Nearpod vs. Renaissance Accelerated Reader

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Nearpod
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Nearpod is an education-focused learning management software solution offered by Nearpod.
$159
per year
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Score 7.1 out of 10
N/A
Renaissance 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
NearpodRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Editions & Modules
Gold
$159
per year
Platinum
$397
per year
Silver
Free
Premium Plus
Get quote
per year
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
NearpodRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsNearpod has a free version for all teachers. There are paid options for individual teachers, as well as schools and districts, for increased features and access.—
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
NearpodRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Considered Both Products
Nearpod

No answer on this topic

Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Chose Renaissance Accelerated Reader
STAR assessments work well with [Renaissance] Accelerated Reader. The STAR assessment can inform students what material they will be able to comprehend and help guide teachers when they are trying to help students find books to read. STAR assessments also help teachers focus …
Chose Renaissance Accelerated Reader
I have not used or evaluated a product similar to Accelerated Reader.
Top Pros
Top Cons
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User Ratings
NearpodRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(6 ratings)
9.7
(60 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(9 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(8 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.9
(25 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
5.6
(6 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
4.5
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 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
NearpodRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Likelihood to Recommend
Nearpod
Nearpod works great in any classroom, but the presentation must be projected or each student must have access to a internet connected device.
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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
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Pros
Nearpod
  • Provide timely and individualized feedback.
  • Allow for the teacher to check for understanding, for the entire class, in one view.
  • Present an array of different interactive lesson items, at the fingertips of every student.
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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.
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Cons
Nearpod
  • I would love Nearpod to have more free activities.
  • I would love Nearpod to be free for educators.
  • I would love if teachers could assign homework on Nearpod.
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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.
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Likelihood to Renew
Nearpod
Goal is to continue our subscription for the 2019-2020 school year
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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.
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Usability
Nearpod
Web-based or using the app, Nearpod is easy to use
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Renaissance Learning
I would say that Accelerated Reader is a pretty user-friendly tool. The platform is easily used by teachers, administrators, and students of all grade levels and technical abilities. That being said, it would be nice to see some tweaks to the user interface to make it even easier for everyone to navigate.
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Reliability and Availability
Nearpod
No answers on this topic
Renaissance Learning
I have not encountered any problems with availability
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Performance
Nearpod
No answers on this topic
Renaissance Learning
Quick loading, no issues.
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Support Rating
Nearpod
The support staff for Nearpod is top-notch. I have not had technical issues, but I did have a concern about my bill and they reached out to me nearly immediately to address the problem. I was very satisfied with how they handled the interaction from beginning to end. They did a great job.
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Renaissance Learning
Renaissance Accelerated Reader is a program I have used with students for 9 years. It is so flexible and easy to use! I have seen the amazing benefits and an increase in the minutes my students read each day. I look forward to using this program next year and learning more about how it can help increase reading in our school.
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Implementation Rating
Nearpod
No answers on this topic
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.
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Alternatives Considered
Nearpod
The custom, integrated, online content, along with school libraries, makes this product superior to PearDeck. Nearpod exceeds PowerPoint because of the ease of use, the student paced lessons, and the ability to embed CFUs.
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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.
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Scalability
Nearpod
No answers on this topic
Renaissance Learning
Because students can take tests on varying book levels.
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Return on Investment
Nearpod
  • The impact is awesome. It gives students a digital option other than PowerPoint for presentations.
  • The feedback tool allows you to follow students in realtime.
  • The shallow learning curve made it easy encourage other faculty to try it.
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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.
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