huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,271
Jun 25, 2014 20:22:13 GMT
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Post by huskergal on Aug 27, 2014 1:41:26 GMT
Our school district does the AR reading program. I have never liked it. It does not encourage children to read. It doesn't make them want to read. It forces them to read. My son is in 7th grade, and he brought home the AR policy. I completely disagree with the policy on AR Tests:
1. Students can only take an AR test once. 2. If a student fails an AR test, they may turn in a summary for half credit. The length will be based on the length of the novel. 200 pages: 1 typed page 300-400 pages: 2 typed pages 500-600 pages: 3 typed pages
I think it is ridiculous. One time taking the test and only half credit for a summary. I am not worried about my son as he has always done well with the AR tests, but some students struggle with reading and comprehension. I thought the point was to get children to want to read.
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sweetpeasmom
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Posts: 2,654
Jun 27, 2014 14:04:01 GMT
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Aug 27, 2014 1:48:34 GMT
I think it depends on your school system. Our's isn't like that. Yes, they can only take the test once. If they fail it, they fail it. They just don't get the points for it.
I like the way our school does it. The students aren't forced to take the tests. They get their points if they do. Then once a month or so they have an AR celebration to recognize different point levels. I like that it helps the teachers guage the children's reading activity and levels (obviously they use more than that). It has been a great motivator for my kids personally.
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Post by lesleyanne on Aug 27, 2014 1:48:41 GMT
Well, that flies in the face of all current educational research that says students perform best and learn best long-term when allowed multiple opportunities and muliple ways to show what they know and can do. I'm sorry.
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Post by 950nancy on Aug 27, 2014 1:50:38 GMT
We have a reading basal that is so dry and politically correct I want to scream. We are supposed to teach it for 90 minutes a day every day. It is one story per week. I teach it for 45 minutes one day and then teach novels to the kids. We do not take AR tests. We did those some years back. Kids didn't like them either. Lots of random questions that do not promote the love and understanding of reading and its concepts.
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AmeliaBloomer
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Posts: 6,842
Location: USA
Jun 26, 2014 5:01:45 GMT
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Aug 27, 2014 2:08:44 GMT
... Lots of random questions that do not promote the love and understanding of reading and its concepts. Yep, it measures literal comprehension and memory for detail - sometimes pretty obscure detail. It CAN be motivating for some students. For others, especially those with poor memories, it can be discouraging. And what's the point of limiting test attempts to one? There would be something to be gained from taking the test again with the book at hand, to practice how to locate information in text (a real life skill).
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Post by heather on Aug 27, 2014 2:08:48 GMT
AR killed my son's love of reading. He had to read so much in such little time. He always did well, but it didn't leave him time to read what he wanted to read.
Thankfully, AR doesn't go past elementary grades here.
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moodyblue
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Location: Western Illinois
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Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Aug 27, 2014 2:10:34 GMT
Reading Specialist here, and I have always disliked AR. That policy makes me cringe. Way to kill any joy in reading.
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Post by 950nancy on Aug 27, 2014 2:16:40 GMT
This year our kids have time to independently write quite a bit. When I went over the expectations of what they are to be doing it involved starting a piece and finishing a piece. Any type of writing that they wouldn't mind reading to their grandma would be fine with me. (Gotta keep it clean. They are 10.) When they finished a piece they were to begin another piece of entirely their choice. They have other writing assignments from me in small group. They were shocked and bewildered. They could write about video games? Yes. They could write fairy tales? Yes. It went on and on. The kids are writing like crazy because I am not giving them topics they don't want to write about in their time. I have to admit I loved it. Who in the heck wants to pull a noun and a verb out of a bag and write about it? I know I would not.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 11, 2024 4:30:00 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2014 2:20:59 GMT
Another parent who hates the AR program and believes it does not instill any kind of love or appreciation for reading.
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Post by 950nancy on Aug 27, 2014 2:32:01 GMT
Another parent who hates the AR program and believes it does not instill any kind of love or appreciation for reading. It is easy to monitor. The actual quality of the program isn't important.
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Post by SabrinaM on Aug 27, 2014 3:35:40 GMT
I feel your pain!!
I hate AR and happily contributed to its demise at our school in NC 3 years ago when we adopted Common Core. The PTA of which I was a board member funded the program. The PTA board (through lots of research) decided against funding it. It doesn't support higher level thinking and tended to be a source of frustration for the same students without actually strengthening fluency.
We have moved over the Summer to Louisiana and while we *LOVE* the girls' schools I'm not a fan of their AR worship, for lack of a better word. It seems to be a key focus in the curriculum to the point that some find it to be a "selling point" of sorts worth pushing at Open House/Meet the Teacher etc. "Welcome! Well, we do AR here! Blah blah blah..."
Both my girls are very high level readers. So, while I'm not concerned at all about them meeting their "goals" I'm more bothered by the fact that we're off track on how to better educate students in becoming fluent readers.
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Post by Basket1lady on Aug 27, 2014 3:48:09 GMT
I'm not a fan, either. I helped the kindergarteners test, as they couldn't read the questions yet. I found the tests would ask crazy questions that I couldn't answer for picture books I had read dozens of times.
What I found really questionable is that they are asking a student who failed a test to write a 3 PAGE paper. 7th graders are working on expanding their writing to two pages. I don't see a struggling reader writing a 3 page paper, much less doing it well. Those kids are just going to take the fail.
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 27, 2014 4:34:55 GMT
I'm not a fan, either. I helped the kindergarteners test, as they couldn't read the questions yet. I found the tests would ask crazy questions that I couldn't answer for picture books I had read dozens of times. What I found really questionable is that they are asking a student who failed a test to write a 3 PAGE paper. 7th graders are working on expanding their writing to two pages. I don't see a struggling reader writing a 3 page paper, much less doing it well. Those kids are just going to take the fail. agreed, especially if they aren't taking the time to teach them what to write, and I am sure they aren't. I'm not sure I could fill three typed pages on a book I loved and I am a good writer and bull shitter
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Jili
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SLPea
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Jun 26, 2014 1:26:48 GMT
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Post by Jili on Aug 27, 2014 4:52:06 GMT
... Lots of random questions that do not promote the love and understanding of reading and its concepts. Yep, it measures literal comprehension and memory for detail - sometimes pretty obscure detail. It CAN be motivating for some students. For others, especially those with poor memories, it can be discouraging. And what's the point of limiting test attempts to one? There would be something to be gained from taking the test again with the book at hand, to practice how to locate information in text (a real life skill). Our elementary school uses Reading Counts, which is similar to AR. I absolutely despised it for so many reasons. I don't have the patience to type them out on my phone. I'll just give a few examples. My older dd failed a test on Ramona and Her Mother because she missed a question asking what flavor yogurt Ramona and Beezus used to make their chicken dinner. WTF? Both of my girls became experts at choosing books from the school library by searching for the correct numbers on the spines. I hated that. My older dd (as a third grader, I believe) was told that one book in the Amber Brown series wasn't an acceptable choice because the lexile was too low, yet other books in the series were just fine. Her teachers were good ones, but they had to stick to the program. Most of them hated it, too.
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Post by ntsf on Aug 27, 2014 6:31:28 GMT
yeah...another hater of AR...my girls were high readers...so they just picked books they already had read. it was total waste of time.
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tuesdaysgone
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Posts: 4,832
Jun 26, 2014 18:26:03 GMT
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Aug 27, 2014 10:39:44 GMT
Elementary school media specialist here: I dislike AR as well for many of the reasons listed here. We do use it at my school but I administer the program VERY differently from the way it comes packaged from the company. I work with teachers to set reading goals for their kids. We set new goals every 9 weeks. We do not use points at all!! Our students read different genres and have a lot of free choice. They can read any level of book that interests them. Once I made these changes (and more), I saw a huge difference in the way both parents and students responded to the program. The program can work if you make it work for your students. Motivation is a huge part of reading and the only thing that will keep kids reading. I also do a lot of reading promotions that keep kids coming thru my doors and reading. The only way I've been able to live with the program is to tweak it to fit the needs of my students.
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Post by Merge on Aug 27, 2014 10:51:22 GMT
Well, that flies in the face of all current educational research that says students perform best and learn best long-term when allowed multiple opportunities and muliple ways to show what they know and can do. I'm sorry. A lot of what we do at school these days flies in the face of sound educational research and practice.
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Country Ham
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Posts: 3,314
Jun 25, 2014 19:32:08 GMT
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Post by Country Ham on Aug 27, 2014 11:21:20 GMT
I must have the only kids that love the AR program. It hasn't stopped their love of reading at all. Plus unlike many schools in neighboring counties ours doesn't offer a reward program either. Why can't they read what they like? It seems like every book I can think of in our school and town's library are on the AR list.
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Post by utmr on Aug 27, 2014 11:31:23 GMT
Another AR hater here. It just reinforced to my reluctant reader that reading is a chore, something unpleasant to plow through and be best up over (not enough points, etc).
When he brought home a "big" book - lots of chapters, meaty, age appripriate - he loved it. He was so excited and really enjoyed the book. Then he failed the test. "Mom I really knew that book. I thought I would get 90 or 100 for sure. I don't know ehat happened." He was crushed and we were back to reading Magic Tree House books at 2 points each for quite a while. They were too easy but they were safe.
His sister used to get all the points the first few days of each grading period. I asked how - "oh it's easy. Just guess. Look at the question and pick the answer that makes the least sense. If the question is what color the dog is, and the choices are brown, black and pink, pick pink,". I don't think she read most of the books she tested on.
The kids are learning something, but I don't think it's the right thing.
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Post by brina on Aug 27, 2014 12:23:13 GMT
We have never had the program, but my kids are jealous of those who do. My boys love to read and when they hear about points and prizes they were practically salivating. Grass is always greener, eh?
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Post by anxiousmom on Aug 27, 2014 13:02:13 GMT
Thanks to the AR program at my son's elementary school, I have a kid who HATES to read. My personal opinion on the program is that it takes a reluctant reader and turns reading into a chore rather than a pleasure.
I am glad to see other people don't like it either. Every other time the topic comes up, the AR lovers give me a hard time and more than once it was suggested that it was MY fault that my son didn't like to read. Never mind that I am voracious reader who started reading to her children as infants, or the fact that my older son was beyond grade level reader from the beginning. Drives me nuts.
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Post by hollymolly on Aug 27, 2014 13:39:44 GMT
I live in Arkansas, so I keep seeing this thread and wondering what you have against my state.
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oaksong
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Location: LA Suburbia
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Jun 27, 2014 6:24:29 GMT
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Post by oaksong on Aug 28, 2014 2:03:14 GMT
Another AR hater here (the reading program, not the state. Each year, my kids found it very frustrating to have to start at a level that was below where they were already reading, and to have to re-read books. DS eventually refused, but it was too late to renew his love of reading. I finally told DD she didn't have to do it and worked something else out with the teacher. Her 4th grade class had a huge cheating scandal. Some kids were logging in and taking each others tests! After that, the school realized it wasn't working and they made it completely optional.
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raindancer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,095
Jun 26, 2014 20:10:29 GMT
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Post by raindancer on Aug 28, 2014 3:26:34 GMT
Our school district does the AR reading program. I have never liked it. It does not encourage children to read. It doesn't make them want to read. It forces them to read. My son is in 7th grade, and he brought home the AR policy. I completely disagree with the policy on AR Tests: 1. Students can only take an AR test once. 2. If a student fails an AR test, they may turn in a summary for half credit. The length will be based on the length of the novel. 200 pages: 1 typed page 300-400 pages: 2 typed pages 500-600 pages: 3 typed pages I think it is ridiculous. One time taking the test and only half credit for a summary. I am not worried about my son as he has always done well with the AR tests, but some students struggle with reading and comprehension. I thought the point was to get children to want to read. I thought it was to keep them within range of their ability for reading and comprehension, and I have always liked the program and I feel it really helped both of my kids develop better comprehension skills. That said, ours stops at middle school, so I'm not sure that in this incarnation I would be very happy with it.
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 28, 2014 3:28:33 GMT
Well, that flies in the face of all current educational research that says students perform best and learn best long-term when allowed multiple opportunities and muliple ways to show what they know and can do. I'm sorry. A lot of what we do at school these days flies in the face of sound educational research and practice. Ah but somewhere, 50 kids did well with this exact wording and movement, so it is now research based and must be used.
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Post by smokey2471 on Aug 28, 2014 4:43:35 GMT
We do AR too. I have one kid that loves it. I have one who things if is a chore.
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Post by fotos4u2 on Aug 29, 2014 2:08:10 GMT
Our school district does the AR reading program. I have never liked it. It does not encourage children to read. It doesn't make them want to read. It forces them to read. My son is in 7th grade, and he brought home the AR policy. I completely disagree with the policy on AR Tests: 1. Students can only take an AR test once. 2. If a student fails an AR test, they may turn in a summary for half credit. The length will be based on the length of the novel. 200 pages: 1 typed page 300-400 pages: 2 typed pages 500-600 pages: 3 typed pages I think it is ridiculous. One time taking the test and only half credit for a summary. I am not worried about my son as he has always done well with the AR tests, but some students struggle with reading and comprehension. I thought the point was to get children to want to read. I actually prefer this to how my younger dd's class did it last year (in 7th grade). They were required to get 25 points a quarter. They could take the test once, if they passed (ie 50% or more) they got whatever the points, but if they failed they received 0 points and needed to read something else. Dd is a good reader, however she is not a FAST reader--and isn't a big fan either--so it was always a bit stressful at quarter end. This year is slightly better. Still need 25 points per quarter. If they get 80% or better they get ALL the points. If they pass they get whatever points it gives. If they fail they can write an essay about the book for the points instead. I'm thankful AR ends in the junior high.
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Post by creative*moma on Aug 29, 2014 3:19:26 GMT
I also hate it. Because of it, its a fight to get him to read, besides a very few select books we've found he enjoys, but it doesn't give him anywhere near the points he needs to have per quarter and he isn't great at those tests, so that hurts his confidence. I've spent many hours searching for like books so he could reach those goals, but he ended up giving up. It has killed my son's want/joy to read. I sure hope they aren't in the Jr High.
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Post by creative*moma on Aug 29, 2014 3:27:34 GMT
I actually prefer this to how my younger dd's class did it last year (in 7th grade). They were required to get 25 points a quarter. They could take the test once, if they passed (ie 50% or more) they got whatever the points, but if they failed they received 0 points and needed to read something else. Dd is a good reader, however she is not a FAST reader--and isn't a big fan either--so it was always a bit stressful at quarter end. This year is slightly better. Still need 25 points per quarter. If they get 80% or better they get ALL the points. If they pass they get whatever points it gives. If they fail they can write an essay about the book for the points instead. I'm thankful AR ends in the junior high. The first part is how its done here, and he isn't a fast reader either. He was required to read a book over the summer, which he did, and we talked about it, reviewed it... Then he had to take an AR on it and he got a 50%, so it was zero points for him and he had an F as his first reading test He has had some one- on-one help with reading in the past and that teacher said that his answers were close. :/
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Post by hennybutton on Aug 29, 2014 3:31:48 GMT
I actually liked AR when my son, who's now in his first year of college, was in grade school. But, his school used it quite differently than the way you guys are talking about. At his school, it was extra credit, not required. To him, it was a game. He liked to beat his score. It gave us and his teachers a way of measuring his reading level and comprehension. His school only used it a couple of years, but those were the years he did the most reading with the least coercion.
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