My biggest regret as a middle school librarian isn’t that some the books weren’t in precise order, or that the students didn’t memorize MLA citation style by heart before they got to high school, nor that the book displays weren’t punny enough.
Now imagine that with this AR level your teacher just wrote for you on a post-it, “you are level 4.2!”, that you are to enter a beautiful library filled with magical books. In these books you will encounter magical worlds, walk two moons in someone else’s moccasins, or hopefully find a strong, relatable character through whom to live vicariously. But before you browse the inviting covers, I have to tell you... Stay away from that Harry Potter (Level 5.5, 12pts.) all of your friends are reading, because you’re just not quite there. Don’t even think about re-reading your favorite spooky Goosebumps story (Level 3.0), because you’re too good for those now and it’s only worth one point. You want to read a book you brought from home? Sorry, that book isn’t in the AR system. You have to stick within your limits, I mean... levels. Forget what you actually want to read. What’s important is that you understand it and that answer questions about that book correctly so you can get those points. ...Perhaps we don’t say these exact words to our students, but this seemingly basic ritual of assigning levels to students has great implications for their reading habits down the road. The truth is that teachers and librarians are pressured to comply and confine students to their reading level in hopes of demonstrating to data-driven school superiors that they are competent educators. Teachers then push their students to read books that increase their point-values to--- help students improve their reading, yes, but also to prove that their instruction and sustained reading activities have led to measurable growth, as if this was all there was to teaching! There is no question that reading to learn and live is critical to higher order thinking. However, if our quest as educators is to nurture lifelong learners and critical, creative thinkers, what effect does our own desire to show measurable outcomes, based on a flawed point-value system, have on a student’s potential for long-term reading enthusiasm and growth? As it stands now, using extrinsic rewards for students who succeed at raising their AR levels tend to singularly reward students who are already doing well and continues to shame students who don’t read up to “grade level”. If you can only read the yellow books when the majority of your classmates are reading green, that’s going to affect your self-perceptions in other classes, on the playground, and potentially scar you for the rest of your life. A book might actually become a trigger throughout your life that reminds you that you are not good enough or alternatively, that you are better than everyone else. According to a study published in 2011 regarding student attitudes toward AR, students who already enjoy reading find the AR system abhorrent and a waste of time; it actually discourages their reading for pleasure. “I would read more relaxed, pay attention to details if I didn’t have to do AR.” As a librarian, this breaks my heart. As a librarian that complied with the system, I will always hang my head in shame. I felt the pressure of measuring my success by students’ AR levels too, as a means of justifying that a school librarian is necessary in every school. I'm sure I’m not the only one. Accelerated Reader has been around longer than I have. It continues to potentially scar and eliminate generations of would-be lifelong readers. Limiting access to books or discouraging readers to read beyond their limits threatens the distinct spirit and purpose of libraries. How can we break away? How will we know the students are growing?
Let the children read what they want! In doing so, we liberate their creativity and ability to think critically down the road. Instead of putting up gates, we are charged with helping them open the doors to new worlds. Student choice is the key. Illustrations by Nikos Brown 2018
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AuthorAlicia Tapia is a school librarian and digital literacy instructor focused on information literacy skills delivered in a creative and effective way. ArchivesCategories
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