Madison Reporter

This year, the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Libraries are launching the Mad for Reading App, which is powered by Beanstack. The app aims to encourage students of all ages to read and make it easier for them to track their reading habits.

The program allows students to log any type of reading, including fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, articles, audiobooks, or being read to by someone else. According to MMSD Libraries, "Any kind of reading counts…fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, articles, audiobooks or even being read to by a teacher or family member."

By using the app, students can earn digital badges for reaching milestones and completing challenges. They can also become eligible for community incentives. The app tracks daily reading streaks and keeps a record of everything a student has read on a virtual bookshelf.

MMSD has set a district-wide goal for students: "Read for about 10 minutes most evenings and help our district reach a shared goal of 2.6 million minutes this school year!"

To get started at school, students can access the app through Classlink on their devices. At home, families are able to download the Beanstack mobile app from either the iOS App Store or Google Play Store and connect using the student’s Classlink username.

A flyer is available with additional support information for those interested in participating.