AR Color Codes

                                                     0.0 - 1.5  Bright Green                            

                                                     1.6 - 2.0  Dark Blue                              

                                                     2.1 - 2.5   Pink                                              

                                                     2.6 - 3.0  Dark Green                                

                                                     3.1 - 3.5   Red                                                

                                                     3.6 - 4.0  White  

                                                     4.1 - 4.5   Orange

                                                     4.6 - 5.0   Light Blue

                                                     5.1 - 6.0   Yellow   

                                                     6.1 - 6.9   Purple         

                                                      7.0 +         Black

• Accelerated Reader is a computer-based program that schools may use to monitor reading practice and progress.

• It helps teachers guide kids to books that are on kids’ individual reading levels.

• Kids take short quizzes after reading a book to check if they’ve understood it.

• You may check to see if the book you are reading has a quiz created in the program: https://arbookfind.com

There’s a process behind how each child uses the program in school. Here are the five steps typically involved:

• Teachers determine each student’s reading level. The program provides a multiple-choice assessment that takes kids about 15 minutes on a computer.

• Teachers can also use results from other assessments or their own judgment.

• Reading level is based on typical grade-level skills. A score of 2.5 means the student’s skills are typical for a child in the fifth month of second grade. So a fourth-grader with that reading level is two years behind her peers in terms of her skills.

• Each student is assigned to a specific range of books on the program’s BookFinder list. Books in that range will be challenging for the student but not too hard to read. This concept is called a zone of proximal development (ZPD). In AR, it’s used to guide book selection.

• Students choose a book that’s in their ZPD. A teacher or librarian may help with selecting books. AR recommends that kids spend about 30 minutes in school each day reading their books independently.

• After finishing a book, the student takes a short, multiple-choice online quiz. (These quizzes may be available in Spanish or read-aloud versions.) It checks if the student has read the book and understands it. Kids usually take their quizzes in the classroom or library during the designated reading time.

• Students usually stay at the same ZPD and reading level for a set time. That’s usually a marking period. At the end of that time, students take a 20-minute reading assessment. It’s used to adjust the books that each student can select. A teacher may raise or lower a child’s ZPD for the next time period.

How Accelerated Reader Monitors Progress

In addition to quizzes, AR also uses a “point goals” system. Every book on the BookFinder list has a point value. Teachers set specific goals for each student. They include goals for reading comprehension, difficulty of material and a target number of points. The goals are based on the child’s ZPD and reading level.

Kids are expected to reach their individual goals within the marking period or other set time. When teachers adjust a child’s ZPD, they create a new set of goals. These are used to motivate students during the next time period.

Kids earn points for every book they read. The number of points is based on a book’s length and difficulty. For example, a 3-point book may be a short, somewhat easier choice. A 10-point book would be longer and more challenging.

Students can also earn points when they take the quiz for each book. Passing a quiz requires a score of at least 80. However, if they score higher than 60 percent on the quiz, they receive a fraction of the total points they could earn from it.

If a student doesn’t pass several quizzes, the teacher may adjust goals or explore why the student is having trouble. A teacher can change the books a child may select at any step in the process.

Parents can also check their child’s progress on AR’s online parent portal. They can see what she’s reading and how she’s doing on quizzes.

You can preview a few sample quizzes on the Accelerated Reader website. Otherwise, quizzes are usually only available to teachers and school districts using the program. If you want to know more about what’s on AR tests or how they’re used to map your child’s progress, consider setting up a parent-teacher conference to get more information.