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Renaissance Accelerated Reader Reviews

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Score 9.6 out of 100
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Reviews (1-25 of 45)

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Steve Braband | TrustRadius Reviewer
September 20, 2020

Renaissance Accelerated Reader

Steve Braband
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • Ensure that students have read and understand the books they choose to read.
  • Keep track of what books students have read.
  • Engages students to choose books of increasing difficulty.
  • Simpler user Interface for teachers.
  • Simpler user interface for admins.
  • It would be nice to have a suggested reading list for students based on the titles that they have already read.
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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
June 12, 2020

Motivated to Read with Accelerated Reader!

Verified User
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Amber AuBain | TrustRadius Reviewer
February 19, 2020

Renaissance Accelerated Reader Works! (Even with 8th graders!)

Amber AuBain
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • Accelerated Reader does a good job of making the use of STAR results to easily set AR goals for students.
  • AR goals are easy to see and keep track of each student's progress towards their goals.
  • AR could use a face lift for viewing reports by making the font easier to read.
  • I think AR could increase their student engagement by having a screen that recognized students for "streaks" of passing tests, making 100% on tests, etc.
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Kelsie Haggard | TrustRadius Reviewer
February 12, 2020

Accelerated Reader 360

Kelsie Haggard
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Beth Tijerina | TrustRadius Reviewer
December 09, 2019

A good program for reading initiatives

Beth Tijerina
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
April 29, 2020

Ready! Set! Read to Reach Your Goal!

Verified User
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
December 09, 2019

Pros and Cons

Verified User
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
December 06, 2019

Renaissance Accelerated Reader is the Gold Standard for independent reading

Verified User
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Keyanna Kimbrough | TrustRadius Reviewer
September 27, 2019

Great Reading and Great Results

Keyanna Kimbrough
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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!
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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
November 07, 2019

Accelerated Reader Rocks!

Verified User
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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
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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
October 06, 2019

Drop Everything and Read

Verified User
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
September 26, 2019

Accelerated Reader Review

Verified User
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
August 16, 2019

Accelerated Reader creates Accelerated Progress

Verified User
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Jennifer Taylor | TrustRadius Reviewer
March 27, 2019

Accelerated Reader does just that: Accelerate reading in your classroom.

Jennifer Taylor
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
Read Jennifer Taylor's full review
Jason Eifling | TrustRadius Reviewer
February 19, 2019

Great Product with a Great Price Tag

Jason Eifling
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
Read Jason Eifling's full review
Jody Steinhaus | TrustRadius Reviewer
February 04, 2019

Renaissance Accelerated Reader 360 Review

Jody Steinhaus
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
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Renee Graham | TrustRadius Reviewer
April 14, 2019

Reading Magic

Renee Graham
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
Read Renee Graham's full review
Elizabeth Cavazos | TrustRadius Reviewer
April 12, 2019

Accelerated Reader Keeps Us Reading!

Elizabeth Cavazos
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • 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.
Read Elizabeth Cavazos's full review
Debra Wells | TrustRadius Reviewer
February 28, 2019

Accelerated Reader is a great motivator to push students to READ!

Debra Wells
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Review Source

Pros and Cons

  • Motivates students to read and meet their term goal.
  • Promotes enthusiasm in young readers to watch their flower grow as they take tests.
  • It provides a wide variety of books and levels to help differentiate and help readers on all levels.
  • When students finish a test, the "flower page" could show how many books they need to make their term goal.
  • I'd like to be able to turn off the Spanish quiz option when students log in to take a test. Many young kids click the Spanish test by mistake and then we're stuck in the test.
Read Debra Wells's full review

Renaissance Accelerated Reader Scorecard Summary

Likelihood to Recommend (60)
9.6
Likelihood to Renew (6)
9.6
Usability (6)
8.6
Availability (1)
10.0
Performance (1)
8.0
Support Rating (22)
8.7
Implementation Rating (4)
9.8
Product Scalability (1)
8.0

About 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.
Categories:  Assessment

Renaissance Accelerated Reader Competitors

ReadnQuiz, Whooo's Reading, LightSail, Newslea, Acheive3000

Renaissance Accelerated Reader Pricing

  • Does not have featureFree Trial Available?No
  • Does not have featureFree or Freemium Version Available?No
  • Has featurePremium Consulting/Integration Services Available?Yes
  • Entry-level set up fee?No

Renaissance Accelerated Reader Support Options

 Free VersionPaid Version
Phone
Live Chat
Email
Social Media
Video Tutorials / Webinar
Forum/Community
FAQ/Knowledgebase

Renaissance Accelerated Reader Technical Details

Deployment Types:SaaS
Operating Systems: Unspecified
Mobile Application:Mobile Web