What is AR reading?

AR stands for Accelerated Reader, which is a program used by elementary and middle schools to encourage students to read outside of specific school assignments. In this system, students read books of their own choosing and take short computer-based quizzes that evaluate their understanding of the books.

Points are assigned to each book depending on the book's length and complexity. Students receive points according to the score they earn on the quizzes that go with the books they have read. For example, if a book is worth 10 points and the student only scores an 80 percent on the quiz, he receives eight AR points for that book. Once a student has taken the quiz for a particular book, he cannot retake the quiz unless a teacher or librarian allows a retest.

Students' quiz results are visible to their teachers, who can use this data to evaluate students' reading abilities. Because students choose their own books and read in their own time, AR offers more flexibility than traditional group reading assignments. Teachers use the AR quiz results to identify both students who need more help to reach grade level and students who require more challenging material than the current grade level.