AR Reading

[crazyforgoofy]

Do you have experience with this program in your child's school? Do you think its a good program? I'd like input please.

 

[Christine]

I was very glad when my kids got out of the ages of having to do it.

I think for some kids, who are competitive and have the "eager to please" mentality, it is pretty good. For other kids, I think it makes reading a chore and drudgery.

For one, my kids were not all that thrilled with the Pizza Hut certificates they would get every month and they got tired of being confined to a specific book level.

I don't know, overall, I guess I don't like stuff like this, but I wouldn't say that it's harmful.

 

[RUDisney]

I don't like that once you test on a particular book and fail that you can't test on it again.

Example... DS read one of the Harry Potter books on the summer going into 4th grade. It was definitely beyond his reading level, especially with all of the made up words in HP because English is his second language. He insisted that he wanted to take the test. Since he failed, he can never take the test again. I can't understand why, after a period of time, they can't reread and retest on a book.

Do I like the program? No. Is it the worst thing the school could do? Absolutely not. Will my kids ever be in the 100 point club? Not likely.

 

[lbgraves]

DS finally started this program after I started taking the advanced readers to the library to take the tests. These kids all tested at a second/third grade level in reading at the beginning of first grade. The problem that I had was they were told to read for 30 minutes every day. DS wasn't finishing books...just reading for 30 minutes. He couldn't tell me the story. When I took them for their first test they all did poorly...and it was a wake up call for them since they were use to school being so easy. DS then realized what he needed to be reading for....and started reading complete books. He started with the Magic Treehouse series. He would sit down and read one in an hour & would only miss one question once in a while. This summer he has been reading like crazy without the AR tests. So, for DS this was a good program. Since not everyone in their class took the tests, their only goal was getting over an 80%. Some kids took one test a week. DS actually took one a day one week. IDK how they track them in other schools but the comprehension level is what is stressed at ours.

 

[okeydokey]

My 2nd grade daughter loves to read and enjoys taking part in this program. However, I have talked to several parents of older children in say 3-5, who say that the AR program made reading a chore for their kids and took all the enjoyment out of it. Now they have to read certain levels and books and dislike reading.

 

[SandiH]

AR was great for my oldest son. He really enjoyed reading and did well on the tests. He earned over 600 points in 5th grade alone and received over 1000 points in his 3 1/3 years at the school. For him, it was a way to excel and be recognized. It was also a good way for him to set a goal and strive to reach it even when toward the end, he didn't think he could do it. It was never a chore for him. My youngest reads well but doesn't remember to take the tests. He hasn't been marked down for not reaching his goals yet (as far as I can tell) or the goals still aren't too high that he's not hitting them.

Like any program or curriculum, I can see where for some children, AR is painful, depending on the child and how the school sets it up.

 

[golfgal]

Our kids have done it for the past several years. They had to get so many points each quarter as part of their Language Arts grade. My kids like to read but a lot of the books they read were not on the AR tests at school (each school buys a certain number of book tests-every school will be different). I didn't care if they got their AR points or not as long as I could tell they were reading. A lot of kids would take tests based on seeing movies and pass that way too. If it motivates your kids to read, great, but for most kids it was just one more thing they had to do at school.

 

[Wishing on a star]

The AR program at my school was a complete disaster and failure for my DS.

It was partly because of the program itself, and partly because it was not being run right.

I do not like the program for several reasons.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

It was ok. My son had a required number of points each quarter which he usually earned in the first couple of weeks.

Then the rest of the time he was free to choose his reading based on interest, not on whether or not the school had the test or whether or not it was on "the right level."

He pretty much thought the prizes were kind of lame so he just did what he needed to get his points. After that, 1/2 the time he wouldn't even bother to go take the test after reading the book.

 

[clarabelle]

I think the person who decides what "level" the book is at is on drugs!
I also think that in my DD's case it is encouraging her to read many easy picture books instead of one harder chapter book

 

[phantom728]

My DD loved the AR reading program. She loves to read, which she gets from her parents as well. She is very smart and was reading books several grades above. Now she is getting ready to be a sophomore and still enjoys reading.

Having said that, I can see however that some kids may not be into reading and could have a difficult time with the program. I was not good at math (esp. Geometry) during my school years, but they still made me take it every year anyway. I will say however, that in my current line of work, I do use formulas that go back to my years in algebra class, so guess it was good that I had to take the class anyway.

 

[m&m's mom]

Here is a link to a listing of some AR tests so if you are undecided if your child is ready for a certain test you can secretly ask them questions from this site.
http://www.cyberspaces.net/nixon/ar/

My 10 YO DD lives to read. Every book we buy her we make sure is an AR book. She took the 1st Harry Potter test in the 1st grade and passed. We are now having a problem finding 30+ point books that are not too scary for her. They seem to be kind of sinister.

My DD's problem is she is very slow and methodical w/ her work and never has time left over to take the AR tests.

 

[Wishing on a star]

never has time left over to take the AR tests.

I would NOT place any blame for this on your daughter.
The school should set aside time for AR if they are going to do it!!!

This was one of my huge gripes with this program.
Along with many other.

 

[m&m's mom]

I would NOT place any blame for this on your daughter.
The school should set aside time for AR if they are going to do it!!!

This was one of my huge gripes with this program.
Along with many other.

Well in her school it is optional. Some teachers push the kids and others could not care less.
Her 1st priority has to be to complete her work that is required before she can do this optional work. I kinda feel for her because this is an area she excels at and does not get to show it.
Her teacher almost did not let her take the HP AR test in 1st grade since it was a 7th grade level book. I did not realize if they did not "Pass" a test they could not take again.

 

[hlbtimes2]

My dd8 school uses it. It can be good or bad depending on how the teacher/ school chooses to use the program. Dd's first grade teacher let the kids read just about anything and test on it. When dd read the Wizard of Oz in first grade she wanted to test on it. The test was not so much about the story, but more about parts of literature. She wasnt able to pass the test. When the teacher realized it, she had her cancel out of the test so that she would be able to take it later.

Her 2nd grade teacher kept them on a much shorter leash. They were only able to read within about a .2 span- so say from 3.2-3.4 grade level. That made it a bit more difficult, as there were not always a lot of books to choose from. However, she did set up a system that if they were excelling they could get to a point where they could read what ever they wanted. My dd was one of 5 kids that made it to that goal. She was reading about 3 grade levels ahead.

Her goal for the year was 135 points. She earned the last couple points the last week of school. My husband had to really take an active roll in the whole program though. He would go to the school and get the list of tests for any given level. Then he would take the kids to the regional library to get books that the school didnt have, but had tests for.

 

[nana2tots]

My GD was an avid reader until they started that AR, and she hated it so much, that u can't hardly get her to pick up a book, when u are made to do it, it dosen't become as much fun, so i can say it really hurt her.Maybe she will get back into really enjoying thr Fun of reading, she is a 7th grader.

 

[Luv'sTink]

It is required in DS school. Last year the computers where down for approx. 3 weeks, plus his teacher was so disorganized that she forgot to give them time to take test. I also think that they books they read in school should be AR books if they are going to require AR test but they don't always read for AR.

 

[Zandy595]

I'm not fond of the program. DS10 used to love to read, but now it's a chore because of AR. They are required to pass (80% or higher) at least 4 AR tests per marking period or they aren't allowed to be on Honor Roll. DS reads almost 3 grade levels above his actual grade and it's very hard to find books that aren't too long. Also, his school doesn't give rewards/prizes for AR. Instead of getting rewarded for reaching a certain goal, they get punished if they don't.

 

[qtwns]

I don't like AR. DS10 doesn't like AR b/c it is just one more thing that puts on the pressure. He enjoys to read and reads well, but AR isn't for him. Last Christmas break we made a list of his favorite authors and book series and crossed referenced them to his Ar list and reading level. I then went on line and reserved a few books from the library to keep ahead of the game, and he was able to test for two as soon as school started back. I have to look for avenues to take the stress off him (not that AR is super stressful--it is that he beats himself up over it) DS7 will eat it up once he starts the program. My other DS7 doesn't understand why reading the cereal box doesn't count.

 

[spazzyjazzy]

My son had the AR program at his elementary school. We both loved it. There was a big selection of books that he enjoyed reading. He got to choose which one he read. The school he went to made a big deal about it and kept it up well. My son loves to read and still does.