What is Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️?
Renaissance Accelerated Reader gives teachers the information needed to monitor students’ reading practice and make informed decisions to guide their future learning.
A student reads a book, takes an online quiz, and gets immediate feedback.
A comprehensive set of reports reveals how much a student has been reading, at what level of complexity, and how well they have understood what they have read. Vocabulary growth and literacy skills are also measured, giving teachers insight into how well students have responded to reading schemes and class instruction.
Suitable for all ages and abilities, Accelerated Reader has been shown to produce significantly higher annual improvement for students using the programme than those who did not. Schools following the best practices for implementation also substantially improved students' reading abilities and academic performance.
Educational Impact
 Company | Business Name: Renaissance HQ Location: United States Founded: 1986 |
| Age Range | 0-4, 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, 14-16, 17-18 |
 Features | Progress TrackingPersonalised Reading PracticeInstant FeedbackTarget SettingComprehension QuizzesMotivate Reluctant ReadersImprove Student Outcomes |
 Languages | English |
 Accessibility | Moderate features |
 Policies |  Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyGDPR |
 Requirements | Internet - Low BandwidthInternet - High BandwidthDesktop - MacDesktop - WindowsDesktop - ChromebookMobile - iPad Accelerated Reader works on tablets 7” and larger, and on Chromebooks. No app downloads needed; just an internet browser. Tablets with resolutions below 2,048 x 1,536 may require students to scroll to see the entire interface. Performance may be degraded on single-core processor devices. If using a firewall, proxy, and/or content filter, some changes may need to be made for Renaissance Accelerated Reader to function properly. Browser cookies must be enabled in order to log in to Renaissance as a student or personnel user. Microsoft Word 2007 or above is required to author content, including Accelerated Reader quizzes and articles and Star Custom assessment items. Note Microsoft Word Online is not compatible. Accelerated Reader Recorded Voice Quizzes require a sound card or integrated audio, and headphones or speakers. |
 Set Up | No installation - the school is provided with their own hosted website, known as RGP, and subsequent login details for all applicable staff/pupils. |
 Training | In PersonLive OnlineWebinarsDocumentation All new schools are required to book in training with a product expert, this allows for a smooth implementation and for teachers/educators to get the most out of their Renaissance products. New customer training comes with can also include an onsite visit from one of our specialists, which many schools find engaging and motivational and allows teachers to see how their own pupils are performing and progressing. Taking this training allows teachers to get to know our programs but also start imbedding them within the school and follow our proven best practice routines. After every training session we always send resources to the school which allows them to do in house training for twilight or INSET days. Schools also have the option of taking top up training every year, this is especially useful to see how their first year as gone, look at annual reports or any changes, updates to the RGP platform from which Renaissance products and reports are access, and to continue imbedding our best practice. We can even work with new starters on complete overview of our programmes. |
 Support | EmailFAQs/ForumKnowledge BasePhone Support Live chat and telephone support is available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (GMT) Monday through Friday, whilst videos, articles and other documents can be accessed from our dedicated online customer community. |
| Home Learning | Parent Access School must create the account. Families can access real-time information on their child’s independent reading practice goals and metrics, sign up to receive emails about quizzes and a summary of their child's activities for both book and nonfiction articles, and use Renaissance Home Connect. |
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Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ PricingPricing Plans Paid Subscription Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ pricing starts from £996 / year Implementation fee, including professional setup training: £1,361.66. Initial 40 licences: £996.00. Individual add-on licences: £6.00  Optimised for a quick response | |
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Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ Reviews
from 57 Verified Reviews
User rating
Country
Neelam Parmar
Digital Learning
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 3-4 years
Mar 2023
Students are encouraged to read books and accelerate their reading levels via the assessment/quizzes, making this is an exciting process and motivating path for them to progress.
Neelam Parmar found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Reading books according to level are pre-selected and sorted for students to select which ones they want to read next.”
- Slightly improves teaching efficiency“It's learning through reading ie learning new words”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“Factual books”
Fiona Mansell
English teacher and Achievement Leader
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ weekly for 3-4 years
Nov 2021
I wish that there were more modern books covered by accelerated reader. The choice of books that students can read sometimes feels limited.
Fiona Mansell found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“There are lots of suggestions for suitable reading books rather than me having to find these for myself”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“I can target reading tasks to meet appropriate level of challenge”
- Moderately builds student knowledge“Any reading helps to build knowledge - because children are motivated they read more therefore they gain more knowledge and vocabulary”
Mrs D Graham
Teacher
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 1-2 years
Nov 2021
Mrs D Graham found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“The diagnostic reports allows a quick and clear view of pupil's progress and highlights those students who require more support. Pupils are able to independently read in the classroom and the teacher is able to monitor how well the pupil is using their time on myON.”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency
- Moderately builds student knowledge“There is a vast selection of books available for the children to choose from and many cover topics that the children have an interest in.”
Dianne Hannan
Reading & Literacy Champion
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 1-2 years
Nov 2021
A great deal to understand initially but is easy to use once up and running and provides great focus on reading and reading skills
Dianne Hannan found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Continuous reading record available and ability to track reading progress much easier, especially when needing to review a whole year group”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“Saves time collating data”
- Moderately builds student knowledge“Gives an insight into student's interests and variety of reading genres and can be guided if it is limited initially”
Anna Britten
Headteacher
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 1-2 years
Nov 2021
An excellent resource which ensures all children are enjoying reading interesting, accessible and appropriately challenging texts.
Anna Britten found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Reduces planning and sourcing of texts.”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“Children are reading texts recommended for them and enjoying reading.”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“Students are becoming more competent independent readers.”
Christine Palmer
Library Manager
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 5 years+
Nov 2021
Accelerated Reader works and I would encourage any school to consider it. I've knocked one point off purely because of some technical issues we have experienced which has caused some extra work for our IT department.
Christine Palmer found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Accelerated Reader has been a real plus to our trust of the last number of years. It gives teachers a raft of data so they are able to target the students who need particular help.”
- Slightly improves teaching efficiency“It gives structure to the library lessons so teachers know exactly what they are doing each lesson without lot of additional planning.”
- Moderately builds student knowledge“Because of the nature or the scheme students aren't pushed to read particular genres or themes. As such enjoyment of reading grows and becomes a pleasurable habit. Regularly students suggest books to each other which encourages them to read different texts.”
Rachel Phillips
Teacher
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 5 years+
Nov 2021
The book banding allows children to select real and scheme books organised into colours. Students love to take the STAR reading assessments and enjoy finding out their scores and whether their book band has improved!
Rachel Phillips found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“The children are able to read and take quizzes independently during quiet reading sessions. They record their scores and keep a record which I can check and then encourage children who haven't taken a quiz to take one. The quizzes assess their comprehension and enable them to select the correct level of book to choose next.”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“It allows the teacher to manage the correct level of books for the children, but isn't like using a scheme which can impact on pupils' confidence.”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“The wide range of texts available, including non-fiction texts. it also introduces them to Latin terms which makes them feel very grown up!”
Joanne Buckley
Assistant Principal
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 3-4 years
Nov 2021
I would like the online library to be on audio books too for lower ability students
Joanne Buckley found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Tracks and monitors reading effectively”
- Moderately improves teaching efficiency“You can identify student gaps easily”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“The world around the them”
Claire Hedgecock
LRC Coordinator
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 5 years+
Nov 2021
Accelerated Reader is brilliant for both teachers and students. Quick, easy accessible reports for teachers but students enjoy reading and then quizzing and earning points along the way.
Claire Hedgecock found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Staff now have more time to go around each student individually listen to them read but also guide them on their reading journey.”
- Moderately improves teaching efficiency“Teachers have more time to produce engaging lessons and complete marking as Accelerated Reader produces quick and easy reports.”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“Quizzes available on a wide variety of reading material so that students can broaden their knowledge.”
Charlotte Colgan
Assistant Headteacher
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 3-4 years
Nov 2021
The children enjoy reading and are passionate about scoring 100%. They love having the freedom to choose but we are safe in knowing that they are choosing appropriate texts.
Charlotte Colgan found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Less planning for grouped reading books”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“Reading ages appropriately level the children and give targeted areas of support”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“Vocabulary and recall of a text”
Emily Kelly
Librarian
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ occasionally for 7–12 months
Nov 2021
AR is a fantastic program but it is SOOO difficult to set up and therefore we have been unable to implement it during the pandemic (other than STAR testing last school year) but we are very hopeful to make lots of use of it this year.
Emily Kelly found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Does not significantly reduce teacher workload“It has initially increased teacher workload due to the complex nature of setting up Accelerated reader for our students but we anticipate that this will decrease once we get used to the annual updates and student imports.”
- Slightly improves teaching efficiency“Due to COVID and unforeseen circumstances, we haven't gotten much further than STAR testing our students so there hasn't been any impact on teaching efficiency yet.”
- Moderately builds student knowledge“MyOn has helped give students access to articles and books that they wouldn't normally read and gives them the platform to do so privately which means they are more likely to try something new.”
Kizzy
Librarian
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ weekly for 7–12 months
Nov 2021
I think that the program compliments teaching nicely.
Kizzy found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Teachers don't have to guess what reading levels the students are at.”
- Moderately improves teaching efficiency“Teaching is more focused as a result of implementing AR. Teachers know where their attention needs to be to help students make progress.”
- Moderately builds student knowledge“Helps to build vocabulary, helps them to retain information.”
Lucy Georgeson
Learning Resource Centre Manager
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 5 years+
Nov 2021
Accelerated Reader at our academy is a very rewards led process which has engaged all of our students. They look forward to their lessons and it works alongside our priority of embedding reading in our Academy Trust.
Lucy Georgeson found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“The lessons almost run themselves with students knowing exactly what they need to do all of the time. The teacher/librarian input is in terms of using the Diagnostic Report and it's so easy to see at a glance just how everyone is doing and who needs extra help and input.”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“As stated, the reports are really user friendly and visual and you can see at a glance just who needs what assistance.”
- Moderately builds student knowledge“The more the students read the more their knowledge and vocabulary grows.”
Geoff Wilson
Literacy Coordinator
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ weekly for 5 years+
Nov 2021
AR and STAR have made tangible differences to the way we approach literacy at our school. They have helped to raise the profile of reading across the school and they provide incentives for students to take ownership of their own learning.
Geoff Wilson found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload“Accelerated Reader doesn't add to or take away from workload but it does make it possible to measure reading in less laborious way which just wouldn't occur without the product.”
- Moderately improves teaching efficiency“AR facilitates in-depth, student-specific feedback and intervention. It also puts the onus onto students to practice their reading and allows them to monitor their own progress.”
- Moderately builds student knowledge
Heather Nott
Teacher
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 5 years+
Oct 2021
While AR supports children to make better text choices, it does not in and of itself teach the skills needed to become an effective reader. Rather, it refines the independent practice that children get of using these skills by ensuring the texts they are reading are at a level which matches their developing reading ability.
Heather Nott found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload“There's great insight available about children's reading habits using AR, but it still takes time!”
- Slightly improves teaching efficiency“AR supports children to choose texts matched to their developing reading ability.”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“As texts are matched to reading ability, students' engagement and motivation is much better, and they gain much more information and knowledge from reading independently.”
Charlie Rochester
Assistant Headteacher
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 1-2 years
Oct 2021
Great programme which allows students to flourish with their reading and allows teachers to be more focused in their approach to intervention.
Charlie Rochester found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“For English lessons - Designated library lessons allow for a student and librarian link to occur which allows the English Teacher to read with students to allow further implementation of reading ages.”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“The competition aspect allows for teachers to improve their style of teaching which is a break away from curriculum but also allows for significant support for curriculum skills.”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“Students show clear knowledge on their books and it is vital they read with detail to make AR an effective programme.”
Oct 2021
Really good but expensive and computing dependent
Lucy found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“no data input”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“identifies gaps from all learners”
- Moderately builds student knowledge
Jack
LIbrarian
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 3-4 years
Oct 2021
great product, useful data, great customer support
Jack found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“The pupils access the tests with increasing independence, relying less and less on the teacher, and becoming more accountable for their performance in quizzes”
- Slightly improves teaching efficiency“Lots of useful data in the reports”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“the more the pupils read, the more they learn”
Deborah Price
Head of English Faculty
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ weekly for 5 years+
Oct 2021
Gives a range of useful data, easy to involve parents and promotes independent learners
Deborah Price found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Accurate reading age which can enable teachers to support individuals”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“Enables teachers to recommend reading books matched to ability and to challenge reading ability”
- Moderately builds student knowledge“Wider knowledge of authors increases cultural capital”
Tracy
Vice Principal
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ weekly for 5 years+
Oct 2021
Children are able to independently quiz books they have read quickly and efficiently. It provides useful information which teachers can act upon.
Tracy found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload“Easy access to information regarding children's comprehension of what they have read - time saving.”
- Moderately improves teaching efficiency“It supports as additional evidence to teacher judgement of each child's comprehension and enjoyment of reading.”
- Slightly builds student knowledge“The type of questions asked about their reading develops their knowledge and understanding of what they have read.”
Steven Long
Resources Manager
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 5 years+
Oct 2021
It encourages reading which is great, my issue is some of the book levels are crazy. E.g. Hunger Games a 5.3, same as some simple beast quests!, Tolkiens Hobbit higher than his Lord of the rings! The system used to determine a books level needs alot of improvement. Children also gravitate to short but high level books rather than read a proper book ( Hunger games and beast quest is an example of this)
Steven Long found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload
- Slightly improves teaching efficiency
- Moderately builds student knowledge“They will often read books that they would not normally read. Increasing their knowledge”
Katie Matlin
Assistant Head
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ monthly for 1-2 years
Oct 2021
Really helpful
Katie Matlin found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Consistency with moving up levels”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“Children taking more ownership over reading”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“Using chrome book individually”
Gemma Mayhew
Teacher
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ weekly for 5 years+
Oct 2021
Great tool for engaging readers and assessing reading
Gemma Mayhew found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Reading assessment data”
- Moderately improves teaching efficiency“Assessing comprehension skills”
- Moderately builds student knowledge“Understanding of what they have read and understood”
Carrie Chance
Librarian
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ weekly for 1-2 years
Oct 2021
As a librarian who sorted out the levels to each of the books AR was extremely helpful to me and very easy to use.
Carrie Chance found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“It helps tailor specific questions to the child detailing the book they have read and helps the teachers to figure out more efficiently what level of read that child is at and if/when improvement is made.”
- Moderately builds student knowledge“It helps the child to recall information from the book by asking the specific questions to that story”
Mrs Sarah Camish
Deputy Headteacher/English Lead
Used Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️ daily for 5 years+
Oct 2021
Have used this product in two of the schools I have taught in. Because of it's effectiveness in a previous school, I introduced to my current school and the children love it! It is a fun way to motivate the most reluctant of readers. You can access data at a touch of a button and the diagnostic reports pin point key areas of support.
Mrs Sarah Camish found Renaissance Accelerated Reader™️:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Instant reports to show pupil engagement within reading. Children can test comprehension daily via the Accelerated Reader quiz and a diagnostic report will assign the relevant book level.”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“Ongoing/daily practice on comprehension. All library books are levelled and children are matched according to their comprehension scores. No discrepancies where book levelling is concerned.”
- Significantly builds student knowledge“After each book, children quiz to check what they have understood from the text.”
