Reading Practice Goals

In Accelerated Reader, personalized goals help encourage students to read and grow, and they help teachers and students to celebrate students' success. For more, see our brief Literacy Minutes video on why personalized goals are important.

Goal Models Based on Grade Levels

When you go to the Student Goals tab of the Record Book or to the Reading Goals Model preference, there are three goal models available: Recommended Grades K-2, Recommended Grades 3-5, and Recommended 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-level equivalents) 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.

Recommended for Grades 3-5

In this goal model, teachers set goals for students' average percent correct, average book level or reading range, and points earned; 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. Gauges show students whether they are meeting their average percent correct and average book level goals (if used); if you are using reading ranges, 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've read, and the percentage of reading they've done in English and Spanish (if they've passed quizzes in both languages). 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.

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, average book level or reading range, and points earned. 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.

Goal Types for Older Students

If you use the goal models for grades 3-5 or for grades 6 and up, the types of goals available are:

• Average percent correct. This is the most important goal for students to achieve because it indicates that students are comprehending what they read. Average percent correct is the average of the scores the student received on the quizzes he or she took during the marking period (passed and failed). Because some students can benefit from even more success, you have the option of increasing the goal in 1 percent increments up to 90 percent. (The minimum goal is 80%.)
• Average book level. If used, this goal is for the average book level of the books or selections on which the student passed Reading Practice Quizzes, Other Reading Quizzes, and Article Quizzes during the marking period. Accelerated Reader calculates the average book level as a weighted average based on word count (to take into consideration not just the difficulty of the text but also the amount of time spent reading). The class Lexile®* Goals preference determines whether ATOS book levels or Lexile® measures are used for the goal. When setting a goal for average book level, consider the student's reading level and Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) or Lexile® Range, which is a range of book levels that are neither too easy nor too challenging (and listed on the Goal Setting Chart). We recommend setting the average book level as a minimum goal - at or near the lower end of the ZPD or Lexile® Range.
• Reading Range: If used, 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. The points goal should be set for the total number of points you expect the student to earn by passing Reading Practice Quizzes, Other Reading Quizzes (textbook quizzes), and Article Quizzes during the marking period. Point goals should be based on how much daily, in-class reading practice time students receive. Note: If you award points or record points used, those records do not affect goals; only points earned from quizzes count toward the points goal.

Resources for Setting Goals

These resources about goal-setting may help as you decide on students' goals. Accelerated Reader also helps with recommendations and with a goal calculator for older students.

• Accelerated Reader Goal Frameworks
• Goal-Setting Best Practices for Grades 3 and Up
• Goal-Setting Chart for Emerging Readers
• Goal-Setting Chart for Independent Readers

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