Accelerated Reader -- an idea if your school uses it

I don’t know alot about Accelerated Reader but I have seen the program. I installed it on one of our school’s computers last spring. It has different books for different grade levels and as you read these books you answer questions on the computer. The program keeps up with each students books that they read and their test scores. I don’t know much more than that but if you need more information I can probably get it for you.

AR is very limited. We use it at our school and it has become a forced program that the teachers must use, regardless of which books their students want to read. Let the kids read what they are interested in, not just what is on the AR list. Publishers buy their way onto this list!

My kids’ elementary school used this, as far as finding interesting books, my oldest one likes to read about real stuff and there were books that fit (he actually hates to read he’s had so much trouble with learning how) on the ar list, my other son loves to read and is willing to try fiction and non fiction. The only problem I saw with it is that some kids figured out how to access other kids scores and teased the ones who weren’t reading all that much(or didn’t do well on the tests). Maybe something that could be changed on the computer program?

I hate,I hate,I hate the accelerated reader program! What a nightmare this was when my kid was in 3rd grade! There was not ONE book on the list that my son had any interest in reading. He would go to the library and get a karate manual out and read this. They sent home a computer generated paper with his scores on it. Pitiful because he wouldn’t use the list. Of course he was never part of the pizza party of big readers I finally convinced the teacher to make comprehension tests for the books he was reading and give him credit for those.