Accelerated Reading

As a part of our ongoing assessment of our students’ reading comprehension we are using the Accelerated Reading Program. This school wide program allows your child to read an A.R. book and take a comprehension test on the computer. After each test the child receives a copy of the results that is to be taken home that evening. The computer keeps a record of every test your child takes over the entire time they attend St. James.

Each student is given the STAR test at the beginning of the year to determine a ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development), which is a range of grade level books they should be choosing for AR. For instance if your child tested at 2.5 for a reading grade level on the STAR test, their ZPD would possibly be between 2.0 and 3.0. This means they should be reading and taking AR tests from this range of books.

The students are instructed in the procedure for taking a test. They are allowed to take tests during any work time of the day as well as in library. The classroom library, the school library and the public library all have Accelerated Reader books. In second grade your child will be expected to read at least 1 AR book and take a test every week. The children can access and print a list of books they have taken tests on at St. James.

The wait time to take and AR test should be no longer than one day. If they read a book on Monday and it has not been taken by Tuesday please let us know and we will help with the situation. Your child should come home with a TOPS report about their AR score on the day of their test or the next day. Be patient with us as we get settled into this routine.

We hope this is a help for you. If you have any questions about AR don’t hesitate to call your teacher.