Accelerated Reader is only ONE tool to improve reading skills. Students are encouraged to read not only books on the AR list but also all kinds of other books.

What Is Accelerated Reader?

Accelerated Reader, also known as AR, is a Web-based program designed to assess reading comprehension and to reward students for reading success. After selecting and reading an Accelerated Reader book, students take an AR quiz on a school computer. Each quiz is worth a number of points, depending on the level of the book. Points are accumulated by answering more than 60% of the questions correctly. Accelerated Reader points are used by the English Language Arts teacher to comprise a percentage of the student’s course mark.

According to data from Renaissance Learning—the creators of Accelerated Reader—the benefit from using the AR program is improved reading skills. Each AR book has a predetermined reading level based on vocabulary, sentence structure, and word count. The book level, however, does not reflect the complexity of the ideas in the book.

The Accelerated Reader program works in conjunction with the Grade 7 and Grade 8 English Language Arts program. Students at AESS will be earning points that will be credited toward their term marks. Students are advised to take the appropriate reading practice test within two days of completing the book.

1. All students in Grade 7 & 8 will be tested in September to provide the teacher with an individualized reading level—ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development). The teacher will explain that reading zone to the student and assign a range of book levels within which the student should read. By providing each student with an individual reading level, the teacher can ensure that the material each student is reading is appropriately challenging without being too difficult or too easy. Students will be retested near the end of the school year to determine how much improvement they have made.
    

2. There are over 1500 identified AR books (only novels at this time) in the AESS Library. Each book is coded with a coloured dot on the spine of the book. The student will find the exact reading level and point value of the book inside the front cover.
    

3. Students are not restricted to reading books only from the school library. The Fraser Valley Regional Library is a source of many other titles. By going online to the AR BookFinder web site at http://www.arbookfind.com a student can find out the reading level and point value of any selected book from a database of 200.000+ books. Students can access a test for an Accelerated Reader book even if the book is not from the school library.