This technical report contain a linking study between the Minnesota Coprehensive Assessment III and FastBridge aMath and aReading.The study is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R67837>.

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>.

From the abstract: "The population of Spanish-speaking preschoolers in the United States continues to increase and there is a significant need to develop psychometrically sound early language and literacy screening measures to accurately capture children's ability in Spanish. In this paper, we describe the innovative design and calibration process of the new Individual Growth and Development Indicators-Español (IGDIs-E). We developed and tested two Spanish oral language measures: Identificación de los Dibujos/Picture Naming and Verbos (Expresivo)/Expressive Verbs with 976 Spanish-speaking preschoolers (4-5-years old; 50% female) across five states. Children were tested in Spanish in fall, winter, and spring across two academic years. Results provide evidence that the new IGDIs-E are psychometrically sound with no significant bias between genders and dialects of Spanish spoken in the United States. Cumulative results, the utility of the final measures, and the implications for data-based decision making with Spanish-speaking preschoolers is discussed." Citation: Durán, L. K., Wackerle-Hollman, A. K., Kohlmeier, T. L., Brunner, S. K., Palma, J., & Callard, C. H. (2019). Individual Growth and Development Indicators-Español: Innovation in the development of Spanish oral language general outcome measures. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 48, 155-172The research study is available online: <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED596096.pdf>.

From the abstract: "Spanish speakers in the United States are a steadily increasing population, up by 233% since 1980. Given the growing population of dual language learners (DLLs) and the large numbers of Spanish-speaking children enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs, addressing the educational needs of preschool-aged DLLs has become a national imperative. Specifically, the intersection of this growing population and the dearth of appropriate assessment tools to evaluate DLLs early language and literacy skills creates a need for assessments that accurately measure preschool performance. This manuscript reports on the iterative design process of a measure of Spanish phonological awareness for preschool-aged DLLs: Spanish Individual Growth and Development Indicators (S-IGDI) Primeros Sonidos. We employed measure design framework to develop the measure and tested item function within a study of 970, 4-5 year old DLLs. Results, including item level analyses and evidence regarding construct and criterion validity are reported."Citation: Wackerle-Hollman, A., Durán, L., Brunner, S., Palma, J., Kohlmeier, T., & Rodriguez, M. C. (2019). Developing a measure of Spanish phonological awareness for preschool age children: Spanish Individual Growth and Development Indicators. Educational Assessment, 24(1), 33-56. The research study is available online: <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED595878.pdf>.

From the abstract: "STAR (Star Reading and Star Math), the products from a software company, Renaissance, are used for screening and progress-monitoring overtime. An alignment was completed by Renaissance between STAR and MCA, the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, for grades 3 through 8. This research study will help contribute to the research of alignment between STAR and MCA. This research is predicting the expected STAR scores by season for student proficiency in MCA reading and math at 50% and 90% probability levels. The STAR scores needed to achieve 50% and 90% chance of MCA proficiency for each season will be calculated in this study. Overall, the STAR scores needed are increasing overtime. When a student is predicted to be non-proficient, this student will receive extra help. It is important to prevent the chances of predicting the wrong students to be MCA proficiency because they will not receive extra supports. For this purpose, a better probability cutoff (75%) will be suggested through this study."Citation: Cha, L. X. (2018). Alignment between STAR and MCA for grades 10 and 11.The Full Report is available online: <https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=school_district_data>.

From the abstract: "KnowProgress conducted a study to determine Freckle's effect on student test outcomes. In particular, KnowProgress analyzed if students using the adaptive math program in Freckle would show increased math test scores compared with students who did not use the software. Test scores from the Northwest Evaluation Association's (NWEA) Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) in mathematics for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade were used for students at Isanti Intermediate School in Minnesota. The study is consistent with the hypothesis that Freckle's math program results in higher MAP mathematics test scores."Citation: KnowProgress. (2016). Freckle increases math scores in elementary students. San Francisco, CA: Freckle Education.The research study is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R63354>.

From the abstract: "Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is beginning to be implemented in preschool programs to improve outcomes and to reduce the need for special education services. The proportions of children in programs identified as struggling learners through universal screening have important implications for the feasibility of these approaches as well as for the way programs might allocate resources and staff implementing tiered models of intervention. The expected proportions of children who might be identified for higher tiers of instructional support in pre-kindergarten settings are relatively unknown. The proportions of children who would have been identified for higher tiers of instructional language/literacy support when using three different universal screening measures are described. Participants were 659 children participating in the Center for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood (CRTIEC) Tier 1 Study. Results indicated that the proportions of children at Tier 2 and Tier 3 performance levels were higher for children in low-income eligibility programs and varied by program-level characteristics including numbers of English language learners and children with special needs, as well as the universal screening measure used. Implications of these findings suggest the importance of increased focus on early literacy and language in Tier 1 instruction in programs serving high proportions of children at risk as a means of preventing reading failure in future years." Citation: Carta, J. J., Greenwood, C. R., Atwater, J., McConnell, S. R., Goldstein, H., & Kaminski, R. A. (2014). Identifying preschool children for higher tiers of language and early literacy instruction within a response to intervention framework. Journal of Early Intervention, 36(4), 281-291.The research study is available online: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275243333_Identifying_Preschool_Children_for_Higher_Tiers_of_Language_and_Early_Literacy_Instruction_Within_a_Response_to_Intervention_Framework>.

To develop Pathway to Proficiency reports for Minnesota Star Reading and Star Math schools, we linked our scaled scores with the scaled scores from Minnesota's achievement test. This technical report details the statistical method behind the process of linking Minnesota's state test (MCA-III for reading and math) and Star Reading and Star Math scaled scores. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R53659>.

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>.

From the abstract: "Preschool experience plays a role in children's development. However, for programs with language and early literacy goals, the question remains whether or not preschool instructional experiences are sufficiently effective to achieve these goals for all children. In a multisite study, we conducted a process-product description of preschool instruction and children's growth and outcomes in typical programs (i.e., Pre-Kindergarten, Title 1, Head Start, Tuition-Based) using a Response to Intervention (RTI) perspective. Results indicated that (a) students in their preschool year prior to kindergarten made small gains, but students starting the year in lower Tier 2 and 3 performance levels did not close initial skills gaps, (b) variations were noted by program types with varying socio-demographics and instructional processes, and (c) the quality of instruction (Tier 1) received by all was low with room for improvement. Implications for future research on the application of the RTI approach and potential benefits are discussed."Citation: Greenwood, C. R., Carta, J. J., Atwater, J., Goldstein, H., Kaminski, R., & McConnell, S. R. (2012). Is a Response to Intervention (RTI) approach to preschool language and early literacy instruction needed? Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 33, 48-64.The research study is available online: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4041200/>.

DETAILS: School Profile: 304 students in grades K-6; Demographics: Inner City, Urban, Title I, Free/reduced lunch: 72.7%, English Language Learners: 38%; Race/Ethnicity: American Indian/Alaska Native: 2%, Asian/Pacific Islander: 25%, Black/African American: 28%, Hispanic/Latino: 13%, White: 32%; Measure: Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA); Duration: 1999-2003. RESULTS: Sheridan Elementary began implementing Accelerated Reader in spring 2000. In fall 2002, funding from a comprehensive school reform grant enabled them to also adopt Accelerated Math and Accelerated Writer. Since spring 1999, the percentage of students in grades 3 and 5 scoring proficient in reading and math on the MCA increased an average of 43.5 points. Between August 2003 and March 2004, Sheridan students read more than 22,000 books. In addition, the school received the St. Paul Schools Superintendents Academic Award for continuous school improvement 5 years in a row on standardized tests. In Spring 2004, 10 educators achieved Renaissance Model Certification and the school attained Model School status in spring 2004. REPORTING EDUCATOR: Nancy Mambi, librarian/Title I reading teacher. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R33473>.

DETAILS: Location: Large city in upper Midwest; Design: Independent, experimental; Sample: 2 third-grade classrooms and 2 fifth-grade classrooms; Measure: Star Reading; Duration: 6 months. RESULTS: Although there is correlational evidence showing that students who read more have higher achievement, the National Reading Panel has stated there was insufficient evidence to determine the direction of causality. This study was conducted to address this shortcoming in the literature and the question: Does more time spent reading produce higher achievement? Students were randomly assigned to spend either 40 minutes (experimental condition) or 15 minutes (control condition) per day independently reading. All students read books matched to their reading abilities, and took an Accelerated Reader quiz after reading each book. Pretest and posttest data were collected from all students in this study. The researchers concluded that more time spent reading had a greater effect on achievement compared to the control condition. In addition, the results showed that poor readers tended to have greater gains in vocabulary with 15 minutes of reading but had better gains on reading comprehension with 40 minutes of reading. AUTHORS: S. Jay Samuels, EdD and Yi-Chen Wu, PhD. Report available online: <https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=ce1f459adbbae5978d07378bd5611e045efd4f04>

DETAILS: Location: St. Paul, Minnesota; Design: Independent, quasi-experimental; Sample: 67 students in grades 3 and 5; Measures: Star Reading, Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE), Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM); Duration: 6 months. RESULTS: This study took place at a school where 64% of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. It compared students that completed book reports, which resulted in delayed feedback, and students that completed Accelerated Reader quizzes, which provided immediate feedback. The GRADE was used to measure vocabulary, sentence, and passage comprehension; a CBM of oral reading fluency was used to determine the students' reading speed. The results revealed that students who used Accelerated Reader showed significantly higher gains on 3 measures of reading achievement compared to students who completed book reports and received only delayed feedback. In particular, students receiving immediate feedback through Accelerated Reader demonstrated twice the gain in reading comprehension of students not using Accelerated Reader. AUTHORS: S. Jay Samuels, EdD and Yi-Chen Wu, PhD. Report available online: <http://testmaker.if-at.com/home/articles/file/research/immediate_feedback.pdf>.