---- ljackson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Detroit public schools announced that they will no longer fund AR purchases > or programming as their in house research shows that AR has had no impact on > reading scores. This from a long time Detroit teacher thrilled to finally > put AR in the can. > > Lori
That is interesting. I was surprised to hear that the What Works Clearinghouse did not throw AR into the can, too. They could show some scientifically based results in at least a few areas that support the use of AR, BUT they did not list it on their "scientifically proven programs" list because not enough areas were proven in an adequate manner. I am sure part of that has to do with implementation--as has been discussed here. In fact, much of which is being touted through Reading First interestingly did not pass the "scientifically-proven" test. When will our leaders realize much more money must be given to educational research if they want to use "scientifically-proven" as a requirement. Otherwise, given no research dollars, teacher-administrator-parent experience and knowledge will have to suffice (and I have no qualms with that). I, on the other hand, found AR in my classroom to be a poor alternative to quality reading conferences with children, so I stopped spending any time on it and used the program setup and review time to do things I deemed better. I can usually tell pretty quickly if a child is not actually reading a book, or reading something that they do not actually understand. My favorite example is the boy who was reading the detective book Encyclopedia Brown and thought he was reading about an encyclopedia. Don't others find this to be true? Aren't reading conferences better than some multiple choice quiz for determining what is happening with a reader? I suppose if AR gives the teacher another source of documentation without putting heavy emphasis on grades or rewards--then it is fine. I am happy not to be required to use it. My time is better spent elsewhere--as is the time of my students. :)Bonita _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
