DETAILS: School Profile: 520 students in grades K-5; Demographics: Title I, Free/ Reduced Lunch: 65%; Race/Ethnicity: Black or African American: 100%. RESULTS: During 3 years of implementing Accelerated Reader with best practices, this school improved Stanford 9 scores of students in grades 3-5 and received a Governors Trophy for improvement. REPORTING EDUCATOR: Audrey Fine, computer enrichment teacher. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R11775>.

This TIME Magazine article from 2000 features Tifton, GA, which declared itself the "reading capital of the world" after Accelerated Reader use was expanded from the local elementary school to the entire community. AUTHOR: S. Lopez. The Full Article is available online: <https://web.archive.org/web/20130424025241/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998280,00.html>.

DETAILS: Location: Pere Marquette, a library in the Illinois Department of Corrections; Sample: 80 young men (ages 13-18). RESULTS: After a 5-month implementation of Accelerated Reader, young men at the Illinois Department of Corrections, who had never before experienced success in academics, were achieving scores of 90-100% on Accelerated Reader quizzes. AUTHOR: June Ganter. Report available online: <http://www.lib.niu.edu/2000/il0003176.html>

From the abstract: "This ex post facto research study examined the effect of the Accelerated Reader program added to traditional basal reading instruction compared to basal reading instruction without the Accelerated Reader program on fifth grade reading comprehension Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) scores. Additionally. the study analyzed test scores by gender, race, and socioeconomic status (SES). The sample included 520 students from two similar schools in the same school district. The experimental group consisted of 294 students in one school that had implemented the Accelerated Reader program for one year. The control group consisted of 226 students enrolled in a comparative school that had not used the Accelerated Reader program. After adjusting for student dropouts during the year. the total number of students in the study was 499. The comparison group was selected to match the AR school based on curriculum content and similarities in demographics.Data were analyzed by an analysis of covariance (ANCOV A). Findings indicate there was a significant difference in the reading ITBS scores of the students who received the Accelerated Reader program and the students who did not receive the Accelerated Reader program. A significance in difference was found in the scores for the sub-groups of High SES White Females and High SES Black Females who received the Accelerated Reader Program.Further research is recommended to examine the impact of motivation on the reading scores of male students who received the Accelerated Reader program and those who did not. Further research is recommended to examine the effect of the integrated roles of students. Parents, teachers, and administration when using the Accelerated Reader program to enhance reading achievement. It is further recommended that research examine the effect of the Accelerated Reader program on reading comprehension over a period of several years. Further research is recommended to examine the amount of time engaged in silent reading and reading achievement gains. Additional research is recommended to examine control for level of reading difficulty in relation to achievement gains. Finally, since the Accelerated Reader group did show a significant difference in reading scores, it is recommended that the Accelerated Reader program be continued with follow-up of the effect on reading scores for a period of several years."Citation: Barton, J. O. (2000). A comparison of the effect of basal reading with Accelerated Reader to basal reading without Accelerated Reader on fifth-grade reading comprehension achievement scores (9984524) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Mississippi]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

DETAILS: Quasi-experimental. RESULTS: This comparison of Star Reading test scores from 2 third-grade classes revealed the positive impact Accelerated Reader had on reading achievement. The class using the software demonstrated a 17% increase in its mean score, whereas the control group experienced a 9% increase. AUTHOR: N.E. Facemire. Report available online: <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED442097.pdf>.

DETAILS: Location: Australia; Design: Independent, correlational; Sample: Students predominately in years 3-6; Duration: 1999 school year. RESULTS: Study results indicated that pupils and teachers demonstrated high motivation levels and positive attitudes toward Accelerated Reader and best classroom practices. AUTHORS: P. Green and H. Fehring. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R11819>.

DETAILS: Location: Orange, California; Design: Independent, correlational; Sample: Students in grades 6-8; Duration: Fall 1998. RESULTS: In less than a year of Accelerated Reader and best practices use, numerous students' reading grade levels increased 2 to 3 years or more, and library circulation increased from 600-700 books per month to around 4,000. AUTHOR: Susan Lawson. Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of this study from the Renaissance Research Department.

DETAILS: Design: Independent, correlational. RESULTS: The extensive use of Accelerated Reader was one of the reasons why a poor Texas elementary school with a high migrant population annually placed among the top 10% of all schools in the state for reading and math achievement. Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of this study from the Renaissance Research Department.

DETAILS: Design: Quasi-experimental; Sample: All schools in the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) database during the 1995-1996 school year. RESULTS: Statistically significant results indicated that Accelerated Reader schools performed better than non-Accelerated Reader schools in reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies. Transition schools performed better than non-Accelerated Reader schools, but not as well as fully implementing Accelerated Reader schools. Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of this study from the Renaissance Research Department.

DETAILS: School Profile: Serves pupils in years 5-11; Design: Independent, correlational. RESULTS: This report found that use of Accelerated Reader motivated pupils, encouraged independent work, and fostered an interest in a wide range of literature. Report available online: <https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/763239>

This independent and comprehensive evaluation of Accelerated Reader discusses the importance of monitoring reading practice, behavior, and achievement, and how learning information systems play an integral role. AUTHOR: Keith J. Topping, PhD. Available online: <https://web.archive.org/web/20150114190320/http://www.readingonline.org/critical/topping/index.html>

DETAILS: School Profile: 9,000 students in grades K-12; Demographics: Rural, Title I, ESL: 20%, Mobility: 30%, Minorities: 50%, Free/reduced lunch: 49%.RESULTS: After using Accelerate Reader with best practices for 1 year, Stanford 9 test results showed a decrease of 57% in the reading achievement gap between lowest and highest performing grade levels at the districts 8 elementary schools. All of the schools also achieved an A on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. REPORTING EDUCATORS: Dr. Ralph Huhn, program specialist; Michael Lannon, district superintendent; Dr. Margaret Smith, district deputy superintendent.The report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R34767>.

DETAILS: Location: Tennessee; Design: Independent, quasi-experimental, peer-reviewed; Sample: 62,739 students in grades 2-8; Measures: Accelerated Reader, Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS); Duration: 1 school year. RESULTS: This study showed that both student reading volume and percent correct on Accelerated Reader quizzes had a positive impact on teacher effectiveness as measured by TVAAS. In particular, the best practice recommendations of 85% correct and reading within the zone of proximal development (ZPD) were confirmed. Furthermore, teachers completing best practices training were significantly more effective than control teachers who had not completed training. This study supports the National Reading Panels recommendation that teachers need to be actively involved in the process of reading development, and it shows that Accelerated Reader is useful in this process. PLEASE NOTE: The Summary of this peer-reviewed journal article: Topping, K. J., & Sanders, W. L. (2000). Teacher effectiveness and computer assessment of reading: Relating value-added and learning information systems data. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 11(3), 305-337 is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R15381>. For a copy of the Full Article, email the Renaissance Research Department: research@renaissance.com.