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Thursday, December 8, 2005
Georgia Loves AR
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Accelerated Reader: Is there a more popular commercial learning program in Georgia than AR? I see it in almost every elementary school I visit. Some middle schools have it too. Heavily market in Georgia by a company called Renaissance Learning, AR allows students to accumulate points based on books they’ve read. They must pass a computer quiz to make sure they read the book carefully.
What kids get in exchange for racking up points varies school to school. I once visited a school in Gwinnett where it was Christmas in the media center. Kids could buy tents, ski boots and other big-ticket items if they had read enough books. At another Gwinnett school, kids who had the most points in their class got to wear a hat on Friday.
Critics of AR - Yes, they are out there; one posted on the blog recently - say it sends a message to kids that the purpose of reading is to get cool stuff or get to do something fun. They say reading should be its own reward. Others complaint that it does little to help readers struggling with fundamentals and that kids and parents get too competitive, creating unnecessary drama in the classroom.
Proponents - they are legion - say its a program that benefits strong readers as well as weak ones. Kids who love to read can work toward goals. Kids who don’t like reading have a little more incentive to do it in their free time. Kids who can’t read well can gain fluency through practice.
AR: Love it? Hate it?
