Great program
In the school district that I work with we used Renaissance Accelerated Reader by empowering our student for the love of reading. It is …
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…
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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…
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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).
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- 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.
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Reviews
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January 18, 2022
Renaissance Accelerated Reader Review
We use it in the classroom and I use it in the library and computer lab.
- I like the vocabulary tests.
- I like the read-to option.
- I wish the test automatically went to the vocabulary tests after the quiz questions.
- I wish I could set the read-to option automatically for my SPED students.
- Variety of tests
- Vocabulary test
- User friendly
- Our students like it!
I like the Renaissance products.
10
Classroom teachers
15
Teachers and teacher assistants
- expanding vocabulary
- foster love of reading
- exploring new genres
- students can bring books from home to test on
- use online stories and let students test on them
- add incentives for goals
No
- Product Features
- Product Usability
The easy usability is perfect, even for the lower grades.
I would not change
- Implemented in-house
- we really had no major issues
Not Sure
Yes
Yes it was!
We had a few students whose account locked up and Renaissance resolved it very quickly and told me exactly what was going on at each step of the process.
- the login
- finding quizzes
- when i have to go in and allow students to view a quiz
Yes
It works pretty well
June 20, 2021
Education's BFF: Renaissance Accelerated Reader
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
My school system has continuously used Accelerated Reader (AR) to initially assess and monitor reading practice and progress. It is mainly used in grades K-5 presently and is dependent on individual classroom teachers. It is purchased for the entire school system. Teachers are encouraged to have data to assess students. AR helps teachers to have a well-researched computerized system to analyze current reading comprehension of materials chosen by the student. This provides standardized current data that can be shared with other support personnel (reading specialists, curriculum coordinators, media specialists).
- Large selection of tests. This does not limit the students' choices of reading materials.
- Computer assistance with setting goals for individual student/classroom.
- Parent portal eases the communication process to parents.
- Increase ways to improve reading comprehension for grades 6-12.
- More read-to tests to support differentiated learning.
- More training sessions for free for new and experienced users.
- Number of tests
- Customer service/IT support
- Ease of use of the program
- It is difficult to bring new teachers on board without further investment in training.
- Emphasis on programs that impact "fluency" in early grades (not reading comprehension).
- Reading test results are focused on 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades as a group, rather than on the individual annual improvement of the student.
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.
40
Educators
2
Media Specialist
Building IT Technician
- Data driven documents to assess reading comprehension for individual students/classrooms at any time.
- More than adequate number of choices of tests/books at appropriate reading level for the student.
- Ease of setup for school system to collect data.
- Used to assess students that transfer to our school system that do not have any, or minimal, testing data in their academic record.
- My organization could promote AR as a part of summer school programs.
No
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
I was not part of the purchasing decision, however, I was informed that the most important factor was product reputation.
The evaluation and selection process should have included teachers at all levels.
- Implemented in-house
No
- Training all of the educators in my building (only ELA teachers were trained.
Not part of purchasing process.
No
All of the time.
- Setting up classroom(s)
- Goal setting
- Reports
- Communication with parents
- NA
February 19, 2019
Great Product with a Great Price Tag
Our school/district uses Accelerated Reader. Generally, it is used by Language Arts teachers, but it does help track reading and reading comprehension. Students are given goals to strive for each grading period and strive to reach that goal. There are many pros and cons for using Accelerated Reader but our students have used it for years and I don't see it going away any time soon.
- If used correctly, Accelerated Reader helps students grow with their reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. I advise teachers to have one on one conversations with students when setting goals (allow students to have input) so that the students are given more responsibility to achieve their own goals.
- Renaissance's online chat/customer service is outstanding. They can usually answer my questions and do so in an understandable manner. They seem to be willing to help and will follow through if necessary.
- There are many reports that Accelerated Reader administrators can use to help decipher the data created from their students taking Accelerated Reader quizzes.
- 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.
- Our students are used to reading with Accelerated Reader. We generally have 95% of our student body quiz with Accelerated Reader and our scores are some of the better ones in the district. It is certainly not based solely on Accelerated Reader, but greater reading comprehension skills will aid in improving various assessments the students will complete.
- The school library has seen a greater number of books circulated using Accelerated Reader but a drawback is that students are apprehensive to read books for pleasure without a quiz when they can choose another title that contains an Accelerated Reader quiz.
I have not reviewed other products before.
No
Numerous times I know there should be a report that can be run to get the results I want and I contact the online chat to get answers. Renaissance usually walks me through the process and allowing me to get the results I want. They always my questions with professionalism and courtesy.
February 05, 2019
Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 Review
I am using Renaissance Accelerated Reader in my first and second grade classroom. AR 360 is also being used by all other classrooms--4K-5th grade--in our building. Renaissance Accelerated Reader keeps my students motivated and eager to read and improve their reading skills and strategies. Renaissance AR is the perfect fit when using the Reading Workshop Daily 5 model. Children in my classroom begin every day with reading to themselves, taking comprehension and vocabulary quizzes, and working toward their goal. I have found my students take ownership of their reading and learning and have become much more independent. They challenge themselves and each other to continually grow and improve.
- Renaissance Accelerated Reader has great customer service support. They are clear, concise, and respond quickly. Their live chat support service is great.
- Renaissance Accelerated Reader is constantly adding new quizzes to their data base. They keep current with the most popular books that children currently read. They also have quizzes for the timeless classics.
- Renaissance Accelerated Reader has reports that provide data ranging from the number of words students have read to a students growth trajectory. This is helpful when planning lessons to work with children in small groups or independently.
- Renaissance allows me the capability to see real time quizzing data. This allows for me to monitor students' progress while also working with other children. I am able to my time efficiently and effectively.
- It was helpful--and quicker--when my students were able to log in to Accelerated Reader through the iPad app. Unfortunately, the app is not going to be supported. My students will still be able to use the iPad for quizzing and STAR assessments. It is just a couple of extra steps.
- 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.
n/a
100
Students & staff members
5
Tech department personnel
- Reading
- Quizzing
- Feedback
- Build vocabulary
- Individualize learning
- Differentiate
- Accountability
- n/a
Not Sure
n/a
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Prior Experience with the Product
- Existing Relationship with the Vendor
n/a
The administration makes these decisions.
- Implemented in-house
- Learning by doing
Yes
The concern had to do with the iPad app. Unfortunately the app is not being supported anymore.
Initially, when AR was first implemented, I had a difficult time locating specific reports. The chat feature was a life saver. The best customer service ever!
- Logging in
- Locating material
- Haven’t found it to be cumbersome.
October 11, 2017
Renaissance
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use STAR testing for math and reading in grades 5-8 and have found that it truly helps us identify those students that are struggling in those areas. This gives us the opportunity to focus some attention on those students and their weak areas before the STAAR test comes around for those kids, especially the 5th and 8th grades. Over the years, we have found that this program really helps us project who will be successful and those that need extra time and help before the state test rolls around.
- Accurate correlation to state testing standards
- Program is very user-friendly
- Support staff is always available to answer questions
- As an admin for our campus subscription, I would like to be able to see when and what adjustments teachers are making on student preferences.
- I wish the lexile levels would reflect true lexiles from STAAR testing rather than reflect the ATOS.
- This has enabled us to identify students that need to be in an RtI setting, which has greatly increased the number of those students going on to pass the STAAR.
- We can now easily track student progress throughout the year.
- Easily identify trouble areas for students.
Renaissance seems to be more aligned with our standards.
15
Teachers
5
Technology skills
- math
- reading
- RtI
- identify students in need of RtI services
- hopefully lexile levels will improve in correlation to STAAR
No
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Existing Relationship with the Vendor
We have found some great uses for this program and discover more all the time!
I wouldn't
No
Haven't needed it.
No
I have gotten very frustrated because I couldn't find something that I knew was available and have gotten excellent help from chat support.