[LM_NET] Alpha-kidZ books and Accelerated Reader -Red flag

[Ginny Koeppen <gkoeppen@WINNPSB.ORG>]

Hello everyone,

Do any of you have an Alpha-KidZ book in your library?  These books are
being sold in Wal-mart in Louisiana, but I am not sure whether or not
they are nation-wide yet.

If you have read them what is your opinion of the books?


Recently it came to my attention that the Alpha-KidZ company is
launching a campaign to get librarians and teachers to recommend their
books to Renaissance Learning so that they will have Accelerated Reader
tests for them.  They are sending out letters and have their own form
that looks suspiciously like a petition. 


I am really uncomfortable with this.  A book company launching a drive
to get recommendations from librarians to get their books on Accelerated
Reader!


What is the opinion of this group?  Are you troubled by this or does it
happen all the time and we don't know it.

Ginny Koeppen
Librarian/Technology Coordinator
Calvin High School
P.O. Box 80
Calvin, LA 71410
gkoeppen@winnpsb.org

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