Accelerated Reader Program

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

Hello,

All of the students at my school are expected to participate in the AR program. I do think that it is beneficial for my LD students, but I’m not sure if I should have them retake test that are 60% and below or not. In the regular education classes they are not allowed to retake tests. Do you think that it would benefit my students to redo tests with a low score.

Thanks in advance for any and all input,
Caron

Submitted by Sue on Tue, 10/18/2005 - 7:03 PM

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It would depend on why they got the low score.

I would try reading the questions to them adn seeing if they did better that way, to make sure that wasn’t the issue.

How are the books they read selected? If many of them aren’t passing the tests, seems the most likely reasons are that either they don’t know the answers or they’re not able to read them. If they don’t know them, why is that?

Submitted by caron on Thu, 10/20/2005 - 5:58 PM

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Hi Sue,

The students are first given a STAR test which supposedly tests their reading level and gives an independent reading level. The students are to only read books that are in their independent reading level and test on those books. Therefore, reading level shouldn’t be the issue. Rather it should be reading comprehension.

Thanks so much for responding :lol: ,
Caron

Submitted by victoria on Fri, 10/21/2005 - 3:54 AM

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Then the question arises — Is the STAR test accurate? Does it perhaps encourage guessing which is the bugbear of weak readers?
Also, are they getting too much “help” when doing the test?

Submitted by Sue on Fri, 10/21/2005 - 2:35 PM

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The STAR test, I’m pretty sure, includes comprehension (and usually the assessments don’t really encourage one strategy or another).

If they’re not passing the tests, why not? Is the STAR wrong, or do they have the skills (as measured in STAR) but are missing another ingrediment?

I know some teachers fulfill AR requirements by reading a book to the class, maknig sure they’ve “got it” and then having them take the test. (That’s without seeing what the questions are :))

Are they expected to read the books independently - and if that’s a problem, is it a skill or a habit problem?

As far as retakes… welp, if you see their future as generally not having to learn things the first time, but generally limiting themselves to open book kinds of tests, then a retake would be totally consistent with that model and would encourage the skill of remembering the questions and going and finding the answers. Those are good skills (and they’re good study skills, too, along the way to really knowing the stuff). So p’raps allowing some retakes wouldn’t be a bad idea, but having to do at least one right the first time, or at least valuing that and giving it hooply-hoopla would be a good idea.

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