AR Student Goals for Grades 3-5 or 6+ (Record Book) – Accelerated Reader

On the Student Goals tab of the Record Book, you can set goals, change goals, and view progress toward goals.

Before you come to this tab for the first time, you'll be asked to choose your goal model. This version of the Student Goals tab is used when you select the model for grades 3-5 or grades 6 and up; if your class is using the K-2 goal model, see Setting K-2 Goals in the Accelerated Reader Record Book instead.

Reading practice goals for grades 3 and up include average percent correct, points earned, and reading range. You can also select the amount of daily reading time expected for your students. For more information about the goal types, see Types of Reading Goals below.

Only passed quizzes count toward points and reading ranges; all quizzes count toward average percent correct goals. Reading Practice Quizzes, Other Reading Quizzes, and Article Quizzes count toward goals, but Literacy Skills Quizzes and Vocabulary Quizzes do not. (If you do not want students to take Article Quizzes, you can use the Article Quiz Availability preference to turn off articles and article quizzes for your school.)

How to Open the Record Book's Student Goals Tab

Who can do this with default permissions?

District Level Administrators, School Level Administrators, Teachers*

*Other users cannot set goals; they can view any goals that have been set, but they cannot change them.

If you have a Home page tile like the first example below, to open the Accelerated Reader Record Book, select Accelerated Reader 360 Independent Reading; then, select Record Book & Goals in the menu. If your home page is Renaissance Next, select AR under My Apps on the left side of the page as shown in the second example below; then, select Record Book & Goals in the menu that opens.
select Accelerated Reader, then Record Book and Goals in Renaissance Next, select AR under My Apps
You can also select Reports on your home page and select Accelerated Reader / Reading Practice or Accelerated Reader Reports in the menu that opens. Then, on the Accelerated Reader / Reading Practice tab, select AR Record Book & Goals.

When you have opened the Accelerated Reader Record Book, the Student Goals tab is selected by default; if you have selected a different tab, select Student Goals as shown below.
select the Student Goals tab

Selecting the School and Class

At the top of the page, you will see a School drop-down list if you have access to more than one school and a Class drop-down list if you have access to more than one class. Use the drop-down list(s) to select the school and class whose information you want to view. You can view information for one class at a time.
the drop-down lists

Once you've chosen the class you want to work with, notice the school year summary information that is shown at the top of the page. You'll see your students' average book level, the number of books they have read this school year, the number of articles they've read, the percentage of nonfiction they've read, and the number of words they've read.
example of the class school year summary

Selecting the Marking Period

Use the Marking Period drop-down list to choose the marking period that you want to see or set goals for. You can also select the school year if you want to set goals for the entire year.
the Marking Period drop-down list

The marking periods that are in the list are those that a school-level or district-level administrator has added to the Renaissance software. If the selected class is set up for a time period that is shorter than the school year, only marking periods that occur during the class are available.

Only one goal of each type (average percent correct, points, and reading range) can be in effect for each marking period. If you select a marking period and change existing goals, the new goals will overwrite the old ones.

If a marking period's dates change, the date changes apply to goals for that marking period as well.

If a marking period is deleted, the goals are no longer available in the Record Book or in the student Progress view.

Once you choose a marking period, you can see the percentage of the marking period that has passed to help you evaluate how students are progressing on their goals.

Viewing and Editing Goals

Viewing Goals

When you first go to the Student Goals tab in the Record Book, you are asked to choose a goal model. Once you've chosen a goal model, goals are automatically set for your students based on their Star tests or grade level.

You will see each student's average percent correct goal, points goal, and reading range information. You can sort the students by name, average percent correct, or points goal by selecting one of the headings.
an example of goals and status

Average percent correct status: Next to the student's percentage correct, a green arrow pointing up up arrow means the student's average is above the goal, and a red arrow pointing down down arrow means the student's average is below the goal.

Point goal status: For the points goal, until the student starts, you will see Not Started below the goal. Once the student begins earning points, you will see On Track if the student is earning points at a rate that make it likely the goal will be met or Falling Behind if the rate makes it possible the student will not meet the goal. If the student meets the goal exactly, you will see Goal Met . If the student earns more points than required for the goal, you will see Goal Exceeded . You will see the percentage of the goal that the student has completed next to the goal; you can compare the student's percentage to the percentage of the marking period that has elapsed, which is shown under the "Reading Goals" heading.

In the example above, both Alonso and Blake are above their average percent correct goal; Alonso is on track to make his points goal, while Blake is falling behind. Alonso is mostly reading within the range that was set, while Blake does not yet have a range set.

Reading Range status: Students are encouraged to read within the range of book levels that is set in the Record Book (shown below the status). The status shows how much of the student's reading is below, in, and above the expected range. If the student reads in both English and Spanish, and ranges are set for both, the graph and percentages are based on both English and Spanish reading.

Message	What It Means
	The student has taken Accelerated Reader quizzes, but no reading range has been set yet for either English or Spanish. Edit goals to set reading ranges and see progress.
	60% or more of the student's reading has included books and articles with levels that are within the reading range (the percentage is based on points, not number of quizzes passed). The student's average percent correct is at or above 60%, so the student seems to be comprehending what they read.
	50% or more of the student's reading has included books and articles with levels below the reading range, though the student's average percent correct is at or above 60%. The student's current reading is not challenging enough based on the range.
	50% or more of the student's reading has included books and articles with levels above the reading range, and the student's average percent correct is below 60%. The student appears to be reading material that is too challenging.
	This message appears when: 60% or more of the student's reading is within the range, but their average percent correct is below 60%. You may need to lower the student's reading range. 50% or more of the student's reading is below the range, and their average percent correct is below 60%. You may need to lower the student's reading range. 50% or more of the student's reading is above the range, and their average percent correct is above 60%. You may need to increase the student's reading range. All of the student's reading is above the range, or all of it is above and below the range (with no reading within range). In all of these cases, the teacher should review the set reading range to make sure it is appropriate for the student.

Types of Reading Goals

Goals are set for average percent correct on quizzes, points earned, and reading range.

Goals are based on the Reading Practice Quizzes, Article Quizzes, and Other Reading Quizzes that the students have taken during the marking period.

Average Percent Correct Goal: This goal is for the average percent correct score for all of the student's quizzes (passed or failed) taken during the marking period. This goal shows whether students are comprehending what they read. The goal may be set to 80% or any value from 85% to 90%. 85% is the suggested goal.
Reading Range: This is a target range of book levels for a student's reading. If reading ranges are set, students see those ranges in their book ideas in Accelerated Reader to help guide their book selection; they also see their reading ranges on the student progress page. For students who read in both English and Spanish, you can set separate reading ranges for each language. By basing reading ranges on a student's Zone of Proximal Development or Lexile® range, you can encourage students to read at levels that are likely to promote growth. Note: Reading range goals are not reflected on reports.
Points Goal: The points goal sets the number of points that you expect the student to earn from passing quizzes during the marking period. A points goal is suggested based on the student's Star Reading test or grade level (if there is no Star score), the selected amount of daily reading time, and the number of days in the marking period (excluding days off). Note: If the administrator adds days off to the marking period after you have set the goals, repeat the steps below to get new suggested goals for your students.

If you are seeing goals for a student that you did not set, the goals may have been set for another class. Students can only have one set of goals for a marking period, so if a student is in more than one class in the same school, the goals set in one class apply to the student for all classes in that school. (If a student is in classes at different schools, they can have different goals for the class in each school; the student can see the goals for each school by changing the class they have selected in Accelerated Reader.)

Other goal resources include Goal-Setting Best Practices and the Goal-Setting Chart for Independent Readers.

Students can also see their progress toward their goals. For more, see How Students View Progress on Quizzes Taken.

Editing Goals

There are two ways to start editing students' goals:

If all students in your class have goals and you want to change them, select Edit Goals above the list of students.
If individual students in your class don't have goals, either because they joined the class later or because you're working with a new marking period, you can select Edit Goal for an individual student to open the Edit Reading Goals page, where you can edit goals for the entire class.

Next, you can edit goals for multiple students using the drop-down lists at the top of the page, or you can edit goals for individual students. Use your knowledge of your students in conjunction with the recommendations to set goals that will encourage student growth while celebrating your students' success.

Changing Goals for Multiple Students

At the top of the Edit Reading Goals page, you can make choices to set goals for multiple students. If you are editing goals for a marking period that is in progress, the percentage complete below the Edit Reading Goals heading will remind you how much of the marking period has passed.
the drop-down lists on the Edit Goals page

Follow these steps:

First, click the Select Students drop-down list. When the list opens, check the students whose goals you want to change, or click Select All to check all of the students. When you're done, click out of the drop-down list to close it.
If students have taken Star Reading tests, use the Star Reading Range For drop-down list to choose which Star test score to use for goals. The score that you select determines the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) or Lexile® Range for each student. You can choose the first test each student took this school year (recommended), the latest test, each student's best test score, or the Star test that is already selected for each of the students. If some of your students have not taken Star Reading tests, their grade levels will be used instead to determine the ZPD or Lexile® Range. Note: This drop-down list is not available if none of the students in the class have taken Star Reading tests.
The rest of the drop-down lists include optional settings; if you don't change them, Accelerated Reader will use the default selections to set goals.

Reading Range: For students who have taken Star assessments, based on the option you chose in the "Star Reading Range For" drop-down list, choose whether to set students' reading ranges to the full Zone of Proximal Development or Lexile® range, the lower portion (Moderate), or the upper portion (Ambitious).
Average % Correct: The default average percent correct goal is 85%. If you want to set a different goal for all students, select the drop-down list. You can choose 80%, 85% (recommended), 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, or 90%. If you don't want to apply a new average percent correct goal to the selected students, choose Clear Selection in the drop-down list; students will keep their current goals if you do this.
Daily Reading Time: Choose the number of minutes students are expected to read each day: 15 (recommended), 20, 30, 35, 45, or 60. Select Clear Selection if you don't want to set the same daily reading time for all students.
Set Reading Range for: Choose whether to set reading ranges for English, Spanish, both languages, or none. The options that are available depend on the setting of the class Lexile® Goals preference. If your class uses ATOS book levels, only English reading ranges can be set based on Star Reading test results, though you can add Spanish reading ranges manually later. If your class uses Lexile® measures instead of ATOS book levels, both English and Spanish ranges can be set based on Star test results (for students who have have taken both Star Reading English and Star Reading Spanish tests).

After making your selections, select Generate New Goals.
In the message that opens, select Yes, update selected students if you want to continue and update the students' goals, or No, don't update if you decide not to continue.
Review each student's goals and make adjustments if necessary; if the marking period is in progress, you will see the student's actual achievement so far below each goal. When you're ready to save goals and leave the page, select Save Goals. (If you decide not to save your changes, select Cancel Edit; then, select Delete Changes to confirm that you want to leave editing without saving your changes.)

Changing Goals for Individual Students

You can also edit goals for individual students, either directly or using the Goal Calculator.

Changing Individual Goals Manually

Note: If the marking period is in progress and the student has taken quizzes, you will see the student's actual achievement for the marking period below each goal.

To change a student's average percent correct goal, select the drop-down list in the column for the student. 85% is the recommended goal (shown by ).
To change a student's points goal, click in the points field for the student and enter a new value. Points can be entered as a whole number or with one digit after the decimal place.
For reading range goals, you can change existing reading ranges by clicking in the fields and changing the numbers. If no ranges have been added, select Add under the English or Spanish heading; then, enter the range. For ATOS book levels, you can enter whole numbers or numbers with one decimal place (such as "5" or "5.4"). For Lexile® measures, enter whole numbers for the goal (omit the "L") or "BR" for all BR levels. Below the fields, if the student has passed quizzes during the goal time period, you'll see the student's actual average book levels in English and Spanish, and if the student has taken a Star test, you'll see the student's Zone of Proximal Development and the test date.

When you're done, select Save Goals. (If you decide not to make your changes, select Cancel Edit; then, select Delete Changes to confirm that you want to leave editing without saving your changes.)
select Save Goals

Using the Goal Calculator

If you want to use the Goal Calculator to adjust an an individual student's goals, select Goal Calculator under the student's name.
the Use Goal Calculator link

In the Goal Calculator, use the Daily Reading Time drop-down list to choose the number of minutes you expect this student to read every day: 15 (recommended), 20, 30, 35, 45, or 60 minutes. This affects the number of points the student can be expected to earn; more reading should lead to the student earning more points.
the Goal Calculator window and the Daily Reading Time drop-down list

If the student has taken more than one English Star Reading test this school year, use the Baseline Test drop-down list to choose which reading range to base the student's goals on; the ranges may be shown as Zones of Proximal Development or Lexile® Ranges. The ranges shown are based on the student's test scores; you will also see the test date next to each range. Note: If the student took multiple tests on the same day, only the latest test for that date will be shown in the drop-down list.
the Goal Calculator and the Baseline Test drop-down list

If the student has not taken a Star Reading test, enter the student's grade level/equivalent (in grade.month format) that you want to base goals on.
the Grade Equivalent field

Use the Reading Range drop-down list to choose the type of goal that you want to set: Full ZPD (based on the baseline test or the grade equivalent), Moderate (the lower end of the student's Zone of Proximal Development or Lexile® range), or Ambitious (the upper end of the student's ZPD or Lexile® range).
the Goal Calculator and the Reading Range drop-down list

If your class is using Lexile® measures instead of ATOS book levels (as set in the Lexile® Goals preference), you can also use the Goal Calculator to set the Spanish Reading Range. If the student has taken a Star Reading Spanish test, you can select a Spanish baseline test and then select a Reading Range just as you did for English. If the student has not taken a Star Reading Spanish test, you can enter a Grade Equivalent and select the Reading Range as for English.

When you're done choosing the goal options, select Apply. The student's goals will be updated based on your selections, and you can make adjustments if necessary. (If you decide not to use the Goal Calculator once you have opened it, click outside the window to close it.)

Changing the Goal Model for the Class

Generally, it is best to choose a goal model at the beginning of the school year and then continue with that goal model to avoid changing how students see their goals. However, if you find that another model would work better for your students, or if you want to change a model as students begin goals for a new marking period, follow these steps:

Select Edit Goals.
Select Change Goal Model. (You may need to select Leave to confirm that you want to leave the Edit Goals page without saving goals.) Note: If the Change Goal Model button is not available, you don't have the user permissions required to change the goal model.
On the Edit Goal Theme page, choose the goal model that you want to use for the class.

More about the goal models available

There are three goal models available: Recommended for Grades K-2, Recommended for Grades 3-5, and Recommended for Grades 6+.

Recommended for Grades K-2

This is an engaging goal model for the youngest students. Students earn tokens when they pass quizzes, and those tokens count toward character badges. Teachers select the student Star test scores (or grade-levels) to base goals on; then, they set the expected amount of daily reading time. Based on these selections, the software calculates each student's goal for passed quizzes for the students' entire school year (not individual marking periods). Goals are based on the number of tokens required for each badge because students see the goals in terms of how many badges they need to earn. For more information, see Setting K-2 Goals in the Accelerated Reader Record Book and the Goal-Setting Chart for Emerging Readers.
example of student goal setting in the Record Book
example of the student progress page for students with badge goals

Recommended for Grades 3-5

In this goal model, teachers set goals for students' average percent correct, points earned, and reading range; these goals are selected for specific marking periods. When students view their progress, their points earned are represented by a rocket traveling toward a planet, and students can see how close they are to the goal, how much time is left, and whether they are on track to meet their goal. A gauge shows students whether they are meeting their average percent correct goal; a message tells the student more about how their book selection matches the reading range. Students can also see information about their reading, including the number of quizzes they have passed, the number of words they have read, the percentage of fiction and nonfiction they have read, and the percentage of Spanish and English reading they have done (for students who read in Spanish). Below that, students can see their Star Reading and Star Math scores if they have scores from the selected marking period. A Marking Period drop-down list lets students see whether they met past goals.
example of student goal setting in the Record Book
example of the student progress page for grades 3-5

Recommended for Grades 6+

This goal model is similar to the model for grades 3-5, but using images that are suitable for older students. As in the grade 3-5 model, teachers set marking period goals for students' average percent correct, points earned, and reading ranges. Students see all the same information that they see in the grades 3-5 model; however, instead of a rocket, students are shown their points progress on a bar graph.
example of student goal setting in the Record Book
example of the student progress page for grades 6 and up

Select Save Changes. In the message that opens, select Yes, Change Theme if you want to to continue and change the theme, or select No, Go Back if you want to make a different selection. (If you decide not to change the theme at all, select Cancel on the Edit Goal Theme page.)

Viewing an Individual Student's Goals and Quizzes

To see one student's goals and the quizzes that they've taken, select the student's name. For more information, see Student Details - Student Goals (Grades 3-5 and 6+).

Other Tabs in the Record Book

To see the quizzes your students have taken, select the Latest Quiz tab.
the Latest Quiz tab

To see or set your student's certification goals, select the Certifications tab.
the Certifications tab

To see how much reading bilingual students are doing in Spanish and English, select the Biliteracy Report tab.
the Biliteracy Report tab