My kids enjoy AR. My daughter left first grade with 200 points, and she currently has 210 with two quarters left in second grade. Her average book level is 6, and her percentage ranking is 96. All my kids have extensively tested, and because I know my way around the system, I volunteer at the school to teach how to use the program.
If a child is flunking the AR test on a book, there is a reason because the tests are extremely easy. You have multiple choice questions asking you to parrot back information from the book. I mean, they are as straight forward as this:
How did the Harry's first quiditch match end in Sorcerers Stone?
A. It was canceled because of rain
B. Draco Malfoy cast a spell on Harry and he broke his arm
C. Hermione was hit by a broom and the match was canceled
D. Harry caught the snitch in his mouth
That could be a test question!
If the child has read the book, they should never score below an 80. If they can not pass the test, they are either reading above their comprehension level, didn't read the book, or have some sort of reading problem. When a child was consistently flunking AR tests, I would give them a straight forward book to read with a known easy AR test (like Cynthia rylants Henry and Mudge series). After they tested on one they read independently, I read another from the same series and let them listen and then test again. Most of the late emergent readers would score 100% on books they listened to! and flunk the ones they read alone.
Some series are more complex than others. You would be surprised. Because Magic Treehouse contains elements of nonfiction, the tests are more complex. In general, the nonfiction tests are harder because you have to remember lots of minutiae. For instance, my little twins have never played baseball and one took an AR on a Pete the cat baseball book. Since the book focused on definitions and terms from baseball, he flunked it.
I knew he would flunk it, because I knew he didn't understand the baseball terminology. I mean, for real. He flunked Pete the Cat, LOL.
I don't agree then, to study for the tests unless its a nonfiction book, since the information is much more specific.
The only time I was nervous about my daughter taking AR was when she jumped several levels at once. For instance, she one day in k class when she was five, picked up a novel and started reading it. It may have been sorcerers stone. I was not sure she was reading the book, because she had been reading mr putter and tabby and bad kitty. It was such a huge level jump that I didn't think it was possible she read it at all. In these cases, we would go to book adventure (a free website) and let the kids take their free test on the book. Generally their results were closely tied to how they did on AR. If they flunk a book Adventure test, I put the book away and say we can revisit it later on.
