Easy for Students
I use Renaissance Accelerated Reader in my class for students to test on books they have been reading. I run reports weekly to see how the …
Overview
What is Renaissance Accelerated Reader?
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…
Recent Reviews
Awards
Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards
Reviewer Pros & Cons
Pricing
N/A
Unavailable
What is Renaissance Accelerated Reader?
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…
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Would you like us to let the vendor know that you want pricing?
110 people also want pricing
Alternatives Pricing
What is iSpring Learn?
iSpring Learn is an LMS for automating corporate training and improving employee performance.The system aims to enable users without technical skills to launch eLearning in one day without training. To start training with the platform, administrators upload learning content, assign courses, and…
Product Details
- About
- Competitors
- Tech Details
- FAQs
What is Renaissance Accelerated Reader?
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 accountable for their learning. Dashboards and reporting provide users with the insights necessary to identify quickly which students need more support, which skills each student is ready to learn, and which resources will cultivate proven growth.
According to the vendor, key benefits include:
- Students are nearly twice as likely to be college and career ready with they practice with Renaissance Accelerated Reader.
- A strong research base of 178 scientific studies and review backs Renaissance Accelerated Reader, which ensures that you have scientifically sound practice and reliable data for instructional decisions.
- The Council of Administrators of Special Education endorses Renaissance Accelerated Reader for improving outcomes for students with disabilities.
Renaissance Accelerated Reader Competitors
Renaissance Accelerated Reader Technical Details
| Deployment Types | Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
| Mobile Application | Mobile Web |
Frequently Asked Questions
ReadnQuiz, Whooo's Reading, and LightSail Education are common alternatives for Renaissance Accelerated Reader.
Reviewers rate Usability highest, with a score of 9.1.
The most common users of Renaissance Accelerated Reader are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
Comparisons
Compare with
Reviews and Ratings
(84)
Community Insights
TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
- Business Problems Solved
- Recommendations
Renaissance Accelerated Reader has a wide range of use cases in educational settings. Teachers and students across various grade levels use the software to promote independent reading, improve reading skills, and track progress. With its comprehensive tracking features, Renaissance Accelerated Reader allows teachers to monitor student reading practice and growth, providing standardized data that can be shared with other support personnel. This data-driven approach helps identify specific areas of challenge for individual students and guides discussions about their progress.
In addition to fostering a love for reading, Renaissance Accelerated Reader motivates students to read independently by allowing them to earn points and incentives. The software offers a vast collection of books that students love, with new additions being made regularly. It is often used as a tool to ensure that students are reading appropriate and challenging materials while checking comprehension skills. By setting goals and holding students accountable for their comprehension, teachers can effectively differentiate instruction based on individual needs. The program's user-friendly interface empowers students to take ownership of their learning and continually grow and improve as readers. Overall, Renaissance Accelerated Reader has become an invaluable resource for motivating and engaging students while using data to guide their growth as readers.
Users have made several common recommendations for Renaissance Accelerated Reader based on their experiences.
One recommendation is to utilize the program for data-driven instruction. Many users have found that Renaissance Accelerated Reader provides valuable statistics and data for teachers. This allows them to align their lessons with student needs and track progress effectively. By using the program, teachers can make informed decisions about which skills to focus on and tailor instruction accordingly.
Another recommendation is to take advantage of time-saving features. Users have noted that Renaissance Accelerated Reader frees up time for instruction. The program's automated assessment and grading system eliminates the need for manual grading, enabling teachers to devote more time to teaching. This efficiency is particularly beneficial in a busy classroom environment where teachers often face constraints on time.
A third recommendation is to enhance student engagement and motivation. Several users have mentioned that Renaissance Accelerated Reader increases student excitement about reading. The program offers rewards and incentives such as badges and points that motivate students to read more books. This gamification aspect has proven effective in encouraging reluctant readers and promoting a positive reading culture in the classroom.
In addition to these recommendations, users also suggest joining the Renaissance Royals program for tips and support. This program provides educators with resources, professional development opportunities, and a community of fellow educators to exchange ideas and best practices.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(26-50 of 63)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
June 13, 2020
Motivated to Read with Accelerated Reader!
Our school district uses Renaissance Accelerated Reader to encourage students to read daily. We also use Accelerated Reader to monitor student progress and academic growth. This product is so flexible and can be used in so many ways! Accelerated Reader is user friendly for students and teachers! There is also a way to connect parents to student accounts. Parents can monitor student progress and receive email updates about their child’s activity in Accelerated Reader.
- The Accelerated Reader program is easy for students and teachers to use.
- Accelerated Reader is so flexible and can be used with all students and all reading levels.
- Renaissance Accelerated Reader makes monitoring student reading so manageable and easy.
- Even though Accelerated Reader has a VERY LARGE collection of quizzes, not all books have an AR test.
- They are always adding new quizzes to increase the quiz collection.
- When selecting an Accelerated Reader Quiz, students often click the wrong language.
- Some quizzes can be difficult to locate if they have the same title as many other books.
April 29, 2020
Ready! Set! Read to Reach Your Goal!
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
AR is used daily in our school. Students are tested to determine their reading level. Students goals are set and students find books on their level to read and test on. Students must maintain at least 85% accuracy and reach their goal in order to earn daily, weekly, or monthly goals. Our school's AR team plans the awards for each month. The awards are planned with a theme that matches any activity for each month. For example, for December, any child reaching their AR goal is invited to a movie with popcorn - dressed in their Christmas pajamas of course! Parents are able to keep track of their child's progress at home. Students are also able to keep track of their progress and document it in their Leader In ME AR folder. Finally, we gather during a Senergy Assembly and recognize those who reached their goals, exceeded their goals, the top AR points achieved, and million word readers are also recognized.
- AR promotes the love of reading.
- AR promotes teacher/child/parent communication.
- AR strengthens comprehension in our students.
- Easy access for parents to print a list of the books their child has read and tested on.
February 12, 2020
Accelerated Reader 360
Our whole school, though small, uses Accelerated Reader 360. We love the program and being able to see how well our students are paying attention to the books and stories being read. It is also a user-friendly service that helps teachers and parents watch the progress of their child/student. Our students are on the program every day and it is very user-friendly for them as well.
- It tests students knowledge of books and how close they paid attention to the story.
- It provides good data for how well a student is growing in their reading abilities.
- It gives a good level of reading for our students and allows teachers to see what grade level they are close to.
- I also love the recommendations of other books students could or should read next.
- The quizzes test more details from a story versus the comprehension of the story.
January 25, 2020
My experience with Accelerated Reader
Most of our school uses Accelerated Reader. It is also used throughout our school district. My students enjoy using Accelerated Reader, and I believe it definitely helps with their reading progress and comprehension. It also provides good data for students who are having reading difficulties as well. You can look for patterns in their data.
- Focus on comprehension.
- It has a good variety of books available for testing.
- Maybe more kid friendly motivators toward meeting goals.
January 21, 2020
Find Success for all Readers with Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
As a teacher in a language arts classroom, I use the Accelerated Reader (AR) program on a daily basis. Students select books at their independent reading level based on a STAR test given through the program. This level allows students to read appropriate books that they will understand and grow from as a reader. They then test on the books and receive points for their score. Point and percentage goals are set for each student on a quarterly basis.
- Levels up readers
- Provides suggestions for areas that students need additional support
- Labeling links clearly and with more detail
December 10, 2019
Pros and Cons
We use Accelerated Reader with our 2nd - 5th grade students. It is an optional program, which is supposed to encourage students to read more. We have offered quarterly stores where the students can spend points, as well as tiered rewards with a field trip as the grand prize.
- Renaissance motivates kids by keeping track of the number of words they read in each book.
- There are features we don't use, such as the dashboard. We have found that difficult to understand.
December 10, 2019
A good program for reading initiatives
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Renaissance Accelerated Reader is used across our entire school district to monitor students' reading levels and comprehension through quizzing.
- Allows us to monitor student comprehension through quiz averages.
- Provides reading levels from testing instrument.
- Provides student's with access to view their individual goals and progression towards the goals.
- Setting the student's individual book level goals should be in order by last name since all reports are done in this format, but the book level setting is currently organized by first name and does not match any of the reports.
Every student in our district has an account, but implementation is spotty especially in the upper grades.
- Allows teachers to monitor independent reading.
- Gives students the ability to track their own reading.
- Encourages kids to read.
- Students should be able to see their reading goals and progress in numbers.
- The record book should have the option of a graphical matrix with quicker access to student scores on individual scores.
- The reports are too cumbersome. I shouldn't have to scroll through 500 kids' names to get the one I want.
November 07, 2019
Accelerated Reader Rocks!
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We currently use Accelerated Reader school-wide. This helps us track student reading practice and guide us in recommending reading. Teachers submit weekly reports and at a point goal of 2.5 with an 85 average. These goals are aligned to district goals. This program ensures reading practice that we would otherwise not be able to track other than with a reading log.
- Track student reading practice
- Compare Book Level from STAR to actual book level from reading practice
- Consolidated reports help to see STAR and AR levels
- Ability to duplicate classes
- Share AR classes with STAR so that that we don't have to make separate groups
- Too many steps for Reports
October 07, 2019
Drop Everything and Read
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use Accelerated Reader school-wide to assess student comprehension and to motivate/cultivate life long learners. We can measure growth and/or regression in the area of reading comprehension when monitored regularly.
- Accelerated Reader gives immediate feedback.
- It provides clear and concise instructions.
- Accelerated Reader provides data to assist with instructional planning.
- I would like to see a feature that will notify the building admin that a child has reached their reading certification.
- I would like a feature that would generate a half size sheet of paper to include a student's username and password as well as their ZPD.
- I would like the rollover rights from year to year be given to the building admin versus the district admin.
October 02, 2019
Renaissance Accelerated Reader for Student Success
Renaissance Accelerated Reader is used at the elementary level in my district to help students gain comprehension skills and practice new vocabulary that is learned in the books that are read. The program is also used to track students' learning and growth for their reading level. We use that information to set levels for the different books that they are to read. You can compare the levels of growth over years as well.
- Data tracking
- Assessing reading levels
- Assessing comprehension
- Would like to see more rigorous questioning
September 27, 2019
Great Reading and Great Results
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Renaissance Accelerated Reader is being used by every teacher in my school. It is being used to motivate and support student reading. We explain the data, the Lexile and the ZPD to parents and students. Knowing where they are and where they should be, motivates parents to encourage their child or children to read more on their level. Reading on their level improves their reading skills and increase their Lexile and ZPD. The students are motivated by teachers and parents.
- Renaissance allows teachers to collaborate.
- We can gain knowledge on how to implement different strategies.
- Teachers learn what works for certain students and what doesn't.
- In my opinion, one thing that needs improvement, is the rewards.
- I can't do some challenges that are linked to social media. I am not a social media person.
- More video!
September 27, 2019
Take a Look at Renaissance
Renaissance Accelerated Reader is what our entire organization uses. Students get a book then test it. They must have a 90% success rate when testing. Students are constantly wanting to make sure they hit their goals when reading. It is a good tool for teachers as well, to gauge where students are needing help. You can tell how many books they read, the level, the percentage of the engaged time, and the percentage of how many fiction versus non-fiction they have taken out.
- Gives student engaged time.
- Tell the book level average of the student.
- Tells how many books the child has tested and if they tested successfully.
- It is fine just the way it is.
September 26, 2019
Accelerated Reader Review
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I am a teacher at a K-6 school. All homeroom teachers use it with their students. We use it as a way to motivate and track readers. We also use the reports to show weaknesses and growth. Accelerated Reader is a great product to use in the classroom. It also helps us stay connected with parents.
- The reports provided are helpful when tracking student growth.
- AR helps motivate readers.
- I would like to see some short answer questions accompany books.
- Some features are difficult to find when setting goals.
- I wish there was a way to track certificates printed.
August 17, 2019
Accelerated Reader creates Accelerated Progress
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Renaissance Learning is widely used throughout the school system as a reliable indicator of reading comprehension through its STAR and AR tests. It has progressed thousands of readers to excellence and comprehension.
- Real time progress monitoring of student reading comprehension.
- Multiple reports detailing successes and areas of struggle.
- Amazing customer service.
- The price for schools to use AR and STAR, especially with budgets being cut, is very high.
May 21, 2019
Accelerated Reader is AWESOME!
We use Renaissance Accelerated Reader to track our kids reading. We give them a test grade every quarter based on how much of their Accelerated Reader goal they met. I started the year with a 25 point test grade and increased it by 25 each quarter, so now they have a 100 point test grade in the book for their goal.
- I like that have a large test bank.
- I like that the quizzes are short and very manageable for the kids.
- I like that different books have different point values.
- More non-fiction quizzes.
- There are some books that I expected to be in Accelerated Reader that aren't.
May 15, 2019
AR 360 is ready to rumble!
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use AR to help our students track their reading growth and to set goals for themselves. This system allows us to conference with our students to discuss how they are doing with reading comprehension quizzes. We are able to discuss trouble spots and make a plan of action to help them be successful.
- Set individualized goals for students
- Track student progress over time
- Integrated with STAR 360 assessments to help with placement
- It could be a little easier to find certain reports if their names were more self explanatory.
- On some screens, it can get confusing to move back and forth between the goals and quizzes screens.
- It would be great to have a mechanism within Renaissance Place to alert admin to remove students from your classes when they move.
May 05, 2019
Encourages Reading!!
Renaissance Accelerated Reader is used for K-12 across our whole district. It is mainly used with the English teachers and their students. It is also used by our virtual students. Our elementary uses it as a free reading tool to earn points and incentives, and the higher grades use it as a graded activity.
- It encompasses a large variety of reading materials.
- It is a user-friendly platform.
- Book suggestions based on previous use would be a great addition.
April 19, 2019
Great results with Accelerated Reader
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
All schools in the system use STAR Reading and Math, but individual schools determine if they will use Accelerated Reader.
- Accelerated Reader helps provide students with needed practice in reading.
- Students are motivated to read more when they see themselves making progress and approaching their goals.
- The wide variety of quizzes available provides books on everyone's level and interests.
- Some quizzes have words in the questions and answer choices that are above the level of the book they've read.
April 14, 2019
Reading Magic
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
It is used across the system. It addresses the problem of reading practice with our students. My classroom uses the program daily and I review the data several times a day. My students enjoy striving for and reaching goals. I appreciate the level playing field. My striving readers can achieve their goals as quickly as my thriving readers.
- Provides data used to drive instruction. I can easily see who is reading, at what level (above or below their ability) and if they are comprehending what they read.
- Allows students to choose books they are interested in. Almost every book I've ever searched for has an AR test.
- Shows students progress toward goals and allows them to monitor it daily.
- Encourages students to grow
- Teaches students what they are capable of
- Increases reading stamina
- Includes parents in praising students by providing info on each and every test to parents in real time.
- Keeps parents informed when they sign up for HomeConnect.
- Provides teachers with small group instruction when using the reports available.
- It would be nice if students could stop Accelerated Reader tests without a teacher's password.
- I'd like for students to know the percent of their goal reached, even after they reach 100%. For example, when they are at 125% of goal. That's why I am glad it now shows this info when students test.
April 12, 2019
Accelerated Reader Keeps Us Reading!
It is being used from PK-12th grade in our district. We have a very strong team that focuses on the data that is gathered from the reports.
- It allows teachers to have data on the growth the students make in reading independently.
- Other departments also use the STAR Program to give them data on each students' book levels.
- As a school, we promote the program with our teachers and students.
- I love the way it is so user-friendly, and the fact that teachers have an opportunity to live chat in order to ask for help at any time.
- As a librarian, the program allows us to generate data for teachers to use in their classes.
- I would love to see more incentives for the schools to receive after achieving their goals.
- I think it could add emojis to the test questions to make it more interesting.
April 09, 2019
Accelerated Reader Review
I am currently a split librarian at an elementary and middle school. All classes and grade levels are using Renaissance Accelerated Reader. This tool helps teachers and administrators check comprehension after the students have read a book.
- I like how Accelerated Reader now offers nonfiction articles.
- I like how it is linked to MyOn.
- It provides assessment for most of the books in the library.
- Some of the questions are lower level recall questions.
- It would be easier if MyOn and accelerated reader were linked when taking tests. The students have to open another tab instead of going directly to the website.
Accelerated Reader is currently being used school-wide in our Elementary school. We are a rural K-8 school and use AR every day. I personally use AR in my 3-8 Reading classes. I also support 3 other teachers as they use AR in their own classrooms. My main goal in using AR is to motivate students to read independently for pleasure. AR is a tool that allows me to help students choose books that are within their ZPD and ensure they are comprehending what they have read. The data tracking in AR is invaluable. I can easily pinpoint problems for specific students and have a conversation with them about any issues that come up. AR also makes it very easy to include students in goal setting and discussions about their data. Either using a scaled score or ATOS level, students can easily understand what level their independent reading ability is at and then track that level as it grows throughout the school year. AR has become an invaluable resource for me in my classroom for both motivating and engaging students and for me personally to be able to use student data to help guide my students as they grow as readers.
- 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.
- Some quizzes seem to have multiple question sets, so that students can't look up the answers if they failed the test the first time, but I would love to see this done for all quizzes.
- I feel like Renaissance is doing better about there being more PD available for their products, but I wish it was more readily accessible.
March 21, 2019
A Must Have for Student Reading Achievement
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use Renaissance Accelerated Reader on a daily basis with our students for testing their knowledge of books that they have recently read. The program gives feedback on engaged time, percent read of nonfiction vs. fiction, average reading level, and percent correct. It also allows us to keep track of student goals.
- Tracking student progress.
- Showing student growth.
- Helping to target struggling readers.
- none
March 07, 2019
Positive AR
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
My entire school uses Accelerated Reader. It helps track student reading progress across all grade levels.
- Tracks student points earned.
- Tracks books read over time.
- Identifies areas of concern.
- When printing book labels, searching by ISBN is not an available function.
- The user interface does not allow for the misspellings of young children, and provides a "did you mean?" feature.