What Is AR and What Are STAR Tests? (click for the link)
AR (Accelerated Reading) in 3rd Grade
Students will need to earn a minimum number of points each quarter.
1st quarter, everyone should earn a minimum of 3.0 points.
2nd-4th quarter, the number of the minimum points required is determined by the student's most recent GE score of the
STAR test:
STAR Reading Test GE Score Minimum Number of Points Needed
3.0 and below 3.0
3.1 – 3.5 3.5
3.6 – 4.0 4.0
4.1 – 4.5 4.5
4.6 – 5.0 5.0
5.1 – 5.5 5.5
5.6 and above 6.0
Students may take a quiz each morning when they arrive at school. A "report" will be sent home for each quiz taken, including the score, the points earned, and the book level of the book read.
STAR Tests in 3rd Grade
STAR Tests will taken approximately every 6 weeks or so to monitor the students' reading progress.
Results will be shared with the students' families. Sometimes they will be shared at PT Conferences, and sometimes a printed report will be sent home via "kid mail." If you ever have any questions about your child's report, please don't hesitate to ask.
Reading the STAR Diagnostic Report:
Front Side:
Colored Bar: The colored bar gives a visual representation of how your child did. The key below the bar indicates what
each color stands for.
PR (Percentile Rank):This score represents how your child scored compared to other 3rd grade students in the nation.
GE (Grade Equivalent): The number before the decimal represents the grade level, and the number after the decimal
represents the month. Please keep in mind that this is just one tool that we use to assess your child’s
reading progress.
Domain Scores: These numbers are out of a possible 100 and estimate your child’s mastery of various skills at a 3rd
grade level.
Back Side:
Reading Recommendation (ZPD): This is a suggested reading range (using grade equivalents) for your child, based on
the test results. Books in this range would most likely be a “good fit” for your child….accessible while still
continuing to challenge your child to continue to grow in his/her reading skills. These levels match up with
the AR levels we use when taking those quizzes. The levels are printed in the school library books as
well as in mine.
Test Duration & Fidelity: This indicates the amount of time your child spent on this assessment.
www.arbookfind.com (click for the link)
This is the link to a website for checking which books are AR (Accelerated Reading) and what levels they are.
It also provides a way to search by title, theme, or level for a book to interest your child.
Quick Search Instructions/Help Page (click for the link)
Advanced Search Instructions/Help Page (click for the link)
How-to Video for using arbookfind.com (click for the link)
IL = Interest Level (LG = Lower Grades; MG = Middle Grades; UG = Upper Grades)
BL = Book Level
Example: BL 3.2 means that the book is appropriate for students who are reading at a 3rd grade, 2nd month
level. We take the STAR test (computer-based, adaptive reading test) every 6-8 weeks to give us information about
students' reading levels to help with choosing books for each child. Please keep in mind that the STAR test is
just one snapshot of information that we use to best help each student with his/her reading.
AR Pts. = AR Points possible if a child achieves a 100% on his/her quiz. If a student gets less than 100%, he/she will get a
percentage of the total points possible.
Example: If a book is worth 3.0 points and a student gets an 80% on the AR quiz, he/she will earn 80% of the
3.0 AR Points, or 2.4 points, for that quiz.
The number of points possible for each book is determined by Renaissance, the creator of AR, and that number is
determined by the difficulty and length of the book
NOTE: If you still have questions, please feel free to contact me for more information.