The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is a term borrowed from psychologist Lev Vygotsky. In Accelerated Reader, the ZPD is a range of book levels that are not too challenging and not too easy--depending upon a student's reading level. Although ZPD itself is not entered or calculated in Accelerated Reader, it is a key component of successful reading practice and target setting.
If your students have taken Star Reading tests, you can see a ZPD for each student on the Star Reading Range Report and when you select a student's name in the Accelerated Reader Record Book. Determining a student's reading level and the student's ZPD will help you set a reading range target and the points target for the student in Accelerated Reader. The ZPD, however, is approximate. Success at any reading level also depends on the student's interest and prior knowledge of a book's content. Teachers should use their professional judgment to adjust the level of books read to match an individual student's needs and interests.
The Star Reading Range report may show Lexile®* Ranges instead of ZPDs if the Lexile® Range preference is set to use Lexile® Ranges for the school. Accelerated Reader may also show Lexile® Ranges if the Lexile® Targets preference for a class is set to use Lexile® measures.
The Lexile® Range for each student is 100L below to 50L above the student's actual Lexile® measure; it represents the boundaries between the easiest kind of reading material for the student and the level at which the student will be more challenged yet can still read successfully.
Accelerated Reader provides recommendations for targets based on a student's reading age and ZPD. You can also find target-setting guidance based on these scores in the Target-Setting charts in the Accelerated Reader resources. You can set reading range targets for your students based on their Star test scores or reading ages; targets may be for the full ZPD or just the lower or upper portion. Students can then see their reading ranges on their progress page along with a message about how well they are selecting books within their range.
* LEXILE®, the LEXILE® logo and POWERV® are trademarks of MetaMetrics, Inc., and are registered in the United States and abroad. Copyright © 2022 MetaMetrics, Inc. All rights reserved.