[MOSAIC] Accelerated Reader/Elaine's response

[Marg Epp]

Thanks for all the discussion around AR.  When I first asked some questions about it, I had no idea there would be so many responses.  Obviously it is an expectation in many of your situations.  In our part of Canada, we're not used to having programs forced on us.  That's not to say it doesn't happen in individual schools or divisions, but it's not a provincial mandate.    We are given the flexibility to choose resources that meet the objectives. We also don't have the pressures of high-stakes testing that you do.  That's why when an administrator decides that he needs numbers and AR will provide these, I shake my head and ask why you would choose this program when teachers already have a system for keeping track of their kids' reading without bribing them and making them do worksheets.  Think of all the books you could buy with that money!  Like I mentioned earlier, i hadn't really expected to research AR, but now I'm committed!!  Thanks for the links to articles, etc.
Marg


-----Original Message-----
From: mosaic-bounces at literacyworkshop.org on behalf of Beverlee Paul
Sent: Mon 9/3/2007 6:59 PM
To: mosaic at literacyworkshop.org
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Accelerated Reader/Elaine's response
 
How do you avoid sending the message that the purpose of the reading is to 
take a test...when it indeed is in this case?  And, more damaging in my 
opinion, how do you avoid sending the message that reading is something so 
undesirable that you have be bribed to do it?  And how do you avoid sending 
the message that you, the child, are capable of reading different books at 
different times for different reasons with different supports, rather than 
"I'm a 3.3 to a 5.1; that's all the better I can read, and it won't help to 
pick books on snakes even though I"ve read many, many books on the subject 
and read far above the STAR when I know all about a topic, a genre, etc.  I 
can't read 7.3 books."  How can you avoid sending the message that a child 
can sometimes read books too easy, too hard, or just right when you prohibit 
that?  How do you avoid sending the message that it's just fine to read a 
book without reflection in order to read it fast when your actions show the 
opposite to be true?  How do you avoid sending the message that it doesn't 
really matter what a person "chooses" to read. . . it's all just practice 
anyway?

See, this is why people rarely talk about topics like AR on list serves.


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