Pine Crest Hudson Library

The goal of Reading Counts is to provide students with positive reading experiences, broaden their depth of knowledge, and instill a lifelong love of reading.

There are over 7,000 books on the reading list this year. The book lists are posted on the Hudson Library website. Printed copies of the lists are also available for use in the library and classrooms.

Reading teachers will be expecting students to choose books from the list according to their grade level or above, as appropriate. (For example, 2nd graders choose books at 2.0+.)

It is wonderful for students to talk up good books they have read, but each student is expected to look up the titles, authors, and reading levels themselves, not rely on another to tell them a book is on Reading Counts or is at a certain reading level.

Students participate in library skills lessons and are given assistance to guide them toward becoming competent library users, looking up and locating their own books. It is a worthwhile goal for students to become self-sufficient. Parents are asked not to look up, locate, or check out books for their children.

The reading program, in addition to giving reading level and word count to books, designates a point value and a lexile number to assist in choosing books. Point value is related to length/difficulty of the book and the lexile is based upon text complexity.

More than one book can have the same title. Therefore, students need to match the author as well as title when selecting a book and a quiz.

Students need to read the original, unabridged version of a book, not an adaptation or condensed version. (Check the title page for this information.)

After reading books, students take computerized comprehension quizzes in the library during library period and other times during the school day.

The library is open before and after school. Library hours are 7:45 to 4:00. Reading Counts closes down to quiz taking at 12:00 on Fridays for the management of reports for the teachers.

Before taking quizzes, third, fourth, and fifth grade students are asked to sign honor code slips declaring they have recently read (within the past month) the entire unabridged version of each book. The Reading Counts honor slip also includes a pledge that students will not receive any help on the quizzes.

Quizzes are in multiple choice format; 5 questions for second and third graders (at least 4 correct to pass); 10 questions for fourth and fifth graders (at least 8 correct to pass). Questions are randomly accessed from a bank of 20-30 questions for each book.

Students have two attempts to pass a quiz on a book. If a quiz is not passed on the first attempt, the student has the choice to try a second attempt on another day after re-reading or reviewing the book. Once a book quiz is passed, or not passed in two attempts, the student cannot retake that book quiz again throughout the years in the reading program.

All students are expected to maintain an 80% overall comprehension percentage. All attempts are averaged into the overall passing percentage.

New students in third, fourth, and fifth grades will be given extra assistance in learning the steps and procedures. Librarians, teachers, and teaching assistants will be available to offer special guidance as they select their first books and take their first quizzes.

Second graders during the first few weeks of Reading Counts are asked to only select Reading Counts books and take quizzes while accompanied by their teacher to the library.

The library has copies of past student reading records. Students may check these lists to avoid re-reading a book for Reading Counts when credit has already been received. The reading program will not allow students to retake a prior quiz.

Students' RC reports will be provided for teachers who will be publishing Reading Counts expectations on Blackboard, and including Reading Counts progress comments on interim and trimester reports.