AR Tip #1

The Student Record Report is perfect for sending to parents for progress reports and at the end of the reporting periods. Simply print the report from the AR Student or AR Management program. Sign the report and send it home with the student. This is also the report that the students can check daily to see their progress.

AR Tip #2

If you have AR Universal (6.0 or above) the students can take the reading quizzes for the stories from the Houghton Mifflin Reading Anthology. To take the quiz, the student will log in and then choose “Take Other Reading Quiz.” Then he/she will choose the selection from the anthology. You may print the class results from the HM quizzes by going to the classroom reports in AR management and printing the diagnostic report for other reading quizzes.

If you don’t have AR Universal, please check with Technology Services to see if you can upgrade to the latest version of 6.3. The new features in this version make it worth it to upgrade; however, the older machines will not run this version.

AR Tip #3

Accelerated Reader keeps track of the words your students are reading. This ties in with Reading Standard 2.0. To see the number of words your students are reading go to the Classroom Reports in AR management and preview or print the Word Count report. This report will show you the word count for reading practice quizzes and other reading quizzes (HM) and give the totals for each student and the entire class.

AR Tip #4

If a student begins to take the wrong quiz, the teacher can stop the quiz by holding down control a. The teacher will type in the monitor password "admin" (if it hasn’t been changed). This will abort the quiz and the student may then choose the correct quiz.

AR Tip #5

There is a new goal-setting chart (scroll down to find the chart) provided by Renaissance Learning that includes Emergent Readers for Kindergarten and first grade. This is the chart that is used by elementary model and master reading renaissance schools.

AR Tip #6

Literacy Skills Tests are an important part of Accelerated Reader for third grade and up. These tests help monitor growth in skills assessed on high-stakes tests such as: initial understanding, literary analysis, inferential comprehension, and constructing meaning. The test has a bank of 36 questions. Each test asks 12 questions so the teacher can reteach and have the student retest. The literacy skills reports provide important information that helps the teacher plan instruction.

You may print a teacher’s guide from the AR management program. Choose Quizzes and Tests. Select Literacy Skills Tests and highlight the test you want. Choose Preview from the left side of the window. Then select Teacher’s Guide. Print this guide to use with your students. Then click Done. When you are on the quiz preview screen, tab on Questions (next to General at the top) and you will see all 36 questions available for this test.

You may see a sample literacy skills test at: http://www.renlearn.com/ar/arquizzes/htm/samplelsquizzes.htm


AR Tip # 7

Backing up your data is part of the AR coordinators responsibilities. Your student data should be archived daily. If you are unsure how to do this, please talk to your MCS. You may also get information from Renaissance Learning’s website.
http://support.renlearn.com/techkb/techkb/1848045e.asp

AR Tip #8

With state tests coming soon, put Accelerated Reader to work for you to help prepare your students for expository reading tests. Read a nonfiction book together with the class. As the teacher you can preview the AR quiz by going to AR Management. Choose Quizzes and Tests. Select the Reading Practice Quiz for the nonfiction book and select Preview from the left side of the screen. You can write down the questions and choices. (The program does not allow you to print the test.) This is an excellent tool to help you teach the students how to find information.

AR Tip #9

Renaissance Learning has created three student reading logs to help teachers monitor reading practice. You can download these reading logs (PDF files) from the AR website.

http://www.fresno.k12.ca.us/technology/ar/Teacher.html

Select "Student Reading Logs". I have included a brief explanation of each log on the website.

AR Tip #10

STAR Reading is a classroom-achievement system designed to measure whether instruction and time spent on task are increasing learning and whether classroom instruction and activities are appropriately challenging. STAR Reading also helps predict results on the high-stakes tests. STAR Reading tests should be given only three times during the school year. The results will be inaccurate if it is given more often than that.

AR Tip #11

When you order new quizzes for Accelerated Reader be sure to mark the CST (Customer Service Ticket) for installation as a priority. If you call the help desk, 457-2600, request priority status for the installation.

AR Tip #12

If you order your quizzes through download format, be sure to make a backup of the quizzes on CD or floppy for archival purposes.

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