Can you set the levels of the books that the students are allowed to read? For example, a child's grade equivalent is 2.3. Can I set it to where they only test on books that are 2.0 - 3.0?
Does anyone ever let a student retake an AR test and if so, under what circumstances? How do you handle parents who complain when their child gets NO points for a score below 60%.
to ImaIt probably depends on your situation, Ima. From what you have said, you probably (and I hope I am right) never had to deal with the fallout of a bad decision in life that someone else made that affected you. I hope you never have to be in that position. I think we got way off target because I followed the whole post back to Accelerated Reader and ...See MoreIt probably depends on your situation, Ima. From what you have said, you probably (and I hope I am right) never had to deal with the fallout of a bad decision in life that someone else made that affected you. I hope you never have to be in that position. I think we got way off target because I followed the whole post back to Accelerated Reader and cancelling a test that a child fails. It comes down to two trains of thought, do you delete the test and let the kid make a mistake, and get a whole new chance at the test, as if the 60 or below never happened? Or do you leave the 60 or below on the kid's record and tell him "you'll do better next time" and let him live with the consequences of a failing grade on his Ar report? It's probably the individual teacher who decides, and it sounds like, based on the personalities represented on this post, that the vote is about 50-50.... Are there any rules about deleting a test? I guess that would determine (at least for some) the answer. I do hope, Ima, that you're never the victim of a bad choice. I was, just like "mom" in the previous post. I lost two neices in a horriffic accident that could have been 100% preventable, but because of a bad decision, they are both gone. So, yeah, they never got the second chance they deserved and I wish someone knew that. On 9/28/09, Ima Teacher wrote: > Wow . . . there's something I want my children to learn. Make sure > you don't ever screw up because there are no second chances. > > *insert sarcasm here* > > > On 9/28/09, ~no there aren't! wrote: >> I have that poster in my room, too. >> There's NEVER a "make - up" exam in life....you may get a chance >> to do something again, but you NEVER ERASE the previous >> act/situation. I think the original poster was referring to the >> fact that ERASING the AR test of a child who got a 60 or below >> doesn't teach them to live with their mistakes- as in life. You >> can never ERASE what you did.... I get it. Obviously, you don't. >> On 9/27/09, That argument doesn't hold water. wrote: >>> nfm
I have left the boards to allow them to "cool off" before, but after I get home today to find three emails . . . two of the same one from "Sheila", who didn't bother to give me a way to reply and one from someone with no name who called me a "know it all", I think I'm done . . . although I'm sure nobody cares.
Parents will be parents. Administration just wants the issue to go away, but if its a common issue, the administration needs to stick up for their teachers and their curriculum. Just my 2 cents.
On 9/30/09, Sheila wrote: > If someone used my name to send you an email, it wasn't me. I > only post on the site, not to an individual. I discovered this > site very recently. I am a huge proponent of AR and have used > it for 14 years. I work in a small private school and my > principal says one of the biggest complaints he gets is parents > who complain about their kids getting no points for tests below > a 60. He says in any other subject, you would still get some > credit for low scores, but he has not been trained on AR and > how it works so I wasn't getting through to him. He needed to > appease the parents so he was going to make us give them some > points somehow, by either doing a book report, letting them > take the test again, or completely throw out AR! I was beside > myself and came here for help and advice which I did get some > from a few teachers. I also got slammed by a few, but I agree > with Deb. We need to help each other out and if you do not > like AR, you should go somewhere else to gripe about it. This > is a place for people who do use AR and want help using it. > Thanks! > > > On 9/29/09, Ima Teacher wrote: >> If I've learned one thing on this board over the years, >> it's that most people who come here asking questions are >> not really interested in answers or just want to argue. >> >> I have left the boards to allow them to "cool off" before, >> but after I get home today to find three emails . . . two >> of the same one from "Sheila", who didn't bother to give me >> a way to reply and one from someone with no name who called >> me a "know it all", I think I'm done . . . although I'm >> sure nobody cares.
HDDOn 10/07/09, Tyler wrote: > Sheila, I know parents can be brutal, but we are teachers. We > have degrees and we practice our skills every day. We are > formally trained professionals and I'm not sure why a principal > or any school level administrator would order a change due to an > upset parent. Perhaps there is too much dependency...See MoreOn 10/07/09, Tyler wrote: > Sheila, I know parents can be brutal, but we are teachers. We > have degrees and we practice our skills every day. We are > formally trained professionals and I'm not sure why a principal > or any school level administrator would order a change due to an > upset parent. Perhaps there is too much dependency on AR? If a > student got 1 bad test score on AR, why should they get to > retest? I love my job but if I tried to tell an autom mechanic > how to do their job, how many would listen? Did I stay at a > Holliday Inn last night? :) > > Parents will be parents. Administration just wants the issue to > go away, but if its a common issue, the administration needs to > stick up for their teachers and their curriculum. Just my 2 > cents. > > > On 9/30/09, Sheila wrote: >> If someone used my name to send you an email, it wasn't me. I >> only post on the site, not to an individual. I discovered this >> site very recently. I am a huge proponent of AR and have used >> it for 14 years. I work in a small private school and my >> principal says one of the biggest complaints he gets is parents >> who complain about their kids getting no points for tests below >> a 60. He says in any other subject, you would still get some >> credit for low scores, but he has not been trained on AR and >> how it works so I wasn't getting through to him. He needed to >> appease the parents so he was going to make us give them some >> points somehow, by either doing a book report, letting them >> take the test again, or completely throw out AR! I was beside >> myself and came here for help and advice which I did get some >> from a few teachers. I also got slammed by a few, but I agree >> with Deb. We need to help each other out and if you do not >> like AR, you should go somewhere else to gripe about it. This >> is a place for people who do use AR and want help using it. >> Thanks! >> >> >> On 9/29/09, Ima Teacher wrote: >>> If I've learned one thing on this board over the years, >>> it's that most people who come here asking questions are >>> not really interested in answers or just want to argue. >>> >>> I have left the boards to allow them to "cool off" before, >>> but after I get home today to find three emails . . . two >>> of the same one from "Sheila", who didn't bother to give me >>> a way to reply and one from someone with no name who called >>> me a "know it all", I think I'm done . . . although I'm >>> sure nobody cares.
Ima, you've posted here many times and I agree with a lot of what you said over the years. But I do not agree with everything. As for deleting a test. I do not agree you should be deleting tests. But I do not need to ridicule you for your opinion. Can I see 1-3 do-overs a year per student? Yeah probably. But if I am seeing 1-3 a week or a month, then they are cheating the program. Sadly enough, its usually teachers changing things to get scores up or competing with other classes so they encourage this kind of behavior.
As for Carolyn and others. Nobody said this is a Pro - AR site only. She has a right to voice her displeasure. There is nothing more rewarding than taking a non-believer and making them a believer in our world of reading.
However, she has a right to post good, bad or indifferent without being attacked. Granted, she can be more professional in her opinions, but keep in mind, none of us are in her situation and she has been repeatidly burned by implementation processes. If its not AR, it could be Reading counts, or some other program.
There are things we learn both from people that like the program and people that dislike it. While my opinions may vary, I find no need in attacking another fellow teacher as in the end we all want the same thing which is helping students to read.
CityTeacherHooray! Tyler, well said. I agree- yhis is a place to share ideas and get great ideas in return, not a place to bash each other. I'm sorry "Ima" that you were called names- that's really unprofessional. (I'm guessing it was removed because I really have no idea specifically what you're referring to) Also keep in mind, when we type, our "tone" comes...See MoreHooray! Tyler, well said. I agree- yhis is a place to share ideas and get great ideas in return, not a place to bash each other. I'm sorry "Ima" that you were called names- that's really unprofessional. (I'm guessing it was removed because I really have no idea specifically what you're referring to) Also keep in mind, when we type, our "tone" comes across differently than when we speak. So, what may sound one way to us, may be interpreted totally differently. Speaking of AR- there was a question I read about the rules for deleting a test- Does anyone's school allow/disallow it? In my school, only the administrator can delete a test. We have to fill out a form that explains why it needs to be deleted. Is anyone else's school this way? How many tests are usually deleted for a child? Are we talking about one or two or a lot more? We rarely delete a test. I think all of last year, my class of 33 had only four tests deleted. How does that work and does the program of AR allow it? What is their suggestion for deletions? Anyone an 'administrator?' Thanks! On 9/30/09, Tyler wrote: > Look, chat boards are for voicing opinions and in some > cases stating a point or arguing your case. But the last > 20-30 posts have NOT been useful or professional on any > level. We are all bigger and better than this. Deleting > a quiz. Lets face it. There are multiple ways to think > logically about that. Comparing it to drinking a driving > is a little dramatic, but you still make a premise about > proper decision making. No need to attack each other on > it. Lets have enough respect for fellow teachers to at > least respect their opinons. > > Ima, you've posted here many times and I agree with a lot > of what you said over the years. But I do not agree with > everything. As for deleting a test. I do not agree you > should be deleting tests. But I do not need to ridicule > you for your opinion. Can I see 1-3 do-overs a year per > student? Yeah probably. But if I am seeing 1-3 a week or > a month, then they are cheating the program. Sadly > enough, its usually teachers changing things to get scores > up or competing with other classes so they encourage this > kind of behavior. > > As for Carolyn and others. Nobody said this is a Pro - AR > site only. She has a right to voice her displeasure. > There is nothing more rewarding than taking a non-believer > and making them a believer in our world of reading. > > However, she has a right to post good, bad or indifferent > without being attacked. Granted, she can be more > professional in her opinions, but keep in mind, none of us > are in her situation and she has been repeatidly burned by > implementation processes. If its not AR, it could be > Reading counts, or some other program. > > There are things we learn both from people that like the > program and people that dislike it. While my opinions may > vary, I find no need in attacking another fellow teacher > as in the end we all want the same thing which is helping > students to read. > > > > > >
On 9/30/09, CityTeacher wrote: > Hooray! Tyler, well said. > I agree- yhis is a place to share ideas and get great ideas > in return, not a place to bash each other. I'm sorry "Ima" > that you were called names- that's really unprofessional. > (I'm guessing it was removed because I really have no idea > specifically what you're referring to) > Also keep in mind, when we type, our "tone" comes across > differently than when we speak. So, what may sound one way to > us, may be interpreted totally differently. > Speaking of AR- there was a question I read about the rules > for deleting a test- Does anyone's school allow/disallow it? > In my school, only the administrator can delete a test. We > have to fill out a form that explains why it needs to be > deleted. Is anyone else's school this way? How many tests > are usually deleted for a child? Are we talking about one or > two or a lot more? We rarely delete a test. I think all of > last year, my class of 33 had only four tests deleted. How > does that work and does the program of AR allow it? What is > their suggestion for deletions? Anyone an 'administrator?' > Thanks! > On 9/30/09, Tyler wrote: >> Look, chat boards are for voicing opinions and in some >> cases stating a point or arguing your case. But the last >> 20-30 posts have NOT been useful or professional on any >> level. We are all bigger and better than this. Deleting >> a quiz. Lets face it. There are multiple ways to think >> logically about that. Comparing it to drinking a driving >> is a little dramatic, but you still make a premise about >> proper decision making. No need to attack each other on >> it. Lets have enough respect for fellow teachers to at >> least respect their opinons. >> >> Ima, you've posted here many times and I agree with a lot >> of what you said over the years. But I do not agree with >> everything. As for deleting a test. I do not agree you >> should be deleting tests. But I do not need to ridicule >> you for your opinion. Can I see 1-3 do-overs a year per >> student? Yeah probably. But if I am seeing 1-3 a week or >> a month, then they are cheating the program. Sadly >> enough, its usually teachers changing things to get scores >> up or competing with other classes so they encourage this >> kind of behavior. >> >> As for Carolyn and others. Nobody said this is a Pro - AR >> site only. She has a right to voice her displeasure. >> There is nothing more rewarding than taking a non-believer >> and making them a believer in our world of reading. >> >> However, she has a right to post good, bad or indifferent >> without being attacked. Granted, she can be more >> professional in her opinions, but keep in mind, none of us >> are in her situation and she has been repeatidly burned by >> implementation processes. If its not AR, it could be >> Reading counts, or some other program. >> >> There are things we learn both from people that like the >> program and people that dislike it. While my opinions may >> vary, I find no need in attacking another fellow teacher >> as in the end we all want the same thing which is helping >> students to read. >> >> >> >> >> >>
TylerFirst, I'd retest him on Star. Perhaps he just got lucky? Otherwise, a high test score with a low AR setup could be that he understands question relationships in multiple choice settings, but perhaps his reading level ability is vastly slower when recognizing words. So, he may read a line in Star well, but that is 1 sentence. When a page is filled ...See MoreFirst, I'd retest him on Star. Perhaps he just got lucky? Otherwise, a high test score with a low AR setup could be that he understands question relationships in multiple choice settings, but perhaps his reading level ability is vastly slower when recognizing words. So, he may read a line in Star well, but that is 1 sentence. When a page is filled up with words, he may lose track of where he is on the page, worry more about getting to the end of the chapter (speed reading). So, when he takes a STAR test its about reading as fast as you can, but when its only 1 sentence, that is easy to do. Reading a book that has many sentences he no longer concentrates on the passage but the start and end points of a page or paragraph. So skims the material. He may be discouraged to go down in book levels (Which is why I do not like numbering books but color code them with different shades of a color for a given number range). So a student that is on light blue vs blue vs dark blue can go thru any of them but they should start on light blue. Overall, they are still part of the "blue" team. Start to get him back into a lower level book.
On 10/04/09, 4th wrote: > I have a student who tested well on the Star test, scoring > 5.8 at the beginning of fourth grade. His test results > from third grade were also good. He has failed more tests > than he has passed this year on books that are within his > reading range. I'm not sure if he's just reading too fast, > or what the problem is. Any suggestions about how to help > him would be appreciated.
In addition to making sure that the student is checking books out within his book level range, be sure that attention is also given to how many points the books are worth. My students have to work through a point clearance system within their level range. .5 point books(picture books) have many less words than a chapter book worth 4.0 points(advanced chapter book). Maybe have him start with .5 point books to experience success and then after several(3-5) good grades(80- 100) with .5 pointers, let him continue to stay at the lower end of his book level range and try several 1.0 point books (beginning chapter books) and then follow this routine through with 2.0 pointers & 3.0 pointers, in order to build his reading stamina in terms of comprehension, fluency, multiple characters, problems, solutions, etc. Pose it as a challenge or goal for him to move through the point values! Hope this helps!
How do I block ONE student from being able to take tests without a monitor password? One of my students is cheating on her tests, and I want to block testing for her. I can only find a way to block everybody in the class.
On 10/21/09, Elizabeth wrote: > Of course I monitor students as they test. However, I teach six > groups of students per day, and I only see them for 45 minutes > at a time. For the entire rest of the day the students have > access to computers in each classroom and the library. They are > not monitored as closely there. I cannot be everywhere. > > In older versions of the program I was able to block an > individual student. I cannot find that option now. Our > librarian is new and has not had time to call and talk with > Renaissance. They would no talk to me, only the school > coordinator. > > Due to how the data is tracked, we are only permitted to have > students assigned in the regular class period. > > Thanks anyway. >
JakeKate, great question. Really, once you tie a score to a test, it may be a common reality that the student is chaing after recognition. Whether competition, parents approval, teachers approval, etc. One idea may be to step away from "Scores". As in a Score of 100% does not lead to a reward. It leads you to the next task which may be reading your boo...See MoreKate, great question. Really, once you tie a score to a test, it may be a common reality that the student is chaing after recognition. Whether competition, parents approval, teachers approval, etc. One idea may be to step away from "Scores". As in a Score of 100% does not lead to a reward. It leads you to the next task which may be reading your book to a younger group of kids, sharing your book with other students and a teacher in a group session, writing a book report that they need to have their parents sign, etc. Don't let the end goal of the book be the score or the material reward. Another idea is to have them place score the book. So on a 10 star system, what value would they give the book? Log it in a personal journal and at the end of the year, they can look over that list and see if they still agree or adjust. Then of the top ranking books they have read, perhaps allow them to re-read their favorite and have them place themself as the lead character and write a short story placing themselves, friends or family members as characters. They then turn this into the teacher as a final paper or something.
On 10/22/09, Kate wrote: > My 2nd grader scored 99% on the assessment test (and 98% in > first grade so it isn't a fluke)...but fails many of the ar > tests she takes. It took us a while to get to the bottom of > the issue -- but my question is how to get the teachers to > teach the importance of reading and comprehending vs > getting a good grade on the test? They give awards each > week if you get a 100% on an ar test..but no one even tells > us if they get a 60% or worse...they ignore it (teachers > do) until the report card comes out. > > So, how do I communicate a better way to help the kids > through this?
So get a print out of all the books she has read this quarter. Look at the titles. Look at the book levels. Here are a couple of questions to answer from this printout.
What level are the books?
What is your child's ZPD level?
How often is she testing?
Is she reading things he is interested in?
Help her pick books at his level and talk it over with the teacher.
Now you you got at the bottom of this issue? That is comprehension. Teachers don't use individual AR books to teach comprehension. Comprehension comes from reading books at the independent level(comfort level) books. It doesn't come from reading too hard, long or difficult levels. So your child is somehow choosing the wrong books OR not reading them.
Reading and comprehension lesson come from the regular reading curriculum. AR is a supplement that monitors independent reading.
Your school does need to look at the rewards sytem but AR states that growth in comprehension takes place if the child scores between 80 percent and 100 percent. If students are getting too many 60 percents they are not reading appropriate level books.
Deb ms/IA
> On 10/22/09, Kate wrote: >> My 2nd grader scored 99% on the assessment test (and 98% in >> first grade so it isn't a fluke)...but fails many of the ar >> tests she takes. It took us a while to get to the bottom of >> the issue -- but my question is how to get the teachers to >> teach the importance of reading and comprehending vs >> getting a good grade on the test? They give awards each >> week if you get a 100% on an ar test..but no one even tells >> us if they get a 60% or worse...they ignore it (teachers >> do) until the report card comes out. >> >> So, how do I communicate a better way to help the kids >> through this?
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