I am very proud to say Washington-Lee Elementary School is an Accelerated Reading school.  Since we have been involved with Accelerated Reader, we have seen the reading level in each child who participated grow.  We also give the dramatic change in our SOL scores to the participation in the  Accelerated Reader Program.  Reading should be fun and challenging.

In the 2007-2008 school year we had 136 students earn their 100% goal.  This group makes up 72% of all first graders through 5^th graders.  The goals are attainable if the students read at home, before school, or give up some TV time to read.  As you can see most of our students will do this.

Rewards are given to students who read.  As students reach their goals of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, they are rewarded with gifts.  The 100% reward this year was a movie, a coke, and popcorn.  The PTA paid for this and we appreciate this very much.   

How does Accelerator Reader (AR) work?  Each child is given a reading test.  This test gives us the reading level of that child.  These reading levels are represented by color dots on each book.  These dots lets the child and the teacher know which books the child can read independently.  We let each child go up and down one level.  When a child reads a book he or she take a quiz, if they pass the quiz they earn points.  We also use the reading test to set a goal for that child.  These goals are determined by the reading test scores and are set by the AR program.  At Washington-Lee we run two contests. One contest in the first semester and one contest in the second semester are our parameters.  Each contest last twelve weeks.  During that time we ask students to meet their goals.  After each contest we retake the reading test to see if there is growth.  If a student has read to meet his or her goal we see considerable growth. We have seen as much as two years of growth in some students.  Remember each child will grow at a different rate. 

Why all the concerns about students reading at different levels?  Each student is exposed to different vocabulary during their lives and develops words they use in speech and writing.  By expanding the vocabulary level of each student grows in all academic areas.

This is the goal-setting chart we use and I will try to explain it to you.

ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development)

The Zone of Proximal Development defines the reading level range from which a student should be selecting books for optimal growth in reading without frustration. 

Now for an example a student is at 2.8 ZPD.  What does this mean and what is the goal for this child?  I will be using the chart below and if you review it, the explanation should make sense.  I have made this column bold print so you can follow it. 

The student has been tested and their level is established as ZPD 2.8.  That means that this student should be able to read any book in this level with little or no help.  Now the teacher and the librarian will recommend books from the 2.3 to the 3.3 for this child.  Each week they should earn 2.3 points to stay on their goal.  At the end of 6 weeks they should have earned 14 points. At the end of a 12 week period they should of earned 28 points.  If they have been reading books at levels between 2.3-3.3 they will have growth in their reading scores.  Each book is scored different points the harder the words and the amount of words determine the points for that book.  If the student reads more books at the 3.3 levels than the 2.3 levels their reading level will go up dramatically.  If they are reading more books at the 2.3 levels then their reading level will not go up dramatically. 

This year we are happy to announce that our school system has purchased the rights to ALL available Accelerated Reader quizzes.  Any book that has an Accelerated Reader quiz available may be read and your child will be able to take the quiz.  This provides a greater variety of books that your child can read.

Each child when given the Star Reading test has a report that the teachers can and will share with you.  I will again try to explain this to you.  Some new vocabulary for you that will help you understand the report are listed below. 

GE (Grade Equivalent)  Grade Equivalent scores range from 0.0 to 12.9+.  They represent how a student’s test performance compares with that of other students nationally. 

IRL (Instructional Reading Level)  The Instructional Reading level is the grade level at which a student is at least 80% proficient at recognizing words and comprehending reading material with assistance.  IRL scores are Pre-Primer (PP), Primer (P), 1 through 12, Post-High School (PHS).

NCE (Normal Curve Equivalent)  NCE scores are similar to Percentile Ranks, but they are based on an equal interval scale.  The range is 1-99.  This give you and example how well you child id doing nationally. 

PR (Percentile Rank) The Percentage Rank score compares a student’s test performance with that of other students nationally in the same grade.  It ranges 1-99. 

Now for an example:

The student’s Grade Equivalent (GE) score is 3.3.  His or her reading skills are therefore comparable to those of an average third grader after the third month. This student also achieved a national Percentile Rank (PR) of 64. This score is in the average range and means that this student scored equal to or higher than 64% of students nationally.  The PR Range indicates that, if this student had taken the STAR Reading test numerous times, most of his or her scores would likely fallen between 48 and 77.

Each student will then be given his or her strengths and weaknesses.  As a parent we hope you will follow the recommendations for you child.  This will ensure that their growth will continue to grow.