Issue:

 

Accelerated Reader 6.x Updates.

 

Resolution:

 

Accelerated Reader 6.36c for Windows

Accelerated Reader 6.36b for Windows

Accelerated Reader 6.36a

Accelerated Reader 6.36 for Macintosh

Accelerated Reader 6.35

Accelerated Reader 6.34

Accelerated Reader 6.32

Accelerated Reader 6.31

Accelerated Reader 6.3

Accelerated Reader 6.22

Accelerated Reader 6.12

Accelerated Reader 6.0

 

Accelerated Reader 6.36c for Windows ONLY has been enhanced in the following way:

 

Support has been added for the Netutil program.

 

This update is available from our Download Center for Windows.  For upgrade instructions, please see article #2447571. It is not necessary to upgrade to 6.36c if you are currently running Accelerated Reader 6.35 for Windows. If you have already upgraded to Accelerated Reader 6.36a on Windows, you will need to upgrade to Accelerated Reader 6.36b or 6.36c in order to run Data Doctor. Accelerated Reader 6.36c will not auto-update from Accelerated Reader 6.36b.

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.36b for Windows ONLY has been enhanced in the following way:

 

An issue has been addressed where Data Doctor did not work properly on Windows workstations after upgrading to Accelerated Reader 6.36a.

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.36a has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

QuickTime has been updated to version 7.0 on the CD and when installing the Accelerated Reader 6.36a application.  QuickTime 7.0 or later requires MAC OS 10.2.8 or higher and Windows 2000/XP or higher.  QuickTime 7 will be automatically installed on systems meeting this requirement that also do not have a previous version of QuickTime.  For QuickTime versions available for previous operating systems, please see article #5783767.  Accelerated Reader requires QuickTime 5 or higher for recorded voice Reading Practice Quizzes.

 

This update is available from our Download Center for Macintosh.  For upgrade instructions, please see article #2447571.  It is not necessary to upgrade to 6.36a if you are currently running Accelerated Reader 6.36 on Macintosh or Accelerated Reader 6.35 for Windows. 

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.36 for Macintosh ONLY has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

Help Files

An issue has been addressed where help files did not work properly on Macintosh OS X version 10.4.x.

 

Quick Find

An issue has been addressed where using the Quick Find feature on a Macintosh system resulted in display issues when searching for a student or a quiz.

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.35 has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

Scrolling

An issue has been addressed where the quizzes listed would distort when scrolling through.

 

Repair Certifications

A menu item named “Repair Certifications” has been added to the Reading Practice menu. This new feature will allow you to evaluate Super Reader certifications and repair levels that should not have been earned.

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.34 has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

Accelerated Reader version 6.34 is a Macintosh release only. This version will not update your database, and will run side-by-side with versions 6.3x. The following items have been updated:

 

Record Book Quiz Sorting Order

The default sort order for quizzes taken in the Reading Practice, Other Reading and Literacy Skills record books is by Date rather than Quiz No.

 

Student Application Quiz Sort Order

The default sort order for the list of quizzes presented to the student is by Title rather than Quiz No.

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.32 has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

Points Used

You can once again multi-select students and edit points used.

 

Auto-Update

Automatic update of client applications is now possible if the application is running from the server.

 

Exporting Quizzes

Improved performance when exporting quizzes for AR BookGuide or for an HTML quiz list on the Macintosh platform.

 

Literacy Skills Class Summary Report

This report now includes the class name, regardless of custom options.

 

Other

Several minor report and cosmetic enhancements have been made. This update will also correct the issue where the Quick Find feature was not working properly on Macintosh systems.

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.31 has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

This update will correct an issue where the Quick Find feature was not working properly on Macintosh systems.

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.3 has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

OS X Compatibility

This update will allow Accelerated Reader to be run natively on a Macintosh OS X workstation running OS version 10.2 and above.

 

New Percent Correct Goals

New Research strongly links students’ reading growth to averaging at least 85% correct on Reading Practice Quizzes. Accelerated Reader now allows you to set and track average percent correct goals.

 

New Goal Setting Chart

Based on new research, the ZPD ranges for students with GE scores of 4.0 and up have been widened to more accurately reflect the readability levels of books that are available and interest students.

 

New Certification Levels

Two new Reader Certification levels have been added and other levels adjusted to reduce the gap between levels. Students are less likely to get stuck in one level for a long period of time.

 

Average Book Level Goals

We now recommend a minimum average book level goal for students. This goal should be based on the low end of the ZPD range to encourage students to read within their ZPD, without forcing a certain number of books at different levels within the range.

 

Average Book Level Calculations

In addition, when calculating students’ book level averages, AR weights books based on word count. The longer the book, the greater weight the book has in the student’s average.

 

Revised Renaissance Forms

The Student Reading Plan, Classroom Reading Plan, Student Reading Logs, Marking Period Progress Charts and Weekly Progress Charts have all been modified to reflect the changes in goals setting.

 

For more information regarding goal-setting changes, go to http://www.renlearn.com/goalsetting.htm.

 

 

NOTE:  If you are currently using the Data Location Selector, you must also update that program. Please see article #3741167 for more information.

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.22 has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

Increased Data Integrity

The update will change the way in which records are written to the database, placing more emphasis on data integrity. This will remedy problems with data loss and data corruption in certain network environments.

 

Point Club Summary

Students will be included in the appropriate club even if they have earned the exact amount of points for the club and nothing more.  For example, a student that has earned 25.0 points will be included in the 25 point club – previously the student may have needed 25.1 points or more to be included in the same club.

 

Enhanced Quiz Maintenance

Quiz maintenance will now complete even if the quiz files are damaged, although damaged quizzes will still be removed from the list when selecting “Check Database Integrity, Attempt to repair database”.

 

Diagnostic Report export

The Diagnostic Report export feature has been added to be used by Renaissance Learning – Madison consultants.

 

Quiz Information export

A new export feature that allows you to save a complete list of your installed quizzes, including interest levels, as a text file. 

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.12 has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

Automatically updates system files

Accelerated Reader Management and Student programs will automatically detect and update system files and settings which might interfere with data transmission across a network. The program will replace unstable versions of the VREDIR.VXD and VNETSUP.VXD files on Windows 95 computers. If a computer is running the Novell NetWare Client, the program will check the Client Advanced Settings and update them to the recommended values. Accelerated Reader will also check the Novell NetWare Client version to be sure it is compatible. Any changes made to system files or settings will require the computer to be restarted.

 

Interest Levels

At the Quizzes/Tests screen, you can now see the interest levels for your quizzes and tests as well as the book level. Unlike book levels, interest levels are not based on readability. Instead, interest levels show you the grades for which the reading material is most appropriate. The interest levels are LG (lower grades, K-3), MG (middle grades, 4-8), and UG (upper grades, 9-12).

 

Improved Series Management

At the Quizzes/Tests screen, you can now identify the types of quiz series that you have in your database. Click on the Quizzes/Tests menu and choose Manage Series. The dialog box that appears lists your series, and the Quizzes column shows the type of quizzes that are in each series: Reading Practice or Other Reading.

 

Selecting Series for Other Reading Reports

When you customize the Diagnostic – Other Reading Report, the Quiz Takers – Other Reading Report, and the Quiz List – Other Reading Report, you can now select the Other Reading series that you want to include in the report.

 

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Accelerated Reader 6.0 has been enhanced in the following ways:

 

Recorded Voice Reading Practice Quizzes

Recorded Voice is now available for many Accelerated Reader Reading Practice Quizzes. When you purchase these quizzes, you can use the Voice Enabled Quizzes classroom preference to control which students will have access to the recorded voice quizzes.

 

Other Reading Quizzes

Accelerated Reader 6.0 is designed to work with Other Reading Quizzes for the most prominent new reading textbooks. You can use these quizzes with reading textbooks from major publishers to monitor and print reports about each student’s progress on reading assignments. You can install your Other Reading Quizzes at the Quizzes/Tests screen, and you can view, edit, and delete your students’ Other Reading Quiz records at the Other Reading screen.

 

Other Reading* reports: Accelerated Reader 6.x also includes four new reports for Other Reading Quizzes: the Other Reading* TOPS Report, two new Classroom reports (Diagnostic – Other Reading* and Quiz Takers – Other Reading*), and one new School report (Quiz List – Other Reading*).

 

Other Reading* Series preference: Using this preference, you can make an Other Reading* series available to your class.

 

New screens and screen changes

If you click on the Go menu in the Management program, you’ll notice some changes in the names of screens:

 

Quizzes/Tests screen: At this screen, you can manage your Reading Practice Quizzes, Literacy Skills Tests, and Other Reading* Quizzes. Click on one of the tabs at the top of the screen to choose the kind of quiz or test you want to work with. You can install, preview, or delete quizzes and tests and add, edit, import, or export teacher-made Reading Practice Quizzes. At this screen, you can also export your quiz list for AR BookGuide, book labels, or an HTML quiz list, and you can set alternate book levels. On the Other Reading* Quizzes tab, you can view or delete the Other Reading* series you are using.

 

Preferences screen: The School Preference screen has been redesigned to make it even easier for you to find the preference you need. The screen has two lists, the list on the right shows the preference categories and the list on the left shows the preferences in the category you’ve selected. To shorten the list of preferences you’re viewing, click on a category, or select All Preferences to see a list of all the School preferences.

 

Other Reading screen: At this screen, you can view, edit, or delete records of your students’ Literacy Skills Tests and Other Reading Quizzes. Just click on one of the tabs on the bottom of the screen to choose the tests or quizzes.

 

Reports screens: Both the Classroom and School Reports screens have been redesigned to make it even easier for you to find the report you need. Each of these screens has two lists. The list on the right shows the report categories; the list on the left shows the report in the category you’ve selected. To shorten the list of reports you’re viewing, click on a category, or select All Reports to see a list of all Classroom or School reports. You can also save reports from the Reports menu, and reuse them later instead of customizing your reports again every time you preview them or print them.

 

Report changes

Diagnostic – Reading Practice: The Diagnostic Report has been renamed the Diagnostic – Reading Practice report. When you click the [Group] button, you can now select students by name instead of including an entire class. The new report identifies the quizzes as RP (Reading Practice) quizzes to distinguish them from Other Reading Quizzes. It also includes the % of the goal for each student and for all students in the class.

 

Goal History: If you click the [Date] button, you can now choose the time period that you want to include in this report: a specific marking period, including the current marking period, or the entire school year.

 

Marking Period Progress: This report can now include up to 8 marking periods. It will be printed in landscape format if you have 7 or more marking periods.

 

Point Club: New options are available when you click the [Options] button to customize this report.

 

Student Record: This report can now include Other Reading* Quizzes as well as Reading Practice Quizzes and Literacy Skills Tests. The report will also show you if a student took a quiz with recorded voice enabled.

 

Word Count: This report now shows the number of Reading Practice Quizzes passed and taken, the passed word count, the number of Other Reading* Quizzes passed and taken, and the Other Reading* passed word count. Then, it shows the total word count. The report no longer shows the percent correct, points, adjusted word count, or unadjusted word count.

 

Student Application

Color coded pencils were added to help emergent readers decide which type of test or quiz they should be taking. Yellow for Reading Practice quizzes, green for Literacy Skills Tests or blue for Other Reading* Quizzes.

 

* In Accelerated Reader version 6.0 and 6.01, these were found under Reading Instruction.

 

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