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St. John the Evangelist School Accelerated Reader

ACCELERATED READER PROGRAM

St. John the Evangelist School utilizes Accelerated Reader (AR) software as part of our comprehensive reading program. AR is a learning information system that enables freestanding computer-assisted assessment of student comprehension.

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After reading a book, students take a multiple-choice quiz on the book's content and earn points based on the number of correct responses, the length of the book, and the readability level of the book. Individual classroom teachers and SJE's Reading Specialist then use data from the quizzes to monitor student performance, guide students to appropriate books, and target instruction. Student progress is also tracked via a special AR bulletin board outside the library; students receive N.U.T. cards each time they advance to a new certification level.

Teachers incorporate the AR program into their curriculum in different ways. The program is not designed to replace instructional materials, but rather support and enhance them. Students are encouraged to participate in AR in order to further practice and develop their reading skills.

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Parents can check their child's progress through a special web-based interface, Home Connect. By logging on from their home computer using specific user names and passwords provided by SJE, parents can:

  • Monitor progress toward reading goals;

  • Conduct book searches through AR BookFinder

  • Review AR quiz results

  • View the number of books read and quizzes passed

  • Sign up to receive an automatic email when a student takes a quiz (including the score)

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As always, parents are also welcome to contact individual teachers directly about their child's participation in the program. In general, students select their own books and read at their own pace. With over 120,000 quizzes available, including classics and contemporary literature, we have something for everyone. Even the reluctant reader!

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AR provides three important pieces of information about each book that can help guide students to titles that are right for them:

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  • Book Level: Represents the difficulty of the test.

  • Interest Level: Based on content - a book's themes and ideas - and indicates the general age group for which a book is most appropriate. Books fall into one of three interest levels.

LG - Lower Grades, K-3

MG - Middles Grades, 4-8

UG - Upper Grades, 9-12

  • Points: Assigned to each book based primarily on its length and difficulty.

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Selecting books that have Accelerated Reader quizzes is easy with the AR BookFinder search tool. With BookFinder, parents, guardians, and students can:

  • Search for books that have a corresponding AR quiz via any Internet enabled computer;

  • Search collections featuring award-winning titles, State Lists for all 50 states and Librarians' Picks;

  • Refine searches by author, reading level, point value, and topic; and,

  • See book details including book covers, summary information, page counts, and ISBN numbers.

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Please note, while SJE does utilize the web-based version of AR, students are able to take quizzes only during school hours on school computers.

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