Accelerated reading scheme.

[mystery]

adhd dad, I wouldn't get too hung up on whatever glorified system the school uses to test, monitor, assess and record reading progress. A book is a book and being able to read and understand is key to any 11 plus exam, CEM or not, and some teachers will never be able to tell you accurately whether your child's reading is "good enough" even the day before the exam - whatever system they have at school - and it's not really their job anyhow.

Just aim for her to be enjoying the sorts of books a year 3/4/5 child typically can read, enjoy, understand etc.

Does she have to read books at home dictated by school? If so, what do you think of them? Does it leave time for her to read material of her / your choosing at home?

[adhdad]

@guest55 yes the school are saying shes above expected. My point really is with the older system I knew I was always trying to get to a 5a or higher in reading by the time of the cem exam. So I was able to tell what level she was on say in year 4 and where we wanted to get too. I suppose it may take a few years to find out at what level in general we need to get to in the accelerated system to say we are prepared for the cem exam. ( I hope i'm making sense)

@mystery The books she brings home are in a range say 4 - 6, they do vary in difficulty. Some days the book brought home are quite easy for dd to get through, this is generally due to dd choosing books from her lower range. I do urge dd to bring back books she likes from her higher range. Overall she spends most nights reading books from school and finds very little if any time to just read for fun.

[Guest55]

You need to see 'above expected' every year - each links to the NC curriculum for that year group.

[wonderwoman]

I teach at a school that uses AR, but it is new to me. I have to say as a teacher that there is a huge amount of information available about pupils' reading. Points I like - it has really encouraged some reluctant readers and they are excited about the books they are reading. They have enjoyed doing the quizzes. I can see how much reading is going on and target those who are not reading. The pupils have used the library far more and are talking about books. There will be people for and against - like most reading initiatives it will only be as good as the staff driving it.
I think for children who come from a literate backgrounds where they have been read to and surrounded by books for their entire life, the scheme may have much less impact but may suggest a wider range of reading choice.

[Eccentric]

Contrary to what WonderWoman is saying as a parent of an avid reader, my daughter was put on an accelerated Reader scheme last year and it almost broke her joy of reading.
1. She was told that she couldn't read certain books because they were too hard for her (even though her primary school reading test had shown a reading level of 15+)
2. She was forced to read books that she wasn't interested in because the school had very limited numbers of books in her reading level.
3. All the books are mainstream.
4. She was told that she was only allowed to read one book at a time (she has always been someone who reads 2 or more books along side one another)
5. The school were trying to force her speed of reading (when she was secretly reading books at home that she actually wanted to read. 10 minutes reading in class meant that it took her a long time to complete the books.

In the end I asked the school for her to be removed from the scheme because it was spoiling her reading experience. She said all the children in her class hated it.

For the original poster my daughter who has now moved from this school to a GS was at level 9 at the beginning of year 7 (which I suspect is where she would have been in year 6 too)

[southbucks3]

Due to the a.r.s. my middle son discovered an entirely new genre that he thoroughly enjoys but had presumed he would hate. My eldest son also learned how to prioritise reading, as he and his friends were all reading a series of books and keeping up with one another. My youngest had a long chat with the librarian about the book he had read, one of her favourites.
Middle son does moan, as he gets told off for not reading enough, but I agree with them, it's nice to have school librarians on side as well as teachers.
The best thing I find is the class chats about books that I overhear before the fifteen minute reading time, it's great to hear kids talking animatedly about their chosen book without an adult prompting them and others listening and sharing their opinions.
As a struggling bucks upper school, I know for sure, has a good range of different reading ability books and all genres, as did our primary school, I doubt many schools have a poor selection. One school in our area,that currently struggles the most with funding etc has managed a very successful book donation scheme for its library.
Buy into it and encourage your child to read all sorts, the quizzes are so good at spotting when children are reading but not digesting and the teachers, librarians, assistants and volunteers at your school will doubtless all be very encouraging. Also ask if the library are receiving second hand book donations and help out if required.

[adhdad]

@eccentric Level 8 or over was what I was aiming for dd to achieve by the start of year 6, its nice to have some type of indication regarding levels pupils achieved whilst doing well on the cem exams.

[Eccentric]

@adhdad Actually my daughter didn't reach required scores for either the 11 plus or the 12 plus. I got her into GS on appeal so I am afraid that I can't offer you comfort in that way. However she has 141 CAT score in verbal reasoning so I suspect that her reading reflects that. Judging by what DD said about others reading scores at her old school they ranged between 2 and 9 she was at the top end so I would think that going for 8 would be about right. However in my opinion you would be best off just embuing your son with a love of reading. Read more complex material with him. For example, DD read the short history of everything (adult version) in this way and she got a huge amount out of it including; improving her vocabulary, becoming interested in lots of scientific and mathematical problem solving exercises despite the fact that there were huge swaithes of the book that she didn't understand (me likewise).
I think the problem with the ARS is that it prevents brighter children from stretching themselves. I am sure that it is good for the less able. Again here lies the problem with more able children at comprehensive/upper schools when the brighter children have been creamed off, the teaching strategies are aimed at the middle and aiding the less able to meet that, not at the top because those children are there anyway. The GS that DD is at doesn't use ARS which we are very happy about. Luckily DD has started reading again for pleasure, sometimes trash and sometimes more challenging stuff but always to her own agenda, at her own pace. The school read challenging text with them and make reading topics interesting and relevant to their age group so even if she only read teen fiction it wouldn't matter.
I wish you and your son all the very best.

[wonderwoman]

There will be people for and against - like most reading initiatives it will only be as good as the staff driving it.

As I said Eccentric only as good as the staff running the system.

Due to the a.r.s. my middle son discovered an entirely new genre that he thoroughly enjoys but had presumed he would hate.

This is how it should be.

I think the problem with the ARS is that it prevents brighter children from stretching themselves. I am sure that it is good for the less able.

I don't think this is true generally even if it was for your DD. It may be that it could happen if run by non-teaching staff.

Before taking control of AR in my school - where use had lapsed due to staff changes, I visited a very high achieving grammar school. They used it effectively with able students and were really positive. I also visited a school in an area of deprivation who were also using it effectively.

[Y]

Anything that prevents schools from imposing the hated reading diary has potential to be a good thing, in my opinion. My two both loathed having to complete these, and I know that for other children they sucked the joy out of reading. Worst of all, there were some teachers who clearly didn't read them, and there was no feedback from the efforts put in to complete the things.