Accelerated Reader
All Saints, we are passionate about ensuring that every child is a reader. One of the ways we do this is to use a computer programme called Accelerated Reader (AR). Some of you will already know about AR as the school introduced it in 2019 for children in Key Stage 2. AR helps teachers manage and monitor children’s independent reading practise. 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. Teachers may assist children by:
- Guiding them to books appropriate to their ability and interests
- Asking probing questions as your child reads and before quizzing
- Pairing your child with others, reading with or reading to your child. Since they are reading books at their own reading and interest levels, most children are likely to be successful and enjoy the books and quizzes
Best of all they learn and grow at their own pace. As with anything, performance improves with practise and children who read at least 20 minutes a day with an 85% comprehension rate on the AR quizzes see the greatest gain. At school, we dedicate 40 minutes a day to a reading lesson. Please encourage your child to also read at home, discuss books, ask questions about what they have read and visit your local library. Together, we can help every child to be a successful reader! Previously, children were asked to take these quizzes in school but children can now access them from home by following this link: Accelerated Reader
STAR Reading Assessments
In school STAR Reading is used to determine your child’s reading level. It is a computer based reading assessment program that uses computer-adaptive technology. Questions continually adjust to your child’s responses, making the difficulty easier or harder where appropriate. The test uses multiple choice questions and takes approximately 20 minutes. Teachers will support your child in taking a STAR Reading assessment every half term. Book levels represent the difficulty of the text. The levels range from 0.2 up to 13.5. Books are chosen based on recommendations from the STAR Reading assessment. Each child is given a range of books (for example 2.5 to 2.9) to challenge them without causing frustration or loss of motivation. It is important for children to read with a high degree of comprehension and within the given range. Teachers may decide that a child needs to read books beyond the original range suggested by the STAR Reading assessment in order to give them a fresh challenge. Each book on the AR scheme has an interest level which indicates the age group that a book is appropriate for, based on the content and themes. These are recommendations only and teachers and parents are recommended to use their best judgement when guiding children in choosing their books.
Choosing Books
We have lots of books that the children can choose from in school, however we are also aware that many children like to read their own books from home. You can visit the website www.arbookfind.co.uk to search all of the available books with AR quizzes to see if the book your child wants to read is on the scheme. If not, then it doesn’t mean your child can not read the book but rather that there will be no quiz available and therefore it will not be recorded on your child’s AR profile. Please see your child’s class teacher for any more information regarding Accelerated Reader.
Reading Targets
Based upon your child's reading ZPD they will receive a reading target. This reading target can be met by reading and quizzing. Each book is worth a certain amount of points. Depending on how well your child does in their quiz, they will receive a number of points to add to their target. Once your child reaches their reading target they will receive a certificate and a bronze star. The second target will be a silver star and the third target a gold star.
Word Millionaires
The accelerated reader programme also measure how many words your child has read. Once your child has reached the target of one million words they will become one of All Saints Word Millionaires and receive a certificate a special reward at the end of the school year.
