Frequently Asked Questions About AR

How Are My Student's Dot Color and Point Goal Decided?

Every trimester, students take the STAR test.  Their results on that test determine their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which is the range of book levels that a student can read on their own without the book being too easy or too difficult.  If a book's vocabulary, story, or events are too complex to comprehend, students get frustrated and are unable to benefit from that book. Books that are too easy don't help our learners grow.  At the start of the year, the school's Librarian uses the student's ZPD to determine the correlating dot color.  In the second and third trimesters, dot colors are assigned based on the STAR test as well as student progress within the previous trimester.  Once a dot color is assigned, Renaissance (the company that provides AR and the STAR test) has an algorithm to determine each student's point goal.  The algorithm factors in ZPD scores and the amount of time I require them to read for their nightly homework.  This is why the reading for homework every night must be done with AR books.  Reading beyond the required time is encouraged!

How Can I See When My Child Takes an AR Test or How They Did on an AR Test?

How Can I Help My Student Improve Their AR Scores?

Firstly, ensure your student is actually reading at home.  Some students try to speed through books, which typically leads to poor scores.  If this is the case, remind your student to slow down and really absorb the information.  Ask them some questions about what they read when they complete their nightly reading requirements; have a discussion about what happened in the story before they started reading and what they think might happen in the next section of the book.  Ask what "clues" inform their prediction.  Having conversations about what they have just read will keep the information fresh in your student's mind, and will help them retain more and do better on the quiz.  And if they can't answer your questions, they should probably go back and re-read.

For non-fiction books (and for super-short books), I would recommend having your student read the book several times in order to fully comprehend what is happening.  Non-fiction books, especially, are filled with technical terms and facts that are harder to retain than a story with a plot.  They should be read several times in order to fully understand the text and help your student do better on the quiz.

If a student is consistently doing poorly on AR quizzes, ask if they are rushing through the book.  If they have been taking their time, having discussions, re-reading, etc., and are still not doing well, it may mean that the books at that dot color are too difficult and they need to be moved down a level.  Please let me know if you think the books your student is bringing home are too difficult for them; I will work with our Librarian to bring them down to a dot color that is more appropriate...and they can always work their way back up!

How Can I Tell How Close My Student is to Reaching Their Goal?

Log in to Home Connect by clicking on the Orange AR box on my Accelerated Reader (AR) page or by clicking on this link.  You will need to sign in with your student's username and password.  They should have those memorized by the end of the third/fourth week of school, but you can find them on the home login card I provide at the start of the year.  If you need a new one, let me know and I'd be happy to send you a photo.  Take a look at the large box titled "My Overall Progress".  The "Points" section shows how many points your student has earned, what their point goal is, how many more points they need to earn their goal, and how close they are to reaching their goal (in a percentage).

How Many Books Does My Student Need to Read to Reach Their Goal?

There is no way to predict the number of books a student must read in order to earn their point goal.  There are too many possibilities and variables.  This is because every book has a different point value and students only earn a percentage of the book's point value based on the percentage of questions they answer correctly on the test. Let's say a student needs to earn 10 points. They could read 1 ten-point book, 20 half-point books, 10 one-point books, 2 five-point books, 2 four-point books and 1 two-point book, etc.  However, if they read 1 ten-point book, but they only get an 80% on the AR quiz; then they only earn 80% of the ten points that book is worth (8 points) and would then have to read more books in order to earn their goal.  The best course of action is to keep your student reading their AR books every day.

How Does My Student Move Up Dot Colors?

At this time, students are only moved up/down dot colors at the beginning of each trimester, depending on their performance on that trimester's STAR Test.

How Can I Find More Books at My Student's Dot Color?

Nearly all children's and young adult's books are AR books.  The books in book stores, on Amazon, and in your public library are likely AR books; they just don't display their book level.  On the Renaissance Bookfinder website, you can search for a book's title and it will tell you what book level the book is (which correlates to dot colors).  Sometimes books in a series are entered in oddly, so you can search by author's name as well.  If no results are found for a book you entered, it doesn't have an AR quiz, and so isn't an AR book.  The book levels for each dot color are provided in a photo on the school library's website as well as on the Accelerated Reader (AR) page of my website.  You can also use the AR Bookfinder's advanced search options to show only books within your student's book level range.  There are millions of books to choose from, so you can also specifically search within those books for topics that interest your student.

Can My Student Take a Test on a Book That Isn't at Their Dot Color?

Unfortunately, no.  A lot of thought and effort is put into determining your child's Zone of Proximal Development (the range of books that are "just right" for your child).  Books that are not your student's dot color are likely either too easy or too difficult, and do not reflect an accurate level of comprehension of independent reading.  This isn't to say that they should never read anything outside of their dot color.  Quite the opposite!  I encourage students to read whatever catches their interest and sparks joy for them - after they've finished their required 20 AR minutes.  However, they are only allowed to test at their level.  Any pleasure reading done outside their range is wonderful, but I do not allow them to take the test on those books.  The only time I allow students to test on a book not at their dot color is when we read a book as a class for a Novel Study (not the same as our class read-aloud).

When Can My Student Take AR Tests?

In the primary grades, while students are still learning the building blocks of reading, most students fall within a similar dot color range.  However, as our students learn and grow as readers, the range of levels they can read at grows as well.  This wide range of reading levels also means students are reading books of various lengths, which results in unique reading schedules.  For example, a student reading a 10-point book at neon orange dot level may take a few weeks to finish, where a student reading a 1-point book at green dot level may finish within a few days.  Since each student is reading at a level and pace that is appropriate for them, there is no one set time that students are directed to take AR tests.  Instead, students are responsible for taking an AR test after they finish a book, whenever that may be.  There are times throughout each day that students may choose to take their AR tests.  Students can take tests:

• During Computer Lab every Wednesday

• During Wrap-Up every Friday

• During AM and PM Recess in the Library every day

• Before school in the Classroom, if my door is open

• During AM and PM Recess in the Classroom, when I'm not on yard duty

• During Choice Work, after class work and catch-up work are completed

If It's Not a Grade, What's the Point of AR?

I understand that it can be a challenge to motivate students to do something if it's not "required" and connected to some form of consequence.  However, I strongly believe that the process of learning is intrinsically valuable, and that not everything worth doing will result in a grade.

Students in my class are encouraged to read both for the practice it provides to help them grow as readers as well as to cultivate a love of reading and learning.  AR addresses the growth aspect by meeting students where they are at and helping them expand their reading comprehension abilities with books that will challenge them without creating frustration.  In order to help build a love of reading, I encourage students to read whatever they enjoy in addition to their AR reading.

All that said, students are also incentivized to do their best in AR in various forms.  Our school participates in the Million Word Challenge, where students are encouraged to read and test on one million words during the school year.  Students who reach that goal earn some prizes and will even get a sign to post in their yard for bragging rights!  In the school library, Mrs. Missamore runs an AR-a-Thon where she gives out prizes for students who surpassed their trimester point goals.  In my classroom, students move up our class chart as they make progress towards reaching their goals.  In addition, fourth-graders who meet or exceed their point goals each trimester are invited to a luncheon with Mrs. Boatenhamer and me, where they get a small treat.