PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special Programs vs. Renaissance Accelerated Reader

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special Programs
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special Programs (Special Education) covers all areas of education including 504 processes, services capture for Medicaid billing, special education case management, gifted and talented, English language learners, and Response to Intervention (RTI). It is a comprehensive system that combines case management with tracking clinical services to ensure the delivery of IEPs and alignment of IEPs to state and local goals. The system is designed to support districts in…N/A
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
PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special ProgramsRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special ProgramsRenaissance 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
PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special ProgramsRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special ProgramsRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Small Businesses
Kissflow
Kissflow
Score 6.6 out of 10
Renaissance Star Assessments
Renaissance Star Assessments
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
TIBCO® BPM Enterprise
TIBCO® BPM Enterprise
Score 7.0 out of 10
WileyPLUS
WileyPLUS
Score 9.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
WileyPLUS
WileyPLUS
Score 9.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special ProgramsRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.7
(60 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)
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
PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special ProgramsRenaissance Accelerated Reader
Likelihood to Recommend
PowerSchool Group LLC
PowerSchool Special Education is well suited in one specific area: special education in elementary, middle and high schools. It works here due to the nature of the platform, which focuses on meeting the needs of students with all disabilities. The software offers information on specific cases, students, as well as Academics. This supports the mission of supporting all students and making it easier for educators, parents, and administration to be more heavily involved in tracking, monitoring and supporting students. When using PowerSchool Special Education, it simplifies the IEP process. Collaboration is one of the best abilities the software provides. There is a need to track program eligibility, including 501 accommodations and Title 1, and in a school with such a large population, the functionality that this software offers to users is important.
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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
PowerSchool Group LLC
  • It provides all the documents necessary for supporting federal and state laws in regards to the special education program.
  • Extremely effective in helping to meet reporting standards for students. Teachers that fall behind on deadlines or timelines are given reminders and provided with processes to monitor progress and reporting.
  • Case management is easy, which leads to 100% compliance. This is important because the best strength is that this platform helps to increase funding by meeting all requirements of the Fed and State.
  • An additional strength is the collaborative potential it offers. The platform offers student portals to let staff access all resources on demand.
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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
PowerSchool Group LLC
  • In terms of improvement, the interface is extremely ugly and simple in design, color and icon design. The platform needs to have a much more interactive and appealing interface so that use is more comfortable.
  • For parents, their side of the platform has a lot of options. That needs to be simplified. I think less and more drop downs within the key menus would help.
  • The disability codes are very lengthy. Perhaps there are easier or faster ways to access subsections to select.
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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
PowerSchool Group LLC
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
PowerSchool Group LLC
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
PowerSchool Group LLC
No answers on this topic
Renaissance Learning
I have not encountered any problems with availability
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Performance
PowerSchool Group LLC
No answers on this topic
Renaissance Learning
Quick loading, no issues.
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Support Rating
PowerSchool Group LLC
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
PowerSchool Group LLC
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
PowerSchool Group LLC
There is no other software on the market that is specifically focused on improving the support of special education programs. PowerSchool Special Education system has a similar interface and structure that Moodle Rooms offer; however, Moodle Rooms is for content management and student management. PowerSchool Special Education is not related to course curriculum management, it is primarily focused on special education programs. Managing special education programs can be very difficult and stressful. It is impossible to successfully comply and healthily support a special education program without tools such as PowerSchool Special Education. Even more important than what other software does do for schools and educators, this platform makes it more convenient for families. Electronic forms and parent portals make processes easier.
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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
PowerSchool Group LLC
No answers on this topic
Renaissance Learning
Because students can take tests on varying book levels.
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Return on Investment
PowerSchool Group LLC
  • There is also a positive impact on ROI for the school. Utilizing this software provides the school with the ability to increase the potential it receives in Title 1 funding. Title 1 funding is a major source of funding for inner-city schools in particular.
  • Normally, the IEP and tracking process is lengthy, filled with paper, and often takes more time than necessary. Utilizing this software speeds up the process and provides clear requirements to be met, which reduces the number of questions and confusing meetings or papers left in teacher mailboxes.
  • I have not experienced a negative return on investment with the software, because, without it, the paper trail would be too lengthy and the process would be much more convoluted, with long meetings, long sheets of paperwork, and missed deadlines due to a lack of clear collaboration.
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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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ScreenShots

PowerSchool Unified Classroom Special Programs Screenshots

Screenshot of IEP Progress reportScreenshot of IEP considerations