Q: How many Sessions can be completed in one (1) day? A: Student's can complete two (2) sessions each day

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1 Q: How do I log into Reading Plus from home? A: Web Address: Readingplus.com/users Site code: Bridgemid - Choose student's class in drop down menu - Choose student name in drop down menu - Type in Student ID # for the password. Q: Why do I get a blank screen after I ve logging into Reading Plus at home? A: Possible reason #1) The Pop Up Blocker needs to be disabled (turned off) to open the lessons. Possible reason #2) A software program may need to be installed or updated on your computer. Choose the Requirement Check below student login on the green Reading Plus homepage. The program will run a diagnostic assessment on your computer and give a link to a software program that needs to be installed. Download the software right through Reading Plus. There is not a risk of a virus if the software is loaded through Reading Plus. If you are still experiencing problems, click the Need Help? link at the bottom of the green Reading Plus homepage to Contact the Reading Plus Technology Support Team. Your teacher at school is not able to help with your home computer needs. Q: I am experiencing difficulty with Reading Plus on my home computer? A: Click the Need Help? link at the bottom of the green Reading Plus homepage to Contact the Reading Plus Technology Support Team. Your teacher at school is not able to help with your home computer needs. The Support Team is available Monday Friday 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., U.S. Eastern Time. Web: / Live Chat / Support@readingplus.com / Phone: ( ReadPlus) or (press 3 for Support) Q: What does the Unable To Update Bookmark error message mean? A: The "Unable to update bookmark" error message is caused by internet connectivity. It means that Reading Plus was trying to update the student s position in the program, but the connection timed out. Generally, this is caused by proxy servers, content servers, and\or firewalls, but can be as simple as an out-dated version of Java. First-Run the Requirement Check from the green log in page. If you continue to have difficulty, it is best to contact us right when it happens (select the Need Help? from the green log in page) and leave any error message on screen. Q: How many Sessions should a student complete in one (1) week? A: Three (3) or more sessions. For each additional session (over the 3 required) two (2) extra credit percentage points are added to Average Comprehension % earned on the total # of sessions completed in the graded week. Q: How many Sessions can be completed in one (1) day? A: Student's can complete two (2) sessions each day Q: Why can t a student complete more than two (2) sessions in one day? A: The Reading Plus program is set up to be used consistently on a regular schedule. Students are to practice Reading Plus sessions three (3) or more times a week to maintain accuracy. Consistency equals accuracy. The more consistant the program is used day to day, the more accurate the comprehension average will be. Doing to many Reading Plus sessions on one day and non on consectuive days defeats the purpose of continual practice. Q: What's in a Session? A: A Session is timed for 45 minutes and has three (3) parts. Part 1: PAVE - Flash and Scan characters, Reading fluency warm up exercises. (5-10 minutes) Part 2: Guided Reading - Comprehension Skills practice (30 minutes) Part 3: Cloze Plus - Vocabulary and Context Clues practice. A student may not see vocabulary depending on the time it takes for parts 1 and 2. (5-10 minutes or the remaining time left in the 45 timed minutes) Part 3-4: Reading Around Words - Students gain access to Reading Around Words after having reached the vocabulary level in Cloze Plus of 6.0 or above. 1

2 Q: How do I know if I've completed a session? A: A Session is timed for 45 minutes and has three (3) parts: PAVE, Guided Reading, and Cloze Plus. Some sessions have "Reading Around Words." A session is complete when the 45 timed minutes have been completed or at least three (3) or more Cloze Plus lessons have been completed (and if applicable) three (3) or more Reading Around Words lessons have been completed. Q: What days are considered one (1) week? A: Monday morning through Sunday evening. Q: How is the weekly and quarterly grade derived for Reading Plus? A: A student must complete three (3+) or more Sessions each week (Monday through Sunday). The Number of Sessions in Guided Reading = Weekly Grade The Overall Comprehension % Average will be recorded in Progress Book for two times each quarter. First for Progress Reports, and again for Report Cards. **WARNING ** If the average comprehension grade for three sessions is below 70%, then the student should choose to complete additional sessions that week in order to gain a higher percentage. EXTRA CREDIT - For each additional session over the required # = 2 extra credit percentage points added to Overall Average Comprehension % earned at the end of the 9 weeks. Q: How do I check a student's progress? A: Log into: ReadingPlus.com/users Site Code: Bridgemid - Choose student's class in drop down menu - Choose student name in drop down menu - Type in Student ID # for the password. Choose the "My Progress" tab at the top right of the new window. The Graph shows the Independent Reading Rate (I-Rate)as diamonds, and the Guided Reading Rate (G-Rate) as a straight line. The line should be angling up towards the right of the graph. Top Left corner above the graph shows the number of words read at 70% or higher comprehension, and the number of Guided Reading lessons completed at 70% or higher comprehension. Below the graph are links to reports on each section of a session. Q: How do I know if the student is staying on-task and completing each part of a session with accuracy? A: Log in to check progress. Click on the links below the graph for each section of a session. Look at the TIME spent on each activity. If a student is spending too little of time on a lesson, their time will be lower than the times listed below, and their average % for that lesson may also be below 70%. **Note **Too little of time = Student is just clicking though the lesson, not reading or paying attention to the activity in the lesson. If student is spending too much time on a lesson, their time will be higher than the times listed below, and their average % for that lesson may also be below 70%. **Note ** Too much time = Student is not paying attention to activity. He or She may be logged into another web-site, watching TV, talking on the phone, reading a book, and their attention is not focused on the Reading Plus activity in the lesson. Part 1: PAVE - 5 minutes Part 2: Guided Reading - 30 minutes Part 3: Cloze Plus minutes &/Or Part3/4: Reading Around Words 5-10 minutes 2

3 Q: Why are comprehension scores below 70%? A: Comprehension scores may be below 70% for several reasons. Student may have just leveled up, and material is a bit more difficult at first in the new level Student is struggling with comprehension Student is demonstrating a lack of concentration while completing a session When a student is struggling with comprehension, the program notifies the teacher with a Yellow Flag Notification and an explanation. Many of the Yellow Notification Flags accompany automatic settings adjustments that are designed to optimize student instructional time. For example, if the system determines that a student is not able to achieve good comprehension scores within the first six or seven lessons of Guided Reading, the system will automatically lower a student s content level. Some of the Notification Flags, however, provide teachers with optional recommended actions/interventions they can take, which require the teacher to make setting adjustments manually. The most common adjustments to make for a student who is struggling with low comprehension in Guided Reading are: adjust for student to have a choice to pre-read and reread adjust the number of rereads to which the student is entitled stabilize a student s G-rate. Q: How does a student determine if they should use the reread option for a question? A: Students are to use the Reread Scale to decide if they should reread a selection before answering a question. 4 I read it the first time, I GET it, and I can answer the question. 3 I read it the first time, I get it, but I need to reread to answer the question. 2 I read it the first time, but I need to reread because I can t answer the question. 1 I read it, but I don t remember it, and I can t answer the question. 0 I didn t read the material I clicked through quickly and got suspended. Q: How does a student determine if they should Re-Read a Guided Reading Lesson? A: Students are to use the Reread Scale to decide if they should reread a GR Lesson. 4 I read it the first time, I G0T it, but I still scored below 70% 3 I read it the first time, I get it, but I need to reread because I scored below 70%. 2 I read it the first time, but I need to Re-Read because I scored below 70%. 1 I read it, but I don t remember it, and I couldn t answer all of the questions scoring below 70% 0 I didn t read the material I clicked through quickly and got suspended. Q: Why should a student Re-Read a Guided Reading Lesson when they scored below 70% on it? A: The comprehension score for each session is derived from the Guided Reading Lessons. A student should Re- Read a Guided Reading Lesson right away if the score on a lesson is below 70% because the information is still fresh in their mind and they have an opportinity to score 20%-40% higher on the Re-Read which brings up their overall comprehension average. Guided Reading is timed for 30 minutes. The program will assign two (2) lessons if the first lesson took minutes or less. The program will assign one (1) lesson if the first lesson took minutes. Q: Why was student suspended from the program? A: Suspensions are generally triggered by students lack of attention or concentration. It is important for students to remember that the system will track their progress and prompt teacher intervention if they do not put forth maximum effort. Suspensions in Guided Reading can occur at various stages during the instructional period. Most typically, suspensions that occur during the first few weeks of work result from student acclimation to (getting to understand) the programs or a lack of student attention. Suspensions that occur for students who are well-established within the Reading Plus system generally indicate that the students have reached a rate plateau where the speed of the guided slot presentation has increased to a rate that is difficult to maintain. When a teacher encounters this condition, he or she will have already received one or two Yellow Notification Flags, alerting him or her that a student is having difficulty answering questions correctly in advance of the suspension. 3

4 Q: How can a student tell if they are close to leveling up? A: Any time a student is logged into Reading Plus, they can check their progress by selecting the My Progress tab. Below the graph is a bar that fills up from left to right as the student scores 70% or higher on Guided Reading lessons. When the entire bar is filled in, the student will receive a certificate on their screen, and will begin their next session on a new level. Q: How can a student reach grade level quickly? A: When a student logs in to Reading Plus choose the My Progress tab at the top right of the screen. Count how many remaining ribbons/medals are a gray color above the progress graph. Fill in the following blanks to calculate the number of days needed to reach grade level quickly. # of gray shaded ribbons/medals Multiply the # of ribbons/medals by twenty (20). There are about 20 Guided Reading Lessons in each Level. Divide that # by two (2). There are usually two (2) 15 minute Guided Reading Lessons in one (1) session. Divide the new # by two (2) again. A student can do two (2) full 45 minute sessions each day. The final # is the number of days that a student can complete two (2) sessions a day with 70% or higher comprehension on the Guided Reading and reach their grade level goal! Q: What incentives can a student earn when they level up? A: School wide When a student levels up, they ve earned the title, Reading Plus Rock Star They receive a Certificate for the level they passed, and a Back Stage Pass for a Rock Star photo shoot. Reading Rock Star pictures are posted around windows in the school showing student success through literacy! Students may even have a chance to have their picture in the school yearbook! Class Competitions: o Class with Most Words Read at 70% or higher = Ice cream sandwich Party o Class with Highest overall Comprehension average = Cookie Party o Class with the most number of times Leveling up to a new reading level = Pizza Party End of Year Student Awards: Every student is eligible to receive an award at the end of the year, if they meet the following criteria in Reading Plus. o Most Words Read at 70% or Higher Comprehension o Most Guided Reading Lessons completed with 70% or Higher Comprehension o Longest Streak Most Guided Reading Lessons completed at one time with 70% or Higher Comprehension o Most number of 100% earned on Guided Reading Lessons o Highest overall average for the year. o Most number of Sessions completed o Most number of times Leveling up to a new reading level. o Above grade level in Reading Plus 3 rd 9 Weeks Competition: Read em and Reap Students are encouraged to complete 3 or more full sessions each week (from Monday to Sunday). 3 sessions = 1 ticket for the reaping, 4 sessions = 2 tickets, 5 sessions = 3 tickets and so on. There will be a boy and girl winner drawn from each grade level before the spring break holiday. Winners will reap two movie tickets to see the movie The Hunger Games, which is based on the popular novel and will be released as a movie on March 23 rd. To reflect the story of The Hunger Games our contest will be like the annual Reaping Ceremony in the novel where two tributes (one Male, one Female) from each district are drawn to participate in The Hunger Games. (We will also have The Hunger Games celebration in the media center on March 23th after school). Spring Break Holiday Challenge: TBA April FCAT Challenge: TBA Individual teachers have classroom incentives in place for student success. Some are listed here: 6 th Grade Language Arts: 7 th Grade Language Arts: Ms. Backovsky-reward for leveling up and Gift Certificate for reaching level G 4

5 8 th Grade Language Arts: Mrs. Ihnenfeld Level up Certificate wall Mrs. Reilly - Level up certificate wall, and raffle drawing every other week for 90% or higher Reading Teachers: Mrs. Musser Level up star chart, Use Your Noodle, 10x100= doughnut Party, Rockin Word Clubs Mrs. Hausmann Level up star chart, 10x100= doughnut Party, Rockin Word Clubs, End of 9 weeks most # of times leveled up gets a special food party. Use Your Noodle When students in Mrs. Hausmann and Mrs. Musser s classes score 70% or higher on Individual Guided Reading Lessons, they earn elbow noodles. The noodles are placed in a container for each class period. The class at the end of the 9 weeks with the most noodles wins an ice cream sandwich party. 70% =1 noodle, 80% = 2 noodles, 90% = 3 noodles, 100% = 4 noodles. 10x100=Doughnut Party Every time a student in Mrs. Musser and Mrs. Hausmann s classes earns a 100% on a Guided Reading lesson, they receive a hole punch on a card. Once they have received 10 hole punches, they get their choice of a doughnut from Dunkin Donuts. Rockin Word Clubs Students who reach the goals of reading 50,000, 75,000, 100,000, 125,000, and eventually 175,000 words with 70% or higher comprehension, they get to put their decorated guitar name tag on the Word Club. There is an end of the year award for the student(s) who have read the most words at 70% or higher. Q: Does a student have to get their Reading Rock Star picture taken when they level up? A: Some students have chosen to pass on their Photo Shoot Pass because they don t want anyone to know it s them. However, what many students are learning is that with the Rock Star dress up disguise, it s very difficult to tell, which student is under the sequined cover, wig, fun glasses, and hat! Students like dressing up, and many report trying to score higher so they can level up faster so they can get another picture taken! Q: What if a student is absent on the day of their Photo Shoot? A: A make up photo session will be scheduled each week. Listen on the morning announcements for the time and place. Teachers will print out Level Up certificate and give out Photo Pass to their students. Q: How can a Parent/Guardian volunteer or help with the Reading Plus program at Bridgewater Middle School? A: Donations of the following items are always welcome. Please deliver them with attention to Mrs. Musser Reading Plus RID lice spray ($5) Wal-Mart used on each wig or hat right after a student has worn it for their Photo Shoot. $ money $ donations for Rock Star photo development. Or $ & Time to pay for and pick up photo s at printing store. Time If you like to take photographs and can volunteer 1 or 2 full day s at BWMS each week to take Rock Star photos, we would love to have you! 5