Accelerated Reader (AR)
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Accelerated Reader (AR)
One of the most important gifts that we can give our students is a strong foundation in reading and in reading comprehension skills. At St. Mary’s, one of the many ways that we build this foundation is through the Accelerated Reader (AR) program.
Each AR book is designated with a book level (BL) and is worth a specific number of points based on length, difficulty, and content. In grades 2-6, each student has a quarterly goal – the number of AR points that student is expected to earn throughout that quarter. Students are also given a range of book levels – a level where a student can read without frustration and challenge themselves to continue to improve their reading skills.
Students read books in their appropriate ranges and take computerized multiple choice comprehension questions on the books’ content. Points are given based on the number of questions a student answers correctly.
A few important notes:
*Each student is expected to be reading on a nightly basis – consistency is the key to developing strong readers!
*Many students each several “goals” per quarter, going above and beyond what is expected of them!
*At the conclusion of the year, the students in grades 4-6 have the opportunity to use all of their year’s points to bid on various items at a live auction!
*Many, many books have AR tests – if you have a book at home or from another library, you can check www.arbookfind.com to see if the book has a test, how many points it is worth, and the book level
*All parents in grades 2-6 received a letter that allows you to sign up to receive email notifications when your child takes an AR test (including the child’s score)
*If you would ever like to take an AR test with your child to better understand the program, please contact Miss Blick at jblick@sesmschool.com
