EUGENE, Mo. - Reaching one's reading goals in Eugene Elementary School is more about fun and less about dreaded assignments.
Students can be overheard making book recommendations to each other in casual conversation and detailing their favorite authors or genres.
Before class begins each morning, several students can be found taking their computer-based quizzes about their most recent book.
By this time in the school year, many students have earned enough points through the Accelerated Reader and Renaissance programs to reach the goal set for them at the beginning of the year.
Almost all of the students are at least halfway to their goals, hence Dani Schaeffer's annual "Halfway There Party" recently.
The literacy and math coach provides rewards and incentives throughout the school year to emphasize the fun in learning, to ensure skills stick long after the school year is over.
"My goal is they learn to love to read," Schaeffer said.
Assessing and monitoring students' reading abilities has become easier with the computer-based programs. Before the Renaissance program was adopted, teachers and staff spent hours with pencil and paper.
Now, the students have immediate results on their individual quizzes. And instructors have ongoing feedback for future instruction.
Similar programs are provided in math, too.
"I think reading has improved with AR," Schaeffer said. "Teachers and students know where they are."
The program also recommends titles based on a student's skill level, so he should have more success completing the selected books.
"It's awesome to be successful with a book they love to read," she said.
The parties and other incentives add extra motivation for students to keep reading.
"We all do something if we are given extra incentive," Schaeffer noted. "They may start reading for the goal, but by the end they may have found an author or book they will go back to again."