To develop Pathway to Proficiency reports for Indiana Star Reading and Star Math schools, we linked our scaled scores with the scaled scores from Indiana's achievement test. This technical report details the statistical method behind the process of linking Indiana's state test (ILEARN) and Star Reading and Math scaled scores. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R446201>.

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 Indiana Star Reading Enterprise schools, we linked our scaled scores with the scaled scores from Indiana's Grade 3 reading achievement test. This technical report details the statistical method behind the process of linking the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD-3) assessment and Star Reading scaled scores in Grade 3.The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R55914>.

DETAILS: School Profile: 514 students in grades K-5; Demographics: Rural, Title I, Free/reduced lunch: 46%, Mobility: 16%; Race/Ethnicity: Black/African American: 2%, Hispanic/Latino: 1%, White: 93%, Other: 4%; Measure: Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP+); Duration: 2002-2005. RESULTS: At Morgan Elementary, after implementing Accelerated Math and MathFacts in a Flash in 2001, 3rd-grade math scores grew 26 percentage points from 64% of students meeting standards in 2002 to 90% in 2006. Fourth graders were added to ISTEP+ testing in 2005 and saw a 7% boost from 84% passing math in 2005 to 91% in 2006. In addition, 3rd-grade scores in reading made a 29 percentage point increase, and there has been a phenomenal over-600% increase in library numbers from 31,770 books checked out during the 2003 school year to 243,871 books in circulation during 2005-2006. REPORTING EDUCATORS: Lance Richards, principal; Mischelle Ferrell, teacher; Kathy Crimans, librarian. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R38798>.

DETAILS: Location: Throughout the US; Design: Independent, peer-reviewed; Sample: 659,214 students in grades K-12 at 2,193 schools; Measure: Accelerated Reader data. RESULTS: This study provided further evidence of the positive relationship between amount of reading practice and reading ability. In addition to gathering Accelerated Reader data for the study sample, 13,000 schools were also surveyed for the project, and the ethnicity and socioeconomic status of these students were found to be generally similar to U.S. students as a whole. Consistent with other research in the field, the study found that students in the highest quartile practiced reading 3.4 to 4.1 times more than students in the lowest quartile. In addition, the top 5% of readers read 144 times more than bottom 5%. The data also suggested that, on average, amount of reading practice increases until 6th grade and then declines. Finally, it was observed that schools using Accelerated Reader for 4 or more years had a 64% higher level of reading practice compared to schools using Accelerated Reader for 1 year. PLEASE NOTE: The Summary of this peer-reviewed journal article: Topping, K. J., & Paul, T. D. (1999). Computer-assisted assessment of practice at reading: A large scale survey using Accelerated Reader data. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 15(3), 213-231 is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R33255>. For a copy of the Full Article, email the Renaissance Research Department: research@renaissance.com.

DETAILS: School Profile: 850 students in grades 6-8. RESULTS: After using Accelerated Reader with best practices for 1 year, 6th graders gained an average of 1.5 GEs in reading; low-achieving students gained 1.8 GEs. REPORTING EDUCATOR: Matthew Lind, teacher. The report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R11622>.

DETAILS: Design: Correlational; Sample: Data for 659,214 students in grades K-12. RESULTS: This study of reading is one of the largest ever conducted and collected reading performance data for 659,214 K-12 students. Key findings concluded students spend only seven minutes per day practicing reading, and reading practice declines markedly after 5th grade. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R11830>.