Accelerated Reader alternatives

[Janethelibrarian]

Hi group,

I know there was just recently a discussion of whether to start Accelerated Reader or not. Here's my case, which I thought called for a new discussion, since I am looking for specific examples of AR alternatives. Our school has had a successful AR program since before I became the teacher librarian 7 1/2 years ago. I also did book talks, had author visits, participated in state reading programs, and many other reading motivation programs, but AR was the one way the teachers could track whether each student was reading regularly. Sadly, our district made cuts this year, and I will be in the classroom (teaching 7th grade language arts) and there will be just a roving professional in the library along with our clerk. Running AR kept both our clerk and me very busy. I do now have a chance to suggest to the Language Arts Department whether we should try to continue the program or not. I know that many of you have great reading programs without AR, but my teachers will want some way to be sure the students are reading a given amount of books or pages on a regular basis. Please share how you are accomplishing that at your schools. Many thanks!

[Ann Marie Pipkin]

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