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1st Nine Weeks (August 22nd – October 21st)Each student has a base goal to reach by October 21st. (New base goals will be set at the beginning of each 9-weeks.) The base goal includes a certain number of points, a certain book range, an average percent correct goal, a Reading Certificate goal, and a teacher component goal. This total (5 components) goal will be monitored on a weekly basis with check-point goals every Friday. If at any time you have questions or concerns about your child’s goal, please do not hesitate to call your child’s reading teacher. Each child’s goal is individualized, so we do have some flexibility. Included is a generic grade level goal so you can compare your child’s goal to the “grade level” goal for your child’s grade.Friday AR Break: If your child has reached his/her weekly checkpoint goal before Friday’s class, he/she will be offered free time during class. However, your child may choose to use Friday’s class time to work on the weekly check point instead of trying to finish by Thursday. Some students will use Friday’s class to get a head start on the next week’s goal. We will leave it up to your child.Other Info: For this first 9-weeks, adjustments to each student’s point goal has been made to take into account the many days of short schedules due to game days and students getting back into a routine from summer.Average Percent Correct: Our goal for your child is to maintain an 85% average correct. If your child’s average is higher than this, the books may be too easy. If the average percent is lower, the books may be too hard. Remember, this is an average over nine weeks. So one low grade on a book might happen from time to time, but we will help your child work through these issues to maintain progress. (See Athletics Requirements for additional info.)Book Levels: Students will have a reading range within which to stay. Over time, we expect that reading range to get higher. Think of a reading range as a grade level. A fourth grader might have a reading range of 4.0-4.9. This covers the entire fourth grade year. Some students will have ranges beyond their grade level. For example, a fourth grader might have a reading range of 4.5 – 5.5. This means the student is reading at the middle of the grade level and into the next. Reading teachers will be helping your child narrow the range so that he/she does not stay at the lower end of the range for too long. It’s all about progress! A student in a higher grade might have a much wider range. An 8th grader might have a range of 5.0 – 9.0. Just because a student is in 8th grade doesn’t mean that reading 6th grade and 7th grade level books is not beneficial. Teachers will work with your child to maintain a good range that incorporates lots of books from which to choose.Reading Certificates: Certificates are achieved after reading a certain number of books with a certain value. Our website has a list of each certificate and the values. Included is an attachment with more information. If your child earns a certificate, your child’s teacher and Mr. Wagner will sign it and send it home in the Tuesday folder. Celebrate this success. It is quite an accomplishment!Teacher Set Goals: This will change each 9-weeks. For example, students might be required to choose and successfully read at least two biographies. Each 9-weeks will have a different Teacher Set Goal.As reading teachers, we are so excited about watching our Cougars grow in their reading skills. Each day we will spend time on AR and time on reading skills that are taught in Language Arts. Students may have reading as homework. However, if your child is requiring more than thirty to forty-five minutes per day of homework reading time, call your child’s teacher and let’s visit. There are so many great stories out there, and it is a joy to hear the kids talk about their books. Students now have access to books online and may read these on their devices with teacher permission. A great site is . A student can check to see if books are AR books. You can also check your child’s AR progress by going to the link on our website. Look on the left under Resources. You can also set up E-mail alerts and receive updates immediately after your child takes an AR test.Please feel free to call or come by for a visit if you have any questions. Attached are a few more things for you to read to give you more information about our Reading class. Please sign and return the last page acknowledging your receipt of this information. But, please keep the other pages as a reference throughout the year. We are looking forward to another great year with our Cougars!Thank you,Ms. Velek, Mrs. Muenich, Mrs. Steffek, and Ms. Jalufka(361)293-3221 lvelek@408940018986500dmuenich@ssteffek@tjalufka@ GRADING POLICY for the READING/AR CLASSThe AR Reading class is one of five core subject classes that must meet certain academic standards in order for students to be promoted to the next school year. The other four are Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.In order to use a grading policy to accurately reflect a student’s progress in the AR Reading Class, the following system is in place: A grade is built up from zero to 100. (Not based on an average like the other four core subjects.)An AR Goal has five components:Component # 1: Earn a certain number of points within the 9 week grading period. This “base goal” is broken into weekly assignments. (Points are based on a student’s individual reading ability.)Component #2: Maintain an average percent correct at or above 85%.Component #3: Maintain or advance in the average book ponent #4: Earn required AR certification level(s) as assigned by the ponent #5: Meet specific reading assignments as assigned by the teacher. (Examples: read three non-fiction or a biography as part of the nine-weeks reading assignments.) Each week components #1, #2 will be worth up to 3 points each. Each week component #3 will be worth up to 2 points. Each week class participation will be worth up to 2 points.Therefore, at the end of a week, a student can earn up to 10 points. After 9 weeks, a student can earn up to 90 ponent #4 and #5 are worth up to 5 points each. Therefore, by the end of the nine weeks, if these two components are met, a student can earn an additional 10 points bringing the potential for a grade in the class to 100.Note: In order to be eligible for Splashway at the end of the year, a student must meet 4 out of 5 components three out of four nine weeks.Students are expected to meet weekly checkpoint goals for components #1, #2, and #3 to be eligible for participation in extra-curricular activities. (See Athletics Requirements for additional info.)Challenge Goals:At the beginning of each 9-weeks when goals are set, students will have a goal beyond the teacher’s base goal. If the student reaches this goal, he/she can triple the points earned for the AR store. For example, a goal was 20 points and the student’s challenge goal was 25 points. The difference of 5 points is tripled when it comes time to shop.Mr. Wagner will offer a reward activity for every student who meets a challenge goal by the end of the 9-weeks. In addition, every 4th-8th grader who meets his/her challenge goal all four nine weeks will receive a $50 cash bonus on the last day of school.Q & AQ: Should I require my child to hurry and finish his/her 9-weeks goal early on in the grading period so it can be finished with time to spare? A: No, pacing over the grading period is a much better way to let the practice of reading help to develop the strong reading skills that are needed for today’s curriculum in all courses. We would never expect a math student to squeeze nine weeks of math homework into a few short weeks so the child could be done. By maintaining weekly progress checkpoints, a student should not need to rush at the end.Q: What if my child completes his/her base goal before the end of the 9-weeks?A: Ideally, if the child finishes early, the goal might have been too low. Students will be encouraged to work toward a challenge goal or find other things to read (magazines, journals, newspapers, etc…). However, this is not free time for other things. This is a reading class. Q: What if my child’s reading goals are below grade level?A: Since student goals are individualized, it is possible that a student’s actual reading level is below the grade level ideal. If the student continues to read below grade level, meeting passing standards on the state reading assessments (STAAR) and high school course exams (EOC) may be difficult. In 5th and 8th grades, students must pass the reading test (and math) to be promoted to the next grade. For students who need more than the current Reading/AR class, options are available for more remediation. Let’s visit about this when we meet for our parent conference after the first six weeks of school. Or, call and we can set up a meeting at any time to discuss these options.Sweet Home School students have consistently out-performed students from around the state on state assessments in reading. We believe our commitment to developing strong readers has been a key to that success. Our experience has shown that students who typically read below the “ideal” grade level have difficulty with mastery on the state assessments. While our students who read at or above the “ideal” grade level tend to meet the passing standards. As the Texas Education Agency and the State Legislature continue to raise expectations for student achievement, we are committed to prepare your child for this higher level of success.Q: What is a paperclip goal?A: For students who read well beyond their grade level, it is not always practical to require a student to complete a 300 or 400 page book in a week. Therefore, we will work with these students to help pace themselves over a designated period of time; hence, the name of the paperclip goal. Reading/AR Goals and AthleticsAthletes must be at weekly AR goals by 3:25p.m. on the Friday before the week of games/events. AR goals consist of 5 components.For the purposes of eligibility, a student’s average percent correct must be 75% (instead of the 85% required for the class.)For the purposes of eligibility, a student’s average book level must be in his/her individual ZPD range.For the purposes of eligibility, a student must be at the Friday checkpoint goal for points earned.The Friday deadline is required for all announced and unannounced games including spring events including track meets and softball.Grade Level Goals (Ideal)4th Grade – Earns 17 points per nine-weeks with an 85% correct and an average book level of 4.5. 5th Grade – Earns 20 points per nine-weeks with an 85% correct and an average book level of 5.5.6th Grade – Earns 24 points per nine-weeks with an 85% correct and an average book level of 6.5.7th Grade – Earns 28 points per nine-weeks with an 85% correct and an average book range of 6.5 – 7.5.8th Grade – Earns 29 points per nine-weeks with an 85% correct and an average book range of 6.9 – 8.0.AR Certificates InformationThere are seven reader certifications that your students can earn. Students must earn an 80% on the book in order for it to count toward a reader certification. The reader certifications available in Accelerated Reader are described below: HYPERLINK "javascript:TextPopup(this)" Ready Reader >>??The student must accumulate five points on books Read To, Read With, and/or Read Independently. HYPERLINK "javascript:TextPopup(this)" Independent Reader >>??The student must read at least three books with a 1.2 or higher ATOS book level (or 36 ATOS 100 book level or 92 ATOS 2000 book level) and accumulate ten points. Only books Read Independently count toward the three-book goal; however, books Read To, Read With, or Read Independently for this level count toward point accumulation. When a student achieves this certification, teacher approval is needed. Students cannot recertify at this level; Independent Reader status is achieved only once. HYPERLINK "javascript:TextPopup(this)" Rising Reader >>??The student must read three books with a 1.6 or higher ATOS book level (or 39 ATOS 100 book level or 170 ATOS 2000 book level) and accumulate ten points. Only books Read Independently count toward the three-book goal and point accumulation. Super Reader >>??The student must read three books with a 2.0 or higher ATOS book level (or 41 ATOS 100 book level or 241 ATOS 2000 book level) that are each worth at least one point. Only books Read Independently count toward the three-book goal and point accumulation. Advanced Reader >>??The student must read three books with a 3.0 or higher ATOS book level (or 46 ATOS 100 book level or 440 ATOS 2000 book level) that are each worth at least two points. Only books Read Independently count toward certification. Star Reader >>??The student must read three books with a 4.0 or higher ATOS book level (or 49 ATOS 100 book level or 619 ATOS 2000 book level) that are each worth at least four points. Only books Read Independently count toward certification. Classic Reader >>??The student must read three books with a 6.0 or higher ATOS book level (or 55 ATOS 100 book level or 921 ATOS 2000 book level) that are each worth at least seven points. Only books Read Independently count toward certification. RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY. KEEP THE AR PACKET FOR YOUR INFORMATION.Please return this page by Friday, September 2nd. Student’s Name ___________________________________________________________ I have received and read through the Reading/AR Class information and Grading Policy for Students in Grades 4-8.Student Signature ________________________________________________ Date ________ Parent Signature _________________________________________________ Date ________ Return this by Friday, September 2nd and receive a bonus of 3 points on this week’s participation grade. ................
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