AR Book Finder – Learn more with My Education Compass! Thinking of an Accelerated Reader (AR) for motivating, monitoring, and managing pupils’ independent reading.
But wondering where to begin or how it will impact your existing library resources? Look no further!
Just visit www.arbookfind.com to access the AR Book Finder. Unlock a world of knowledge customized to your child’s reading level and interests in just a few clicks.
Table of Contents
Why Choose an Accelerated Reader?
AR Book Finder is currently the most popular software used to practice and develop reading in many schools.
It is a management and monitoring program that can be used with individual pupils, targeted groups, or the whole class or school approach.
The program provides tools that quickly ascertain each pupil’s reading level, reading age, and comprehension level and provides personalized goals that help monitor progress, provide feedback, and keep learners on track.
AR Book Finder aims to foster independent reading by allowing children to self-select books from recommendations that take the pupil’s interest and reading level into account.
Schools, pupils, and parents can look up the level of individual books using the AR Book Finder.
A successful AR program requires the provision of sufficient books for pupils to have a choice of titles at each level to foster reading for pleasure and progression.
A whole-school approach might include:
- Library development.
- Teacher training.
- Allocated time for pupils to read during the school day.
- The monitoring is provided by the software.
- Pupils read a book, take an online quiz, and get immediate feedback.
High-quality reading practice fuels reading growth, while the quizzes monitor comprehension and vocabulary and build skills mastery.
Monitoring software helps guide book choices and encourages independent reading at students’ own pace and level.
Teacher training is offered as part of the program, but schools will need to develop their own range of books at each level to support pupils’ choices.
What Determines the Suitability of a Book for a Pupil?
The ATOS readability formula assigns book levels to titles. ATOS book levels are consistent and reliable when measuring text complexity.
The formula uses the most important factors that determine the complexity of the text and uses the most extensive data sample of its kind in the world to achieve its results.
ATOS is also an extremely useful guide for teachers, librarians, parents, and guardians. ATOS stands for Advantage, TASA, and Open Standard.
Here’s a breakdown of what each part means:
1. Advantage
This refers to Advantage Learning Systems, the name of the company now known as Renaissance, which developed the ATOS formula.
2. TASA
This stands for Touchstone Applied Science Associates, Inc., the group that partnered with Renaissance in the original development of ATOS.
3. Open Standard
This indicates that ATOS is an open standard, meaning it’s freely available to all rather than being a proprietary and monetized reading formula.
So, in the context of a book, ATOS is a readability level that guides students to appropriate-level books.
It considers factors like average sentence length, average word length, and word difficulty level.
Interest Level
The interest level attached to the book is based on the book’s content, including theme, characterization, and plot.
To help you choose the most appropriate books for your pupils from AR Book Finder, there are four interest levels:
- LY relates to lower years,
- MY middle years,
- MY+, and UY upper years.
These correlate to the following chronological ages:
- Lower Years: ages 5–8
- Middle Years: ages 9–13
- Middle Years+: ages 12 and over
- Upper Years: age 14 and over
How are Reading Levels Initially Assessed?
The online Star Reading Assessment gives pupils their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This supports pupils and their teachers in finding appropriate reading materials for them.
Star Assessments offer valuable data that indicates the progress of each student and whether they are meeting the expected standards in their learning path.
Additionally, Star Assessments provide a customized learning plan for each student, which helps teachers to determine the next steps in their teaching approach.
After reading a book, children take online quizzes and advance through AR levels based on their scores.
How Can Accelerated Reader be Used?
There is much evidence of AR working very successfully as an intervention. Students are tested four times yearly, allowing us to track their progress each term.
All quiz scores and progress towards agreed targets are tracked by the teachers and LRC staff.
They listen to students reading from the books they have picked and give individual help where needed.
Because students receive regular feedback, teachers can praise and reward students for their continued successes.
It also allows teachers to discuss with their students what they have been reading and what they want to move on to next.
Students are much more engaged with reading, and top readers are given bookmarks, posters, and certificates. Students are getting used to quizzing regularly and independently outside their AR classes.”
A Guide for Teachers
AR Book Finder can be used by a teacher to help guide struggling readers to books that they can read and understand more successfully.
Using the AR Book Finder, the pupil or teacher can search for titles in that range and combine this information with interest age and area of interest.
School library stocks could also be stickered with the AR Levels to aid the selection of appropriate titles. For pupils who experience difficulties with reading, text selection is essential.
Engaging books geared to the interest age of the pupil with a low word count can help enthuse reluctant readers and develop their skills and confidence.
Can You Use Existing Library Stock for Accelerated Reader™?
Yes. When schools implement the program, they don’t need to purchase specific sets of books upfront but can often combine existing stocks with top-up titles to ensure a variety of books are available.
They will also need to ensure they have a range of texts at different levels so children have variety and breadth to select books that appeal to them with appropriate challenges.
If pupils have access to an extensive range of texts, they can read books they’re interested in and are more likely to engage with and sustain a growth reading habit.
Make your budget go even further by determining the AR levels of the books you already have, extending your existing library, and only buying the books you need.
Where Can You Find Accelerated Reader™ Books for My School?
AR uses published books leveled by a computer algorithm to assess the complexity of the language.
This allows schools to select from a vast range of books published by a wide range of publishers, including well-known authors and classic stories.
We offer AR collections ideal for topping up or building library stocks, ensuring a range of titles to support a growing reading culture in school.
All our AR packs contain a copy of each listed book and are supplied with a sticker to be placed on or inside the book — detailing the quiz number, interest level, book level, and book points.
Every book also comes with a free protective jacket, prolonging the life of your books and helping your budget stretch further.
Primary School
Primary school reading experts hand-select books that are suited to the emotional maturity of the child as well as their reading ability and offer a range of collections by year group.
We also carefully screen the content, so any books we choose are always primary school-friendly and of the highest quality on the market today.
We offer specific collections to help teachers easily inject a substantial selection of brilliant, diverse, and inclusive reads and books to support well-being and encourage empathy.
Ways AR Book Finder Can Help You Find Any Book You Need for School…
We can provide you with answers to FAQs and offer a range of carefully selected book collections so you can ensure your library is well stocked and provides enough books to offer a real choice to pupils at each level.
Whether they are keen readers looking for something new and exciting to dive into next, or struggling and possibly reluctant needing just the correct super-readable text to hook them in.
All libraries should be offering great, diverse, and inclusive books that are brilliant reads, and books can be an excellent way to support and promote well-being and empathy.
