This study examined patterns of expected National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) readiness according to the extent of individualised reading practice accomplished by students using the Accelerated Reader (AR) program. We drew upon a large database of thousands of Australian students to compare independent reading practice as tracked by AR with the typical performance of students who do not use the programme. The study is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R66928>.

From the introduction: "This analysis is the fourth in a series of reports produced by the Education Policy Institute, working in partnership with Renaissance. The purpose of this research programme is to ensure that policy makers and schools have access to robust data on the performance of different pupil groups, so that support is targeted effectively to those who need it most as we continue to recover from the pandemic. Our previous reports examined outcomes in Renaissance Star Reading and Renaissance Star Maths assessments before, during, and after the pandemic across all pupils and for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. This included examining how the disadvantage gap - the difference in outcomes between pupils from low-income backgrounds and their peers - had changed between 2017/18 and 2022/23." The full report is available online: <https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PUBLICATION-3_Final_v2.pdf>.

From the introduction: "In the spring of 2023, the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (SC EOC), in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), partnered with Education Analytics (EA) to complete a level-linking study between the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessment (SC READY) in Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) and Renaissance Learning's Star interim assessments in Mathematics and Reading, respectively. This report outlines the methodology used by EA and the outcomes of the linking study. The goal of this report is to statistically connect the SC READY and Star assessments' scale scores in grades 3-8 to facilitate further comparisons of proficiency status on these two assessments." The full study is available online: <https://eoc.sc.gov/sites/eoc/files/Documents/2023%20EA%20Linking%20Studies/SC%20READY%20and%20STAR%20Linking%20Study%20Technical%20Report%20Final.pdf>.The brief is available online: <https://eoc.sc.gov/sites/eoc/files/Documents/2023%20EA%20Linking%20Studies/SC%20READY%20and%20STAR%20Linking%20Study%20User%20Friendly%20Brief.pdf>.

From the introduction: "This analysis is the second in a series of reports produced by the Education Policy Institute, working in partnership with Renaissance. The purpose of this research programme is to ensure that schools and policy makers have access to robust data on the performance of different pupil groups, so that support is targeted effectively to those who need it most as we continue to recover from the pandemic. The purpose of this report is to provide benchmarking data to users of Renaissance Star Reading and Renaissance Star Maths assessments. It allows users to see how outcomes for their pupils compare to all pupils nationally - both against averages at different points in the academic year and across the whole attainment distribution. It also shows how these results have changed over time so that schools can better understand the patterns of attainment that they are seeing." The full report is available online: <https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/FINAL_Benchmarking_report.pdf>.

From the introduction: "This analysis is the second in a series of reports produced by the Education Policy Institute, working in partnership with Renaissance. The purpose of this research programme is to ensure that policy makers and schools have access to robust data on the performance of different pupil groups, so that support is targeted effectively to those who need it most as we continue to recover from the pandemic. The purpose of this report is to explore the outcomes of pupils from low-income backgrounds in Renaissance's Star Reading and Star Maths assessments. We know from previous analysis that pupils from low-income backgrounds suffered disproportionately from the effects of the pandemic and experienced a greater degree of lost learning. This has been confirmed by measures from statutory assessments in primary schools and GCSE and equivalent qualifications in secondary schools which have shown that the disadvantage gap increased to its widest level in a decade." The full report is available online: <https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/FINAL_Disadvantage_report.pdf>.

The purpose of this study was the examine the patterns of reading achievement growth for students using myON. Results showed that students who spent more time on myON (per session and number of sessions) experienced more growth in Star Reading. And how students use myON affects student growth. Gains were shown in student growth percentiles (SGP), and analyses are presented for the general population, struggling readers, and English Language Learners.The research study is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R62687>.(Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of the 2019 report Special report: Trends in student outcome measures: myON and student achievement from the Renaissance Research Department.)

Frome the abstract: " One often used approach to increase students' reading frequency is investing in independent silent reading (ISR) at schools: regularly scheduling time during which students read silently in books of their own choice. However, evidence for the impact of ISR is inconclusive and there appear to be important barriers to its effects on students' reading frequency, motivation, and proficiency: particularly struggling readers have difficulties choosing appropriate books, simply allotting time for reading does not guarantee that students read, ISR lacks accountability, and students are not always given the opportunity to interact about what they read. The aim of the current meta-analysis was to test whether additions to ISR that aim to overcome these barriers contribute to the effects of ISR on students' reading. Using outcomes of 51 effect studies covering 56 samples of students in primary and secondary education, we established a small but significant positive short-term intervention effect on overall reading proficiency (Cohen's d = 0.27). We additionally found that additions to ISR were particularly effective for students at risk of reading failure; for stronger readers, effects were absent. Finally, we found a negative effect of help or instruction by the teacher, which suggests that activities during reading might interfere with students' engagement with texts."Citation: Merke, S., Ganushchak, L., & van Steensel, R. (2024). Effects of additions to independent silent reading on students' reading proficiency, motivation, and behavior: Results of a meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 42. The study is available online: <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100572>.

From the abstract: "Nearpod contracted with LearnPlatform, a third-party edtech research company, to examine the impact of Nearpod on learning outcomes. LearnPlatform designed the study to satisfy Level II requirements (Moderate Evidence) according to Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)."The study is available online: <https://news.nearpod.com/Nearpod-ESSA-Level-II-Report.pdf>.

FastBridge CBMreading has been rated highly by the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) as academic screening assessment. The Full Review is available online: <https://charts.intensiveintervention.org/ascreening>.

FastBridge Adaptive Math (aMath) has been rated highly by the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) as academic screening assessment. The Full Review is available online: <https://charts.intensiveintervention.org/ascreening>.

FastBridge Adaptive Reading (aReading) has been rated highly by the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) as academic screening assessment. The Full Review is available online: <https://charts.intensiveintervention.org/ascreening>.

FastBridge earlyMath Composite has been rated highly by the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) as academic screening assessment. The Full Review is available online: <https://charts.intensiveintervention.org/ascreening>.

FastBridge earlyReading Composite has been rated highly by the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) as academic screening assessment. The Full Review is available online: <https://charts.intensiveintervention.org/ascreening>.