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 Frequently Asked Questions
General Product Questions General Product QuestionsQ. What is included with my initial purchase of the Scholastic Reading Counts!® program?
A. With your Scholastic Reading Counts! order, you will receive:
Q. How much does Scholastic Reading Counts! cost?
A. Effective August 31, 2008, Scholastic Reading Counts! Enterprise Edition will feature the following new student pricing.
This pricing allows as few as 50 students to use Scholastic Reading Counts! and affordably accommodates higher enrollment. With Scholastic Reading Counts!, you retain the perpetual right to use the program and all the quizzes you have obtained. Q. What is the Quiz Access Renewal Fee?
A. With new student licenses, Scholastic Reading Counts! will sell quiz renewal on an annual basis, meaning that with a renewal fee of $2.00 per student license, schools receive all new quizzes on a ongoing, monthly basis. Currently quizzes to WAN customers are sold in biannual renewal discs.
Q. How many titles are in the Scholastic Reading Counts! quiz library?
A. Currently, we have more than 45,000 titles in our library, and we are constantly developing new quizzes! We invite you to visit our e-Catalog, where you can view our entire listing of quizzes and books. Each year Scholastic Reading Counts! develops quizzes to more than 2800 children’s fiction and nonfiction titles that are expected to endure in value.
Q. Is it true that Scholastic Reading Counts! only quizzes Scholastic titles?
Absolutely not! Scholastic Reading Counts! quizzes books from more than 500 publishers including prominent trade house such as Macmillan, Penguin, and Random House; specialty publishers such as Orca Books and Holiday House; and Library Publishers such as Lerner, Raintree-Heinemann, and Capstone Press. Because Scholastic often publishes reprints of the best children’s literature, many important titles may be available through Scholastic divisions such as Book Club and Book Fairs.
Q. Does Scholastic Reading Counts! write quizzes for basal readers?
A. At one time Scholastic wrote quizzes for certain basal series. Recently, we have focused quiz production on titles that support the program’s core mission of developing independent reading skills. Supporting instructional texts - many of which have their own publisher provided assessment - in a teacher supported learning environment might not provide the accurate independent reading score that Scholastic Reading Counts! was designed to provide.
Q. What are the hardware specifications to run Scholastic Reading Counts!?
A. Technical requirements, including hardware specifications, are shown on the Scholastic Reading Counts! Technical Support page. To go directly to the technical support page, click here.
Q. Is it possible to purchase additional Scholastic Reading Counts! Welcome Kits or Educator’s Guides?
A. Yes! You can order additional copies and other support materials through Customer Service at 1-877-COUNTS-1.
Q. My school owns Accelerated Reader and we want to move to Scholastic Reading Counts!
A. Good move! With its foundation in the Lexile Framework® for Reading and the deep bank of items that support most quizzes, Scholastic Reading Counts! is always the best choice for busy educators. To trade up to the Student License model, Scholastic offers discounted initial licenses at $3.50 per student. This one-time-only offer entitles your school to all currently published quizzes. Call 1-800-387-1437 for details.
Q. My school owns READ 180, how can I expand Scholastic Reading Counts!?
A. Schools that purchase READ 180 Enterprise Edition after August 31, 2008 can expand Scholastic Reading Counts! school wide by purchasing student licenses for $3.50 per non-READ 180 student for 90 days after initial purchase. This special offer is subject to change at any time.
The Student Licenses provides access to 42,000 quizzes. The Quiz Access Renewal Fee is applied to only non-READ 180 students for new quizzes, which are delivered monthly. One of the benefits of READ 180 is that the Quiz Access Renewal Fee is waived. Q. What happened to the READ 180 School-Wide Kit?
A. The School-Wide kit was dependent on incremental quiz sales and provided a free site license with the expectation that schools would purchase quizzes for their site. Because quizzes will no longer be sold incrementally, the School-Wide Kit has been discontinued.
Q. We have just purchased System 44, how does that work with Scholastic Reading Counts!?
A. Schools that purchase System 44 receive program specific quizzes. They can expand Scholastic Reading Counts! to non-System 44 students for $3.50 per student in a special offer.
The Student License provides access to 42,000 quizzes. The Quiz Access Renewal Fee is applied to only non-System 44 students for new quizzes which are delivered monthly. One of the benefits of System 44 is that the Quiz Access Renewal Fee is waived. Q. I have Scholastic Reading Counts! and recently acquired READ 180 or System 44, how do I continue with the program?
A. Please call your Inside Sales representative for a fair and easy License Migration Plan. The number is 1-800-387-1437.
Q. What is a Product Support Plan?
A. Product Support and Technical Maintenance Plans are vital components for the Scholastic Achievement Manager (SAM) suite of products (READ 180TM, ReadAboutTM, Scholastic Reading InventoryTM, Scholastic Reading Counts!®, System 44TM, Scholastic Phonics InventoryTM and FASTT MathTM. In addition to unlimited Technical Support, point release and version updates are part of the plan. These will be shipped twice a year with feature enhancements for SAM and its related programs.
SAM requires that all versions for all products be the in same release and the way to obtain these releases is through the Product Support and Maintenance Plans. For more information about technical issues and to view Scholastic Reading Counts! Technical FAQs, visit the Technical Support Page. Q. What are point releases?
A. Point releases are scheduled and periodic updates to Scholastic’s technology program. Some enhancements include feature improvements for users and others are platform-based technology improvements. Rather than issue major new releases that demand a large conversion, Scholastic has elected to build out enhancements and features on a more periodic basis.
These small scheduled releases are timed to work better with the school calendar and are easier for teachers to master as they extend the existing program and keep users familiar with a fewer number of changes as they occur. We believe that smaller, more incremental steps over the course of the products’ life works better in learning communities than large sweeping changes that occur every four or five years. Q. What about bugs and known errors?
A. Patches for bugs and known errors are on the Technical Support page as free software updates.
Q. How much do Product Support Plans cost?
A. There are a number of plans that are based on the number of sites and programs used. Effective September 1, 2008, the Basic Plan, which would suit the needs of Assessment products like SRI and Scholastic Reading Counts!, is $225 per site, per product.
Ordering Scholastic Reading Counts!Q. How can I order Scholastic Reading Counts!?
A. You can purchase Scholastic Reading Counts! by calling your Scholastic Sales Representative at 1-800-387-1437, or through Scholastic Customer Service (1-877-COUNTS-1). You may also request more information by clicking here.
Q. Will I be able to submit my Scholastic Reading Counts! order through the Web?
A. Yes! With our Scholastic Reading Counts! e-Catalog you can order books, quizzes and incentive items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the convenience of your own computer! We are constantly updating our e-Catalog to provide you with the best service possible, so keep your eyes open for new products and services. Please note that individual quiz sales will stop after November 30, 2008. Please contact your Insides Sales Representative at 1-800-387-1437 with questions.
Q. Can I order Award and Incentive items for Scholastic Reading Counts!?
A. Yes, several Scholastic Reading Counts! Award and Incentive items are available. Click here to download our brochure.
Q. Can I submit Book Cataloging & Processing orders through the Scholastic Reading Counts! e-Catalog?
A. Unfortunately, you cannot order books with Cataloging & Processing directly through the e-Catalog. If you would like to order Cataloging & Processing for books, you may access the Book Cataloging Order form when reviewing your order on the e-Catalog site or you access the form by clicking here. You can print and process your order by faxing it to Customer Service at 1-800-724-4716. Be sure to include contact information so that a Customer Service representative can help with your order.
Q. How can I view a list of titles that have been recently added to the Scholastic Reading Counts! library?
A. You can view all our new titles in our e-Catalog. Click on “Search Titles” from the Toolbar. This will take you to the Search Title Page. Use the Date search to quickly locate titles added in recent months. Please visit us often to browse our new titles and collections! You may also sign up here for our monthly e-Newsletter, which highlights new titles each month.
Q. Can I order Scholastic Reading Counts! for my home computer?
A. Scholastic Reading Counts! is a software program that was developed for the educational market and is best suited for use in schools, libraries, and learning centers. We do not supply Scholastic Reading Counts! for the consumer, including the home school market, at this time.
Product Fulfillment/ShipmentQ. What method of shipment is used for my Scholastic Reading Counts! order?
A. All Scholastic Reading Counts! items are shipped to you via UPS ground.
Q. Will my order arrive in one single shipment?
A. All software, quizzes, and Scholastic Reading Counts! Rewards and Incentives will arrive in one shipment. The number of cartons you receive is dependent on the size of your order. If you have also ordered books, they will arrive under a completely separate cover. You will receive two to four shipments per one book order. The number of cartons you receive for any given shipment is dependent on the size of your order.
Q. How long will it take to receive my entire order?
A. All currently available software and incentives in your order will be delivered to you within 7-10 business days of the date of your order. Book orders will be sent to you under separate covers and may have multiple shipments. Each box will contain its own packing list. Any backordered items that become available within 45 days of your original order will be delivered to you within 60 days of your original order.
Q. If I ordered items that are currently out of stock, will they be automatically shipped to me when they become available?
A. All out-of-stock items from your original order that become available within 45 days of your original order will be shipped to you automatically. If any items become available after the 45-day period is over, we will contact you before we ship you those items.
Q. What happens if I ordered items that are currently out of stock but they are not available at the end of the 45 days?
A. All items that we are unable to fulfill after the 45 day timeframe are cancelled and you are not charged for those items.
Q. May I provide an alternate Ship To address for any backordered items?
A. Yes, you can contact a Customer Service representative to provide an alternate address for any backordered items. Please email us at ReadingCounts@scholastic.com or call us at 1-877-COUNTS-1. If you need to update your Ship To address for your next order, please contact Customer Service at 1-877-COUNTS-1.
Implementation QuestionsQ. How do I get started?
A. In the Scholastic Reading Counts! Welcome Kit, librarians, teachers and administrators will have a special guide that helps with implementation. The Teacher’s Guide included with the program shows how to access and create reports and work with Scholastic Reading Counts!
If you would like to speak with an expert about this program, click here. Q. What is a Lexile®?
A. A Lexile measure is a unit for measuring text difficulty based on the variables of syntax and semantic difficulty. Semantic difficulty refers to the level of familiarity or frequency of the text’s vocabulary and syntax refers to the level of difficulty in terms of sentence length. The Lexile scale is a developmental scale for reading that ranges from below 200L for beginning-reader level to 1700L for advanced level.
Q. What is a Guided Reading Level?
A. Guided Reading is an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can all read similar levels of texts. A Guided Reading Level (GRL) for a book in English is a measure ranging from A (the simplest texts) to Z (the most difficult). A GRL takes into account several factors in assessing a text’s difficulty, such as accessibility of topic, complexity of story structure, and spacing. Some books, especially for higher grades, are not recommended for Guided Reading and have a GRL of “NR” which stands for Not Recommended.
Q. Who determines the Lexiles, GRLs and Reading Levels for Scholastic Reading Counts! titles?
A. Lexiles are a proprietary score for books (and readers), performed under contract from Scholastic, by MetaMetrics: www.lexile.com.
Guided Reading Levels (GRLs) are based on a system developed by Gay Su Pinnell and Irene Fountas. While they do have legal control over the specific scores, Scholastic Reading Counts! editors - educators and librarians - have assigned the GRLs in a manner consistent with their guidelines. Additionally, Scholastic Reading Counts! recently replaced thousands of GRLs in its database to make them consistent with the scores in the Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Book List, K-8, from Heinemann. Reading levels are assigned by SRC! editors, taking into account both readability and content. Q. Why doesn’t a book have a Lexile?
A. There are some texts that are not given Lexiles, including graphic novels, reference books, and wordless books.
Q. Why do a book’s Lexile level and GRL not agree?
A. The reason for differences between Lexile levels and GRLs is that they measure slightly different things. A Lexile is a unit for measuring text difficulty, focusing on the two variables of semantic difficulty and syntax. GRLs take other factors into consideration, such as complexity of story structure, spacing, and conceptual elements. If a book has advanced vocabulary but little text and story structure, it may have a very high Lexile and a low GRL, and vice versa.
Please note that no teacher, parent, or librarian will use only ONE scoring system to assign books to a specific child or young adult. Each score measures different elements and, along with a book’s description (i.e. the blurb/annotation) and its tags (especially any sensitivity issues), help to create a complete picture of the value of the book and quiz in various situations (curriculum, enjoyment, independent reading, shared reading, etc). Q. What determines the number of points a book has?
A. Points are determined by a combination of word count and interest level.
Q. What do I do if I see an error in the quiz? What if the content of the quiz does not match the books?
A. Please send you quiz concerns to Scholastic Reading Counts! Customer Service. Email us at ReadingCounts@scholastic.com or call us at 1-877-COUNTS-1. In order to best answer your query, the following information is most useful:
Q. What is a “Movie-proofed” quiz?
A. A “movie-proofed” quiz is a rewritten quiz for books upon which a new first run movie has been released. The purpose of the movie proofed quiz is to focus on items and topics in the book that are not present in the movie. This prevents students from viewing the movie instead of reading the books. For older books/films, we have to take them under consideration. After they are written, movie proofed quizzes will be included in all monthly quiz releases. These quizzes will replace the previous version of the quiz.
Q. How does Scholastic Reading Counts! select titles? Can publishers submit books to you for inclusion in your program?
A. Scholastic Reading Counts! selects books on the basis of reviews in library and education journals, curriculum support, and wide reader interest. For publishers wishing to be considered for our program, please send two copies of two representative children's or young adult books to: Stephen Jones, Scholastic Readings Counts!, 524 Broadway 1129B, New York, New York 10012.
Please note that in our selection of titles, Scholastic Reading Counts! gives precedence to four criteria: critical acclaim, curricular support, underrepresented groups, and Scholastic products. Q. What if I would like to see a certain book quizzed?
A. Scholastic Reading Counts! produces robust quizzes that support titles that are of high quality and are quite varied in reading level and interest. Most of the books supported are K-8 and Hi-Lo titles because this is the customer demand. If there are in-print titles and series you would like to see quizzes for, please feel free to suggest them.
In our selection of titles, Scholastic Reading Counts! gives precedence to those that attract favorable critical attention. One book in a trilogy or series may have received a starred review or an award, and this may be why we have included it in our program and not others. Also, on occasion a few books in a series are done but the series is discontinued due to lack of sales. If we are missing the first title in a trilogy or series, please point it out to us and if the book is not out of print we can develop a quiz for it. Q. I am interested in writing quizzes for Scholastic Reading Counts! Are you hiring new quiz writers?
A. It is educators like you who have helped us create the best possible independent reading program on the market today. Your offer of quiz writing services is much appreciated. There are always more great children's books for students to read. Currently we have no openings for writers or editors. We do however have opportunities from time to time for educators, such as focus group participation or product testing. Please feel free to send your resume and area of interest to JCSRC@scholastic.com. Please cut and paste you document and do not send an attachment.
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