I was asked to look into
Accelerated Reader (AR) or any other source that would allow a reading teacher to give grades for personal reading choices.
The Details: Students are part of the Title 1 program, read well below level (therefore, they don't like to read), and are in a high school "reading" class in addition to their grade level English/Language Arts class. All students in our building take SRI assessments (Scholastic Reading Inventory).
My problem with reading assessments like AR: limits choices and relies on fact-based-recall. However, I get it. The teacher needs to give grades. First, she allowed students to read whatever they wanted to, but she had no way to know each and every book nor could she determine if they were doing anything more than just reading the spark notes on the book. They switched to reading a class novel, but this is part of the reason so many of the kids don't like reading: being forced to read a book not of their choosing or interest.
My Ideas: Sometimes I can be pretty thick. I was an elementary teacher, which means I am armed to the teeth with ideas on how to teach and improve reading skills. Then there is the fact I am a librarian who loves finding the perfect book that students will WANT to read. However, up until this question was asked of me...I hadn't even thought about sharing the strategies in my back pocket. There is this rift between elementary and high school, each level believing the other's situation is TOTALLY different, when the reality is our students learn the same way.
First Step: The first thing I did was what any intelligent school library media specialsit would do: I turned to my AISLE listserv full of amazing men and women all willing to share their ideas and experiences. Within an hour I had several responses. Here is a brief breakdown of what they shared.
Many mentioned AR requiring a minimum of 250 students. I only have 15-20 students in the reading class. This means we either need to look into offering this program to more students or see if there are other options for such a small group.
Some see value in AR. One librarian said, "If you are utilizing it with the Title I kids and the AR tests are used with fidelity in conjunction with their suggestions on the reading program, it could bring about change. You are right, it is a tool. It has possibility."
However, several pointed out the cost, one librarian sharing this, "
I have VERY mixed feelings about AR (that differs from some of the teachers in my building) but this is a pretty high price for the product you get and the value it adds to students, in my humble opinion." This of course is a concern as money is very tight. If we are to spend a large sum, we need to see great benefit.A few offered alternative assessing ideas. - One school has actually put a LOT of time and energy into writing their own quizzes to go with a variety of books. She was kindly willing to share.
- One mentioned http://bookadventure.com, although it is targeted for K-8.
- Someone said I should check out http://www.quizwik.com/.
- Another suggested Scholastic Reading Counts for this reason: "I prefer Scholastic Reading Counts – In AR all of the student’s take the same test, while Reading Counts varies the questions, teachers have more options in # of questions, ability to make adjustments for special needs, advanced, etc."
Next Step: I will explore these other options and share with the teacher and Title 1 Coordinator. I am also going to pull out some of my reading strategy books and offer my services to the teacher.
We all know reading, and reading a lot, is the most important strategy. We need to let go of the idea that novels are the only way for students to improve their reading skills. Magazine articles, websites, and nonfiction books need to be among their choices. We can work on fluency and increased vocabulary. Instead of always turning to fact-recall quizzes, students can do book talks, create book trailers and write reviews.
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If anyone has any additional ideas or suggestions, comment below! Thanks for your time!
Beta by Rachel Cohn