falcongrrl

I have two problems with AR as you've described it to me. The first is that it's independent, and it sounds like kids who aren't really ready for the level they're at are still expected to do it. There are plenty of kids who are ready for that by last term of grade one, but it sounds like L needs substantially more guided reading than she's getting. My second problem is that the computer questions have to focus on basic comprehension, because the computer wouldn't be able to score anything higher than that effectively. That means the tests are geared towards the lowest level of Bloom, and that's backwards. They should be aiming for the highest level first. You did that, btw - you asked her questions about, "How would you feel if" that made her connect with the text on a deep level. An extension of that question might be, "How would you end the story from this point out?" before finishing the book. That's a synthesis-level question, and she can't answer it unless she understands the book, but it engages her brain far more than any knowledge-level question.

She needs help with decoding, because it sounds like she's not yet doing that, but she also needs to interact with the books she reads and connect them to her own life. You're not in a position to help with the decoding very much, but you ARE in a position to ask her those higher-level questions and get her connecting to her book.

As an aside, if guided reading in your district is basal readers and worksheets, then your district is operating about twenty years behind educational theory. It sounds like L is already slipping into a completely-unnecessary crack caused by adherence to ineffective teaching methods.