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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Google Classroom

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AN/A

    $0

    per month

    Renaissance Accelerated Reader

    Score9.9 out of 10
    N/ARenaissance Accelerated Reader® is designed to save educators time by empowering them with Learnalytics® to make differentiating independent and close reading practice effortless – all while maintaining the flexibility necessary to fit within existing classroom routines. Students are engaged in reading self-selected authentic books and articles. Short comprehension quizzes and built-in close reading practice activities, combined with automatic and educator feedback, keep students…N/A
    Pricing
    Google ClassroomRenaissance Accelerated Reader
    Editions & Modules
    Education Fundamentals
    $0
    per license/per month
    Google Workspace for Education Standard
    $3
    per student/per year
    Teaching and Learning Upgrade
    $4
    per license/per month
    Google Workspace for Education Plus
    $5
    per student/per year
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Google ClassroomRenaissance Accelerated Reader
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsEducation Fundamentals Version - 30-day free trial for qualifying institutions.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Google ClassroomRenaissance Accelerated Reader
    Considered Both Products
    Google
    No answer on this topic
    Renaissance Learning
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    97%
    Would buy again
    37 Answers
    95%
    Would buy again
    37 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    37 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    34 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    34 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    36 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    25 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    29 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    25 Answers
    Features
    Google ClassroomRenaissance Accelerated Reader
    Learning Management
    Comparison of Learning Management features of Google Classroom and Renaissance Accelerated Reader
    Feature
    Google Classroom
    7.4
    60 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Renaissance Accelerated Reader
    -
    Ratings
    Course authoring8.752 Ratings00 Ratings
    Course catalog or library7.639 Ratings00 Ratings
    Player/Portal6.538 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning content8.141 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile friendly7.757 Ratings00 Ratings
    Progress tracking & certifications7.144 Ratings00 Ratings
    Assignments7.158 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compliance management6.934 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning administration7.346 Ratings00 Ratings
    Learning reporting & analytics6.842 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social learning8.751 Ratings00 Ratings
    Gamification3.98 Ratings00 Ratings
    Single Sign On (SSO) Enabled Learning9.812 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Google ClassroomRenaissance Accelerated Reader
    Small Businesses
    Teachable
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Renaissance Star Assessments
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Schoology Learning
    Score8 out of 10
    WileyPLUS
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    D2L Brightspace
    Score7.8 out of 10
    WileyPLUS
    Score9.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Google ClassroomRenaissance Accelerated Reader
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.1
    (80 ratings)
    9.9
    (65 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    9.1
    (9 ratings)
    Usability
    8.1
    (11 ratings)
    10.0
    (9 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.9
    (14 ratings)
    9.0
    (25 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    2.0
    (2 ratings)
    5.5
    (6 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (2 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.5
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Google ClassroomRenaissance Accelerated Reader
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Google
    Google Classroom allows teachers to post for daily lessons and assignments. It also allows teachers to be able to communicate with students easily outside of class. Students are able to stay connected and know where to find all information and resources easily in a streamlined manner for all of their classes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    I have found Renaissance Accelerated Reader to be well-suited for elementary readers. I don't have experience using it with high school students; however, I know that for our elementary readers, there are no shortages of tests available. Our students can read trade books, articles within the program, or even stories from our textbooks and take tests on them
    Read full review
    Pros
    Google
    • Student-teacher communication - I love using Classroom for this because my students can always go back and check what was on Classroom by looking through the stream. This way they don't have to go dig through emails to find what they're looking for.
    • Posting to multiple classes - I can post the same announcement or assignment to multiple classes at once without having to repeat the process or send separate emails.
    • Streamlining grading - when students turn work in on Classroom, it all goes to one place and then when I'm grading I can open their documents directly from Classroom or my Drive folder. This way, I'm not looking through emails and Google Doc shared files for their assignment.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    • Automatically calculating ZPD ranges. Student level ranges are automatically calculated within the system to ensure that students are correctly choosing the most appropriate books for them.
    • Easy goal setting. Whether you want to set a blanket goal based on 20 minutes per day of reading time for the class, or you want to individually set goals up to an hour a day, AR makes it very easy to manage and set goals for your entire classroom. Goals can be adjusted as needed easily as well.
    • Comprehension monitoring through testing. I can easily see which students are struggling on comprehension through AR book quizzes. From student scores, I can either motivate students who are rushing through books to slow down and take time to thoroughly read, or I can help students who are possibly struggling to read harder books with specific strategies that will benefit them the most. Without the testing feature of AR, I would have a lot more work to check how students are doing on their independent reading.
    • Data that is easy to understand and share with students. From either running a report on the entire class or school to just a specific student, AR makes data tracking easy. I can share reports with students and have detailed discussions about their progress towards meeting their goals or steps to take to overcome reading challenges they are currently having.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Google
    • The content management of the Classroom is not that good. The sub-section for notes, syllabus, or discussion is missing.
    • It doesn't have parental control feature.
    • It converts the excel output into a normal file. All the formulas and pivots got changed into plain text.
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    • Lately, Accelerated Reader has been adding "New Reports" which would help single class users such as a teacher with one class. But for a person with administrative rights, it creates a bit of a hassle to get the information needed at times.
    • Cost - Accelerated Reader is expensive. For the price paid, I feel Renaissance should include some features instead of having additional fees paid.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Google
    Testing is particularly important in online learning, and Google Classroom falls far short of other learning management systems in this regard. Security is also a concern: while account control is reasonable for the account used with Google Classroom, the person controlling a particular account is often able to, for example, forward or download proprietary materials.
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    [Renaissance] Accelerated Reader is a great way to track student progress, motivate students to read, and measure their comprehension. Accelerated reader gives both teachers and students immediate feedback. There are countless options of books for students and can help increase student interest in books and improve students' reading ability.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Google
    Simple design and seamless integration with Google tools and drive, but missing some key features. However, since it is limited in overall functions and ability to truly personalize / customize, it is quite user friendly and easy to set up and get going, other than sending out the code to your course or dropping students in via their gmail account. Users of Google Forms and sites will find the layout similar in design.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    I give Renaissance Accelerated Reader a great 10 in usability rating. I give this rating because overall the program is very easy to use and for the most part easy to understand. I am currently in my first year working in the library and with the teachers using the Renaissance Accelerated Reader program so there is still much to learn, but it has been an overall great experience so far. All of the data is easy to read and there is so much information to look over in case anything is missed or not understood. I have so far been very happy with the Renaissance Accelerated Reader program and what it has done for the students.
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Google
    We have had very little trouble in accessing Google Classroom. Our issues, if any, have risen from our server and not the Google servers.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    I have not encountered any problems with availability
    Read full review
    Performance
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Renaissance Learning
    Quick loading, no issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Google
    Since this platform is provided by Google, the technical support is better than any others, and we are not required to bother about the space constraints for adding the contents. If we have a good uninterrupted internet facility we can access Google Classroom without any delay or lag. They have app support in both Android and iPhone.
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    Renaissance Reader has a great support team, and generally, they are quick to respond when needed. The live chat tool is a life-saver when trying to get your problems solved in real-time. They also have a lot of online support articles that ensure that you can get your questions answered without necessarily having to use the live chat during the school day.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Google
    It was relatively easy to implement due to the simplicity of the platform. Even our more technology challenged teachers found it easy to get started with Google Classroom.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    Extensive training on Ren Place is necessary. There are a myriad of reports that we need help understanding. I have joined Ren Royals and have learned a lot from that support piece.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Google
    I haven't tested or evaluated another digital classroom website or application. I feel like Google Classroom is convenient for many reasons such as compatibility to Google docs, slides, etc. I also love the ability to link to YouTube and other sites. I don't know if there would be a site that is easier to maneuver.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    I have not used any of the products listed. However, AR has been my choice of product. My school system choice this product because it interfaces well with all other reading and testing programs that have been purchased. It is an excellent product, but that is a given since it was developed by a teacher to address a problem that all educators deal with (How do you help a struggling reader best?). AR is the answer for me.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Google
    It is very easy to push out this program across our buildings. Teachers are able to use it without much trouble.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    Because students can take tests on varying book levels.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Google
    • Students are able to continue learning in a remote environment
    • Parents have a single, consistent organization structure to make it easy to track assignments and progress for multiple children
    • Much better solution than the quickly assembled Zoom-and-gloom of the previous spring when school abruptly went remote with no planning
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Renaissance Learning
    • The goal of AR is for kids to enjoy books, spread their wings, and experience a variety of literature & genres. Children need copious amounts of reading to become good readers. Incorporating Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 into our day sets a purpose for reading and holds children accountable.
    • Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 is research based. The single biggest predictor of academic success is time spent reading. This program allows for that.
    • Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 allows for scaffolding of reading material to get the kids into more challenging material. This program allows children to be successful and build on their strengths.
    • Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 empowers students to take ownership in the learning process. It gives them a voice.
    • Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 is a program that lets students practice and apply skills and strategies learned during mini lessons and strategy-group instruction.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots