A first grader takes an AR test while Mrs. Zitur looks on.

Teaching and entire students at a time can be very difficult.  Academically, some students need little instruction.  Other need more.  One student may have no problem understanding a lesson on measurement, but may have more difficulty learning how to read a clock. What can a school do to help teachers keep track of their students?  How can schools make sure all students are being challenged?

To solve this problem, Sheridan Elementary has turned to Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Learning System (ALS) series of software. ALS programs such as Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math quickly and easily tells teachers how their students are doing every day.  Unlike many other broad based software solutions, ALS does not try to replace the teachers by having computers give lessons to the students.  Sheridan Elementary believes students learn best from actual teachers and each other.  Instead, ALS programs augment learning by giving students opportunities to show how much they remembered from their teacher’s lessons.  The results are saved to the computer, where teaches can view the results at their leisure.  Students who need more help can be worked with one on one.  Students who need no assistance are able to move on.  And the destination between these two groups can be made after every lesson.

How does ALS work?

Sheridan currently uses two programs daily from Renaissance Learning:  Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math.  After a classroom teacher gives a math lesson, students complete practice exercises that have been printed out for them individually by their teacher using Accelerated Math.  Students complete the worksheets and code their answers in to scan cards.  They run their scan cards into their classroom scanner, and the results are saved to the program.  Each day, their teacher checks the progress of their students.  Accelerated Math saves the teacher the time they would usually spend correcting assignments; instead of grading papers, teachers can spend the rest of math time meeting with their students and giving extra help or encouragement.

Sheridan also uses Accelerated Reading.  Accelerated Reading consists of short tests for all the books in our library and classrooms.  After a student finishes a book, they take a five to ten question quiz on a computer about the book.  The results are saved to the computer, and teachers can keep track of how much students are reading and how well they understand their books.  Each book is worth a certain amount of points, based on its length and difficulty.  As students accumulate points, they can spend them by eating lunch in the library, helping out in the office, spending free time in the gym, etc.  Students can easily find books that interest them using our library catalogue software, which is installed in every classroom, library and lab computer in the building.  Each book at Sheridan has a reading level, from pre-kindergarten to 12^th grade.  The reading level is indicated by a colored dot our school librarian and assistants have place on the spine of each book in the building.    

At the beginning of the year, students take placement exams that help teachers get a good idea of where students should begin the school year in terms of reading and math levels.  We use Renaissance Learning’s Star Math, Star Reading and Star Early Literacy for this purpose.  Sheridan repeats this process twice more, in winter and spring, to see how students have improved, as individuals, classrooms and as a building.  The staff and administration uses this information to make site wide decisions.  It is worth noting that for the last four years, Sheridan Elementary has received the Superintendent’s Award for continuing improvement every year.  That means that Sheridan’s students have all improved as measured by standardized tests at the beginning and end of the year.  ALS helps us maintain that trend.