Accelerated Reader Cost

Created by Renaissance Learning, Accelerated Reader, or simply AR is a very popular reading program used by many schools all over the world. The aim of this program is to encourage students to read independently and evaluate their overall understanding of what they read.

How Much Does Accelerated Reader Cost?

The overall costs of Accelerated Reader are not public, but through research, we found that the schools have to pay a one-time fee plus an annual subscription per student, which depends on the number of students enrolled in the program.

For instance, the cost of a school district subscription for 250 students would be around $4,800 plus an annual renewal rate which is around $1,200. The rates will be prorated if the subscription starts in the middle of the year.

According to a member of the Pro Teacher online forum thread, the cost of AR for a school with 350 students is around $4,500 per year.

According to the Education website, the annual expenses with AR for a school would be anywhere between $2,500 and $12,000, depending on the size of the school, the components implemented and the cost of full implementation.

Accelerated Reader – short presentation

The Accelerated Reader is practically a three-step program for students. Firstly, the student will read a textbook, book, or magazine. After reading the book she or he will take a quiz that corresponds with the read textbook/book/magazine. Finally, after the quiz, the AR will assign a point value which is based on the overall level of the textbook/book/magazine. Students will be able to purchase prizes offered by teachers, with these points.

Each textbook, book, or magazine that a student reads has a certain number of points that is based on the length of the reading and the reading level. The AR program tracks the student’s progress over the school year and offers rewards in various ways.

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A lot of books are available to read according to the level of every child. AR program is specially designated for students from K to 12 levels, so there are books for each reading level and grade.

There are more than 145,000 quizzes in the system available for students. Moreover, the faculty and the teachers are able to choose the books and create their own quizzes which may correspond to the subject matter of the classroom.

These quizzes will include additional parts such as Literacy Skills, Reading Practice, and Vocabulary Practice.

Those schools that may need help in getting started with Accelerated Reader can take advantage of the Customer Service.

There is also Live Chat Support included for the school version, plus access to the renaissance training center and two getting-started web seminars.

Accelerated Reader can also be accessed from home so the parents can keep track of their children’s progress.

Which are the additional expenses?

Teachers have to undergo training in order to learn exactly how the program and the software work. In general, the cost of the training is included in the price of the package. Though, you will have to pay extra for the training in case you subscribe from another provider which does not offer the training for free. The cost of the training may be per teacher or per seminar.

In case you want to upgrade your system in the future, most probably you will have to pay an extra fee for it.

Also, if you want to offer prizes or other incentives in the classroom, you will have to buy them separately. Though, the cost of these should be supported by the school if you are a teacher.

Important things to consider

It is not recommended to rely only on the Accelerated Reader program as this is not a substitute for balanced reading instruction. It’s still the teacher’s responsibility to monitor and evaluate the reading level of every student.

In case you are a teacher and plan to use the AR program, you must first attend the training program in order to know exactly how it works and not have any problems with the students.

How can I save money?

In case you have a child and you are looking for something like this program for them, you can find many free tutorials online which may help you. You will have to buy only the books and create your own program. Moreover, reading with a parent has many benefits for children.