls under the Student Conduct Code and will be enforced by the teachers and librarian. At no time is it permissible to share information while taking a quiz, or take quizzes for someone else.
BOOK LEVEL Book level measures the readability of the text of a book or other reading material.
INTEREST LEVEL The Interest Level reflects the judgment of the book's publisher and the professionals at Renaissance. However, the final decision on whether the content of a book is appropriate for a particular student is the responsibility of school librarians, teachers, and parents.
- LG: Indicates the content is most appropriate for students in the lower grades (K-3).
- MG: Indicates the content is most appropriate for students in the middle grades (4-8).
- MG+: Indicates the content is most appropriate for students in the upper middle grades (6 and up). Most MG+ books are marketed as YA (Young Adult) for Interest Level.
- UG: Indicates the content is most appropriate for students in the upper grades (9-12).
Within each Interest Level, you will find a wide range of Book Levels to support students who read at, above, and below grade level.
POINTS are a measure of the amount of reading practice a student is getting. Every Reading Practice Quiz has a point value assigned to it based on the book level and the word count of the book (the book's difficulty and length).When the program calculates the possible points for a Reading Practice Quiz, it uses the book level and the word count in the calculation.
The ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT (ZPD) is a term borrowed from psychologist Lev Vygotsky. In Accelerated Reader, the ZPD is a range of book levels that are not too challenging and not too easy--depending upon a student's reading level. The program provides a ZPD for each student who has tested which helps to guide book selection for optimal growth. Once a studen'ts reading level ZPD is determined this helps the teacher to assign an average book level goal and point goal for each semester.
GOALS Goals are set by each classroom teacher using the features in the Rennaisance program that makes this easy. The program takes into consideration time spent reading in the classroom, level of books read, and the passing percentage for each quiz taken. Teachers, Parents, Students can all keep tabs on the progress toward these goals. Goals are tweaked at the beginning of each marking period to best encourage yet challange the students.
For more information please click Parent Guide to Accelerated Reader
LEXILE video
https://youtu.be/AiFm2Jr8FzY
THIS IS A SHORT VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS THE lEXILE FRAMEWORK FOR READING ASSESSMENT. Most of the books in the HFCS library have Lexile levels that students may use to help them select books that are within the recommended ZPD
Reading INCENTIVES:
A Goals Met Celebration Party will be held in May 2020. Specific date time and location will be forthcoming.
Students who meet the Goals set by their classroom teachers for each marking period will be invited to attend. To meet the goals ALL quizzes must be passed with an average of 85% and above. In addition all points must be earned for each individual marking period.
Each classroom teacher may also provide incetives for their students.