•Individualized, differentiated reading monitoring system to take the place of “25 Books” for grades 3-5

•Based on approximate reading range and time spent reading daily in a given text.

•Students have individual point goals to strive for in a given time period i.e. monthly.

•Students take quizzes on books for accountability.

1st Step: Find Reading Range (ZPD)

1. Administer the STAR component during an initial lab time (approx. 20 min.).

2. Technology Facilitator prints out the ZPD for the teacher and/or can show the teacher how to access this if via computer. Star Reading ->Reports -> Summary

3. Teacher reviews this information and can adjust accordingly. (Doesn’t seem right? Too low?)

Sample ZPD Summary Report

2nd Step: Think…How much time does each student REALLY spend reading in the

SAME text at school and home regularly?

• How can I restructure literacy block to allow time for more reading on individual levels?– As part of centers– After mini-lesson with common text (Harcourt), students can

practice and apply reading skill/strategy to own text.

• Do I require reading for homework? – How is that monitored and managed?– How is that balanced with other subject areas?– What could be given up to allow more time for that?

3rd Step: Decide on Goals for Individual Students

reading range (ZPD) + time spent reading = POINT GOALS

Example 1: Reluctant ReaderBobby (ZPD 2.6 – 3.6) is pulled out for resource classes and doesn’t seem to have much time on a regular basis for SSR. He takes forever to get his math and spelling homework done which leaves little time for reading.

Example 2: Voracious ReaderSally (ZPD 3.4-5.4) loves to read and often will choose to read when she is done with her work. She has no trouble with homework and reads for pleasure nightly.

Example 3: Average ReaderConnor (ZPD 3.4-5.4) has time to read about 20 minutes in class and can read nightly at home if the teacher requires her to do so. She likes to read but doesn’t devour books.

4th Step: Enter the goals into the system for the given marking period –

1 month.1. AR-> Class Record Books ->Reading Practice Goals -> Select Marking Period -> Edit

Student Goals

2. Or ask your Technology Facilitator to do it for you until you are comfortable. Please don’t delay implementation of this because you don’t understand the system. She will scaffold for you.

5th Step: Teach the students the system with the help of support teachers.

• Librarian -> AR Book Finder• Tech. Facilitator -> How to log on to AR and take

quizzes.• Teacher-> Management

• Importance of book selection and reading in own range• Allowable times to take quizzes during the day

• In the morning?• After lunch?• During centers?• ????

• Getting books back and forth each day from school to home and back

6th Step: Monitor, Adjust, Communicate

• How are your students progressing?

• For the next month, who needs goals changed? Why?

• Who is having trouble selecting books? How can the librarian assist you and/or the student?

• Whose parents need to be contacted?

Considerations & Future Topics….

• Do you really know your students’ reading attitudes and habits in early September?

– Start them all with lowest “time spent reading”?

• How can you help students and parents monitor how much time is spent reading per night?

– Reading graph to log minutes read– Homework associated with skill/strategy i.e. character traits, point of

view, author’s purpose, etc.– Blogging assignments

• Motivation after the honeymoon period wears off

• Fair Grading – Just enough to make it count without a significant penalty.

AR will NOT:•Make certain that the students have books to read at their level – especially in the beginning.

•Monitor their comprehension while reading the book.

•Monitor whether or not they are currently reading the book.

•Help reluctant readers pace themselves (give timelines e.g. Read chapter 1 tonight….)

But you can help do those things.

Possible Ways to Get Students to HATE Reading and Fire Parents Up With the Help of AR:

•Require the students to read a certain number of books per month with a certain number of pages on grade level rather than on own independent level and take quizzes.

•Require students to pick from very narrow genre types without knowing if your school library has books spanning the levels.

•Don’t monitor their book selection and comprehension….just wait until they fail a quiz.

•Maintain the attitude that failure to choose appropriate books and failure to read/comprehend is ‘their problem’ and not yours.

•Come up with your own harsh grading standards.

Grading Do’s and Don’ts

DO: Here’s what AR says… DON’T

Give points for progress towards individual goal based on ZPD and time spent reading.

Award points toward achievement of a universal, rather than independent, goal.

Follow the percentage recommendation that will be discussed.

Follow the District’s traditional grading system:90-100 A; 80-89 B; Etc…

Enter a column in GradeQuick for 10 points a month or another value that is not going to “make or break” that student’s grade. In other words, consider its weight against the other scores.

Put the actual quiz scores in as grade.