School districts have always tried to improve their reading scores. However, educators are now motivated to increase reading scores even more. The Federal No Child Left Behind Act that was signed into law in 2002 made specific reading achievement mandates:
"All students will reach high standards, at a minimum attaining proficiency or better in reading and mathematics by 2013-2014."
Rewards or Incentive Programs Raise Reading Achievement Scores
One way that some schools are raising their reading scores is through rewards programs. Students receive rewards such as small gifts, cash, electronics, candy, pizza, soda, etc. for improving reading. Some teachers have charts on the walls where students move shapes with their names to show how much of their reading goal that they have met.
Erik W. Robelen reported findings, in the article "Reading Scores Get 'Bump' from Student Incentives, Study Finds" [Edweek website, May 27, 2008]. The study showed that when students participated in a reading incentive program, schools saw an average gain of "four percentile points in students' performance on standardized state reading tests."
The Accelerated Reader program (AR), which is an incentive program, has received favorable reviews from studies from What Works Clearinghouse, National Center on Student Progress Monitoring, and Florida Center for Reading Research, among others.
At rural Logan Hocking Middle School in Ohio, circulation of books in the school library has increased dramatically. Before the AR program started, circulation of fiction books numbered 6821 for the 2003-2004 school year. The library circulation rates started increasing as a couple of teachers piloted the AR program in the following years. In the 2007-2008 school year, all of the language arts classes participated in the AR program. The circulation of fiction books jumped to 20, 211. There were large increases in the circulation of non-fiction books and biographies as well.
Accelerated Reader Allows Students to Read at Their Own Level
The Accelerated Reader program assess student reading comprehension and achievement through online assessments called STAR reading, which meets all National Center on Student Progress Monitoring criteria for scientifically based progress-monitoring tools. Students and teachers can keep track of growth during the school year. This personalized reading practice can enhance many reading programs.
Once students' levels are assessed, they are given a reading goal. To meet the goal, they must read a certain number of books to reach their point goal. All books on the AR list have point values and reading levels. School librarians can place stickers on the books so that students can easily choose books on their level. Basically, the playing field is leveled for all students to reach their reading goal because students are reading books at their level and meeting individual goals to receive rewards.
Negative Aspects of Incentive Reading
One drawback to incentive reading is the complaint that students are reading for rewards. They are not being intrinsically motivated to read books on their own or finding the passion for reading. Many times students are working towards a prize instead of reading for pleasure. Another teacher complaint with AR is that the reading quizzes that students take to receive points are many times mainly lower level comprehension questions.
Incentive reading programs have positive and negative aspects. Teachers need to help their students read more to increase comprehension and vocabulary levels to meet the NCLB mandates. An incentive reading program is one of many programs that teachers can try to help their students succeed.
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Kellie Hayden - She is a 19 year veteran teacher with a master's degree in education and NBCT, 2000. Kellie teaches 8th grade language arts, TAG and ...
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