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Accelerated Reader Chatboard

by Fireman Dad

Jan 13, 2010

Accelerated Reader (AR) may be "the most influential reading program in the country" but there is no clear evidence that it works. It fact, it might be harmful. AR has four components: It makes sure children have access to books, provides time to read, quizzes children on what they read with a focus on details, and awards prizes for performance on the quizzes. It is well-established that providing books and time to read are effective, but AR research does not show that the quizzes and prizes are helpful. Studies claiming AR is effective compare AR to doing nothing; gains were probably due to the reading, not the tests and prizes. AR encourages an unnatural form of reading, reading focusing on often irrelevant details in order to pass tests. AR rewards children for doing something that is already pleasant: self-selected reading. Substantial research shows that rewarding an intrinsically pleasant activity sends the message that the activity is not pleasant, and that nobody would do it wi...See More

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As a side thought.... Bitch and moan board?

I think it's admirable that there are parents and teachers who are willing to point out a problem when a real problem exists. Regardless of the premise of AR or how it is "meant to be used", the reality is how it IS being used in so many schools across the country today. Change does not happen without someone taking...See More

Jan 17, 2010

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Enough is Enough I am so sorry to hear you won't be coming back here, innocent bystander, because all these whining parents have run off the teachers who have the experience and expertise. Notice how Deb is gone too. She also knew, understood, and ran the program properly. You parents simply to not want to listen. You seem to know it all. By the way, there are rare...See MoreI am so sorry to hear you won't be coming back here, innocent bystander, because all these whining parents have run off the teachers who have the experience and expertise. Notice how Deb is gone too. She also knew, understood, and ran the program properly. You parents simply to not want to listen. You seem to know it all. By the way, there are rarely NON AR books-extremely rarely. I NEVER have a kid in my 5th grade class say they want to read a certain book and there is not test on it. If it is a brand new book, sometimes they have to wait a few days for the test to come out. Also, the tests are facts that anyone who read the book will know with AT LEAST 80% accuracy. They are not little trivial mundane facts, They are the basic facts of the book so if you read, it, you'll know it, maybe not with 100% correct, but definitely at least 80% (I know, I personally take the tests all the time to see what questions they ask.) Any less than that and you simply DID NOT READ THE BOOK!!!!Now if your school has to pay for AR tests one at a time, that may be a problem having a book you like to read in your particular school as one teacher had said previously, but since you all know everything, I don't even know why I am saying this.

.On 1/17/10, innocent bystander wrote: > I'm not sure who reviewed them. I'm not even sure if any of them > were even used. They just buy them. I also sell them to Book > Adventure and make them for my own use. I have many years of > reading teaching experience, a BA in English, a MA in literature, > and a MA in reading instruction. THAT is what makes me qualified > to teach. > > I have also gone through the training multiple times, just to keep > current with practices. I also went through the training to be a > certified trainer, although I choose not to train anyone except > those in my own district. > > So, what is it about YOU what makes YOU so high and mighty that > you are the only one who is right. > > Don't bother to answer that, by the way, as I'm not wasting any > more of my time here. Enjoy your bitch and moan board. > > I know that my school chooses to run the program properly and get > the training that is required by the company. The rest of you can > take your lack of training and unwillingness to learn and continue > on the fast track to nowhere.

Jan 17, 2010

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I pay for the tests on my own In line response: On 1/17/10, Enough is Enough wrote: > I am so sorry to hear you won't be coming back here, innocent > bystander, because all these whining parents have run off the teachers > who have the experience and expertise. Notice how Deb is gone too. > She also knew, understood, and ran the program properly. You parents > si...See MoreIn line response: On 1/17/10, Enough is Enough wrote: > I am so sorry to hear you won't be coming back here, innocent > bystander, because all these whining parents have run off the teachers > who have the experience and expertise. Notice how Deb is gone too. > She also knew, understood, and ran the program properly. You parents > simply to not want to listen. You seem to know it all. By the way, > there are rarely NON AR books-extremely rarely. I NEVER have a kid in > my 5th grade class say they want to read a certain book and there is > not test on it. If it is a brand new book, sometimes they have to wait > a few days for the test to come out. Also, the tests are facts that > anyone who read the book will know with AT LEAST 80% accuracy. They > are not little trivial mundane facts, They are the basic facts of the > book so if you read, it, you'll know it, maybe not with 100% correct, > but definitely at least 80% (I know, I personally take the tests all > the time to see what questions they ask.) Any less than that and you > simply DID NOT READ THE BOOK!!!!Now if your school has to pay for AR > tests one at a time, that may be a problem having a book you like to > read in your particular school as one teacher had said previously, but > since you all know everything, I don't even know why I am saying this.

What does the last part of the sentence have to do with the part about paying for AR tests one at a time? It's a $50.00 minimum, $3.95 a test. What does that have to do with "since you all know everything, I don't even know why I am saying this?" Confused. > > > .On 1/17/10, innocent bystander wrote: >> I'm not sure who reviewed them. I'm not even sure if any of them >> were even used. They just buy them. I also sell them to Book >> Adventure and make them for my own use. I have many years of >> reading teaching experience, a BA in English, a MA in literature, >> and a MA in reading instruction. THAT is what makes me qualified >> to teach. >> >> I have also gone through the training multiple times, just to keep >> current with practices. I also went through the training to be a >> certified trainer, although I choose not to train anyone except >> those in my own district. >> >> So, what is it about YOU what makes YOU so high and mighty that >> you are the only one who is right. >> >> Don't bother to answer that, by the way, as I'm not wasting any >> more of my time here. Enjoy your bitch and moan board. >> >> I know that my school chooses to run the program properly and get >> the training that is required by the company. The rest of you can >> take your lack of training and unwillingness to learn and continue >> on the fast track to nowhere.

Jan 17, 2010

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Fireman Dad On 1/17/10, innocent bystander wrote: > I'm not sure who reviewed them. I'm not even sure if any of them > were even used. They just buy them. I also sell them to Book > Adventure and make them for my own use. I have many years of > reading teaching experience, a BA in English, a MA in literature, > and a MA in reading instruction. T...See More

Jan 17, 2010

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middle school mom On 1/18/10, sara wrote:

> "Why do some people believe that teachers and schools blindly choose > programs to use and implement them for years, without reevaluating along > the way? Just because some teachers don't agree with you doesn't mean > that they aren't evaluating programs . . ."

Because, two years after my hus...See More

Jan 18, 2010

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