Thanks to all those who reposnded - this is the 2nd
posting of information.
Here are the questions I asked:
Please let me know if you are using either of these
programs strictly to reward students for reading or
are there grading scales in place to give students
grades?
Do you have any policies that will not allow a child
to fail just because he/she does not get enough points
or pass enough books for a grading period.
If you use a grading scale or point scale, please send
it to me. Please be sure to let me know the grade
level.
Do you only allow students to read books just on their
lexile level or reading level?
Thanks
Paula
Our school uses Reading Counts and for the most part,
it is strictly voluntary. The students are rewarded
with trophies when they reach a certain number of
points or books. First grade uses number of books, but
2-5 use number of points in order to encourage
students to read longer, more difficult books. In 3-5,
students are restricted to books above a certain grade
reading level. I don't think any of the teachers
bother with lexiles.
A couple of the teachers require a Reading Counts
book each week in 1st and 2nd grades, but it is
primarily voluntary and our parents are big supporters
of the program. By far the most active participants
are 1st and 2nd graders.
We've just started Reading Counts and are using it as
incentive only.
The kids are VERY excited!
I have always advocated that AR is to be used as a
tool to assist teachers in getting students to read.
It should never be used as part of the grading
process. It can be used as an indicator in
parent/teacher conferences. Also, students should be
encouraged to read books on their level because it
will bring about success and if properly monitored
that level will increase but if they want to go off
level then let them. If you maintain the database
students can only take a test once, and will
eventually run out of books that are too easy for them
We use Reading Counts soley as a reading incentive
program--no grades,
no
restrictions on what the students read.
We use it as reward and some teachers give grades.
The ones who use 20 questions count 5 pts for each
question. If the
person lets the students test twice, she averages the
two scores.
Another just makes 92 ("B") the highest grade they can
receive.
A few who use just 10 questions give 3 chances to
pass. If you pass
the first time you get an "A"
10 = 100
9 = 98
8 = 96
7 = 94
Second try gets a "B" Third try gets a "C". If they
don't pass on
the 3rd try they get the highest failing score they
earned. 60, 50,
etc.
I have one teacher who uses 15 questions. I don't
know her scale.
we use the Reading Counts program at FDHS. The
individual
teachers
decide how they are going to use the program (Lexile
score, Reading
Level,
Points), How they are going to count it, and what the
consequences are?
The
testing is done in the computer lab. The media center
buys the books
and
quizzes and helps students select books.
I don't know about Reading Counts but in the Reading
Renaissance
training for
AR, they STRONGLY recommend that grades are NOT
assigned to AR
performance.
That just adds one more thing for kids to dread and
that is the last
thing you
want! The purpose of AR is to increase reading
comprehension. If
their
reading comprehension improves, that will help in the
work that is
graded. I
have seen schools disregard the recommendation and
grade AR work anyway
- the
students there (middle school students that attended
our elementary
school)
now tell me they no longer enjoy reading. Good luck!
Our district policy statement on the use of AR states
that no negative
grades will be given in conjunction with the use of
AR. We do allow
for AR to be used in conjunction with grades if they
are a positive
such as extra credit. The thinking behind this is
that AR (or Reading
Counts as I understand) are not reading programs in
and of
themselves, but merely tools that are used in
conjunction with literacy
models adopted by our district.
We use AR as a motivation tool. We have a Reading
Wall of Fame and
students' names are posted as they accumulate points.
Students names
are announced on our weekly TV show as they move from
one level to the
next. Students with about a 100 word vocabulary are
allowed to begin
the AR program, which means we have many 1st graders
participating
currently. Kindergartener teachers sometimes take a
test as a class
using the teacher's name. Individual kindergarteners
do not take
tests. We are a CD -5th grade school. Although a
teacher may
occasionally use an AR test as a grade there is no
over all grading
based on AR. Different teachers use AR differently.
Most teachers set
a certain reading goal, weekly or monthly. They often
reward students
who meet the goal and their are consequences for
students who do not
meet the goal. We encourage teachers to provide
alternatives for
students who read books for which we do not have AR
tests. In reality,
most students would rather read a book that has an AR
test than do a
book report. Some teachers require projects in
addition to AR tests,
old-fashioned things like mobiles, dioramas, tri-fold
displays, etc.
Several of our teachers purchase tests for books in
their classroom
libraries that are not in the school media center. I
coordinate orders
and at $2.58 a piece tests are affordable for
teachers. We also write
many AR tests ourselves so that we are not limited to
tests provided by
Renaissance Learning. In fact, currently we have
filled the slots
built
in to the program for tests made in-house and we are
petitioning
Rennaisance Learning for an expansion. They are not
being cooperative
so far but we believe they will come around. We use
the STAR test and
students have a reading range. They are encourage to
take tests in
their reading range. We have some generic, broad
blocks in place, but
we routinely use the password to override these blocks
based on teacher
or media specialist judgement. For example, many of
our teachers
require students to read many non-fiction books the
third nine weeks.
They believe that many PACT reading questions are on
non-fiction
passages and that reading non-fiction boosts students'
comprehension.
AR states that non-ficiton books reading levels are
probably about one
grade level above the stated book level, so we bypass
the blocks
frequently during the third nine weeks. Our teachers
actively monitor
their students progress in AR and intervene when
students are not
experiencing success. We work towards the goal
Renaissance Learning
sets of less than 10% of a class listed as At-Risk. I
believe that
each
teacher having access to her classes' data is
essential if AR is used
to
be used as an effective tool. This means teachers
need an AR Teacher
icon on their desktops and should not have to rely
solely on reports
printed out in the media center. Since we use AR as a
tool, we
encourge
students to bring the book with them to take the test.
Just as we want
students to reread a passage on the PACT test to
locate the answer, we
encourage students to reread a passage when taking an
AR test. Time
does not permit them to look up every answer on a
routine basis and if
we suspect that a student has not read the book first
we intervene. We
do not have mega prizes or parties based on AR points.
Although not
exactly intrinsic we hope that pride in a job well
done is the main
reward our students receive from participating in our
AR program.
strictly a motivational program. Students can read at
or above their
reading level. Below their level with special
permission from the
teacher
or librarian.
Our 7th and 8th grade language arts teachers require
the students to
use
Reading Counts to determine one of their grades
(averaged into their
class
grade). The need to have earned 20 points per quarter
to earn an A and
the
teachers have a scale as to how many points for a B,
etc. (sorry I
can't
get that info. for you--I'm in a different building)
They also average
in
the % correct score so if kids are not passing
quizzes, it will hurt
their
grade.
At the high school level, we use AR points for a
grade. Right now, the points are equal to a daily
assignment in the grade book. For example, if a
student completes 80% of their goal, then they will
receive 80% or a "B" for that daily assignment. Yes,
the students have figured it out that they can still
pass the class if they don't participate in AR
so....next year, we are looking at making AR points
worth a test grade. By making it a test grade, it
will be weighted 20% of the total grade. One teacher
is trying this system out this semester and it seems
to be working better. If you have any other ideas,
please let me know. This is our second year
implementing AR (grades 9-11) at the high school
level.
Our focus has changed, but we used to grade on points
for AR. Each
child
had a set number of points to get based on their
reading level with a
maximum number for those who read above grade level (2
or more years
above
grade level). Students who wanted to read above their
grade level had
to
have a log to turn in and we recommended that they
read it with someone
(parent, older brother or sister). If they wanted to
go below their
target range, they had to read it to someone younger.
Both took a
parent
signature. Only one mom complained - her son was
notorious for wasting
time in class and didn't want to read books. She
thought we were being
totally uinreasonable to require him to read books at
home! (He read
magazines and comics for 1/2 hour every evening)
Most teachers use them as supplemental reading. One
5th grader teacher
used them as "extra credit" points. A third grade
teacher used them as
a
part of her reading assessment, using their progress
as an assessment
tool.
We are in a high school.
1. There is a drawing once a six weeks for a gift
certificate to
Barnes and Noble. Students read for class
assignments, but it is strictly -
pass the quiz, get a 100 for reading the book. Then
many of them do
extension work with the books.
2. Never came up.
3. I have repointed many books - allowing the # of
grade level reading
X the number of pages/100. (e.g.. 9th grade reading
level book that
is about 200 pages is 9 X 200/100 = 18. Make sense?
Of course, I take
into account the Lexile level, the amount of print on
a page, etc.
When I used the program in an elementary school, I
used the same
formula but divided by 32 (the size of most picture
books).
4. Never, never, never restrict what they can read,
within their
teacher's assignment.
We use reading counts in our school as a voluntary
program to
encourage reading for fun. Students select the books
on their own, and
they
can read any books they choose. Books are labeled,
but are mixed with
regular books on the shelves. We have incentive
prizes for different
point
categories. Prizes are displayed on the prize wall.
They get their
first
prize, which is a pencil or topper, at 6 points, and
another at 12.
Then
they earn an additional prize for every 25 points. We
don't bother
with
taking points away, just let them accumulate and the
kids collect
prizes as
different point categories. Again, the program is
strictly voluntary,
although our teachers support it by making time for
the kids to take
tests
during the day. About 50% of our students participate
voluntarily to
the
point of earning at least one prize, and we have
students as early as
first
grade who have had some success with it. Hope this
helps,
All of our teachers in grades 4-12 give our AR tests a
grade. In the
lower grades they must earn so many points. This is
part of their
reading grade. In our upper grades their percentage
the receive on their
monthly required tests are a portion of their reading
grade.
=====
Paula Yohe
Director Of Technology/Library Media Center
Dillon School District Two
405 West Washington Street
Dillon, SC 29536
Phone: 843-841-3604 Fax:843-774-1214
paula_yohe@yahoo.com
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