[LM_NET] HIT: AR & middle schools

["Sullivan, Eleanor Kaye" <ES1022@ECU.EDU>]

I want to thank everyone that responded to my question on the use of AR in middle 
schools. I received several helpful and interesting responses. Below are some of 
the responses sent to me if you're interested. More to come. Thanks again!
 
1. Just wanted to put in my two cents (kinda late) in. I was at a middle school 
last year where AR is used but with not much success. My goal was to booktalk, 
booktalk, & booktalk every time my 7th & 8th graders came into the library and the 
reading increased so much that AR points were more like a perk for them. Reading 
was fun (seeing the points add up was a perk for me) and it was great to see 
students coming in to the library with another student who wanted to check out the 
book they were turning in. We had field trips for students who met their goal of 
30pts (6wks marking period). Started out with 28 students meeting their goal first 
time around to over 100 by the last marking period. We have drawings for prizes at 
the end of the year.

2. Dear Kaye, We've been using AR here for more than ten years and it works very 
well for us. The kids read and our books wear out from use, not from being jammed 
in lockers until book report day. Our points requirements per quarter are 
reasonable and we also have some rewards for the kids along the way. We try to buy 
the AR test for all our new fiction and for nonfiction that's "readable," not just 
assortments of facts. I think having a wide array of choices at nearly every 
reading level is very important.

3. I used to be at a K-8 public school in Illinois where the superintendent 
required me to shelve books by AR level and it was incorporated as part of the 
grading system in all grade levels.  I fought against it (with some teachers, the 
principal, superintendent-whose office was in our building-, and the school board) 
the entire time I was there and was relieved to leave when my husband was 
transferred.  I have been gone from there 3 years and have recently heard that they 
have discontinued AR as part of the grading process.  The older kids DETESTED it 
when I was there.  Teachers started depending solely on AR scores and were no 
longer tying reading to writing activities.  Writing scores on standardized tests 
went down. 

4. EXTREMELY effective IF implemented correctly. Most of the "problems" with AR 
schools come from teachers and administrators misusing the program. I would be 
happy to be a sounding board for your concerns.
 
5. I think you will discover that the school that have the greatest success with AR 
are the school that use it as their reading program. We have had AR for 8 years.  
We never did the store. We have had a lot of Cheating!!!!!!!   AR rotates the 
answers only.  So a junior high kid reads the book and takes the test.  Then goes 
back and tells a buddy that 1. id blue, 2 is round and so one just enough of the 
answer for them to pass the test,  I have seen a bully force a good student to take 
a test.  I have had a student who knows me well try to take a test for another 
student.  They had a coach for an English teacher.   I gave them both zero
points and he made them wish that they had not thought of that student. If I could 
start over I would go with reading counts because they rotate a 30 question test 
bank so three kids could that the test and have none of the same questions.
 
6.I am a first year librarian in a 7th - 12th grade library. I have noticed our 
7th-8th grade English teacher gives the students a choice : take the AR test or do 
a booktalk with her about the book. She teaches them how to booktalk. This seems to 
suit this age group really well. Some love the booktalk option some would prefer to 
come take th AR test in the library just like they did in elementary school.
 
7. I, personally, do not like AR, but many of my teachers do, so I support them. 
Each classroom teacher, or grade level, comes up with their "AR Rules." All I do is 
mark my books and buy tests. When I order books, I try to get as many tests as I 
can. I don't order any differently because of AR. A couple of our new teachers this 
year have a form for students. If a book is not "AR" the student can fill out this 
"book report" type form and get 10 points for it. I think that's a great idea! Some 
books just don't have tests, so some books never get read. So sad.
 
8. As I can't get enough of libraries I also work at a public library on nights and 
weekends.  Between four and eight teachers use AR in any given year and most, 
according to our school liaison, are happy with the program.  However, one teacher 
allows students to read books off the AR list if they commit to making an AR test.  
I know that this teacher, therefore, has a much longer list of books than the 
others and the students seem to like this more.  So my big suggestion to any middle 
school thinking of doing AR is to think about letting students write tests for 
books which don't otherwise have them, in order to expand choice.
 
9. Of course, they are going to sigh with relief. It's one less responsibility they 
have to be accountable for. The one problem I have with one of our middle school 
teachers is that she is insistent that the students read "in the middle of their 
ZPD's". I've told her to just them read what they want to read as long as it is 
middle school appropriate (no Frog and Toad type books). We reward them with 
prizes. And they do enjoy it. Most kids participate, a few don't. I think of middle 
school AR along the line of a weight-loss program for us. They aren't motivated to 
read and we aren't motivated to lose weight. We all know we SHOULD lose weight, and 
they all know they SHOULD read, but it's easier to sit in front of the TV and so we 
don't lose the weight unless there is an incentive to motivate us. (new dress, 
wedding of a child, cruise, etc.) So motivate them and get them reading. Good luck 
whatever you choose to do.
 
10. I am not in a middle school, but my 8th-grade daughter is in a MS that uses AR. 
 Like me, she is an avid reader, and she hates the fact that she is restricted to 
the AR reading list -- especially since I am always recommending new titles to her! 
 However, her reading teacher raved about AR at "Meet the Teachers" night.  The 
teacher's viewpoint is that AR allows students to select their own books, rather 
than being "forced" to read a book assigned by the teacher. I did a long-term sub 
assignment at the HS library in the same district, and I do not believe AR does 
anything to promote life-long reading.  (In fact, I think it has the opposite 
effect.)  My personal observation was that there was quite a drop-off in reading 
when students entered 9th grade, and I heard many say with relief, "I'm so glad I 
don't have to do AR anymore."  But the teachers in my daughter's district are very 
gung-ho about it.  (Whenever I have brought up my concerns about AR during 
parent-teacher conferences, I just get a blank look in return.)

11. I am in a 7-8 middle school with 500 students.  We use A/R because it is 
research based and works for us.  We require that each student read 10 books per 
semester.  Within that requirement is a sub-requirement to read 8 different genre, 
one each of--historical fiction, realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, 
mystery, adventure,  biography, and nonfiction.  We feel the kids need a variety 
since some students never try anything else.  They do an A/R test and that is 
recorded as a grade--whatever percentage they receive is the grade unless it is 
below then it does not count.  We stress that the reading level in A/R is their 
comfort level and we want them to be successful and enjoy reading.  This works good 
for us.  I label all of the books on the outside and inside so that "shopping" for 
books is a little easier.  This year we added a new concept that is working great.  
We challenged each student to read one million words.  The word count is given in 
the A/R program.  At the end-of-the-year all students who achieve the million words 
will get to do something extra special like a limo ride.  We are leaving our 
options open as to the reward because it depends on how many achieve it.  We just 
told them it would be something BIG.  I make a weekly announcement about the top 
class word count and usually name the top three students or maybe announce who has 
reached a milestone like 250,000 words.  

 

Kaye Pearce

Media Coordinator

Selma Middle School

1533 Hwy 301 N.

Selma, NC 27576

(919) 965-2555

kayepearce@johnston.k12.nc.us <mailto:kayepearce@johnston.k12.nc.us>  





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