JJ Stratton wrote:
"She is absolutely right that the endless testing we do now to gather data has
killed the love of learning,"
We started school last week. We did orientation THIS week for all 9th graders
(through English classes), so now we find out we (the library, because we have one
of the four labs which will be used for testing) will be closed all next week for
more mandatory state testing. <pulling my hair out>
By the way ... they are doing the testing through ... you guessed it ... the
English classes. They are testing so much the teachers have no time to teach!
lm
Lynette Mitchell
Un intentional <g> Technology & Library Media Specialist
Crystal River High School
Crystal River, Florida 34428
mitchelll@citrus.k12.fl.us
________________________________
From: School Library Media & Network Communications on behalf of JJ Stratton
Sent: Sat 8/29/2009 12:58 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: SHARE: NY Time article
I love the way the author describes that love of reading that I would
imagine most of us as librarians have. As a girl, I had many of the same
experiences that the author had in discovering stories and characters that
resonate with me today - 34 years after graduating from high school. She is
absolutely right that the endless testing we do now to gather data has
killed the love of learning, and the accumulation of points in AR kills the
love of reading.
We are one of the few high schools in our city who use AR, and I love it.
I'm fortunate that in having a supportive principal and English teachers who
are willing to be guided by my strong desire to instill my love of reading
in their students, that I can use AR as a tool and not as a bludgeon. I
recognize that English teachers must have a way of quantifying grades, so
that the points reflected on the AR books are a necessary evil. There are
ways, however, to use those points in a way that students are forced to
read, but they are not penalized for not reaching some arbitrary number.
Obviously at the high school level, there are plenty of other assignments
that go into a grade.
But, what is most important to me is the STAR testing to help us get a feel
for the level at which a child can read. The basic concept that if the book
is too easy, the child becomes bored and doesn't progress, and if the book
is too hard, the child becomes frustrated and doesn't progress, is a solid
concept. If they read a lot because they're reading within their range,
they get more practice and develop more fluency. If an individual student
has that sense of competitiveness that drives them to accumulate points,
they're still reading extensively, and maybe they'll discover that joy along
the way. Have those all important reading scores, upon which a school lives
or dies, been increased also, that they have.
That said, I absolutely won't allow those levels to dictate what our
students must choose to read, and I won't let a teacher do it either. The
student MUST enjoy the story they're reading, and I hope they feel that
connection and relevance that the NYT author describes, because they want to
experience that again. I work hard at helping them find that book. If a
student feels more comfortable with an easy read, and subsequently devours
every book I have in that range, I say "go for it". If a student becomes
really invested in a book that is at a higher reading level than their STAR
test indicates, I say "go for it". If the students have come from
elementary or middle schools who were rigid in their application of reading
levels, I have to really work at it to make them comfortable again with
choosing books freely. When I'm successful with that, they keep coming back
for more and tell all our friends.
So basically I feel that it is not AR itself that is the problem, it's in
how it's used.
--
JJ Stratton, Librarian/Media Specialist
North Canyon High School
Phoenix, Arizona
stratton.jj@gmail.com
On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 2:43 PM, LIZANELL BOMAN <lizanellb@msn.com> wrote:
> Everyone's fave topic! (Okay maybe not) Accelerated Reader!
>
> An interesting article in the New York Times about Accelerated Reader
>
> Reading by the Numbers
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/books/review/Straight-t.html
>
> Lizanell Boman
>
> lizanellb@msn.com
>
> not currently in a library
>
> Dreams, books, are each a world; and books, we know,
> Are a substantial world, both pure and good.
> Round these, with tendrils strong as flesh and blood,
> Our pastime and our happiness will grow.
> William Wordsworth
>
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