Reading Practice Targets

There are four Reading Practice targets you can set for students in each marking period assigned classes. The program automatically tracks their progress toward targets. We recommend that you set all four targets for your students in each marking period.

The four types of targets are:

• Average percentage correct. The minimum target for average percentage correct on Reading Practice Quizzes is 85 per cent and this is the default setting. This is the most important target for students to achieve because it indicates that students are comprehending what they read. Average percentage correct is the average of the scores the student received on the quizzes he or she took during the marking period. Because some students can benefit from even more success, you have the option of increasing the target in 1 per cent increments from 85 per cent up to 90 per cent.
• Daily Reading Time. The number of minutes set aside for daily in-class reading time. Choices include 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45 and 60 minutes.
• Points. The points target should be set for the total number of points you expect the student to earn on Reading Practice Quizzes during the marking period. Point targets should be based on how much daily, in-class reading practice time students receive.
• Average book level. This is the average ATOS book level of the books on which the student passed Reading Practice Quizzes during the marking period (using the book level that you have selected in the Book Level Settings). Accelerated Reader calculates the average ATOS book level as a weighted average based on word count (to take into consideration not just difficulty of the text but also the amount of time spent reading). When setting a target for average book level, consider the student's reading level and Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which is a range of book levels that are neither too easy nor too challenging (and listed on the Target-Setting Chart and the Target-Setting Chart for Lexile® Measures). We recommend setting the average book level as a minimum target - at or near the lower end of the ZPD.

The ATOS Book Level will be displayed by default. If someone changed the Book Level Settings to show Lexile® Measure, the Average Book Level column will display information about that book level.

How to set Reading Practice targets

The Target-Setting Chart and the Target-Setting Chart for Lexile® Measures (available under Forms and Charts in the Resources) are useful in determining what targets to set for your students. You can then use the Reading Practice Targets Record Book and the Target History Report to monitor your students' progress toward their targets.