Rainbow makes strides in Accelerated Reading
MADISON – A reading program at Rainbow Elementary School has proved successful in the quest for students to become lifelong readers.
Scott Edwards, president of Summit 7 Systems, presents a medal to Rainbow fifth-grader Victoria Lee for excelling in the Accelerated Reader (AR) program. (CONTRIBUTED)
Rainbow uses the Accelerated Reader (AR) program from Renaissance Learning, Inc. Students independently select books at their reading level and later take comprehension tests to confirm their understanding of the book.
The AR system assigns points after the tests, which are based on book complexity and the students’ comprehension.
“Reading is the key to academic and life success,” Amy Edwards with Summit 7 Systems said. “The reality is that reading has to compete with video games, on-demand entertainment and sports, which means that kids aren’t reading enough.”
During the 2012-2013 school year, Summit 7 Systems sponsored AR to excite children about reading at Rainbow. “Students blasted through their reading goal by reading 420,981,234 words, or 105 percent of their goal and a 22-percent increase over 2011-2012,” Edwards said.
Student incentives included Nook e-readers, Barnes and Noble gift cards, class trophies and prize cart items.
“Parents who take an active interest in helping their children find engaging books that match their interest are more likely to have children who become lifetime readers,” Edwards said. “Working through a challenging book together creates a sense of accomplishment.”
Edwards said her son even likes to watch her read a book. The family has a reading list with classics, “something fun like the Percy Jackson Series” and “The Wizard of Oz” series. “Having a reading plan helps our kids keep reading, stay challenged and discover new things.”
Rainbow’s goal this year is increasing school reading by another seven percent. Students earn tickets based on teacher-assigned goals and exchange them for quarterly prizes or submit tickets for a drawing for a Xbox One or Justice.
“Kids know that the more they exceed their reading goals the more opportunities they have to win,” Edwards said. “Summit 7 Systems will continue to reward top readers in each grade.”
Dorinda White is Rainbow’s principal.
For more information, visit renlearn.com.
