Recently I said something shocking to my eleven-year old daughter. I told her not to do her homework. More specifically, I gave her permission to politely refuse to take Accelerated Reader/Renaissance Reading quizzes or write book reflections whose grades are based on AR points.
My frustration stems from the fact that a majority of her reading grade has nothing to do with her reading ability. It has to do with her compliance and her ability to get us to sign things on time. If she has to get grades, I want them to reflect what she’s learning.
I’ve battled the AR mentality since she started middle school last year. I’m a rule follower by nature, so I’ve gone through the proper channels – talking to teachers and administrators, sharing research, talking with other parents – always keeping what is best for kids at the forefront of my conversations. I’ve had lots of good conversations but very little else. I get that change in education moves at glacial speed, but quite frankly, I’m ready for a little educational global warming.
A conversation on Halloween night pushed me to the edge, and a conversation last week was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
The first conversation was between S and a 7th grade friend. We were going home after trick-or-treating, and the conversation in the back seat turned to school, and ultimately to AR points. After we dropped off the friend, I told S not to worry about AR and the book reflections. She says, “You know, mom, you’re fighting a losing battle. Next year I’ll have to take AR tests like every two weeks!” I assured her that it wasn’t a losing battle, and that I would continue to have conversations with her principal and teachers about the negative aspects of AR. After she went to bed, I made a mental note that I needed to touch base with school again.
Then last week, on our way home from basketball practice, she and a friend started talking about school, and, of course, reading came up. That part of the conversation stopped me in my tracks. It went something like this.
- Friend: I hate reading!
- S: I like to read, but lately I like it less and less.
- Friend: Why?
- S: I feel like I’m rushing; reading for points instead of enjoying the story.
- Me: Then stop reading for points.
- S & Friend at the same time: WHAT??
- Me: I said, stop reading for points. I don’t care about the grade. I don’t care about the points. I care that you enjoy reading. Stop reading for points and just enjoy the story.
I dropped the friend off, and S was pretty quiet the rest of the way home. After a shower and dinner, she asked me about it again. I reiterated that I wanted her to stop reading for points. She pointed out that 25% of her grade was based on the points and/or reflections. I very honestly told her that in the big picture, it was 6th grade reading, and no one would remember that grade past this year. Middle school GPA’s mean nothing in the big picture of life, and twenty years from now, I wanted her to still love reading.
The second quarter just began. There’s a designated number of Renaissance Reading quizzes and/or book reflections to do, and S has permission to not do them. At some point the reading teacher will comment that she hasn’t done any and try to encourage her to get going. I’ve told her to very politely tell him that she’s opting out, and if he has questions, he needs to call me.
I’m feeling a bit like a rebel, but at this point, I don’t care. I’ve tried the proper channels (and I’ll continue because this is about more than just my kids), but right now it’s not about the system.
It’s about one girl who has loved to read since she was very small, and I’m not about to let anyone take that away from her.
Thank you! Although I have experienced similar cross roads as a parent and educator, I have not been as courageous. You have inspired me.
We walk a fine line as parent and educator. It was a big step, but I’ve come to the decision that I have to be parent first.
Bravo Jennifer! How lucky your children are to have you as a parent and an advocate for them. What’s taking place here in reading is not fostering a love of reading in children either and that is very sad. Anything that takes away that love of reading is not a good thing. I am daily happy to be away from the demands and stresses of classrooms where minutes per subject are counted more than how students are being impacted in some schools. Good teachers are being forced to adhere to curriculum that is unrealistic or be hounded or put on ‘growth plans’ by administrators who look at the bottom line and the statistics rather than the growth of the child. Teaching is not about x amount of minutes spent on each subject. Whatever happened to the day when a teacher could let a game of discussion carry on because the students were engaged and learning rather than abruptly stop and head into another subject? Was that bad teaching? I don’t think so, but if my teaching style in the classroom were rated by the current standards here, I would fail miserably. Right now the system is just failing our children miserably.
Here is a letter I just submitted. Maybe it will give you some ammunition. See also the original editorial I responded to, it has some good arguments:
Sent to the Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, November 14
The case against accelerated reader (AR) is even stronger than Jan Lacina’s article states (“Accelerated Reader: Teaching kids the ‘game’ of school testing, Nov. 13).
There is no clear evidence that AR works, even in the short term. AR has four components: It provides access to books, provides time to read, quizzes children on what they read, and awards prizes for performance on the quizzes. As Dean Lacina notes, it is well-established that providing books and time to read are effective, but AR research does not show that the quizzes and prizes add anything. Studies claiming AR is effective compare AR to doing nothing; gains were probably due to the reading, not the tests and prizes.
Also, AR could also have the effect of discouraging reading in the long run: Reading is intrinsically pleasant. Substantial research shows that rewarding an intrinsically pleasant activity sends the message that the activity is not pleasant, and that nobody would do it without a bribe. AR might be convincing children that reading is not pleasant. No studies have been done on the long-term effect of AR.
Stephen Krashen
Sources:
Kohn, A. 1999. Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (second edition)
Krashen, S. 2003. The (lack of) experimental evidence supporting the use of accelerated reader. Journal of Children’s Literature 29 (2): 9, 16-30. (Available at http://www.sdkrashen.com)
Krashen, S. 2004. A comment on Accelerated Reader: The pot calls the kettle black. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 47(6): 444-445.
Krashen, S. 2005. Accelerated reader: Evidence still lacking. Knowledge Quest 33(3): 48-49.
Original article:
http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/13/4411482/accelerated-reader-teaching-kids.html#storylink=cpy
I just favorited that on Twitter and I’m going to forward it to the middle school principal when I get back to a computer. Thanks for sharing it here as well. We have to stop trying to quantify everything.
I teach a preschool class in an elementary school, and I get so completely bummed when I see the older children rushing to get their AR ice cream for meeting their AR goal. What happens when there are no points? No ice cream? Will they keep reading? Unlikely.
I’ve been wondering what to do when my husband & I’s child is faced with this dilemma. I don’t think homework helps kids, and I really don’t think reading X number of books/minutes/etc and taking quizzes helps kids. It’s inspiring to see other parents who are saying NO.
There is research that shows kids who do AR read less after AR is over than other kids. When we place extrinsic rewards on things, we send a message that prizes have more value than the activity. That’s what I’m fighting for – my daufhter’s love of reading.
Have you read Punished by Rewards? Basically the same concept…extrinsic rewards devalue things and make people not want to do them or enjoy them for their own sake. Also in student teaching I saw this..kids only read books in the system and raced through them. They chose books for point vslue nit enjoyment and were criticized for failing quizzes or choosing non system books. No intervention was given for kids who struggled with reading or comprehending, they were just told to read it again and take thexquiz again or try an easier level. This was a huge portion of their reading grade. Kudos for opting out. I would insist my child not participate and remove the whole idea from the topic of reading. So sad to see schools making reading such a measured regimented activity.
Where is the joy and love of learning? What will these kids become in a decade when they see reading as a competitive prize laden scramble and race?
I haven’t read that, but I am adding it to my amazon cart now. We have to regain the idea that learning is a journey not a race. 20 years from now, I want my kids to not just know how to read but to still read.
I’m not sure if my last post went through because I was on a smartphone, so I’ll try again… You go girl! Yes! You continue to be a rebel because WE need to be the voice for our children. Perhaps if more of our voices rise, positive change will occur! Awesome article…looking forward to your others
Thanks! Some days I feel like the Who down in Whoville. I am first and foremost an advocate for kids