LM_NET: Library Media Networking
A Reading Counts sales rep called me this morning to follow up on some
network/platform issues we've been working through. She said they are
currently testing a Web based version with expanded testing options, home
access, etc, expected to be available this spring. Sounded like something
worth getting more information about. It's apparently not yet ready to
preview. It will be offered as an annual subscription per classroom or by
site license with pricing relative to student numbers.
Dave Boroughs
Media Specialist
Covington Middle School
Vancouver WA
360-604-1001 X5831
dborough@egreen.wednet.edu
http//:www.cov.egreen.wednet.edu/media
******************************************************************
"Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar."
[Traveler, there is no road, we make the road by walking.]
-- Antonio Machado (Spanish poet, 1875 - 1935)
******************************************************************
"Thompson, Renee"
<RThompson@BROWNEAC To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
ADEMY.ORG> cc:
Sent by: School Subject: HIT: Scholastic Reading
Counts
Library Media &
Network
Communications
<LM_NET@LISTSERV.SY
R.EDU>
01/28/02 05:49 AM
Please respond to
"Thompson, Renee"
Until last week, I had never heard of Reading Counts. From the responses
I have received I am sold on this program. Thank you for all your
wonderful advice!
J. Renee Thompson
Library Media Specialist
rthompson@browneacademy.org=20
Browne Academy
5917 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22310
Phone: 703-960-3000
Fax: 703-960-7325
Renee, we have Reading Counts and chose it over AR for several reasons:
RC has a pool of 30 questions that it picks from to make a quiz.
You can choose how many questions make up a quiz (for each class, grade
level, etc.) and how many correct to pass. Questions are randomized each
time. You can choose how many times a student can take a quiz (we let
them
try 3 times, for example) and how long the student must wait between
re-takes. These parameters encourage reading or re-reading for success,
and make cheating impossible. Tech support has been rarely necessary and
been very responsive and helpful when needed.
If you have other questions, feel free to contact me. DJR
*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
=
=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
*
Donna J. Reidhead Timnath Elementary School
(K-6)
Media and Technology Teacher P.O. Drawer 10 3909 Main
Street
reidhead@psd.k12.co.us Timnath, Colorado
80547
School: (970) 493-5978 Fax: (970)
493-1264
*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
=
=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D*=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
*
I have SRC in one school and AR in the other. Because of this, I can
say
that I do have a preference since I have seen both. I would choose AR
for
both schools if I could.
The cost difference when you look at apples to apples--is almost the
same (I
think I remember that SRC comes out about just SLIGHTLY ahead).
The amount of selection: Hands down, AR. The frequency of adding new
titles, AR. The ability to run the program, AR. The only thing that
SRC
has for it is that you can order disks as you use their books order each
month and get free books.
I like the fact that I program (Bookmark?--doing this at home and forgot
the
title of ARs program) to keep track of the books that I have on the
shelf
and that also have a test available. With SRC, I have to do it all
manually. There is not a program being creative in the near future, per
the
purchase service dept. (BIG time cost in time--which I lack in teaching
2
schools.)
AR has help personnel that have always done their best to answer
questions
from a non-technical type person. SRC has not. They keep referring me
to
ask my tech dept for help. (If I had access to my tech dept for
answering
this type of question, don't they think I would have gone there
first?????)
Sorry to be so down on SRC.
JaKay Greer, Teacher-Librarian
Powell Valley Elementary K-5
Kelly Creek Elementary K-5
Gresham, OR
irismedia@prodigy.net
I would love to have you visit my library but I am a little out of the
area!
Chuckle, chuckle!!
Reading Counts is vastly superior to AR. I have used it in two different
schools. Reading Counts gives each book 30 questions, then selects
randomly
as students access the test. This cuts down on "sharing" answers to a
very
large degree. The answers are also random order for each question. Some
smaller childrens' books may only have 20 questions but that's still a
lot
of choice.
At our middle school, the quizzes are twenty percent of the language
arts
grades, so most students are very serious about doing the necessary
reading.
We also have the option that if a book is not a point book, they can
write a
brief review of the book. I would never attempt to have only quiz point
books in the library. That limits what students read too much.
Hope this helps.
Sharon Hutchinson, Library Media Specialist
Westran Middle School
Clifton Hill, MO 65244
School: shutchinson@westran.k12.mo.us
Home: shutchinson@cvalley.net
Yes, you can create your own quizzes, it's a pretty simple process.=20
You just have to write more questions than you would with AR. I forgot
to mention that RC has a bank of 30 questions and each quiz is 10
questions long. This feature is what allows a student to take a quiz
again because he/she will get some different questions the second time
around. There's also a one day minimum time before taking the test a
again. The bank of questions helps prevent cheating since two students
taking a test side-by-side will have different questions in a different
order.
You can easily create a list of tests you want to order through the
program itself. You will see a list of all the tests available and a
little CD symbol will be next to those titles you already own so you
won't duplicate tests. We like to order tests and books separately
because the money comes from two different accounts. We just create a
list of titles and send it in. If you order a custom CD it's more
expensive than ordering a pre-selected set of tests. This is pretty
much the same thing as AR and the test prices are comparable.
I like to be able to order my books from anywhere, especially BTSB or
someplace like that since we have a large circulation. I try not to
get paperbacks and some of the book/test sets can be ordered that way.=20
I haven't really looked into ordering sets for the reasons I mentioned.
=20
It was kind of a big step for us to switch but when Scholastic was
offering the free upgrade, I figured we couldn't lose. They provided
the software for free, matched any AR tests they could, and gave us a
voucher for any they couldn't match so we could order more. We also
received a certificate to use in the supplementary materials catalog so
we made money on the switch! So far everyone has loved it and is glad
we made the switch. =20
The only negative I've seen is that if a student accidentally takes a
test under another student's name (because that student didn't log out
all the way), you cannot remove the test from the record. Likewise if
a kid selects the wrong title from the menu, they are stuck with it.=20
At least if they picked the wrong book they could eventually read it
and take the test again. I hated trying to remove AR mistakes anyway
but occasionally there is a need to do this sort of thing!
I hope this isn't more information than you wanted but I know it's
sometimes hard to find out about different programs. I had asked
before we switched but not many people had tried both AR and RC so I
didn't have a lot of testimonial evidence to present to the staff.
Deb
I haven't used RC, only AR. The real strength of AR is in the vast
number of quizzes. I would compare the number to RC.
Janet Hogue
Highland Local Schools
Medina OH 44256
jhogue@highlandschools.org
The leveled books in RC go all the way through High
School. One of our middle schools uses it and likes
it. You can order book and quiz collections directly
from Scholastic with library bindings. I order all of
mine however from Econoclad/Sagebrush. The are a
great place to order from. Good bindings. Cheaper
than Follett too.
Sue
Yes you can create your own quizzes. The beauty of RC
as opposed to AR is that each quiz has a bank of 30
questions. 5 kids can sit next to each other and take
the quiz on the same book and they won't have the same
questions, hence no cheating!!
So when you create a quiz, you need to come up with 20
or 30 questions, the correct answer and of course 3
wrong answers. Thats the hardest part.
Sue
Honestly in my school I think the Reading Counts at the primary level
works very well, but the AR is a pain in the neck. I'm always trying to
match students with books on their reading level or they have one title
they can read (or want) and they can't find it. The AR tests don't
download well from the our server because of slow network connections.
And I think Scholastic really takes advantage of schools who participate
in these expensive programs.
Hi Renee,
We switched from AR to Reading Counts this year and love it! We had
the DOS version of AR so it wasn't very attractive. What I like best
about RC is that a student can retake a test if they don't pass it the
first time. You can customize so much of the program as well. The
default pass rate was 70% and we've raised it to 80% with thoughts of
going to 90% at a later date. =20
I also like it that students can rate the book (like, dislike, etc.)=20
If you have any other questions about the program, feel free to email
me!
Regards,
Deb
Renee, we have RC in our district and like it very much. There has been
quite a bit of discussion concerning it so you might check the archives.
(I
usually forget to do that!) RC quizzes have pools of 30 questions so
students can retake tests with different questions every time. I'm not
completely familiar with AR so can't compare too much. Good luck.
Marilyn
What about two friends that read the same book, the first student passes
the test and then feeds the questions and answers to his/her friend.
Oh, what a minute that would never happen with teenagers.
I used it with students in grades 6-12. I allowed the students to
attempt it three times with a required passing grade of 80% (you can
decide how many times the students can take it, what percentage to pass,
and how many questions on each test; three options that AR doesn't
allow). In this way it allowed the student to go back and re-examine
the book. It also meant that the student had to have read the book, not
just three quarters of the book. Yes I had older students (11th) who
would just guess at the book, but it was very rare that they would pass
the test without reading it. Also if they watched the movie they
couldn't pass the test. Best example was "I know what you did last
summer"
Furthermore, I recently had a teacher from the high school come down and
copy the questions for the book "Shane" they had never read the book (it
was a special ed teacher). They were required to answer the questions
as they went along. She got a 60% right the way its set up she got 4.2
pts possible out of 7 pts. If that was a student she would have 4.2 pts
possible on the way to her required pts and she never read the book.
I'm not saying that Reading Counts doesn't have its faults, but compared
to AR!!!
In my elementary building they use both Reading Counts and AR. They are
using Reading Counts in the primary grades and AR in grades 5 and 6. Be
prepared because both programs are very expensive and both programs take
an enormous amount of shelf space.=20
I have used the program in an elementary school with great success. A
few bumps, but that was over 4 years ago. I am now in a high school and
received a grant for the program at the end of last year. We are just
getting it going now. (Have to get everything in place and teachers
trained and on board.) Those who are using it are enthused. =20
I personally like the program much better than AR. It was originally
designed by a librarian and her computer geek husband before being
bought by Scholastic. Each quiz has 30 questions. Each teacher can
decide how many of those questions her students get and how many they
must answer correctly to pass the quiz. So students can go to a lab,
all take the quiz on the same book and not be able to cheat. They get a
randomized number of questions and the multiple choices are randomized
as well. The quizzes are written so that you can't pass by seeing the
movie. (When Harry Potter came out, they sent us a new quiz because
they could pass the old quiz by seeing the movie.) Visit Scholastic's
site and check it out.
Lisa McCulloch, Librarian
Richland High School
North Richland Hills, TX
Lisa_McCulloch@birdville.k12.tx.us
Renee,
I have used Reading Counts for years before coming to my new
school. My
new school is an AR school. Although there are certain aspects that I
like
about AR. Reading Counts in my opinion is by far a better program. The
best aspect that I like about Reading Counts is the fact that each test
pulls from a pool of 30 questions. Which means that no two students get
the
same exact questions. You can have two students sitting side by side
taking
the same test and they will not get the same exact questions.
Absolutely!!
It was created several years ago by Scholastic. Do
you have Scholastic book fairs? They took the AR
program and revised and improved it. It is a great
program. Go the www.Scholastic.com and see the info
on it. It also works with a reading diagnostic test
called SRI (Scholastic Reading Inventory) The kids
take a comprehension test on the computer and receive
a "Lexile" level. This is a leveling system used to
find the comfort level of childrens reading. You can
find it explained on the net. Just go to a search
engine and put in Lexile. They have a web site.
I have it at one of my schools and just purchased it
for my other one. It is usually priced at $1399.00
for the Reading Counts. This is for the networked
version and can be put on an unlimited number of
computers and for an unlimited number of kids. AR
only gives you license for 200 kids then you have to
buy upgrades.
We priced out both programs with training. Ar topped
out at around $8700.00, while RC was around $4500.=20
Too much of a price difference to ignore. I really
had to convince my new principal though. She had AR
at her former school. RC is also on sale right now. =20
RC is just a better program---better organized, better
looking, better priced. Of course if price is no
object...........maybe I'll come to your school! LOL
Money is always an object at my schools.
I live in St Louis County, Missouri. The St. Louis
City schools (about 50 schools) just purchased RC for
all of their schools. Our district is about 12,000
kids--11 elementary. So far 3 elementaries and 1
Middle school have RC. I got my money from a grant
from the Dollar General store. They fund a lot of
literacy programs. Their next deadline is March 5th.=20
They even have an online submission form. If you are
interested go to www.dollargeneral.com. From there I
think you click on community innitiatives and follow
from there.
Sorry this is so long. I really feel strongly about
this program. It has really created a stir in my
schools.
Good luck
Sue
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=
All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law.
To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST, etc.) send email to:
listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER:
1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv.
For LM_NET Help see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
Archives: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.shtml
See also EL-Announce for announcements from library media vendors:
http://www.mindspring.com/~el-announce/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=
All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law.
To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST, etc.) send email to:
listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER:
1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv.
For LM_NET Help see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
Archives: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.shtml
See also EL-Announce for announcements from library media vendors:
http://www.mindspring.com/~el-announce/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=
LM_NET
Mailing List Home