Questions & Answers

Q. What is the Accelerated Reader Program?

A. The AR Program was developed to help motivate students to read. Points are awarded for each book test a student passes. The program seeks to instill a love of reading and at the same time improve reading skills. It has also been shown that the increased reading improves other subjects and that reading comprehension and vocabulary soar.

The program works for students of all grade and ability levels. It is the most widely used reading software in schools today and reports provide immediate individualized constructive feedback to teacher or student.

Q. How does the program work?

A. A student comes to the library and checks out a book that is identified as on the AR list. After they read the book then they may take a multiple choice test. Each test consists of either five or ten questions. Immediately after the test the student is shown his/her test score and the number of AR points earned.

Q. How does a student know which books are AR books?

A. The AR books in the library are identified by a yellow spine label. The reading level of the book is printed on the spine label (Example 1.0 or 4.3).

Q. Does the number on the spine label also indicate the number of points the book is worth?

A. No. The number on the spine is the reading level and not the points possible. For example, a book with a reading level of 5.6 may be worth 4 AR points and a book with a 1.6 reading level may be worth .5 AR points.

Q. Is there a set criterion to know when to advance a student’s reading level or is this an issue that should be left to the individual teacher depending on her students’ needs?

A. The decision to advance a student’s reading level should be left up to the individual teacher; the person who has the greatest knowledge of her students’ needs, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. Typically if students are consistently scoring higher than 92 percent on AR quizzes, they are ready to move onto more challenging material. If a teacher wishes to keep a student at the same reading level but wants to make the material more challenging, she may want to use nonfiction books to expand a student’s reading horizons. Nonfiction books are also an excellent way to help students prepare for standardized tests, because many of the reading passages on those tests are nonfiction.

Q. My child is in the fourth grade, does this mean he cannot take a test on a book that is a 3.5 reading level?

A. The teacher along with the S.T.A.R. test will identify your child’s reading level. A student's grade level does not determine the reading level.

Q. How can I as a parent find out how my child is scoring on the AR tests?

A. Each Friday afternoon an At-Risk report is run in the library and given to the teacher. This report shows how many tests a student has taken and how many they passed. At the end of each nine-weeks grading period an individual student report will be sent home with report card. This report will give you the title of each book, test score, date the test was taken, reading level of each book, and the number of points earned on each book.

Q. How can I help my child at home with the AR program?

A. As a parent YOU are the key to your child’s reading success and in helping to foster a life long love of reading. If your child is in K-2 then read the book aloud to them and then have them read the book to you. Discuss the story with them and explain any vocabulary that they might not know. When a child takes a test he has to know how to read the test questions and answers. We do not read the test questions and answers to the child. They are on their own when reading test questions and answers. If a child can read the book then they will be able to read the test.

If your child is older, you can help by taking turns reading a chapter aloud. Not only will you be sharing a learning experience but you will also be showing your child that you think reading is important.

Q. My child read a book last year and took the test. She did not do well on the test. Can she read the book again and retake the test?

A. Once a test has been taken, no matter what the score, a child will be locked out of that particular test as long as they are enrolled at McAdory. They may read the book as many times as they like but they can only take the test once.

Q. How many AR books can my child check out at one time?

A. One.

Q. When can a student take a test in the library?

A. When a student has completed reading a book, they may take a test. However, they cannot check out a book in the morning and come back to the library to take a test on that book in the same afternoon. A student must take the book home for at least one night before they can take a test.

There is no testing in the library on Fridays after 12 o’clock. Test reports are being run on Friday afternoons.