WELCOME TO THE BETHEL MANOR SCHOOL LIBRARY

Students come to library class once a week. During this time, they learn library and research skills and they enjoy good children's literature. In addition to their regularly scheduled class time, students are invited to visit the library during their free time and before and after school hours. (8:30 A.M. to 8:45 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. to 3:15 P.M.)

Things to remember:

• Please remember to return and/or renew library materials on your regular library day.
• Books may be renewed. If books have been placed on hold for another patron, they may be renewed once.
• A student may place a hold on an item, but that is no guarantee that he will receive the book.
• There are no fines for late books.
• Payment for lost or damaged books is expected. Checks should be made payable to Bethel Manor School. Refunds for returned books in good condition are available.

• Books
• Magazines (1 per visit)
• AudioVisual Materials such as videos, books & cassette tapes (1 per visit)
• Vertical File Materials (1 per visit)

1. Student reads a book of his/her own choice.
2. Student takes a short, objective test on the computer.
3. Both the student and the teacher receive reports on the student's reading progress.

The Point System: After the student has completed a test, he/she gets immediate feedback in the form of reading points. The program awards reading points based on the length and difficulty of the book, as well as the number of questions answered correctly. In order to receive any points, he/she must correctly answer at least 60 percent of the test questions. The computer program keeps track of the tests students take and the points they earn.

How Does AR Work at Bethel Manor?

• Teachers use test data to determine students' readability levels. Students are then placed on an independent (usually, this is lower than their instructional level) level within a reading range. For example, if a student scores a grade equivalent of 4.0 (fourth grade, 0 months), he/she would read on an independent range between a 3.1 (third grade, first month) and a 4.3 (fourth grade, third month).

• All students meet with their teacher and set a quarterly goal based on the number of points they believe they can earn during the quarter. Teachers will conference with students approximately everytwo weeks to determine if student goals need to be adjusted based on their progress.

• Students are expected to have an average score between 85-92% on the Accelerated Reader tests. If students are below this average, they will be advised to read in the low end of their reading range, and if they have an average that is higher, they will be guided to read books at the higher end of their range.

• In grades 3-5, 15% of the reading grade will be based on the students' averages on Accelerated Reader tests (half of 15%), combined with the percentage achieved toward their quarterly reading goal. For example, if a student had a 20 point goal and he/she achieved 15 points, he/she made 75% of his/her goal, which would make up the other half of the 15% of the reading grade. In second grade, students' AR scores are averaged together and are counted as 10% of the students' reading grades.

• Students do not begin reading independently until they have at least a 100-word vocabulary. When they have the 100-word sight vocabulary, first graders will set monthly goals and their progress will be monitored; however, the program is not used as part of their reading grades.

• Flexibility regarding reading ranges should be provided. Students should be able to periodically read books below their reading level and above, particularly, if it is in an area of interests.

How Do I Know Which Book To Read? The Accelerated Reader books in our school library have been coded with colored dots to correlate with various reading ranges. Use the table to the right to find the colored dots for your reading range.

Color Grade Level Pink Dots Pre-Primer Red Dots 1.0 - 1.9 Green Dots 2.0 - 2.9 Yellow Dots 3.0 - 3.9 Blue Dots 4.0 - 4.9 Orange Dots 5.0 - 5.9 Purple Dots 6.0 & Above