1. Inchinnan Primary School Accelerated Reading Programme 5/02/14

2. What is Accelerated Reading? (AR) AR is a computer program that helps teachers monitor children’s independent reading practice. Using information generated by the software, teachers help children select books that are difficult enough to keep them challenged, but not too difficult to cause frustration. In addition, it helps teachers to monitor pupils’ vocabulary growth, literacy skills development and reading skills taught through our current reading scheme.

3. Our Aims Develop a lifelong love of reading in our pupils Motivate children of all ages to read more, suitably challenging, books Raise literacy standards for pupils of all ages and abilities Access instant reporting on each student’s progress and diagnose problems

4. How it works It's all about practice. AR encourages differentiated reading practice to create strong readers. Your child picks a book at his own level and reads it at his own pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.) AR gives children and teachers feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help your child set goals and direct ongoing reading practice. Children choose their own books to read, rather than having one assigned to them. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience as they can choose books that are interesting to them. Teachers help your child choose books at an appropriate readability level that are challenging without being frustrating, ensuring that your child can pass the quiz and experience success. If your child does not do well on the quiz, the teacher may help your child: Choose another book that is more appropriate. Ask more probing questions as your child reads and before your child takes a quiz. Pair your child with another student, or even have the book read to your child.

5. Scottish Government Higher Order Thinking Skills Creativity Systems Thinking Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Understanding Knowing

6. Questions & Answers Quizzing? Accelerated Reader includes several types of quizzes designed to support the development of several reading skills. How much will my child read during the school day? Depending on the age and stage of your child they will read between 10-30 mins. set aside for AR most days. How does the school determine my child’s reading level? Teachers determine your child’s reading level in 2 ways: a STAR Reading™ test and using their best professional judgment based on their knowledge of your child. What is a STAR Reading™ test? STAR Reading is a computerized reading assessment that uses computer-adaptive technology. Questions continually adjust to your child’s responses. If the child’s response is correct, the difficulty level is increased. If the child misses a question, the difficulty level is reduced. The test uses multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 15 minutes.

7. Questions & Answers cont. I’m concerned that my child will be unfairly compared to others. Then you’ll really like AR because it helps the teacher work with each child individually. Pupils using AR are encouraged to progress at their own pace and set their own goals with the help of the teacher. Is it OK for my child to read outside of their reading level? Just because a child can read the words in a book doesn’t mean the content is appropriate. The interest level of the material must be considered. Interest level is based on content—a book’s themes and ideas—and indicates for which age group a book is appropriate. LY – Lower Years MY – Middle Years How will I know how my child is doing? Each pupil will have a reading log. Within this log you will be able to watch which level your child is at, how quickly they are reading each book and how successful they have been quizzing.

8. Other Information Searching for AR books. Information Leaflet How can I help my child become a better reader? Reading Strategies for parents leaflet Any other Questions?