Last year we introduced this individualised reading scheme in years 4, 5 and 6. This year we have rolled out the programme into years 2 and 3. The programme begins by using the STAR assessments to screen our children, which is repeated every half term. They act as a benchmark for us to allocate the children’s books and as a tool to measure progress. The checks and quizzes are computer-based and efficiently determine a child’s attainment level.
The STAR assessment assesses 41 skills in early literacy domains for emergent readers. They are completed without assistance from a teacher. It assesses attainment in reading and comprehension. STAR Reading provides nationally norm-referenced reading scores.
Children learn in different ways and at their own individual pace. ARs policy is designed around this premise, enabling us at Clarice Cliff to evaluate a child’s attainment and then tailor their learning programme accordingly. We make sure that every child can experience accelerated learning in an environment that is safe and non-threatening, fostering successful practice working towards learning objectives and longer-term goals.
The STAR assessment gives rise to the student’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which is the ideal range of text complexity for that student. Students achieve the most significant gains in reading skills when they read books that are neither so easy as to be unchallenging nor so hard as to be frustrating. AR Book Levels are determined with the ATOS readability formula, which measures the complexity of the text of an entire book.
After finishing a book, students take the online Reading Practice quiz (AR). These quizzes check that the student has understood the book and provides an opportunity to praise the student and give verbal or written feedback.
Each week Ms Elliott determines a Class League Table for the most successful quizzing class and determines the Quiz masters from Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. This is possible as Accelerated Reader allows teachers to monitor how many quizzes are taken and also how many words each student has read at any one given moment in the school year.
Accelerated Reader Club
As our children in year 2, 3 and 4 are new to Accelerated Reading we hold an after-school club each Monday run by Mrs Taylor, Key Stage One Lead and Ms Elliott, a specialist reading teacher. In the club the children read and take a quiz on their books.