When I first came on board as the Trust Librarian for Learning Without Limits Academy Trust, one of my main challenges was to ensure that reading and literacy initiatives across all our schools were cohesive and effectively managed. Our CEO had worked with Accelerated Reader (AR) before and knew how powerful a tool it could be to engage students and track their reading progress. When I came on board, I was keen to get started with AR and take advantage of all the benefits it offered.
A collaborative launch
At South Wigston High School, where we had the infrastructure and resources in place, we were able to launch AR with all Year 7 and Year 8 students in our first year. We were fortunate to have 20 laptops in the library, so we could integrate AR into our weekly library lessons. Every student had the opportunity to read, take quizzes, and track their progress, which created an immediate sense of achievement. They were delighted to see their points grow week by week, and that sense of success became a real motivator.
At Lancaster Academy, where we didn’t have a librarian at the time, AR was primarily used for targeted interventions. It was an invaluable resource, helping teachers identify students who needed extra support with their reading and comprehension. With the arrival of our new librarian at Lancaster, we have been able to expand AR’s role even further, and she has been trained to integrate it into her library lessons as well.
We have also seen great success in our primary schools, as the teacher-student relationship helps to implement and track AR very effectively. The primary schools, especially Heatherbrook Primary Academy, have a solid understanding of how to use the system. As these schools have structured reading time, staff can work with individual students, therefore the results have been very positive. Students are really enjoying their AR quizzes, and the teachers have fully embraced the system.
Creating a culture of reading
One of the key ways we promote reading across our Trust is by celebrating literacy events throughout the year. For example, this month we are focusing on Nonfiction November, so we have been using the entire range of “Little People, Big Dreams” books for our library. These books are great for younger readers, because they are quick to finish and give students a sense of instant success. Many students are able to hit their AR points target super quickly, which is a huge confidence booster. It is all about creating a positive reading experience that encourages students to keep reading and exploring new books.
We also take advantage of other resources, like Renaissance’s myON, which provides news articles and digital books. The flexibility of being able to read books in either print or digital form has been especially well-received by our students. The combination of AR and myON has been particularly powerful, giving students more access to age-appropriate materials and providing multiple ways for them to engage with content.
Seamless integration with AccessIT
One of the features we really love about AR is how well it integrates with AccessIT, our library management system. AccessIT lets us know if a new book has an associated AR quiz, and it even includes a direct link to their AR login page. This makes it easy for students to take quizzes right from their library catalogue, whether they’re in school or at home.
The data generated by both AR and AccessIT has been invaluable. We are able to monitor word counts, track quiz results, and see which books are being read most frequently. I collect this data for our meetings to ensure that we are meeting our literacy goals and assess how well our reading initiatives are performing across the Trust.
During Nonfiction November, I created a dashboard featuring nonfiction books and resources, and we were able to monitor how many students were engaging with these texts. I can also use dashboards for other events like Black History Month or exam preparation, creating focused resources that align with current themes and help students to engage more deeply with what they’re learning.
Looking to the future
Looking ahead, I’m excited to see how AR continues to support our students’ reading progress. The fact that we can see individual student progress and tailor our reading interventions based on the data is incredibly powerful. We can see which students are excelling and which ones may need extra support, and we can act quickly to address any gaps.
Accelerated Reader has transformed how we approach reading across the Trust. From creating a culture of reading with our students to providing teachers and librarians with valuable data to inform their practice, it has become an indispensable tool in our literacy efforts. We’re excited to continue building on this success and look forward to seeing how Accelerated Reader and myON will support our students’ reading journeys in the years to come.