Accelerated Reader
The Accelerated Reader Program is a supplemental reading program that has been implemented at CTA-Freedom since the 2005-2006 school year. Accelerated Reader (or "AR") is designed to motivate students to read independently by assessing their reading ability on a regular basis, suggesting appropriate books using reading levels, and giving students points based on books they have read.Presently, thanks to the CTA Freedom PTO, we have access to all AR quizzes created by Renaissance Learning through the online AR program, Renaissance Place. This means that if a student selects a book and confirms on the website, AR BookFinder that there is a quiz, they can earn AR points. (Points are representative of the length and difficulty of the book.) If a book does not have an AR quiz, a student may do a book report to earn credit for reading the book. Please talk with your child's teacher before reading a book that is not in the AR/Renaissance program.
HomeConnect – This website will allow parents to see how their students are doing in AR. Parents will just need their student’s User Name and Password to access their information. Parent can sign up in HomeConnect for emails when their student quizzes.
Book Level – This refers to the difficulty of the text in the book and is created by a readability formula. This does not relate to the grade level the student is in. (e.g., adults read daily at a book level of 4.0-6.0) This does not take into account the maturity of “content” in a book.
Success at any reading level also depends on the interests of the student and prior knowledge of the content of the book. Most books read by intermediate students will be in the book level range of 4.0 – 7.0, with varying lengths.
Points – Students earn points based on the length of the book, actual word count and difficulty of the book. If a student gets 8 out of 10 questions correct on a 5 point book, they will receive 4 points.
Interest Level – This is set by the book publishers as to what ages of students they think will be interested in reading the book.
• LG – Lower Grade (Kindergarten – Third Grade)
• MG – Middle Grade (Fourth Grade – Eighth Grade
• UG – Upper Grade (9th Grade – Twelfth Grade)
Certification Levels – We award certificates to students as they grow in their reading. The following chart outlines their growth. Students are required to read at their reading level, the chart only shows the minimum requirements.
The important things to remember to qualify:
• Reading must be done independently,
• Scores/points only count if 80% or better
• 3 or more books minimum need to be read for each level.
Nonfiction Expert Certification – This is a non-fiction certification. Since most nonfiction books are not over .5 points, students are required to read 10 nonfiction books (or a total of 5 points) every quarter in grades 2nd - 6th. Books/points only count if they are 80% or better.
Independent Reading Practice Program (AR)
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View student AR quizzes taken and progress towards goals on HomeConnect.
Home Connect Issues:
1. You CANNOT Google HomeConnect. Find it at the link above.
2. Password:
The HomeConnect password is different from last year and different from their current Computer/AR login!
Current HomeConnect Password:
user: s__________ (student ID)
password: s_________! (Note the exclamation point at end of student ID.)
3. Locked Out - If a student gets locked out, it will resolve overnight. (i.e. They are all cleared some time during the night.)
AR BookFinder
Use to search to see if an AR Quiz has been created for a book. *AR Quizzes are created for many books published. We do not have books in the library for all AR Quizzes created!
AR BookFind.com guide - Directions for shortcut for smart phone or tablet.