Accelerated Reader

Accelerated Reader Quiz List - Reading Practice

Update: Please be sure to read the special insert in the Teal Tribune regarding the excitement being generated at Hunter Middle concerning our Accelerated Reader Program!

Our Accelerated Reader program is for everyone.  Students have already taken the STAR Reading computer-adaptive test to determine their ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development), and GE (Grade Equivalent).  The ZPD is the reading level range from which students should be selecting books for optimal growth in reading.  Students have been to the library and checked out an AR book within their ZPD.  Research has shown that the end-of-the-year test scores will improve if students develop the habit of reading books within their ZPD for an average of one hour per day.

      Parents, your support and encouragement are needed.  Please help your child find a “quiet reading time” amidst everyone’s busy schedule. 

From the Library:

  Hunter students have been busy participating in the Accelerated Reader program.  Recently, they were rewarded with various prizes for their AR points.  Hopefully, students will continue to read over the summer break, so they will have several AR tests to take when they return in the fall.  Listed below are the top ten AR point earners for each team at Hunter so far this school year.

Starhawks

Heroes

Flying Aces

Hawkeyes

Talons

N.E.S.T.

8th Grade Washington Trip

§        A Note from Our Change Coach

Dear Hunter Family,

                I cannot believe that we are already in the 4^th quarter!  This year has flown by very fast!  It has been a busy year, full of changes, successes, and challenges.  As we come to the close of our first year of involvement with the Middle Schools For A New Society Grant from the Lyndhurst Foundation, we are reflecting upon our actions and the impact on our goals of raising student achievement in the areas of literacy and math and improving student promotion rates and student transition.  As with any change, there are adjustments that need to be made and kinks to work out.  While we are keeping many of the changes we instituted this year, we will be deleting others (see information below). 

A lot of our efforts and resources for improving student achievement have been put towards teacher training and professional development.  Our hope is that through training ourselves, we can provide a more rigorous, relevant, and challenging curriculum for our students.  Teacher surveys and focus group data suggest that the training and professional development time have been beneficial and effective.  We have seen great success towards our goals from our 2006 TCAP scores in Language Arts and Math (see attached data).  We have high hopes of increasing this success on our 2007 TCAP test, which takes place April 16-20.  Teachers recently had individual student conferences with each student detailing his/her strengths and weaknesses on last year’s test and areas to strengthen for this year’s test. 

We have also had encouraging feedback on our efforts to improve student transition.  Survey results from teachers, parents, and students show that our 6^th grade transition activities were successful in easing the anxiety of our incoming 6^th graders.  We are currently working with our high school feeder schools on our 8^th grade transition plans.  Students from Central High and Ooltewah High came to speak to our students during Advisory in February and March.  Our students zoned for Central High will be shadowing students at Central on May 7 and May 8 during the morning classes. 

As we begin writing our action plan for the 2007-2008 school year, we are keeping our goals in mind and the lessons learned from our first year challenges.  We are continually moving forward.  I personally have enjoyed my new position as the Academic Change Coach here at Hunter Middle School and look forward to improving my performance next year.  There is a quote that my father gave me on day one of this new job, and it sticks with me every day.  I feel it is an appropriate way to sum up the reflective mood of our school:  “Success is never final, and failure is never fatal”.

 Jill Smith

Current planned changes to next year’s MSNS action plan:

1.      A short homeroom period will be implemented into our regular schedule.

2.      There will be dismissal and tardy bells.

3.      We hope to add a new SPI diagnostic test for language arts, math, and science called Think Link.  This is contingent on funding.

4.      Teams will do team building activities with students during the 1^st quarter of school, not during the first week of school.

5.      Dependent upon funding, we will be keeping the rest of our action plan in tact with minor changes. 

Language Arts 2006

 Math 2006

Important Information!

Important Information!

Important Information!

Important Information!

Important Information!