Passing Percentage – Accelerated Reader

The passing percentage for quizzes varies depending on the type of quiz.

For Reading Practice Quizzes, Other Reading Quizzes, and Article Quizzes, the default passing scores are 60% to pass a 3-, 5-, or 10-question quiz and 70% to pass a 20-question quiz. (These requirements apply to Teacher-Made Quizzes as well.) You can use the Passing Percent preference to change the passing percent scores.

Why are the default settings 60% for quizzes with 10 or fewer questions and 70% for quizzes with more than 10 questions?

It is important for students to get an immediate sense of accomplishment for reading and comprehending a book at a basic level. The percentage correct isn't intended to be a reading grade, but to award the student with points proportional to his or her comprehension. The default score of 60% correct is more than two times as good as the student would be likely to get by guessing; it shows that the child has read the book with at least some comprehension and deserves some reward.

For longer, more difficult books with 20-question quizzes, the default passing percentage is higher (70%) because abridged versions of the books are often available. The higher passing percentage ensures that the student has read and comprehended the complete version of the book.

Ultimately, finding a range of reading levels at which the student scores 85 percent correct or above on Accelerated Reader quizzes will provide optimal growth. If, at a given level, the student is scoring consistently below 85 percent correct, it is an indication that the reading at that level is too difficult for the student to construct enough meaning to provide context clues to more challenging words and passages. It is the teacher's role to point out that the student would get more reward with a higher percentage and to encourage more thorough reading or lower-level books.

For Vocabulary Practice Quizzes, students do not pass or fail a quiz. Students simply learn words that are placed on their Words Learned List; therefore, a passing percentage doesn't apply to this type of quiz.
For Literacy Skills Quizzes, the passing percentage is 70%. Literacy Skills Quizzes are 12 questions long.

You can see which quizzes your students have passed and failed in the Accelerated Reader Record Book.