Eight Best Practices
1. Class Scheduling: The first best practice is a reminder of our purpose as educators. We are tasked with teaching the provincial curriculum which is further broken down into subjects and time allocations. Although AR has its place in our schools, it is not curriculum and as such we need to be mindful of the minutes consumed by AR reading and quizzing. Regina Catholic Schools follows a balanced literacy scheduling model for ELA minutes (www.rcsd.ca/learn). If AR is used during instructional time, it is best scheduled within the Reader's Workshop blocked minutes which includes three components: direct instruction, independent reading/teacher conferencing, and sharing. The independent reading time may or may not be an AR book.
If AR is used during instructional time for grades 2 and up, it is best scheduled within the Reader's Workshop block that comprises the balanced literacy model for English Language Arts. The ELA consultant has provided a number of examples on her website that outline balanced literacy schedules which include time for Reading and Writing workshops, as well as direct instruction and independent reading and writing. Independent reading may or may not be an AR book. Similarly, centers may or may not include AR reading materials. 2. STAR and AR Diagnostic Information: STAR data is not placed in the student cumulative file. It is kept with the teacher. Following the STAR Reading test, you should generate the Screening, Progress Monitoring and Intervention Report and plan interventions accordingly. Students identified as requiring "intervention" and "urgent intervention" require more support than simply selecting another book to read independently and taking a quiz. These students require explicit instruction in order to acquire the reading strategies to make them successful independent readers. AR quiz data should also be reviewed regularly and acted upon. The classroom Diagnostic Reading Report should be viewed weekly. If there are anomalies--for example, a student has taken 20 quizzes and only passed 4--you should dig deeper by looking at the Student Record Report for that child and conference with them. 3. Posting Reading Results: There are a number of methods to keeping students tuned in to their reading progress. They could keep an individual reading log that includes their TOPS reports, they could login to AR and view their progress towards personal reading goals. You could create a visual display within you classroom that celebrates student achievement based on goals attainment. For points goals, divide a bulletin board into four sections: 25% of goal; 50% of goal; and so on. Both strong and struggling readers can experience success. |
If you do have a school-wide wall of reading fame, consider ways to keep the struggling reader from becoming discouraged and demotivated. Some schools display classroom results rather than individual student results.
4. Book Selection: Students should be encouraged to read for enjoyment whether the book has an AR quiz or not. The entire premise behind AR is that students are reading. What sets it apart is that students read within their own unique zone of proximal development (ZPD) which includes selections that are easier, slightly more difficult, and those that are "just right". Students should be encouraged to read throughout their ZPD and should not be locked into one book level or colour dot. Students may read below or above their ZPDs with monitoring, provided it is not a consistent habit. Teachers are attentive to both the interest level and book level of the books. The book level pertains to the difficulty of the text. The interest level is reflective of the themes and maturity level of the content. 5. AR and Guided Reading: Levelled guided reading books will no longer be labelled and dotted with AR information. These resources need to be available for instructional groupings and should not be removed for independent AR reading. 6. Celebrations: We all love a good celebration and there's nothing wrong with celebrating reading accomplishments as long as the following considerations are kept in mind. Extrinsic rewards should be kept on the smaller side. The criteria for receiving a reward dos not have to be tied to highest points. The reward could be given for attaining a personal goal, entering a reading contest, or for reaching a points milestone that might differ for emergent readers and established readers. 7. Family Literacy Evenings: Literacy-based reading events that bring parents and their children into our schools have been hugely successful. These events may be related to AR reading and quizzing or many consist of other activities. The organization and hosting of these events is a shared staff responsibility (not the sole responsibility of the teacher-librarian. 8. Shared Electronic Devices: In keeping with the curricular focus of education, electronic devices are to be used for curriculum related activities first. AR quizzing and STAR testing are secondary. |