Sparx Reader

Why are we using SPARX Reader?

To support our students to be proficient and independent readers so they can be successful in school and beyond in their wider lives.

Sparx Reader enables us to measure how much students are reading; how accurate their reading is and to diagnose issues with the accuracy of their reading, including their reading comprehension and reading speed.

To become confident and proficient readers students need to complete regular reading practice. We cannot monitor or measure what students are reading when they are reading paper-based books at home in the same way that Sparx Reader allows us to do so.

Sparx Reader enables us to diagnose issues with comprehension, reading fluency and speed and uses testing that helps us by telling us what reading age our pupils have.

It is essential that all students have a reading age of 15-16 by the time they reach Year 11 to have the best chance of success in their KS4 qualifications.

How do students read on Sparx Reader?

Students read a book that they have chosen from a selection of possible options. Students can change the font and size of the text on Sparx Reader and can use a reading ruler to help them to access the text and read with more care and attention.

To check that students are understanding what they are reading there are regular pauses where students are asked questions about the text. The checks are placed are logical places to pause in the story.

They achieve points for every question they answer correctly. There are only four questions at a time.

Pupils need to read attentively and carefully. Questions have been carefully created to test their knowledge of what has been read.

Pupils only earn their points (SRP) if they answer all the questions correctly. The homework will only be completed fully when they have achieved their required SRP points.

Research tells us that students should be reading for 20 minutes a day to become successful and proficient independent readers. We set the expected number of SRP points with this goal in mind. Students will read at home for homework as well as using Sparx reader to read within a fortnight reading lesson as part of their English curriculum.

How much should students read?

Pupils are expected to read for 60 minutes per week. Homework is set on a Friday and must be completed by the following Friday. As long as students have read for 60 minutes across this time, they do not have to do this all-in-one go. It is a good idea to set aside a timetable for when pupils would like to read across the week- either in chunks of 10 minutes or 20 minutes.

How should students access SPARX reader?

Students will have access to Sparx Reader once a fortnight in their timetabled reading lesson. Students can access Sparx Reader from any device- phone, tablet or laptop that has access to the internet.

How do students sign on to Sparx Reader?

Students can either access Sparx Reader through their skolon apps or can google to find the link to Sparx Reader. The link is provided on their class charts homework page.

Students will need to use the same user name and password they use to log in to the computers at school to log in to Sparx Reader. If logging on through Skolon or a device they have set up with their school user name and password then they can click the blue box to log in through Microsoft.

If students are experiencing access issues then they can go to the library at lunch time (must book a slot with the librarian through class charts) or can attend after school homework club.

Gold Readers on Sparx

We value our school library and know how important it is that students can access paper books. Students who read above or beyond their set homework earn the option to do this by becoming gold readers. Students who go above and beyond by continuing to read carefully after completing their homework will be able to earn stars. When they earn five stars they can have a five week pass to read a paper book. They can scan in or type in the ISBN of a physical book, use a timer and complete a reading log to be able to read a book of their own choice.

The Reading Library on Sparx Reader

Having access to high quality and engaging books is essential to support our students to become proficient readers. The books students are given to choose from within the Sparx Reader library are matched to student’s reading ages enabling us to make sure what students are reading is matched to their needs and stretches and challenges them as appropriate. The library includes hundreds of books across all reading ages, genres, and interests. New books are being added to the library all the time.

Pupils are given a selection of four books to choose from at a time. Research shows that too much choice can be overwhelming and that giving a smaller number of choices at a time makes it easier for pupils to choose books.

Many pupils will need to be encouraged and supported to keep reading when they start reading a book. If they are not enjoying a book, they can change it by rating it or swapping it. However, research tells us that many pupils who say they didn’t like reading a book at the start usually come to enjoy reading it by the end. The selection of books offered to the pupil will change depending on the ratings they have given previous books they have read.

 

Expert reader

Expert Readers Programme

Our whole school programme is designed to ensure that pupils become expert level readers with a full mastery of the knowledge and skills needed to be able to read to learn.

Our aim is that all students achieve an ‘expert’ standard of reading by the time they reach year 11.

Where students have not yet achieved the expected standards or are working with a reading age significantly below their chronological age, within the English curriculum they will be explicitly taught the knowledge and skills they need to be able to learn how to read and close these gaps.

Across subject areas they will be supported to learn the reading knowledge and skills specifically required for success using disciplinary reading to provide direct instruction on what they need to know and be able to do to successfully read within that subject. Students will also be provided with explicit instruction on tier 2 and tier 3 words needed for success.

What are the expected standards?

Students should achieve the expected standards for KS3 by the end of Year 9. Additionally, students are also expected to achieve a reading age of between 15-16 by the end of Year 11.

• Students should be able to read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

Develop an appreciation and love of reading and read increasingly challenging material independently through:

• reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including whole books, short stories, poems and plays with a wide coverage of genres, historical periods, forms, and authors.
• choosing and reading books independently for challenge, interest, and enjoyment.
• re-reading books encountered earlier to increase familiarity with them and provide a basis for making comparisons.

Understand increasingly challenging texts through:

• learning new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries
• making inferences and referring to evidence in the text
• knowing the purpose, audience for and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension
• checking their understanding to make sure that what they have read makes sense

Read critically through:

• knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, presents meaning
• recognising a range of poetic conventions and understanding how these have been used
• studying setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these
• understanding how the work of dramatists is communicated effectively through performance and how alternative staging allows for different interpretations of a play
• making critical comparisons across texts
• studying a range of authors, including at least two authors in depth each year

Our programme is designed to test and develop:

• Phonological awareness and the ability to decode text
• Fluency, Accuracy and Automaticity when reading text
• Comprehension of the explicit and implicit meaning of text

Explicitly taught reading knowledge and skills for how to read:

• How to decode words using phonemes and graphemes, how to segment phonemes and the graphemes that represent them and blend them to sound out words.
• Scanning to locate and retrieve information
• Skimming to understand the gist of a text and summarise information
• Synthesis of ideas and information
• Inference and deduction
• Prediction
• Comparison and contrast
• Interpretation, analysis, and evaluation

How will reading progress be assessed and measured?

In the academic year 2024-25 all pupils will complete a baseline Sparx reading test. From this, those students who have a reading age significantly below chronological age expectations will be provided additional diagnostic reading assessment through the DRA test. They will also be assessed using the Fresh Start phonics assessment and a fluency rubric to determine the fluency and accuracy of their reading.

Those students who have identified issues with phonics will receive phonics teaching within the English curriculum or as an additional intervention. They will be reassessed to determine their progress at the conclusion of each section of modules they have been taught which are tailored to meet their needs.

Those students identified as having issues with fluency, accuracy and automaticity will be regularly given practice to read one to one and receive feedback. They will be reassessed either alongside their fresh start assessments or half termly using a reading passage if they are not receiving Fresh Start and do not have an issue with phonics.

Within their English lessons all pupils will complete a weekly comprehension test in which questions will determine their ability to test retrieval, inference, whole text understanding and understanding of authorial intent. English teachers will be able to track progress and provide feedback to pupils based on their scores.

In the last term of the academic year 2024-25, all students will complete a second Sparx reading test to measure progress.

Where and how will students be provided opportunities to read?

• Reading within the English Curriculum and Disciplinary reading within subject areas
• A fortnightly reading for pleasure slot in the English curriculum with access to the library and Sparx Reader
• Reading their own book for pleasure as homework with the opportunity to participate in specific reading challenges and competitions across each academic year using Sparx Reader
• Form time reading slots twice a week linked to key weekly whole school themes with optional homework quizzes and competitions