Zone of Proximal Development

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is a term borrowed from psychologist Lev Vygotsky. In Accelerated Reader, the ZPD is a range of book levels that are not too challenging and not too easy--depending upon a student's reading level. Although ZPD itself is not entered or calculated in Accelerated Reader, it is a key component of successful reading practice and goal setting. For more about why ZPD is important, see our Literacy Minutes video about ZPD.

If your students have taken Star Reading tests, you can see a ZPD for each student on the Star Reading Range Report and when you select a student's name in the Accelerated Reader Record Book. Determining a student's reading level (or a Grade Equivalent (GE) score from a standardized test such as Star Reading) and the student's ZPD will help you set an average book level goal and point goal with the student in Accelerated Reader. The ZPD, however, is approximate. Success at any reading level also depends on the student's interest and prior knowledge of a book's content. Teachers should use their professional judgment to adjust the level of books read to match an individual student's needs and interests.

The table below shows how ZPDs are selected based on some Grade Equivalent (GE) levels. In the table, you'll see a distinctive pattern. Above 2.0, the ZPD begins at a level that is lower than the GE - considerably lower as the GE goes up. This is because the GE from a test represents the highest level at which a student can read short passages, not the level at which the student can read comfortably for hours. Besides that, most noninstructional materials, even for adults, are written at a level below 6.0. (John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, for example, has a book level of 4.9.) If students were asked to only read books that matched their GE, once they tested higher than about 6.0, they would be faced with very difficult, and probably not very enjoyable, material.

Accelerated Reader provides recommendations for goals based on a student's GE score and ZPD. You can also find goal-setting guidance based on these scores in the Goal-Setting charts in the Accelerated Reader resources. When you choose a goal model for your class, you can choose to use reading range goals instead of average book level goals. You can then set reading range goals for your students based on their Star test scores or grade equivalent levels; goals may be for the full ZPD or just the lower or upper portion. Reading ranges can be set for both English and Spanish. Students can then see their reading ranges on their progress page along with a message about how well they are selecting books within their range.

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