Getting Started with Accelerated Reader – Accelerated Reader UK

There are five steps to getting started with Accelerated Reader:

Get your class ready for reading practice
Introduce Accelerated Reader to students
Determine your students' reading levels
Personalise reading practice for each student
Use data to monitor progress and celebrate success

1. Get Yourself and Your Class Ready for Reading Practice

To start, learn more about Accelerated Reader and how to encourage reading practice in your school and class.

Explore the Quizzes

Reading Practice Quizzes are available for thousands of books. Here is how to find out what they are:

Go to www.arbookfind.co.uk (UK) or arbookfind.com.au (Australia) to find out which books have quizzes. You can search for titles, authors, or books that meet specific criteria. Students and parents can use the site too - no login is required.
Go to the Manage Books and Quizzes page to find titles and take sample quizzes.
As a teacher or administrator logged in to Renaissance, follow these steps:
1. On the Home page, select Manage Content.
2. Select Manage Books & Quizzes.
3. At the top of the page, choose viewing Reading Practice Quizzes. If necessary, choose the school.
4. Browse through the list, use the search to find specific titles or authors, or use the filters to find specific types of books. Then, find a quiz that you would like to try and select Take Sample Quiz. You can then take a quiz and see your results just as students do.
For more information, see Viewing Reading Practice Quiz Information.

Find Your Classes and Students in the Software

Make sure your classes or students are in the software and find their user names and passwords; if any students or classes are missing, contact your administrator.

Follow these steps if you are a teacher. Administrators can select Classes & Courses in step 2 and select a school to see the classes that have been set up for that school so far.

If you are a teacher, on the Renaissance Home page, select your name or initials in the top right corner; then, select Manage Apps & Users.
Select Users.
Tick Include class enrolments.
Select Search.
You will see a list of your students and the classes they are in. Verify that all of your students are there and are in the correct classes. If you see a problem, notify your Renaissance administrator.
Above the table and to the right, select Password Report. This opens a report that shows your students' user names and passwords. If necessary, use the drop-down list or choose which school and students to show and how to group them. Use the PDF link in the top right corner to print or save the report as needed.

Consider Labelling Books

Consider labelling the books in your classroom or school library. Labels can help students find books that help them to grow and to meet their targets. For more information and ideas, see Tips for Labelling Books.

Check/Set Preferences

On the Renaissance Home page, select Accelerated Reader, then Preferences. Preferences let you choose whether to use ATOS book levels or Lexile®* measures and whether to require an authorisation password before or after quizzes. Find out more about these and other Accelerated Reader preferences.

Explore the Resources

Explore the Accelerated Reader Resources.

Plan How to Use Accelerated Reader with Your Class

Schedule time for reading practice in your class routines, and determine how students will access books and take quizzes.

2. Introduce Accelerated Reader to Your Students

Help students understand why practising reading is important and how to find good-fit books.

Share Information with Parents

The Parent's guide gives parents an introduction to Accelerated Reader and other Renaissance software and how it works for their children.

Parents can also sign up to get email updates when their children take quizzes. Tell them where to look for the Get Email Updates link on their child's Renaissance Home page.

3. Determine Your Students' Reading Levels

This can help you determine which book levels will provide the best growth opportunities for your students during reading practice. It also helps you set personalised reading targets tailored to each student's needs.

With Star Reading

If you have Star Reading, have your students take Star Reading tests (see the Star Reading Test Administration Manual). After your students test, in Accelerated Reader, you can see each student's Zone of Proximal Development, which is a range of books that are neither to easy nor too hard, providing students with the best opportunity for growth. You will also see target recommendations based on students' test scores.

With Other Assessments

If you do not have Star Reading, but you do have other assessments that provide students' reading levels, become familiar with students' assessment results before you set targets for students.

4. Personalise Reading Practice for Each Student

Set individualised targets for students to guide the quantity, quality, and complexity of their reading practice.

Choose the Target Model and Set Targets

The first time you go to the Record Book's Student Targets tab for a class, you choose the target model to use; you can also use the Reading Targets Model preference to choose the target model to use for each class. Three models are available:

Badge and Token Target Model for Young Students: Students earn a token for each passed quiz, and they use those tokens to earn character badges. Targets encourage students to read several books worth 0.5, 1, or 2 points. These targets are intended for your youngest students, including years 1-3 (UK), K-2 (Australia), P2-P4 (Scotland and Northern Ireland), or SI-2nd Class (the Republic of Ireland). To set these targets, see Setting Badge and Token Targets for Young Students.
Rocket Target Model: In this model, you set targets for the points students earn by passing quizzes, their average percentage correct on those quizzes (comprehension), and the amount of reading students do within their reading range. For the points target, students see a rocket heading toward a planet; the rocket reaches the planet when they meet the target, and the page celebrates with fireworks. A gauge shows student progress toward average percentage correct targets, while a message tells the student how they are doing on reading range targets. This target model is intended for years 4-6 in the UK, years 3-5 in Australia, years P5-P7 in Scotland and Northern Ireland, or the 3rd to 5th class in the Republic of Ireland. To set these targets, see Setting AR Student Targets for Older Students.
Bar Graph Target Model: This model is like the rocket target model, but the points target is shown on a progress line for older students. This target model is intended for students in years 6 and higher in the UK, years 7 and higher in Australia, years S1 and higher in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the 6th class and higher in the Republic of Ireland.

Talk to Students About Their Targets

Talk to each student to explain their targets and how the targets will help them grow.

5. Use Data to Monitor Progress and Celebrate Success

You and your students monitor their progress toward targets and the reading they are doing.

How Students See Their Progress

See How Students View Progress.

Teachers View Progress in the Record Book

In the Accelerated Reader Record Book, you can see students' progress toward targets and the quizzes they have taken.