Tips for Using Accelerated Reader in the Common Core Era

Transcription

1 Tips for Using Accelerated Reader in the Common Core Era 1

2 Make a seamless transition to the Common Core Over the last decade, a great focus of educational reform has been the creation and improvement of standards of learning. A key moment in this process was the 2010 publication of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Learning in Math and English Language Arts (ELA). The CCSS were developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). As an endorsing partner of the Common Core State Standards, and having followed this movement from its inception, Renaissance Learning is uniquely positioned to help your school or district with this important initiative. Key Key in ELA Standards 1 for Reading outline overarching goals of the standards. These key points align fectly to Accelerated Reader (AR). Have students read a diverse array of classic and contemporary literature as well as challenging informational texts in a range of subjects. Build a staircase of increasing complexity in what students must be able to read. Mandate certain critical types of content for all students, including classic myths and stories from around the world, foundational U.S. documents, seminal works of American literature, and the writings of Shakespeare. Specific and practical ways to use AR to support the CCSS ELA goals are outlined in the following pages. CCSS Mission Statement The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy

3 No other program has more positively impacted independent reading than AR. Accelerated Reader created by Renaissance Learning is the most widely used educational software in the world. AR s focus over the past 25 years substantially increasing students daily independent reading practice is echoed in the CCSS s call to markedly increase the opportunity for regular independent reading of texts that appeal to students interests to develop both their knowledge and joy in reading. AR s proven results in monitoring and managing guided independent reading practice make it ideal for helping students meet the goals of the Common Core. Read on to learn thirteen ways AR can help you meet the CCSS and make the most of your AR implementation. The demands of the CCSS can be met. Even better, they can be attained using AR the software you already know and love. Accelerated Reader Accelerated Is Supported Reader by 168 Is Supported Scientific Research by 168 Scientific Studies and Reviews* Research Studies and Reviews* The large evidence base supporting Accelerated Reader includes eximental and quasieximental research studies so you can be The large evidence base supporting Accelerated Reader includes eximental and quasi-eximental research studies generally considered by both the No Child Left Behind Act and the research community to provide the strongest evidence of effectiveness and to be consistent with the definition of scientifically based research and includes articles published in peer-reviewed journals. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH confident you are using a proven tool for increasing reading achievement and meeting the stringent demands of the CCSS. TYPE OF RESEARCH GOVERNMENT/ UNIVERSITY/ RESEARCH FIRM SCHOOL RENAISSANCE LEARNING INTERNAL RESEARCH TOTALS Eximental and Quasi-Eximental Correlational and Case Studies Product Foundation White Pas n/a n/a Reliability and Validity Assessment Research 1 n/a 1 2 Independent Reviews 22 n/a n/a 22 TOTALS Total Independent Research Studies = 143 Total Peer Reviewed Studies = 25 *As of December 2011 *As of December 2011 Accelerated Reader, Advanced Technology for Data-Driven Schools, Renaissance Learning, and the Renaissance Learning logo are trademarks of Renaissance Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries, registered, common law, or pending registration in the United States and other countries Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. R

4 Thirteen Ways to Use AR to Support the CCSS 1. Create a School Culture of Literacy Students exience success when they are engaged in reading activities. AR promotes that success by encouraging students to read books they choose within their target reading range (Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD) based on their reading ability. By engaging students in reading practice at their own level with books they re interested in, students become motivated to read more and to read increasingly complex texts as required by the Common Core. The CCSS have also set consistent standards regardless of where a child attends school. AR helps you set high standards for all students by providing benchmarks for how much students should be reading based on their reading level and the amount of in-class time dedicated to reading practice. And defined expectations make it easier for everyone students, teachers, parents, and the community to work together to create a school culture of literacy. The research is clear time spent reading books is time extremely well spent. A study of 174,000 students from 32 countries including the U.S. showed time spent reading books is the single best predictor of academic achievement, more highly correlated than even socioeconomic status or ethnicity. Reading Practice Boosts Performance and Closes Achievement Gaps Combined Reading Literacy Scores Low socioeconomic background Medium socioeconomic background High socioeconomic background Low Reading Practice Medium Reading Practice High Reading Practice Kirsch, I., de Jong, J., Lafontaine, D., McQueen, J., Mendelovits, J., & Monseur, C. (2002). Reading for change: Performance and engagement across countries. Paris: Organization for Economic Co-oation and Development (OECD). 4

5 2. Consider Text Complexity The Common Core State Standards Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards places a heavy emphasis on the importance of text complexity. The Standards define a three-part model, each with equal importance, for determining how easy or difficult a particular text is to read. These three-parts are outlined below. One of the key requirements of the Common Core State Standards for Reading is that all students must be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. CCSS Appendix A Qualitative dimensions of text complexity those aspects best measured by an attentive human reader, such as meaning or purpose; structure; language conventionality and clarity; and knowledge demands. In AR, every text is given an interest level that is based on content the book s themes and ideas and indicates Qualitative for which age group a book is appropriate. Quantitative dimensions of text complexity those aspects typically measured by computer software, including word length or frequency, sentence length, and text cohesion. AR uses the ATOS readability formula as its quantitative measure. ATOS levels are based on a book s average sentence length, average word length, vocabulary grade level, and the number of words in a book. Quantitative The ATOS level is provided as a user-friendly grade level score and is recognized as a reliable measure of text complexity. Reader and Task Reader and task considerations those aspects including variables specific to particular readers (motivation, knowledge, and exiences) and to particular tasks (purpose and the complexity of the task assigned and the questions posed). These must be considered when determining whether a text is appropriate for a given student and assessments are best made by teachers using professional judgment and knowledge of their students and the subject. AR BookFinder, a free web-based tool, provides ATOS book level, interest level, and fiction/nonfiction information on over 145,000 books to help efficiently match books to students. 5

6 3. Dedicate Time for Differentiated Reading Practice It s important to dedicate in-class time for guided independent reading practice. During that time, reading practice should be differentiated with students reading at their own independent reading levels and building to increasingly difficult texts as required by the CCSS. AR s goal-setting chart provides a concrete benchmark for how much students should be reading based on their reading level and the amount of in-class time dedicated to reading practice. With over 145,000 titles with quizzes, AR has a wide variety of choices for every reader, every interest, and every level, making it easy to differentiate reading practice. Although numerous factors likely contribute to the decline in reading, it is reasonable to conclude from the evidence presented that the deterioration in overall ability, abetted by a decline in K-12 text complexity and a lack of focus on independent reading of complex texts, is a contributing factor. CCSS Appendix A AR Goal-Setting Chart Grade- Equivalent Score Suggested ZPD 60 Min. Daily Practice 35 Min. Daily Practice 30 Min. Daily Practice 20 Min. Daily Practice Week 6 Weeks 9 Weeks Week 6 Weeks 9 Weeks Week 6 Weeks 9 Weeks Week 6 Weeks Emergent Reader Weeks Reproducible Form 2011 Renaissance Learning, Inc. 6

7 4. Incorporate ZPDs to Build Capacity as Independent Readers In AR, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) represents the reading range at which a student will be challenged without being frustrated. It s important for students to read throughout the full range of the ZPD and to read increasingly complex texts as their reading confidence, success, and skills increase. The key to student success is high volumes of high-quality independent reading practice. The chart below displays recommended ZPD ranges for independent reading practice for a student reading at each grade level. Each student s unique reading level should be considered when establishing a student s ZPD. You ll notice that the ZPD gets broader as a student gets older. This is because when students read independently, they are unlikely to read texts written only at the highest level because 1) few books are written at that level, and 2) those at that level are often materials such as textbooks and manuals. Most contemporary literature is written at around a sixth-grade level. Suggested ZPD Based on Grade Equivalent Score Grade Equivalent Score* Suggested ZPD * These recommendations are for a student forming at grade level. Each student s unique reading level should be considered when setting a student s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). ZPD is the range in which students should read to be challenged without being frustrated. 7

8 TIPS FOR USING AR WITH CCSS 5. Use Text Complexity Grade Bands to Guide Instruction The CCSS call for all students to read increasingly difficult text as specified by their grade (see chart on next page). However, the intent is for this to be an end-of-year goal not a guideline for daily practice. So, not all reading needs to be done at such demanding levels. To provide guidance on these rigorous requirements for instructional reading practice, Renaissance Learning ran a sample of 959 text passages, each identified for a particular grade level, through our ATOS analyzer. This sample 8 included passages from state tests, college and career texts, Gates McGinitie, NAEP, and the CCSS exemplar texts. We then identified the 25th and 75th centile as the up and lower range for each grade band to arrive at new ATOS ranges aligned to college and career expectations. These new ranges demonstrate the level of text complexity needed throughout schooling in order for students to be college and career ready by the end of high school. A study by Student Achievement Partners, and funded by the Gates Foundation, titled Measures of Text Difficulty: Testing their Predictive Value for Grade Levels and Student Performance validated these ranges.

9 These ranges provide guidance on materials appropriate for instructional use with students in each grade band and are not based on a student s individual reading level. They include challenging levels of text complexity that will be too difficult for many students to read independently. However, students whose reading ability is not within the ranges can still benefit from exposure and close, repeated reading of more complex text during instructional iods when scaffolding, coaching, and discussion are available. The type of reading done during instruction is often referred to as read with because students are reading with the teacher during instruction. This type of reading can be easily monitored in AR through the TWI (Read To, Read With, and Read Independently) preference and the TWI Report. A study by Student Achievement Partners, and funded by the Gates Foundation, titled Measures of Text Difficulty: Testing their Predictive Value for Grade Levels and Student Performance, confirmed that ATOS is a reliable measure of text complexity. (See textcomplexity for more information.) ATOS Ranges Aligned to Common Core Reading (CCR) Expectations by Grade Level Text Complexity by Grade as Required in the Standards ATOS Ranges Aligned to CCR Expectations

10 6. Set Goals and Monitor Progress In order to meet grade-level standards, many students need to get up to grade level, while others already have advanced reading skills and need additional challenges. Setting appropriate, sonalized AR goals based on each student s reading ability is a key tenet of AR. When goals are attainable and appropriate, students exience success and build confidence. That success not only builds their reading skills, but it motivates students to read increasingly complex texts, as required by the Common Core. Students advancing through the grades are expected to meet each year s grade-specific standards and retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. CCSS 10

11 AR allows you to set three individualized goals for each student: quantity (point goal), quality (average cent correct) and difficulty (ATOS book level). AR reports and the Renaissance Place Dashboard make it easy for you to monitor progress toward those goals. The Diagnostic Report helps monitor progress on overall comprehension of authentic literature, including the cent of fiction being read, as well as the quality, quantity, and difficulty of students daily reading practice. Quality Quantity Type of Reading Difficulty 11

12 TIPS FOR USING AR WITH CCSS 7. Use Reader Certification to Motivate and Challenge Each Student Reader certification is a motivational system embedded in AR software. Students certify at different levels by meeting specific requirements related to the quantity, quality, and difficulty of their reading practice. Each level represents a significant stage in a student s reading development. Certification goals help students with transitions including moving from picture books to chapter books and encourage them to broaden their reading exiences. Honors Reader certification is a way for you to broaden and deepen independent reading practice. To become an Honors Reader, students must earn 100 points by passing quizzes on books chosen from a list that you provide. A student can be reading at any level and does not have to have achieved previous certifications before certifying as an Honors Reader. 12 The CCSS Appendix B includes examples of exemplar texts which, serve to exemplify the level of complexity and quality that the Standards require all students in a given grade band to engage with. Additionally, they are suggestive of the breadth of texts that students should encounter in the text types required by the Standards. The choices should serve as useful guideposts in helping educators select texts of similar complexity, quality, and range for their own classrooms. They expressly do not represent a partial or complete reading list.

13 Honors Reader certification can be used with the Common Core exemplar texts as nearly half of the exemplar texts cited have AR Quizzes available. Many of the remaining texts do not lend themselves to AR Reading Practice Quizzes; for example poetry, speech excerpts, and complex informational texts do not meet our stringent quiz criteria. To search for CCSS Exemplar Texts, go to Advanced Search, Additional Criteria, CCSS Appendix B Titles, and select the appropriate grade band. Exemplar Texts with AR Quizzes can easily be found in the Advanced Search tab. 13

14 8. Build Vocabulary through Vocabulary Practice Quizzes The best way to expand a student s vocabulary is through reading. AR includes Vocabulary Practice Quizzes for over 10,000 titles. These quizzes reinforce vocabulary acquisition, assist with individualizing vocabulary instruction, and generate student interest in words through authentic, in-context literature exiences. Vocabulary words are identified by finding words that are at or above the average reading level of the text, appear in the book at least twice, are significant to the book s meaning, and are interesting or useful in everyday conversation. Many of the words selected for Vocabulary Practice Quizzes fall into the category of academic vocabulary or tier 2 words words that go beyond high-frequency words but are not considered content-area words. Quizzes include 5, 10, or 15 words from a particular book as well as review words from previously read books. When a student has chosen a book to read, the teacher, librarian, or student prints a vocabulary list for the book. This can be printed on pa or as a label to affix to a bookmark or the inside cover of the book. Students review the words before reading and then encounter them in context while reading. Once a book has been read, students review their vocabulary list, take and pass a Reading Practice Quiz, and then take the corresponding Vocabulary Practice Quiz. Vocabulary Practice Quizzes scaffold vocabulary development with a built-in review system. Accelerated Reader generates reports on each student s continuing vocabulary development. Most word learning occurs indirectly and unconsciously through normal reading, writing, listening, and speaking. CCSS Appendix A 14

15 9. Employ Read Alouds Many teachers employ read alouds for primary students as a way to model fluent reading, engage students in reading, and model strategies. Read alouds are also often used with older students during instruction for the same reason. To support this type of reading practice, AR software includes a TWI (Read To, Read With, and Read Independently) preference that allows students to select how they read a book. Teachers can run a TWI Report to monitor all types of reading practice. In addition, Recorded Voice Quizzes read the question-and-answer choices to a student who has listened to a book read aloud. It is particularly important that students in the earliest grades build knowledge through being read to as well as through reading, with the balance gradually shifting to reading independently. By reading a story or nonfiction selection aloud, teachers allow children to exience written language without the burden of decoding, granting them access to content that they may not be able to read and understand by themselves. CCSS Appendix A School: East Elementary School TWI Report Printed Friday, February 24, :44:52 AM 1 of 47 Report Options Reporting Parameter Group: All Demographics [Default] Group By: Class Filter Student Quizzes: No Reporting Period: 8/1/2011-2/24/2012 ( to today) Adams, Hannah Class: Keyboarding, Hour 1 Teacher: Davis, K. Avg. % Correct % Avg. ATOS BL Passed/Taken Total Quizzes Passed/Taken: 154/157 ( 98%) Read To Read With Read Independently Fiction Nonfiction Overall Fiction Nonfiction Overall Fiction Nonfiction Overall /12-12/ /141 4/4 142/145 Bell, Tristan Class: Keyboarding, Hour 1 Teacher: Davis, K. Avg. % Correct % Avg. ATOS BL Passed/Taken Total Quizzes Passed/Taken: 66/70 ( 94%) Read To Read With Read Independently Fiction Nonfiction Overall Fiction Nonfiction Overall Fiction Nonfiction Overall /3-2/3 23/24 2/2 25/26 30/32 9/9 39/41 Carothers, Andrew Class: Keyboarding, Hour 1 Teacher: Davis, K. Avg. % Correct % Avg. ATOS BL Passed/Taken Total Quizzes Passed/Taken: 59/59 (100%) Read To Read With Read Independently Fiction Nonfiction Overall Fiction Nonfiction Overall Fiction Nonfiction Overall /5-5/ /54-54/54 15

16 10. Increase Exposure to Expository Text The Common Core calls for students to read much more nonfiction, and the 66,000 nonfiction titles within the 145,000+ AR Quiz collection are a valuable resource for accomplishing this goal. This wide range of informational texts makes it easy for reading teachers, as well as content-area specialists, to incorporate nonfiction reading practice into the curriculum. AR BookFinder is a great tool for searching for nonfiction titles and includes the ability to Refine Your Search making it easy to help you find the right book(s) for each student. Listed below are the top 3 nonfiction titles read in each grade, according to our hosted database, during the school year. Most Read Nonfiction Books by Grade Grade 1 2 Title, Author (ATOS Book Level, Interest Level) Me on the Map, Joan Sweeney (1.8, LG) From Head to Toe, Eric Carle (1, LG) Red-Eyed Tree Frog, Joy Cowley (1.3, LG) The Tiny Seed, Eric Carle (2.7, LG) Tara and Tiree, Fearless Friends, Andrew Clements (2, LG) Lemonade for Sale, Stuart J. Murphy (2.8, LG) Penguin Chick, Betty Tatham (3.4, LG) 3 If You Made a Million, David M. Schwartz (4.1, LG) America's Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle, David A. Adler (4.4, LG) My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Christine King Farris (5, LG) Finding the Titanic, Robert D. Ballard (4, LG) Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man, David A. Adler (4.6, LG) The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: How Greg Heffley Went Hollywood, Jeff Kinney (6.5, MG) And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?, Jean Fritz (5.3, MG) Sadako and the Thousand Pa Cranes, Eleanor Coerr (4.1, MG) The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: How Greg Heffley Went Hollywood, Jeff Kinney (6.5, MG) A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) Sadako and the Thousand Pa Cranes, Eleanor Coerr (4.1, MG) A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family, Dave Pelzer (5.1, UG) The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: How Greg Heffley Went Hollywood, Jeff Kinney (6.5, MG) Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family, Dave Pelzer (5.1, UG) Night, Elie Wiesel (4.8, UG) A Child Called "It", Dave Pelzer (5.8, UG) The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family, Dave Pelzer (5.1, UG) To learn more about what kids are reading, visit for the complete report. 16

17 11. Assess Comprehension While challenging students to read complex texts is important, it s even more important that students are able to comprehend the increasingly difficult text. AR Quizzes are an efficient method for determining if students understand what they are reading. AR also provides an easy way for educators to monitor and manage what students are reading, text complexity, and the amount they are reading. Because AR includes over 145,000 quizzes on both fiction and nonfiction titles ranging from the most basic text for emerging readers to the most complex texts for high schools it is the fect tool to support Common Core implementations. Accelerated Reader also includes Other Reading (Textbook) Quizzes that work with textbooks from major publishers. These quizzes help educators check students understanding of the material covered during instruction. In a 2006 study by ACT, and cited in CCSS Appendix A, titled Reading between the lines: What the ACT reveals about college readiness in reading, study results indicated that literal comprehension is highly correlated to inferential comprehension. As seen in the chart below, At each score point, the centages of literal and inferential comprehension questions answered correctly are virtually identical. What s more, both above and below the Benchmark, improvement in formance on each of the two levels is uniform and gradual that is, as formance on one level increases, so does formance on the other, and to almost exactly the same degree. 2 Use Reading Practice Quizzes to know if your students understand what they are reading. The CCSS include College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards. These Standards cross all grade levels and as students get older, the texts they read should become increasingly more difficult. Anchor Standard 10 is particularly relevant to AR, Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. CCSS Appendix A Performance on the ACT Reading Test by Comprehension Level 2 ACT, Inc. (2006). Reading between the lines: What the ACT reveals about college readiness in reading. Iowa City, IA: Author. Retrieved from 17

18 12. Monitor Progress with AR Data The only way teachers can ensure their students read increasingly complex texts with increasing independence is through a continual flow of information on how well students are comprehending what they read. AR Quizzes provide ongoing information through reports and the Renaissance Place Dashboard. 3/15/2011 Student Record Report Printed Thursday, November 4, :29:12 AM 1 of 1 School: Pine Hill Middle School Reporting Period: 09/01/ /03/2010 (1st Quarter) Johnson, Tim Grade: 7 Class: 7th Hour Reading ID: TJOHNS Teacher: Jones, K. Reading Practice English Literary & Informational Texts Quiz Information Questions Date Number Lang. Title F/NF TWI Corr. Poss. % Earned Poss. ATOS BL 09/09/ EN Diary of a Wimpy Kid F I 10/01/ EN Where the Red Fern Grows F I /07/ EN Camp Wild 5.2 F I Comprehension 10/22/ EN Holes F I /02/ EN Hatchet F I Quizzes Passed/Taken: 5/ a Vocabulary Practice Quiz Information First-Try New Second-Try New Review Words Date Number Lang. Title Corr. Poss. % Corr. Poss % Corr. Poss. % ATOS BL 10/01/ EN Where the Red Fern Grows /25/ EN Holes /03/ EN Hatchet Quizzes Taken: a Literacy Skills Quiz Information Questions Date Number Lang. Title F/NF Corr. Poss. % Corr. ATOS BL Text Complexity 10/06/ EN Where the Red Fern Grows F /26/ EN Holes F Quizzes Passed/Taken: 2/ a 18

19 TIPS FOR USING AR WITH CCSS 13. Share the Data The CCSS were developed with input from many groups, including parents. Parents play a critical role in their child s education and AR makes it easy to involve parents with Renaissance Home Connect. Renaissance Home Connect allows parents to see their child s quiz results, progress toward goals, vocabulary development, and help them search for their next book. The AR widget allows schools to share school reading totals with the community on their school website helping to build a culture of reading throughout the community. Parents can sign up to receive their child s quiz results via . Parents can log in to view their child s progress toward goals. Widgets are a fun way to generate community excitement for reading. 19

20 About Renaissance Learning Renaissance Learning, Inc. is a leading provider of technology-based school improvement and student assessment programs for K12 schools. Renaissance Learning s tools provide daily formative assessment and iodic progress-monitoring technology to enhance core curriculum, support differentiated instruction, and sonalize practice in reading, writing and math. Renaissance Learning products help educators make the practice component of their existing curriculum more effective by providing tools to sonalize practice and easily manage the daily activities for students of all levels. As a result, teachers using Renaissance Learning products accelerate learning, get more satisfaction from teaching, and help students achieve higher test scores on state and national tests. Renaissance Learning P.O. Box 8036 Wisconsin Rapids, WI (800) Find us on Facebook! Accelerated Reader, AR, AR BookFinder, ATOS, Renaissance Home Connect, Renaissance Place, and Renaissance Learning are trademarks of Renaissance Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries, registered, common law, or pending registration in the United States and other countries Renaissance Learning, Inc. L LG.2.5M R54855