Accelerated Reader

AR BookFinder
Home Connect
AR Prizes
AR Super Stars

To find books that have quizzes.

To view what books you've taken quizzes on and how you scored.

To find out what kind of prizes you can spend points on!

To find out who the Top Ten readers are at Northside!


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    Northside uses Accelerated Reader as a reading incentive program for 2nd -5th grade students. The Accelerated Reader program challenges all readers – from the novice to the most advanced bookworms - to read quality literature at their own level.  The program is not a replacement for direct instruction in reading.  Instead, the program is a supplement designed to increase students’ practice in daily reading.  
          To use the Accelerated Reader program, students choose books at their appropriate reading levels and read them at their own pace. After the student has read one of these books, he/she then tests his or her knowledge and comprehension of the book by answering multiple-choice questions on the computer. We recently upgraded to a web-based version called Accelerated Reader Enterprise which offers more than 140,000 tests that students can take.  The computer handles all scoring and record keeping automatically and presents the student with a score based on the number of correct responses, the reading level and the length of the book.  Students can take AR tests in their classroom, in the library, or in the computer lab.  However, if a student fails the test (60% accuracy is usually required), he/she cannot retake the quiz.   This means that if you fail a test in 3rd grade (for example, by trying to take a test over a book you haven’t understood), you cannot try to retake it in 4th or 5th grade either.   For this reason, students are encouraged to choose books that are on their reading level, and to read carefully with comprehension.  Our 2nd graders are the exception to this rule.  At the teacher’s discretion, teachers may delete a test from a student’s reading record to allow the student to re-read the book and take the test again.  This will only be allowed in 2nd grade.
    By clicking on AR BookFinder, you can use a searchable database which allows you to search by author, readability level, point value, and topic. Then, you can place the titles in your online AR BookBag, print it, and take it to your bookstore or library. Most teachers require their students to achieve a certain number of points, or read a certain number of books each grading period.  Your child’s teacher will let you know what the requirements are for their class.  We also have an Accelerated Reader Store once a month, and students can spend their points on various items (see AR Prize List).  Students can either spend their points as they earn them, or save them for a larger prize later in the year.  For example, 4th and 5th grade students who want to attend the lock-in party in May must save 75 points to buy a ticket to the party.  Once points are spent, they can’t be used again. 
    While earning points through AR is a great motivator for many students, it is more important that your child read books that are interesting to them.  If your child reads a book for which there is no test, it will still increase their reading comprehension and fluency.  They just won't get any "points" for it.  Reading for enjoyment and to learn new information is of greater value than any external rewards that we can give them. 
   
You can now look at your child's reading record through Renaissance Home Connect: https://hosted160.renlearn.com/707839/HomeConnect/  Just login using the same username and password that your child uses at school to take a quiz.
    If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask your child's teacher or me (Sally Horowitz, Librarian). 

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