AR’s reading list includes over 180,000 fiction and non-fiction books for all levels of education and reading ability.Įach book has an Automated Technical Order System (ATOS) level that determines the difficulty of the text. Upon completion, the student is given a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) score, which determines the range of books they can read that will challenge them without being frustrating.įrom here, students work with teachers to pick books that not only fit within their ZPD range, but also interest them personally. Students begin by taking the STAR Reading Test, which is a multiple-choice exam that adjusts the difficulty based on the student’s responses, making it more difficult in response to correct answers, and vice versa. From there, students work with teachers and parents to set personal goals in reading comprehension. The web-based program tests students' reading ability, recommending books from a curated list which are appropriate for their reading level.
Accelerated Reader (AR), from Renaissance Learning, aims to encourage independent study through personalized reading lists and flexible lesson plans.Īccelerated Reader began life as a teaching prototype software in 1984, which was introduced to schools in 1986.
While many programs have tried to introduce new ways to make reading fun, one particular program has sustained popularity for over 30 years. This poses the challenge of how to test students on their comprehension of the material or how to chart their reading ability. Students are commonly interested in newly released or less well known books, and therefore have not been reviewed by educators. Generally, students are uninterested in established, “school approved” books, making it difficult to get a whole class to read the material. Once children pass the initial hurdle of learning to read, it can seem impossible to encourage them to continue to read. One of the biggest challenges for educators has consistently been getting students excited about reading.
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