Parents Guide to Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader™ CYC Elective 3-30-12

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

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

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.

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

Selecting AR Books Parents can use the online AR BookFinder to help their child find AR books. http://cleveland.arbookfind.com 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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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 http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/2012/03/share_a_story_shape_a_future_c.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-FB

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. https://hosted188.renlearn.com/764635/homeconnect/ 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)

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

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 email 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.

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 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 15