Re: AR: Reading Levels

["Anderson, Julie LHS-STAFF" <AndersonJ@ISSAQUAH.WEDNET.EDU>]

Remember that the ATOS levels are reading levels ONLY.  They aren't interest
level nor do they signify age appropriateness.  I used the ATOS levels for
several months last year with the beta version of AR 5.12.  My teachers and
I found them to be correct.  It is much more helpful at the HS level to have
the most accurate levels, rather than relying on analysis of short sections.
This allows a struggling HS reader to read books at the correct level which
are developmentally appropriate.  If I were at an elementary, I might not
have switched, but for HS it's a god-send!  Good readers will read more than
is required of them by the program and will find things like The Color
Purple.  (Of course, this puts me on my soap-box.  I don't think the program
is appropriate for students who read at or above grade level in the HS.  But
that's another topic.  Email me privately if you want to talk about that.)

Julie Anderson, Librarian
Liberty High School, a National Blue Ribbon School
Renton, WA
(425) 837-4901     andersonj@issaquah.wednet.edu


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mary Simmons [mailto:mbsimms@HOTMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2000 12:04 PM
> To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> Subject: Re: AR: Reading Levels
>
>
> Sorry gang but I must have missed a few of the discussions on
> the new AR
> reading levels.  My English teachers and I are shocked at
> some of the new
> levels assigned by ATOS.  For example, The Color Purple is now  4.0,
> Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 6.2, A Time to Kill
> by Grisholm 5.2,
> Night Kites by M. E. Kerr 4.3, etc.  We teach Night at the
> tenth grade level
> and now the ATOS is 4.8! I find that the total lack of
> consideration of
> content is irresponsible considering that in the REading Renaissance
> Workshops our teachers attended two years ago they were told
> that students
> must read in their zpd.  At my daughters school the zpd is written in
> stone--they dare not read outside their range.  My daughter's
> range is 6.2
> and up.  Now with the new ATOS level at her school, she will
> be blocked out
> of the majority of marvelous children's literature. Do I want
> her to read A
> Time to Kill?  Not quite yet.  But not all teachers are
> familiar with all
> books and I could see some disasters in the making. The kids
> at the middle
> school will be blocked from reading almost their entire
> collection.  At my
> school we just chuckled at some of these ridiculous levels
> (The Crucible
> 4.9).  I am going to meet with the English teachers and
> decide whether we
> want to switch back to the old program.  Does anyone else
> share this concern
> about the new levels?
>
> Mary B. Simmons
> Media Specialist
> Currituck County High School
> mbsimms@hotmail.com
>
>
> >From: "Anderson, Julie LHS-STAFF" <AndersonJ@ISSAQUAH.WEDNET.EDU>
> >Reply-To: "Anderson, Julie LHS-STAFF" <AndersonJ@ISSAQUAH.WEDNET.EDU>
> >To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> >Subject: Re: AR: Reading Levels
> >Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 13:52:44 -0700
> >
> >This is why I'm hoping the new ATOS readability scoring will
> be more on
> >target.  For those of you who haven't heard of the ATOS,
> Advantage Learning
> >has developed a way to determine reading level by using the
> entire text of
> >a
> >book in order.  I switched over to the ATOS levels last
> spring when I was
> >beta testing version 5.12.  It seems to be more accurate.  I
> believe ATOS
> >is
> >only available with that version, so you'll have to buy it.
> >
> >Julie Anderson, Librarian
> >Liberty High School, a National Blue Ribbon School
> >Renton, WA
> >(425) 837-4901     andersonj@issaquah.wednet.edu
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Lotta Books [mailto:okbookwoman@IVILLAGE.COM]
> > > Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2000 1:48 PM
> > > To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: AR: Reading Levels
> > >
> > >
> > > We must all be on the same wavelength at this time of the
> > > school year! At the request of my very understanding
> > > Principal, I did a presentation for my faculty just yesterday
> > > on AR and related issues.
> > >
> > > One of the most pressing issues was that of Reading levels of
> > > AR books. I showed the teachers two passages that I had taken
> > > from the very same book. I used a little program that I have
> > > that does readabilities. The first passage came out at 2.6 on
> > > the Flesch-Kincaid Readability formula. The second passage
> > > came out at 9.4.
> > > I asked the teachers, "Now what reading level is this book?"
> > > I hope I made the point. We base too many restrictions and
> > > decisions on the readability of books. It's just not a stable
> > > criteria!

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