The first semester of Brandon’s first grade has ended, and I
wanted to share my experience with a resource that seems to be good
for parents, children and teachers alike.
That is the Accelerated Reader program.
With Accelerated Reader, library books are labeled so everyone
knows which books are included in the program. Computer-based tests
are ordered for those books.
Children can complete a test for each book they read. They see
how many questions they answered correctly at the end of each test.
For the successful completion of each test the child accrues
points. As an incentive, the points are used toward the purchase of
inexpensive toys.
For Brandon and many other first-graders, it wasn’t until they
actually saw the toys that they understood the connection between
points and prizes. That and seeing that some students had amassed
quite a few points sent many of them into a bit of a panic to try
to take as many tests as possible before the end of the
semester.
Points are zeroed out after this semester.
The program generates reports listing all tests each child has
taken. Reports show the title, reading level, number of questions
answered correctly, total questions asked, whether the book was
fiction or nonfiction and how many points were assigned to each
book.
From time to time, I’ve had questions regarding Brandon’s
reading ability, but the reports from this program have quelled
those concerns.
As with any resource, how a program is applied makes all the
difference.
Parents, teachers and children all need to be involved for a
program like this to be a success. Anyone can assign a child a
number of books to be read by a certain time. But if a third-grader
reads all first-level books just to reach a total, it does nothing
for him or her.
Teachers and parents must be involved; they must monitor what
children are reading, provide encouragement and work with each
child.
Reports are just another tool to help understand how the child
is learning and what help they might need. Parents and teachers can
quickly see at what level a child is reading and comprehending.
Reports can help determine whether a child is having trouble
understanding a book or if a particular test is
misleading.
Teachers have the option of letting a child retake a test if a
child wants to see if he or she can do better. If a child
repeatedly fails a test on a given book, and the teacher questions
the child individually regarding the content of the book, there
might be a problem with that test.
In Brandon’s school, parents and aides assist children with
testing by keeping workstations filled and helping with simple
tasks. Children sign up to take the tests during their reading time
each day.
Few would argue that the ability to read and comprehend is
paramount for anyone’s success. This is one program that seems to
be worthwhile.
Stay tuned!
Jean Henke is a resident of Acres Green.