DETAILS: Location: 19 U.S. states, 1 Canadian province; Design: Correlational; Sample: 29 elementary, middle, and high schools; Measure: Library circulation measurements; Duration: Data spans 2-6 years. RESULTS: A number of research studies document the positive impact of Accelerated Reader on student reading achievement, motivation, and the amount of reading. One would expect that the combination of improved student motivation and teacher encouragement to read would affect library circulation. The purpose of this report was to review and summarize existing research on Accelerated Reader where library circulation was reported, which included 25 case studies, 3 journal articles, and 1 dissertation. The results showed that it is reasonable to conclude that students read more books while using Accelerated Reader, and are perhaps more motivated to read than before their schools implemented the program, so it can be expected that library circulation will increase. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R37737>.

This case study details the reading achievement growth the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) attributes to the district's use of Accelerated Reader. Since districtwide implementation of Accelerated Reader in Cleveland during the 2008-09 school year, the percent of students scoring Proficient on the Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) has been on the rise, and a closer look at the data shows students who used Accelerated Reader saw their scaled score points improve an average of 0.13 points for every book read, 0.57 points for every additional minute of daily engaged reading time (ERT), and 0.66 points for every additional average percent correct (APC). Also included are powerful quotes from the educators using Accelerated Reader. REPORTING EDUCATOR: Eric Gordon, Chief Academic Officer. The report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R45891>.

DETAILS: Location: Arizona; Design: Independent, quasi-experimental; Sample: 300 students at 2 matched elementary schools; Measures: Star Reading, Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9), Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS); Duration: 3 years. RESULTS: This study examined the long-term effect of Accelerated Reader and best classroom practices on the reading performance and Motivation of students at an urban, Title I elementary school. The researchers built upon Sadusky and Brem, 2002 (available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R40784>), which examined 5 years of SAT-9 and Accelerated Reader data, as well as feedback from students, teachers, and parents gathered through surveys/focus groups. Students lacking at least 2 consecutive years of test data were excluded, strengthening the evidence that the Accelerated Reader school outperformed the control school. Administering an adapted version of PALS to the students 3 times, the authors found that students participating in Accelerated Reader maintained a high level of mastery-oriented motivation (learning for learning's sake) toward reading while becoming less performance-oriented (working for the grade), that students tended to be performance oriented if they perceived their teachers to be, and that perceived mastery orientation of teachers was associated with both mastery- and performance-orientation in students. AUTHORS: Jenefer Husman, PhD and Sarah Brem, PhD. Report available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R40770>.

DETAILS: Design: Independent, quasi-experimental; Sample: 2 demographically matched K-6 urban schools. RESULTS: This study explored the impact of Accelerated Reader and best classroom practices. One school implemented Accelerated Reader and best practices for 5 years and had twice the free or reduced-price lunch population of the control school (36% vs. 18%), which implemented Accelerated Reader sporadically without best practices. Using survey and focus group data, in addition to Stanford 9 data, researchers found the treatment school gained 13 percentiles, while the control school made no gain. AUTHORS: Linda Sadusky and Sarah Brem, PhD. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R40784>.