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>.

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: AL, TX, OK, KS, NV, NC, OH, and PA; Design: Independent, assessment research; Sample: Staff from 12 schools in 8 states; Measures: Direct costs, opportunity costs. RESULTS: Christensen Associates conducted a study to determine the true costs associated with widely used early literacy, reading, and mathematics assessments: Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, Star Math, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), Wireless Generation mCLASS DIBELS, AIMSweb, and the Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI). The researchers interviewed staff from 12 schools in 8 states to calculate the average costs of using the tests. Two types of costs were measured: direct costs (the price of testing materials, licensing fees, and/or fees for access to scoring and reporting services), and opportunity costs (time to administer, score, and report results; time that could be spent on instruction if testing was not taking place). The results confirmed, both in terms of direct costs and opportunity costs, that Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, and Star Math, computer-adaptive assessments, are much more cost effective than DIBELS, other assessments; ranging from approximately one-half the cost of AIMSweb and about one-sixth the cost of paper TPRI. AUTHOR: Laurits R. Christensen Associates.Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of this study or summary from the Renaissance Research Department.

This paper was written by writing expert Steve Graham, Currey Ingram Professor of Special Education and Literacy in the Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. In it, he discusses the benefits of word processing for both struggling and developing writers, and includes four recommendations for setting the stage for success with word processing. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R42156>.

From the abstract: "This study was needed to determine if the Accelerated Reader (AR) program made a positive impact in schools, which were attempting to increase student achievement in reading. The purpose of this study was to determine if students who received reading instruction supplemented with the AR Program achieved higher reading scores as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) than students who were instructed using only traditional basal reader textbooks. 6 school districts were selected to participate in this study. There were 1,111 3rd-5th grade students in the 6 districts between the years 2004 and 2007. Of those 1,111 students, 248 students met the criteria to be included in this study. Therefore, 248 students' reading scores were analyzed for this study. The findings of the study revealed that AR had a positive impact on students' MCT reading scores. There were no significant differences, however, between the reading scores in the three years 2004, 2005, and 2006 of AR students (male or female) and the reading scores of the Non-AR (NAR) students (male or female). There were no significant differences between the reading scores in the three years 2005, 2006, and 2007 of the AR students and the reading scores of the NAR students (male or female). This study was needed to determine if the AR program was beneficial to schools, which were attempting to increase student achievement in reading. The findings of this study may be used to help administrators and schools evaluate the usefulness and money spent on AR. While no significant differences were shown, the results did show that the AR students' scores were higher than the NAR students on the MCT reading."Citation: Brown, K. L. (2010). The impact of Accelerated Reader (AR) program on students' MCT reading scores (3432203) [Doctoral dissertation, Mississippi State University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.The full report is available online: <https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5486&context=td>.

This study aimed to assist school leaders in identifying which diagnostic reading measures will best identify students at risk of not passing the Ohio Third Grade Reading Achievement Assessment. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of students performance on five district diagnostic reading measurement tools (1) KRA-L; (2) AIMS probes from second grade administration; (3) DRA literacy assessment; (4) Star Reading Assessment from second grade; (5) standards based report card indicators and their performance on the October administration of the Ohio Third Grade Reading Achievement Assessment. Cramer found that for every subgroup, except students with disabilities, Star Reading best predicts passage on the Ohio Third Grade Reading Achievement Assessment. Citation: Cramer, T. M. (2010). Predicting student success on the third grade reading achievement assessment in Ohio [Doctoral dissertation]. Bowling Green State University.The full dissertation is available online: <http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1288117628>.The Summary of this study is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R52801>.

From the report: "This study was designed to compare the changes in performance on the Star Reading assessment of students participating in the Save the Children literacy program during the 2009-10 school year to changes among nonparticipating students in the same schools. For this analysis, scores were obtained from 18 elementary schools across the country. These schools were selected because both participating and nonparticipating students used Renaissance's Accelerated Reader and Star Reading software during the school day and because there were sufficient numbers of students in the participant and nonparticipating groups (at least 20 students in each group) at all 18 schools. Participants received Save the Children Developing Reader programming as described previously, including GIRP, fluency building, and read-aloud, while nonparticipants did not. Star Reading assessment scores and data on AR quiz performance were collected and analyzed for both groups of students." Among the key findings are that the participants had greater NCE gains, a greater increase in the percent of students reading at grade level, read more books, and performed better on AR activities than did matched nonparticipants. AUTHORS: Rebecca A. Romash, Richard N. White, and Elizabeth R. Reisner. Report available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R53346>

The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC/N) has rated Accelerated Reader as having "Strong Evidence of Effectiveness." The full review is available online: <https://web.archive.org/web/20221006153634/http://dropoutprevention.org/mpdb/web/program/316>.

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: McKinney, Texas; Design: Independent, quasi-experimental, peer-reviewed; Sample: nine elementary and two middle schools, and matched controls; Measures: Texas Learning Index (TLI), Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS); Duration: 5 years. RESULTS: This retrospective, longitudinal study compared student achievement as measured by the TLI and TAAS between students using Renaissance progress-monitoring tools and matched controls. Researchers found statistically significant, positive effects of Accelerated Reader/Accelerated Math software and best practices on reading and mathematics achievement for elementary students, and on mathematics achievement for middle school students. Students in high-implementation schools scored even higher than comparison schools or low-implementation schools. PLEASE NOTE: The Summary of two publications: 1) peer-reviewed journal article: Nunnery, J. A., & Ross, S. M. (2007). The effects of the School Renaissance program on student achievement in reading and mathematics. Research in the Schools, 14(1), 40-59., and 2) the technical report: Nunnery, J. A., Ross, S. M., & Goldfeder, E. (2003). The effect of School Renaissance on TAAS scores in the McKinney ISD. Memphis, TN: University of Memphis, Center for Research in Educational Policy. Is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R39640>. A copy of the Full Article is available online: <https://web.archive.org/web/20130722102850/http://www.memphis.edu/crep/pdfs/Effects_of_School_Renaissance-JournalArticle.pdf>. The Full Technical Report is available online: <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED500027.pdf>.

From the Abstract: "A cost-effectiveness analysis of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) program suggests that Board certification is less cost-effective than a range of alternative approaches for raising student achievement, including comprehensive school reform, class size reduction, a 10% increase in per pupil expenditure, the use of value-added statistical methods to identify effective teachers, and the implementation of systems where student performance in math and reading is rapidly assessed 2-5 times per week. The most cost-effective approach, rapid assessment, is three magnitudes as cost-effective as Board certification." Citation: Yeh, S. S. (2010). The cost-effectiveness of NBPTS teacher certification. Evaluation Review, 34(3), 220-241.

DETAILS: Location: Multiple districts in Southern states; Design: Reliability and validity research, single-group; Sample: Grades K-2; Measures: Star Early Literacy, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI), Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE); Duration: Cross-sectional. RESULTS: This research investigated the validity of the domain scoring approach to early literacy development. Students in grades K-2 were assessed on Star Early Literacy, a computer-adaptive test of early literacy skills. Using modern item response theory (IRT), items on a common scale were grouped into 41 specific skill sets. Student ability estimates were used to estimate each student's proficiency on the 41 skill sets based on the expected percent correct for each set of items. Students were also measured on the same domains of early literacy, phonemic awareness, phonics, and comprehension by 3 external measures: DIBELS, TPRI, and GRADE. Concurrent validity between the measures was moderate to high, and confirmatory factor analytic studies indicated the domain scores from Star Early Literacy were measuring similar constructs as the external measures. Overall evidence supported the use of domain scoring for making inferences about a student's early literacy skills. Reference: McBride, J. R., Ysseldyke, J., Milone, M., & Stickney, E. (2010). Technical adequacy and cost benefit of four measures of early literacy. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 25(2), 189-204. The journal article is available online: <https://www.proquest.com/docview/746766585?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true >. Also available: Betts, J., & McBride, J. (2007, April). Evidence for the reliability and validity of IRT-based domain scores of early literacy skills. Paper presented at National American Educational Research Association (AERA) National Conference, Chicago, IL. Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of either study from the Renaissance Research Department. The Education Commission of the States (ECS) has wrtiten a summary of the journal article. The summary is available online: <http://ecs.force.com/studies/rstudypg?id=a0r700000008k54AAA>.

From the Abstract: "This article synthesizes findings regarding the development of competence and learned helplessness and factors influencing persistence and intrinsic motivation, suggests the process through which small differences in early achievement are magnified by the current structure of schools, and reviews evidence suggesting that the characteristics of a specific type of individualized instruction and assessment system may be especially suited to remediate these differences. Age-graded schools and group tests label students as 'below' and 'above' average, inadvertently demoralizing below-average students, depressing effort and achievement, and perpetuating the gap in achievement between poor students and their more affluent peers. Analysis of the research literature suggests that the psychological experience of school for both high and low achieving students may be altered through a structure where instruction is individualized, students are challenged at their own levels, and each student receives objective assessment information confirming that he or she is successfully advancing to higher levels." Citation: Yeh, S. S. (2010). Understanding and addressing the achievement gap through individualized instruction and formative assessment. Assessment in Education, 17(2), 169-182. Email research@renaissance.com to request the Full Peer-Reviewed Article from the Renaissance Research Department.