Accelerated Reader #1

Anderson, E., Melton, C. M., & Smothers, B. C. (2004). A study of the effects of the Accelerated
Reader program on fifth grade students' reading achievement growth. Reading Improvement. 41, 18-23.

The purpose of this study (Anderson, et. al., 2004) was to compare fifth grade students’ reading achievement growth after a year of participation in the Accelerated Reader program with the growth of fifth grade students who did not participate in the Accelerated Reader program. A pretest-posttest design was used to determine if a significant difference existed using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The Terra Nova standardized achievement test was used as both a pretest and posttest of reading achievement growth. Two schools in Jackson, Mississippi, with similar demographics were chosen for the study. At the end of the year, those students who used the Accelerated Reader program did not show a significant increase in reading achievement growth when compared to the other group of students who did not participate in the A.R. program. The opposite actually seemed to have occurred. Students not participating in the A.R. program showed a significant increase in reading achievement growth when compared to students who had participated. The researchers concluded that further longitudinal studies should be conducted to determine the long-range effects of the A.R. program on reading achievement growth, in addition to studies on students’ attitudes toward reading before and after participation in the program.