ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 3, 1997 TAG: 9703030089
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Many students at Glenvar Elementary School have become passionate about reading because they love stuffed animals, cookies, games, paperbacks and puzzles.
Some of them arrive at the school's library shortly after 7 some mornings to check out books and take computer tests on others they've already read.
Others stay after school to get copies of the Hardy Boys series, Nancy Drew stories and other children's books with bright orange labels on them.
They earn points by reading the books and answering the questions on the comprehension tests correctly. The points can be traded in for baked goods and prizes - the stuffed animals, cookies, games, paperbacks and puzzles.
Librarian Audrey Bock helps pupils check out 250 books some days at the Roanoke County school, which has an enrollment of 350.
Bock also opens the library on designated summer days so pupils can check out books - up to 10 at a time in the summer.
During the past 18 months, some children have read more than 100 books.
Since the fall of 1995, second-grader Julia Clark has read 142 books - sometimes two or three in a single day.
"I read all kinds. I didn't read much before we started [this reading program]," she said. "I enjoy it, and I've bought toys, food and other things."
Tina Blake, a fifth-grader, has read nearly 75 books this school year.
"At home, when I have spare time, I read," she said, "and when I take a test on what I have read, I usually get all the questions right."
Second-grader Jamie Clark has read 83 books, including "Charlotte's Web," "Winnie the Pooh" and "The Call of the Wild."
"Everybody is reading more," he said. "I've still got a lot of points that I haven't used."
Second-grader Phillip Walterson just finished "Superfudge" and took a test on it last week. He has read 31 books this year.
The children have reading fever.
"We didn't realize this would take off so fast when we started it," Bock said. "It has skyrocketed - the whole school has gotten involved."
Glenvar is hooked on "Accelerated Reader," a computerized program that motivates children to read more and improves their comprehension.
Once a book is finished, pupils take a computerized multiple-choice "reading" test that checks their memory of facts and details. Points earned are determined by the reading difficulty and level of the books, length and the number of correct answers. The results are stored in a database that keeps track of the students' readings and points.
The computer program includes tests on 1,684 books. Glenvar has nearly 90 percent of the titles.
Pupils can find the books easily because they have labels on the back cover. The orange labels give the reading level and the number of points that can be earned.
At the accelerated reading store, pupils trade in points for pencils, pens, erasers, stuffed animals and other prizes in addition to baked goods donated by families in the Glenvar community.
Many other elementary schools and some middle schools in the Roanoke Valley have accelerated reading programs, but none has generated more enthusiasm among the children than Glenvar's.
"It motivates children to read, " said Lorraine Lange, supervisor of language arts for Roanoke County. "If you can get children reading when they're young, they will do it later on their own."
Some critics have suggested that the reading program puts peer pressure on children and turns reading into competition and a battle for points. They also say the computerized tests put pressure on the pupils.
But Lange said elementary children like competition and the opportunity to gain rewards for reading. "They love to see their points increase, and many like to take tests."
Hillery Dorvin, coordinator of language arts for kindergarten through grade eight for Roanoke schools, said the computer program helps children improve their reading skills.
"The more a person reads, the better reader they become," Dorvin said. "The children like the prizes, but they also get an immediate response because they know whether they've answered the questions correctly."
Sharon Rose, Glenvar's reading coordinator, said many children are reading "quality books" and the best in children's literature because they get more points for them.
"I think it's helping to improve their reading. They're finding a reward in reading good books," Rose said.
But the program is not just geared to the top students or good readers, she said.
"Some people think the name 'accelerated' means it's for the best students, but it's a program for everyone," Rose said. Children with learning disabilities and reading problems can benefit from it, too, she said.
The reading program began at Glenvar in the fall of the 1995-96 school year when Bock and Rose pooled some of their funds and bought several disks that contained tests for about 800 titles. It started in grades one through four.
Because of the children's enthusiasm and participation, the school purchased the disks for an additional 700 titles last summer and expanded the program to include the fifth grade.
Bock said the school has spent about $8,000 for computer disks, book labels and other items for the reading program.
Bock and Rose have developed a recognition and reward system that has generated enthusiasm among the pupils.
Points are tallied at the end of each nine-week grading period, and the school announces the top point earners. The names are listed in the school newspaper and posted at several places in the school.
Based on the number of points, pupils become members of different bear clubs: the top group, for those with 100 or more points, is the Grizzly Club.
During the first year, the children collectively earned 3,500 points. By Jan. 25 this school year, they already had earned 3,180.
The school has set a goal of 5,000 points for this year. If the children reach it, Principal Danny Guard has promised to dress up as "Viola Swamp," the dreaded substitute teacher in the "Miss Nelson" books, and read to them.
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: JANEL RHODA STAFF. Glenvar fifth-grader Tina Blakeby CNB(front right) and second-graders Julia Clark and Phillip Walterson
take tests for the reading program in the school's library. color.