Accelerated Reader is a self-paced, individualized, highly motivational computer assisted reading program.  It combines technology and research to increase in-school accountable reading practice and gives teachers tools to improve all students’ skills, comprehension, and fluency in reading.  It is used in more than 37,500 schools or approximately 30 percent of schools in the United States and Canada.  It is the most popular reading software in K-12 schools, with quizzes covering more than 19,000 literature books for readers of all levels.  The goal of Accelerated Read is to motivate students to become lifelong learners who love to read.
 
This is how it works:
 
 A student selects his/her own book at the appropriate AR reading level and reads it at his/her own pace.   The student takes a multiple-choice computerized quiz that measures his/her comprehension of the book.  Quizzes monitor student progress and help to motivate and increase reading practice.   The student and teacher receive immediate individualized feedback from the printed T.O.P.’s report which directs ongoing practice.
    
Choosing books that are appropriate for students reading level:

Each student new to Tiffany is given a test to determine the most effective range for him/her to practice reading. This ZPD range, or Zone of Proximal Development, is a reading range of books that will challenge a student without causing frustration or loss of motivation.  It is the level of difficulty from which a student should be able to read independently for long periods of time without assistance and maintain 85% comprehension.  This reading range is often referred to as the Recreational or Independent Reading Range. It is usually six months to a year below their Instructional Reading Range.  The Instructional Reading Range is the level of reading in which the student functions for classroom instruction with the assistance of the teacher. Continued practice reading at the correct Independent Level will increase both fluency and comprehension.  As the year progresses, teachers monitor student progress, adjusting the ZPD as needed.
Students who have been at Tiffany the previous year have a Student Record Report that is included in their student portfolio at the end of the year. It lists every AR book that was read that year, the average reading level range, and the average %correct. This report is passed to next year’s teacher.  From this report, the teacher can very easily determine the appropriate reading level, which is usually a continuation of where the student left off the previous year.
To make it easy for students to find books within the ZPD range, all AR books in the Tiffany School library are color-coded with the labels displayed at the top of this page.
 
Progressing from one range to another:
 
Each student should be taking at least one AR test per week unless they are reading a particularly lengthy book. They should be striving for a score of 85% or better. When a student passes at least three tests at 100% and his overall average % correct is 92% or better, he is allowed to move to the next reading level.
 
 
AR certificates and incentives:
 
In addition to progressing from one reading range to another, goals are set for students by their teachers to encourage them to read longer and more difficult books.  These certification goals are set in the computer, which tracks of everything each child reads.  As students achieve a goal or certification level, the teacher sets a new goal. Rewards for achieving these goals are received monthly at grade level awards presentations. Students receive an AR button, a certificate, a bookmark and their name is placed on a star on the “AR Wall of Fame” near the library.
 
 
Here are the certification levels: