Accelerated Reader

Sidmouth College is part of a reading programme for the whole of Year 7 and 8. The programme is called Accelerated Reader and is intended to improve the reading ability of all students, regardless of their academic capabilities, and have a positive impact upon students’ learning across the curriculum. In the first few weeks of the Autumn term students will have an introductory lesson to the programme, be assessed with a computerised 'STAR' quiz and then they will start reading! For more information please visit www.renlearn.co.uk or speak to Mrs Hassan.

How does it work

With Accelerated Reader, a student reads a book, takes an online quiz, and gets immediate feedback. Students respond to regular feedback and are motivated to make progress with their reading skills. Together it forms a complete reading practice and assessment solution for students of all ages and abilities

Valuable Data

Accelerated Reader gives teachers the information they need to monitor students’ reading practice and make informed decisions to guide their future learning. A comprehensive set of reports reveals how much a student has been reading, at what level of complexity, and how well they have understood what they have read. Vocabulary growth and literacy skills are also measured, giving teachers insight into how well students have responded to reading schemes and class instruction.

Motivational quizzes

Because students receive regular feedback from Accelerated Reader, teachers and librarians are given many opportunities to praise students for their successes and to discuss with them what they have been reading.

There are four different types of Accelerated Reader quiz: Reading Practice, Recorded Voice, Vocabulary Practice, and Literacy Skills.

Try a sample quiz

Appropriate Challenge

Pupils develop reading skills most effectively when they read appropriately challenging books – difficult enough to keep them engaged but not so difficult that they become frustrated. This is their ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ (ZPD)

Text complexity is determined by the ATOS formula, which uses the text of an entire books to inform the calculation rather than just a sample as with some other formulae. As pupils are retested, their ZPD ranges increase and broaden so they continue to read suitably challenging literature.