By Kelley Kepler
Catholic Herald

Accelerated learning programs a hit for local students and teachers

SUPERIOR --Some Catholic Schools in the diocese are giving their students extra opportunities to practice and improve their reading and math skills through learning programs offered by Renaissance Learning.

Using a program called Accelerated Reader, students first take a test that places them at a certain grade level. They then read a book at the appropriate level, and when they are finished, they take a computerized test on the book.

The tests normally consist of five or 10 questions, depending on the grade level, and the computer gives students immediate feedback. It tells them their score and also gives them the correct answers for any questions they may have gotten wrong. It also gives students a printout of their results. All the results go into a database that the teachers can access to see what books students are reading and how much progress they are making.

Students continue to read books at their own pace, and after they master a certain reading level, the computer prints out certificates congratulating them and encouraging them to pick out books at the next grade level.

Marie Hafer, who is principal at St. Peter the Fisherman School in Eagle River, said St. Pete's has been using the Accelerated Reader program for nine years. All students in grades one through five participate, and she's happy with the results.

"We're very pleased with it," Hafer said. "It encourages children to read on their own, and it really does accelerate their reading skills because the more students read, the better they get."

Renaissance Learning has tests for over 20,000 book titles and helps the school make good use of its library when ordering the tests, Hafer said. "We went through our own library and submitted a customized list with the book titles we had," she said. All the school's library books have grade levels printed right in them, and this "encourages us to get more books at certain levels where we didn't have as many as we needed," she said.

Since 1998, students in grades one through six at Holy Rosary School, Medford, have also been participating in the program. Medford Public School received a $70,000 grant to start the accelerated learning program, and it included Holy Rosary School in the grant.

Principal Barbara Bugar said, "It's been such a popular program that by now, the bulk of our library books are for the accelerated reading program."

Students are very excited to read the books and take the tests, Bugar said. "We have a bulletin board that we devote just to this." Hills and mountains are on the bulletin board this year, and students climb mountains as they read books. Teachers put each student's name on the board, and students accumulate points for each book that they read. Each point moves them one step closer to the top.

Bugar believes the program is particularly effective because, "It's a non-threatening way of being tested. The computer is silent, and students are not afraid of being scolded for getting an answer wrong. They're excited to know what their score is. They're always shooting for 100 percent and always competing against themselves," she said.

The computer program is simple and easy for young students to access and use. "Students go into the computer lab first thing in the morning. We have eight imacs hooked up to the program, and they're always full," Bugar said.

According to Bugar, studies have shown that Accelerated Reader can help students improve their reading skills by two grade levels a year.

Bugar saw the results firsthand when she taught at Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Nekoosa, located in the La Crosse diocese, which was as a pilot school for the program. After her positive experience at Sacred Heart, she was excited to have Accelerated Reader at Holy Rosary School.

Renaissance Learning is based in Wisconsin Rapids and was founded in 1986. It was started by Judy Paul, from Port Edwards, Wis., who was looking for ways to help her daughter with schoolwork. Working out of her basement, Paul began developing computerized tests for books, and the idea took off from there.

Renaissance Learning offers a variety of other programs to enhance learning. Students at St. Peter the Fisherman and Holy Rosary schools also participate in the accelerated math program, which is similar to Accelerated Reader.

There are 44 skill levels for students to work on, starting with a number chart and going through pre-algebra, said Hafer.

The math program generally follows along with what students are learning in the classroom. However, students who are struggling are able to get more practice at a certain skill, and students who need an extra challenge are able to work ahead.

St. Peter School is in its first year of using the accelerated math program. Hafer said, "Children are being tested three times throughout the year to see how well this is working. So far, we're seeing quite a bit of improvement."

Bugar agrees. "It's an excellent program, and the kids just love it."

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003