Accelerated Reader Point vs. Bk system

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Accelerated Reader Chatboard

Accelerated Reader Point vs. Bk system

by Lisa

Mar 27, 2010

My son attended 1st grade at one school and he loved AR. He had 144 points in first grade. He wasn't a great reader at the very beginning of 1st grade and his STAR report showed a tremendous jump from where he started to where he finished.

This year in second grade, he is going to a new school. They don't use the point system, but they go by how many books the children read. They get to move their car around the track once they have completed a book. It starts over every 9 weeks. So far this year, he has 170 points but children with 40 points for the year pass him on the track.

He doesn't mind when he gets passed on the track, but he is frustrated that no one even his teacher doesn't understand how hard he has worked. He has only mentioned that it bothers him a couple of times, but I can tell it really does. The other night when he said mom, when I saw my points today, I almost cried. So I said why, and he said I set a goal for myself to outdo my points from first gr...See MoreMy son attended 1st grade at one school and he loved AR. He had 144 points in first grade. He wasn't a great reader at the very beginning of 1st grade and his STAR report showed a tremendous jump from where he started to where he finished.

This year in second grade, he is going to a new school. They don't use the point system, but they go by how many books the children read. They get to move their car around the track once they have completed a book. It starts over every 9 weeks. So far this year, he has 170 points but children with 40 points for the year pass him on the track.

He doesn't mind when he gets passed on the track, but he is frustrated that no one even his teacher doesn't understand how hard he has worked. He has only mentioned that it bothers him a couple of times, but I can tell it really does. The other night when he said mom, when I saw my points today, I almost cried. So I said why, and he said I set a goal for myself to outdo my points from first grade I have almost reached my (personal) goal and no one even knows. I told his teacher what he said and she said that all of the kids at "this" school read well and what he is doing is normal for "this" school. I have since found out that in fact it is not normal and that he has at least 100 more points than anyone in the 2nd grade. His average reading level is 5.0. I don't want him to be noticed for his level of reading, but for his enthusiasm and hard work.

Strangely, I feel they are trying to be fair and in so doing being very unfair. This sounds strange, but when he was noticed and rewarded in first grade and allowed to show his enthusiasm, a lot of parents who I didn't even know approached me and said, my son or daughter is reading so much more, or my son or daughter wanted to read this or that book because (my son) said it was a great book. I seemed to be getting approached by so many parents, even at the grocery store and they were all smiles and laughing and saying well, me and my (son or daughter) are reading this book tonight, because (Logan) (my son) said it was a good book. In other words no one seemed hurt or as if they resented the fact that he was doing well and sharing his enthusiasm. At his old school even on the mornings when I walked him into his class, Fifth graders would come up to him and say, Hey Logan I read that book and I got 12 points. That is the part that really disturbs me about the whole thing. "This" school as it turns out does have a few struggling readers, I wish they would allowed him to share his enthusiasm and recognize him. He didn't get to be a good reader, because he was born reading or because his parents taught him how to read when he was 2 years old. The AR program inspired him, and then he inspired other children, but at the new school he said if he told someone how many points he had, they would say oh yeah, me too, I have 100 points too. He said when they take a test and score 100 they think that is points and no one even knows how hard he has worked. Am I being difficult, because I don't feel like I am. Does his teacher possibly not understand the amount of time and effort that goes into reading that much. The difference between 40 points and 170 is an awful lot of hours of reading. And other children could put forth that effort as well but aren't. Perhaps their energy is going into somethng they are more passionate about and if that is the case and they are working really hard at that particular thing, it wouldn't bother me if they received recognition for it.

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Ima Teacher If they are using numbers of books and not points that are individualized to the student's reading level, it is being used incorrectly.

Every time I say this, I get blasted, but here goes . . . training is essential.

Mar 28, 2010

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Lisa On 3/28/10, Ima Teacher wrote: > If they are using numbers of books and not points that are > individualized to the student's reading level, it is being > used incorrectly. > > Every time I say this, I get blasted, but here goes . . . > training is essential.

You really should not get blasted. Each child if assessed at t...See MoreOn 3/28/10, Ima Teacher wrote: > If they are using numbers of books and not points that are > individualized to the student's reading level, it is being > used incorrectly. > > Every time I say this, I get blasted, but here goes . . . > training is essential.

You really should not get blasted. Each child if assessed at their level and then given an individual goal every child is a winner. My son was told to meet his goal he needed to read two books a week. He completed The Percy Jackson books, I think there were 4 and he completed them in 4 weeks. They are 320 pages long. He read for approximately 9 hours a week. Guess what that means he only read one book and not two.(so he didn't meet his goal of two books per week. The children in his class who read books that were 10 pages long with 3 words on each page were "ahead" of him. He said he was trying to do what was right and read at his level. He wasn't MAD or jealous that people were ahead of him, but he wished his teacher had noticed what he was going through. He of course caught up to his goal. He likes to read some non-fiction books that aren't that big and he mixes it up with small and large books. I have looked around and this gets so complicated. My experience was that my son who was an average reader quickly became an excellent reader and inspired many other children to read through his enthusiasm.

I am seeing that some kids don't get that into it. And that should be okay too. Seriously, I see these cute little faces all smiles talking to my son about books (at his old school) and it was really exciting. In this case it happend to be my son who was so into it and he seemed to be inspiring other children, but the experience would have been no different if it were another child inspiring my child. It was really quite lovely to see how when one kid gets excited about something it can have a roll- over effect. Anyway, I'm new to all this, but as I read on it appears to be and this is just an aha moment that I had. His first school did a lot of rewarding, they were I guess a lower grade school. I adored those people, not because they rewarded, but they seemed to genuinely care. But I noticed that the kids that were considered "smart" and it pains me to say this, but they were treated so good, almost over rewarded. I think there was a driving force to keep "smart" kids there. I hate to say it, but it is just an observation.

His new school is rated an A++++ and it is now my belief that the driving force there is to get these kids to score high on their standardized testing. I was practically told Accelerated Reading didn't matter. I really wasn't talking about what "mattered" I was talking about a 7 year old who had worked his tail off trying to do the right thing and who simply wanted some validation from his teacher who he genuinely likes, but I know he is telling the truth when he says his teacher doesn't notice, because as I said she practically told me it wasn't important. Well it may or may not be important, but that is like telling him that the the hours and hours he put into to trying to read at his level and keep up with his goal was a waste of time and that hurt. And it probably doesn't matter too much at this school, because many children didn't even meet their goal even though I am constantly told how brilliant all the kids at this school are, but they didn't meet their goals even reading tiny books. As I said my son had 170 points and the closest points to his were 40 points. I believe in my heart that they think they are doing the right thing, by creating a curriculum that allows these kids to do well on standardized testing and I appreciate and honor that, but the only thing I can think of that is worse than a child being over rewarded is a child working so hard and being told it was all for naught.

I also know that there were two or three little ones in the class that are struggling with reading. My son was really good at sharing information and helping other kids, and I have to wonder if they would have only allowed him to show some of his enthusiasm if maybe those struggling readers, even one of them would have benefited.

What I can say is if you are a teacher, you have an extremely ruff job. I thought the kids were what made it rough, but after reading these, you guys must have so much to consider and frustrations of your own that us parents can't even wrap our brains around and seems like politics, money, and everything else can get involved. And then as a parent I am questionning myself. I just can't see me telling my son, now, now, son put those books aside and just focus on the information you are fed to help you score high on standardized tests. And yet I know the school thinks they are doing the right thing, because the kids there do score high. One thing I have gotten out of this is I want to be more of an advocate for all children and find out ways I can help more. Particularly, irrating is that I seem to be getting an OUR KIDS here are better than THOSE KIDS there (meaning my sons old school) attitude. I have to say as a parent, I want my child back in the lower rated school where he is allowed to fly with something he is passionate about as well as learn what is on the testing. Sadly another thing I have learned is the lower rated schools problem is largely due to poor attendance, and that can only mean parents aren't getting their kids to school how sad is that, especially when you hear other teachers using an US and THEM scenario. Anyway, since you appear to be a teacher, I hope I haven't offended you in anyway, don't know where you stand on the subject, but

Mar 28, 2010

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John First thing I'd offer to you is that you start a rewards based system at home. So, if he meets this goal, he gets supper of his choice, or go out to eat, or taken to a movie, local entertainment center, etc. A student should not be point invested or total books read incentive. Reading is the incentive. Sure, he/she can play the system and read a to...See More

Mar 29, 2010

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Patty I don't care what the training says, I think that both the points system and the book count are flawed ways of measuring total reading. A child gets .5 oints for reading a 200 word 1.5 level book, and the same point value for a 2,000 word 4.5 level picture book. Ridiculous. I use the word count and their only reward is that they get to bring their ...See More

Apr 5, 2010

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