On 6/23/09, muffin21 wrote:
> Hello all! I've been reading some of the AR posts and I can
> see that there are divided feelings about AR. My situation
> is this: I will be a first year teacher teaching 8th grade
> reading. I grew up in a small school district that did not
> use AR; therefore, I have absolutely no experience with it.
> The principal basically told me that the school spent a lot
> of money getting the program, but that doesn't mean I
> should use it to supplement instruction. In other words,
> "use the program at least a little bit so our money doesn't
> go to waste." They told me that the school librarian can
> help me figure out the program. I'm not really sure what to
> do.
>
> I read "jme's" post back in March about how she does grades
> for the AR. I like that idea, but I'm still not sure what
> to do seeing as how I have no experience with this. Also,
> what is this about STAR? Is that like a diagnostics from AR
> so I can see what their reading levels are? That is
> definitely something I would be interested in doing to as a
> pre-assessment for my instructions.
>
> Any advice to my rambling??

I would suggest you read chapter 8 from an enlightening
resource, Smart Answers to Tough Questions: What to Say When
You're Asked About Fluency, Phonics, Grammar, Vocabulary,
SSR, Tests, Support for ELLs, and Move, by Elaine Garan. The
title of Ch. 8 is Rewards and the Accelerated Reading
Program. There is no research supporting AR, other than the
company's own research, and the author provides "The Proof"
of its ineffectiveness. She names sites, studies, and papers
with additional info. about the damaging effects of AR. Check
it out before you make a decision that will have a long-
lasting "turned off to reading" effect on your students.
Some other "hot topics" addressed in this resource are:
Worksheets and Homework, Commercial Reading Programs and
Guided Reading, Independent Reading or Sustained Silent
Reading (SSR), and Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation for
Intermediate Students.
This text will make you think about some reading and writing
practices we continue "just because we've always done it that
way" or "because the experienced teacher down the hall does
it that way".

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