1. Parents Guide to Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader™
CYC Elective

2. Outcomes
Parents will learn about Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader
Parents will understand
How Accelerated Reader works
How to find AR books
How to set up a “reading friendly” home
How to use Home Connect
How to contact their school to get TOPs Reports and information on how to access Home Connect

3. What is Accelerated Reader?
A reading program that helps your child with independent reading practice.

4. How Does AR work?
Your child picks a book, reads it and then takes a short quiz to see if they understood the book.
The quiz gives feedback to the child, teacher and parent. Your child’s teacher is giving your child the AR quizzes.

5. How does AR work? AR also helps your child set reading goals.
AR gives teachers and parents great information to help support their child's learning and reading progress

6. Selecting AR Books
Parents can use the online AR BookFinder to help their child find AR books.
Your child's teacher can make recommendations.
Your local library should also have information to help make book selections
Instructor Note – The AR Bookfinder video is 1 minute long and is located under “Product Features” about half way down the page.
Your child’s teacher is providing books for your child’s reading level and you can too!

7. What is my child's reading level?
Usually the reading or language arts teacher gives a STAR Reading test to determine your child's reading level.
Accelerated Reader then recommends books that are within your child's reading level.

8. What is a TOPS report?
TOPS stands for "Three Ways to Praise a Student"
The TOPS Report provides information about the child's progress and includes;
How well the child performed on the most recent quiz
Updates on the progress your child is making for the current marking period
Updates on the child's yearly progress

9. How do I get a TOPS report?
Your child's teacher should send a TOPS report home on a regular basis
Here is an example of a TOPS Report.
You can also access the TOPS reports on AR's Home Connect Website.
Activity
If parents haven't received a TOPS Report, have them contact their child's school/teacher to ask for the report.
Note to Instructor - Schools must be subscribed to the AR Enterprise service to provide access to Home Connect - check with the local school to determine if they offer Home Connect.

10. Set Up a Reading Friendly Home
Provide time for your child to read at least 20 minutes a day at home.
Read aloud with your child (works for all ages, not just early readers).
Set a good example by reading yourself (Reading Role Models).
Bring books with you as you run errands and attend appointments. All are opportunities for sneaking in extra reading time.

11. Set Up a Reading Friendly Home
Add a trip(s) to the library to your weekly routine.
Make books a gift priority (birthdays, holidays, etc…)
Allow children to choose books, which reinforces their independence and allows them to follow their interests
AR supports this concept, providing a wide variety of books for children to select
Ideas and concepts from

12. What is AR Home Connect?
Allows parents to view their child’s AR quiz scores online.
Provides parents with a snapshot of their child’s reading progress.
Instructor Note – Home Connect video is 1 minute long and is located under “Product Features” about half way down the page. Introduction to Home Connect (video)

13. Accessing Home Connect
Use your child's login and password, possibly received one of the following ways:
School mails a Home Connect letter home to parents
School hands out a Home Connect letter to parents at Back to School Night, a Parent Conference, a Report Card pickup
Schools hold a "Family Night" to share information about AR and Home Connect

14. No Home Connect Letter?
What should you do if you do not have a Home Connect letter?
Have your child login to CMSD’s Home Connect
Contact your child's Language Arts or Reading teacher to request the Home Connect Letter
Activity - How to get a Home Connect Login from your child's teacher
Have parents create an to their child's teacher to request Home Connect Information
Note to Instructor - Schools must be subscribed to the AR Enterprise service to provide access to Home Connect - check with the local school to determine if they offer Home Connect.

15. Creative Commons License
Curriculum content created by Connect Your Community, a project of OneCommunity, funded by the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit 15