Dear Parent or Guardian,

We’re very excited as we kick off another year of our Accelerated Reader program. The Accelerated Reader combines the best in children’s literature with an innovative software testing and management system that gives students, teachers and parents excellent, accurate feedback on comprehension and reading performance.

Participating in the Accelerated Reader program is as simple as 1,2,3:

1) The student selects a book in his or her reading range, which is derived from the STAR test (Student Test of Ability in Reading)

2) The student reads the chosen book at least three times (Unless it’s a chapter

book).

3) The student takes a multiple choice comprehension test administered by computer. The number of questions will be 5, 10 or 20 depending on the length and difficulty level of the book.

The Accelerated Readers management program gives students immediate feedback by awarding points based on the difficulty level of the book, the length in words, and the percentage of questions answered correctly. (A score of 60% or higher is necessary to be awarded any points.) The management program also provides me with an accurate measurement of each student’s reading performance and progress.

The Accelerated Reader program is a proven, powerful motivational tool founded on the psychological principles of the game motivational model. It was one of the programs cited as “Highest Rated” by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

The Accelerated Reader master list of titles offers a wide range of choices of fiction and nonfiction titles on many different subjects with reading levels ranging from first to eighth grade and occasionally higher. Students may obtain books from the school library as well as from our classroom collection. Because the reading abilities of some students may far outstrip their level of emotional maturity and experience, I particularly encourage parents of these students to be involved with their child’s reading to determine the appropriateness of a particular book for their child. You can informally use the "five finger rule." If your child misses five words on one page, it is too difficult for their independent reading level.

Here’s how the Accelerated Reader program will be used in our classroom: Students will be awarded a prize once they reach various point levels (5 point increments) beginning at 5 points. Each student is expected to earn a minimum of 4.5 points each grading period. Since most of the books at the second grade level are worth a half a point (0.5) for 100% comprehension, which means most of the students are required to read and take a test on at least nine books. Occasionally, students who are able to read more difficult material will receive 1 or more points for a successful test. Once a student has logged 3 100’s within their level, they will be moved up a level.

I believe all the students benefit immensely from this fine program. I thank you for your interest and support.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Burton