Accelerated Reader is a progress-monitoring system that provides feedback on the comprehension of books and other materials that students have read. It also tracks student reading over time. Currently, more than 180,000 different Accelerated Reader quizzes have been developed and are in use. This report provides reliability and validity data for Accelerated Reader quizzes. The reliability analyses use a large database of nearly 1 million quiz records. Validity is established through correlations with scores from 24 standardized reading tests and through a study that confirms that the quizzes are effective at discriminating between instances of students having read the book versus not having read the book. The report also includes descriptions of the purpose and intended classroom use of Accelerated Reader, descriptions of the types of quizzes, and the processes for quiz development. The report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R35806>.

To develop Pathway to Proficiency reports for Arkansas Star Reading Enterprise and Star Math Enterprise schools, we linked our scaled scores with the scaled scores from the ACT Aspire achievement test. This technical report details the statistical method behind the process of linking ACT Aspire and Star Reading and Star Math scaled scores. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R45710>.

This technical report details the statistical method behind the process of linking ACT Aspire and Star Reading and Star Math scaled scores in Grade 3-10. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R60968>.

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>.

DETAILS: Location: KY, AZ, CA, MS, SC, AR, CO, NV, NM, LA, AL, WV, and TN; Design: Independent, correlational; Sample: 140 local model literacy initiative programs; Measure: Star Reading, Star Early Literacy; Duration: 1 school year. RESULTS: During the 2010-11 school year, Save the Children supported several local programs in its model literacy initiative. Services at the 140 sites included the delivery of integrated in-school and afterschool literacy activities for children including using Accelerated Reader. This report describes implementation of the literacy model at each site, the characteristics of participating children, and the learning results achieved during 2010-11. During the 2010-11 school year, the proportion of participants reading at a level appropriate for their grade level or above increased. On the initial Star Reading test, 12% of students were at grade level or higher--a normal curve equivalent (NCE) score of 50 or more. The final Star Reading test showed that 29% were reading at grade level. The average pre-post change in Star Reading scores was 8.2 NCEs, which was statistically significant. AUTHORS: Richard N. White, Andrea S. Palmiter, Beth Sinclair, and Elizabeth R. Reisner. Report available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R61745>

From the report: "The following report contains the results for the Year One evaluation study of a school transformation model developed by SetPoint, a consortium of JBHM Education Group and Renaissance, Inc., which was implemented in three Arkansas schools. The three schools received School Improvement Grants from the Arkansas Department of Education to implement a school transformation model and chose SetPoint to assist them. The schools were all in the sixth year of school improvement for restructuring. The evaluation was a process and outcomes study addressing SetPoint's implementation, teacher and principal outcomes, student outcomes, and contextual variables that affect implementation. An overview of SetPoint, the schools, and the evaluation are followed by Year One results." (Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of this study from the Renaissance Research Department.)

DETAILS: Location: 24 U.S. states; Design: Analysis of Reading Practice Database; Sample: 50,823 students in grades 1-12 at 139 schools; Measure: Star Reading; Duration: 1 school year. RESULTS: This study of Accelerated Reader indicated that increased time spent reading leads to gains in reading achievement for all students regardless of prior ability, but only when the reading is highly successful. Regression analysis revealed that the single most important factor influencing both time spent reading and average percent correct is a student's teacher. Students in 2nd- through 8th-grade Renaissance Model- and Master-certified classrooms consistently outperformed students in non-certified classrooms and low-implementing classrooms. Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of the Full Report. Information about a newly updated version of the report is available online: <http://research.renaissance.com/research/474.asp>.

DETAILS: Location: KY, AZ, CA, MS, SC, AR, CO, GA, NV, NM, LA, AL, and TN; Design: Independent, correlational; Sample: 122 local model literacy initiative programs; Measure: Star Reading, Star Early Literacy; Duration: 1 school year. RESULTS: During the 2009-10 school year, Save the Children supported several local programs in its model literacy initiative. Eighty-four of the 122 sites continued to offer literacy programming begun in 2003-04 through 2006-07, 24 during 2008-09, and 14 sites operated for the first time in 2009-10. Services at the 122 sites included the delivery of integrated in-school and afterschool literacy activities for children including using Accelerated Reader. This report describes implementation of the literacy model at each site, the characteristics of participating children, and the learning results achieved during 2009-10. During the 2009-10 school year, the proportion of participants reading at a level appropriate for their grade level or above increased. On the initial Star Reading test, 16% of students were at grade level or higher--a normal curve equivalent (NCE) score of 50 or more. The final Star Reading test showed that 29% were reading at grade level. The average pre-post change in Star Reading scores was 7.4 NCEs, which was statistically significant. AUTHORS: Richard N. White, Elizabeth A. White, Andrea S. Palmiter, and Elizabeth R. Reisner. Report available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R53347>

DETAILS: Location: KY, AZ, CA, MS, SC, AR, CO, GA, NV, NM, LA, and TN; Design: Independent, correlational; Sample: 118 local model literacy initiative programs; Measure: Star Reading, Star Early Literacy; Duration: 1 school year. RESULTS: During the 2008-09 school year, Save the Children supported several local programs in its model literacy initiative. Twenty of the 118 sites continued to offer literacy programming begun in 2003-04 or 2004-05, fifty-one began operating during 2005-2006 or 2006-07, 19 during 2007-08, and 26 sites operated for the first time in 2008-09. Services at the 118 sites included the delivery of integrated in-school and afterschool literacy activities for children including using Accelerated Reader. This report describes implementation of the literacy model at each site, the characteristics of participating children, and the learning results achieved during 2008-09. During the 2008-09 school year, the proportion of participants reading at a level appropriate for their grade level or above increased. On the initial Star Reading test, 16% of students were at grade level or higher--a normal curve equivalent (NCE) score of 50 or more. The final Star Reading test showed that 29% were reading at grade level. The average pre-post change in Star Reading scores was 5.8 NCEs, which was statistically significant. AUTHORS: Andrea S. Palmiter, Erickson R. Arcaira, Richard N. White, and Elizabeth R. Reisner. Report available online: <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED508135.pdf>

From the abstract: "With the failure of the legislative branch to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind law in 2007 and recent reports that more schools than ever are failing to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress, educators are reviewing practices and curriculum. As a result of federal and state laws, it is necessary to identify an accurate predictor of student achievement prior to the administration of the state-mandated test. For this study, student samples were drawn from sixth, seventh, and eighth grade populations of a Northwest Arkansas Middle School. Samples were separated by grade level and ranked according to the grade equivalency on the fall Star Math pre-test and the scores on the spring Arkansas Benchmark Test. A quasi-experimental design was implemented to test both the magnitude and reliability of the independent variable, the Star Math test, on the dependent variable, the Arkansas Benchmark Test. A Pearson r correlation was calculated in each grade level over a three-year period for the relationship between the Star Math and Arkansas Benchmark. A strong positive correlation was found between the ordinal ranks of grade equivalence on the Star Math pre-test and the ordinal ranks of the averaged raw score percent on the Arkansas Benchmark Test. Furthermore, a coefficient of determination, a line of best fit, an analysis of variance (ANOVA), and an Omega-squared were used to determine the statistical significance and develop a triangulation of data. Further study is recommended to predict a specific benchmark score based on a Star Math grade equivalency."Citation: Conner, P. A. (2009). The Star Math test as a predictor of Arkansas Benchmark Test scores. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3372323). The full report is available online: <https://search.proquest.com/docview/305083252>.

DETAILS: Location: 24 U.S. states; Design: Independent, correlational, peer-reviewed; Sample: 45,670 students in grades 1-12 at 139 schools; Measure: Star Reading; Duration: 1 school year. RESULTS: To explore whether different balances of fiction/nonfiction reading and challenge might help explain differences in reading achievement between genders, data on students who independently read more than 3 million books were analyzed. Moderate (rather than high or low) levels of challenge were positively associated with achievement gain, but nonfiction was generally more challenging than fiction. Nonfiction reading was negatively correlated with successful comprehension and reading achievement gain. Overall, boys appeared to read less than girls, but proportionately more nonfiction. In the upper grades, boys also had lower reading achievement than girls. Differences between classes in promoting successful comprehension of nonfiction were evident, suggesting intervention could improve achievement. Implications for research and practice were explored. PLEASE NOTE: Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of this peer-reviewed journal article: Topping, K. J., Samuels, J., & Paul, T. (2008). Independent reading: The relationship of challenge, non-fiction and gender to achievement. British Educational Research Journal, 34(4), 505-524.

DETAILS: Location: 24 U.S. states; Design: Independent, correlational, peer-reviewed; Sample: 50,823 students in grades 1-12 at 139 schools; Measure: Star Reading; Duration: 1 school year. RESULTS: This study elaborated on the "what works?" question by exploring the effects of variability in program implementation quality on achievement. Particularly, the effects of computerized assessment in reading on achievement were investigated, analyzing data on students who read more than 3 million books. When minimum implementation quality criteria were met, the positive effect of computerized assessment was higher in the earlier grades and for lower achieving students. Implementation quality tended to decline at higher grade levels. With higher implementation quality, reading achievement gains were higher for students of all levels of achievement and across all grades, but especially in the upper grades. Very high gains and effect sizes were evident with very high implementation quality, particularly in grades 1-4. Implications for practice, the interpretation of research, and policy were noted. PLEASE NOTE: Email research@renaissance.com to rquest a copy of this peer-reviewed journal article: Topping, K. J., Samuels, J., & Paul, T. (2007). Computerized assessment of independent reading: Effects of implementation quality on achievement gain. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 18(2), 191-208.

DETAILS: Location: KY, AZ, CA, MS, SC, AR, CO, GA, NV, NM, and TN; Design: Independent, correlational; Sample: 47 local model literacy initiative programs; Measure: Star Reading; Duration: 1 school year. RESULTS: During the 2005-2006 school year, Save the Children supported several local programs in its model literacy initiative. Twenty of the sites operated for the first time that year, while 15 began operation in the spring of the 2004-2005 school year, and the remaining 12 began during the 2003-2004 school year. Services at the sites included delivery of integrated in-school, after-school, and summer-school literacy activities including using Accelerated Reader. This report describes implementation of the literacy model at each site, the characteristics of participating children, and the learning results achieved during 2005-06. During the 2005-06 school year, the proportion of participants reading at a level appropriate for their grade level or above increased. On the initial Star Reading test, 21.8% of students were at grade level or higher--a normal curve equivalent (NCE) score of 50 or more. The final Star Reading test showed that 27.3% were reading at grade level. The average pre-post change in Star Reading scores was 3.9 NCEs, which was statistically significant. Report available online: <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED498796.pdf>.