Hi, Parents!  

This year, your child will be able to participate in our Accelerated Reader Program, commonly known as AR.  This is an exciting program and we have many fun activities, rewards, and incentives for your child to earn by meeting his/her reading goal.  Each quarter, if your child meets his/her goal, he/she will be invited to attend an AR Celebration!  Please read on to learn more about this fun program.  At JCPS, Little Canes are excited about reading!

What is AR?

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computer program that helps teachers manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Your child picks a book at his/her own level and reads it at his/her own pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.) Accelerated Reader gives children, teachers, and parents feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help your child set goals and direct ongoing reading practice.  Parents can sign up for emails to be alerted when your child completes a quiz.  Just use the Home Connect letter that was sent home with this letter.

Children using Accelerated Reader choose their own books to read, rather than having one assigned to them. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience as they can choose books that are interesting to them.

Teachers help your child choose books at an appropriate readability level that are challenging without being frustrating, ensuring that your child can pass the quiz and experience success.

How can I help my child become a better reader?

As with anything, performance improves with practice. Encourage your child to read at home. Create a culture of reading in your household by reading with your child, starting a home library, visiting your local library or bookstore on a regular basis, letting your child see you reading, and discussing books that each of you has read. When reading with your child, stop and ask questions to be sure your child is comprehending what is read. Reading with your child, no matter what the child’s age, is an important part of developing a good reader, building a lifelong love of reading and learning, and creating a loving relationship between you and your child. Make learning a family affair!

How will my child’s goal be determined?

Your child’s teacher will discuss goal setting individually with your child in order to create a personalized goal for each quarter.  Together, they will create a goal your child will be comfortable with and that will still be challenging.  Your child’s reading level is one part that will be considered when your child and the teacher meet to discuss goals.  

Why does my child need to take AR quizzes, and what are the quizzes like?

The purpose of these quizzes is to determine whether your child has read a book, to measure literal comprehension of the book, and to provide immediate feedback. Each Reading Practice Quiz consists of 3, 5, 10, or 20 multiple-choice questions depending on book level and length. 

How does my child get AR books?

There are over 200,000 quizzes available in AR, and this number is steadily increasing.  Almost any book will have an AR quiz available.  Many books your child’s teacher may have in her classroom library will be AR book.  Also, almost all books in our Media Center are AR books.  Do you have books your child reads at home?  Chances are, there are AR quizzes for these!  You can always check by visiting arbookfind.com and searching for the title of the book.  

Where does my child take quizzes?

Your child will be given opportunities to take AR quizzes in class.  Quizzes may not be taken from home at this time.  

What if my child wants to read a book outside his/her reading level?

This is not a bad idea at all, especially if your child is very interested in the subject of the book.  If the book is a higher level, be sure to read the book together!  Encourage your child to read and find books that interest him/her.  This builds reading skills and encourages reading at the same time!  We want reading to be fun, but we also want your child to develop reading stamina, so it is important to find the just-right books for independent reading.  If you are reading with your child, don’t be afraid to try harder books together!  After reading, be sure to ask your child questions about who the characters are, what happened, where it happened, and how the characters changed or responded to events.

We look forward to seeing your child in the Media Center, where adventure awaits!