Pearson Revel vs. Renaissance Accelerated Reader

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Revel
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Revel from Pearson supports students with note taking, assessments, and other classroom tasks, and integrates with commonly used LMS.N/A
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Score 9.5 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
Pearson RevelRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
RevelRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Pearson RevelRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Top Pros
Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Best Alternatives
Pearson RevelRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Small Businesses
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Score 9.5 out of 10
Renaissance Star Assessments
Renaissance Star Assessments
Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Score 9.5 out of 10
Renaissance Star Assessments
Renaissance Star Assessments
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Score 9.5 out of 10
Renaissance Star Assessments
Renaissance Star Assessments
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Pearson RevelRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Likelihood to Recommend
3.0
(1 ratings)
9.7
(63 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(9 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(8 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(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
Pearson RevelRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Likelihood to Recommend
Pearson
Pearson Revel is probably best suited for distance learning of large sections where there is little time for discussion and grading assignments manually is prohibitive. I would prefer not to use it with small classes and traditional classes.
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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
Pearson
  • The REVEL platform is easy to navigate.
  • The content is customizable.
  • There are many grade reports that can be run for up-to-date information on students' progress.
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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
Pearson
  • Unfortunately, there are some videos that do not play, or situations where the video does not match the question content. These are bugs that should be attended to by Pearson, but although I have reported them (along with students), they have not been remedied.
  • Instructors who would prefer to use only the digital text do not have the option to purchase the text without the platform.
  • Because the text and software are integrated, there are no "page numbers" as in other digital texts which makes it hard to reference a particular section in a lecture, assignment, or presentation.
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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
Pearson
No answers on this topic
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
Pearson
No answers on this topic
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
Pearson
No answers on this topic
Renaissance Learning
I have not encountered any problems with availability
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Performance
Pearson
No answers on this topic
Renaissance Learning
Quick loading, no issues.
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Support Rating
Pearson
No answers on this topic
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
Pearson
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
Pearson
I have used Pearson MyPsycLab in the past. I believe it was a better overall product than the REVEL system because the text and learning activities were separated, Students could view the text, then complete the activities. Overall, I think that both printed texts and systems like REVEL will be obsolete in the near future as content is readily available on the internet at no cost to the student.
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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
Pearson
No answers on this topic
Renaissance Learning
Because students can take tests on varying book levels.
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Return on Investment
Pearson
  • NEGATIVE: The platform is less expensive than a printed text, but students can use OER's for free. This is especially important at the community college level where students tend to have less financial resources for education.
  • NEGATIVE: After the course completes, the student has nothing to use as a reference. They cannot go back and view the content, nor can they print any of the content.
  • NEGATIVE: The student pays for the learning platform and content which includes a large number of activities and resources. While this seems to be a positive thing, students (and instructors) can get overwhelmed with the number of activities and resources available. Some students won't use any of the resources at all.
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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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