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Renaissance is a leading provider of cloud-based assessments for over 1.5 million students of all ages, in more than 6,000 schools in the UK & Ireland.
Renaissance Accelerated Reader and Renaissance Accelerated Maths programmes personalise practice for every student, motivating them to make progress and allowing teachers accurately to monitor their growth.
Renaissance Star Assessments for reading, maths and early learning incorporate learning progressions developed by experts at NFER – so they identify not only the skills students know but also the skills they are ready to learn next..
For more information, visit www.renlearn.co.uk or email answers@renlearn.co.uk.
Testimonials
Testimonial 1 for Renaissance
Accelerated Reader & Star Reading North East
The Rydal Academy, Darlington
AR has significantly increased pupils enthusiasm for reading. It guides daily curricular reading, clubs, homework and is now ingrained in the schools practices.
Since introducing AR Reading ages and SATs outcomes have improved. Pupils are now enthusiastic readers. Plus, Star Reading has supported our planning, SEN identification and tracking We use it to specifically identify gaps in learning.
We have gone from a school of reluctant readers to reading over 130 million words a year.
Testimonial 2 for Renaissance
Accelerated Reader & Star Reading North East
Rose Wood Academy, Middlesbrough
The biggest impact we’ve seen since introducing AR & Star Reading has been the number of children taking quizzes and the recognition of high impact, quality texts for reading. It helps with learning as teachers can print off a whole class diagnostic report once a week which is shared with children.
Since introducing Accelerated Reader we’ve noticed that children are more keen to read - wanting to score well and really thinking about their responses.
Star Reading has supported our staff mostly due to the accuracy on tests and knowing which children to target for interventions.
Both Accelerated reader and Star Reading have had a great impact on reading in school so far and the tests and in school rewards we give based on these outcomes help children to want to become better readers.
Case Studies
The north east multi-academy trust with a new-look assessment strategy
Wise Academies, North East
Wise Academies is a twelve-school multi-academy trust situated in the north-east of England consisting only of primary schools. In this success story, hear from Natalie Fountain, Executive Head and Regional Hub Leader (Sunderland) who has been in her role at Wise Academies for almost two years.
Across the Wise Academies Trust, eleven schools have been using Accelerated Reader and Star Reading on average since 2013, with the longest subscribing schools using Renaissance solutions since 2000! We spoke to Natalie Fountain, Executive Head and Regional Hub Leader (Sunderland) who has been in her role at Wise Academies for almost two years.
Natalie writes…
I was familiar with AR before joining Wise Academies. Still, I didn’t fully understand the power of it since working with Frances in the Special Projects team at Renaissance. Previously, I always used AR to identify each book’s level to ensure pupils were reading within their ZPD. Likewise, with Star Reading, which I’ve probably been using now for eight years, I never properly used any of the reports before. Accelerated Reader and Star Reading was wasted on us until now!
Most schools in our trust had previously used AR before it was a trust-wide initiative. Now Accelerated Reader is firmly part of all our schools’ English curriculum. Furthermore, we incorporate Star Reading data in all our assessment procedures each year, including the Star Reading baseline assessment at the start of every year for all schools. This baseline assessment allows headteachers to see trust-wide pupil progress data, which is useful for monitoring and comparing pupil attainment at trust level.
Using the data to initiate informed conversations
Part of the reason we chose to use AR was to encourage more informed conversations at trust level. Additionally, it was great to improve our year-on-year SATs results. Because our staff and our pupils have been using AR for such a long time, we’re continually looking at pupils’ Star Reading scaled scores. It’s unbelievable of how much of a link there is between AR and reading targets in the National Curriculum. I can’t believe we never used AR or Star Reading in that way before! This link-up is invaluable.
Our trust has significantly benefited from the fantastic onsite training from the Special Projects team at Renaissance. These sessions have shown us that we were simply not realising the full benefits of AR and Star Reading. From these sessions, we inform all the relevant members of staff as to how AR and Star Reading work and what they can gain from them. Previously, headteachers were out of the loop: they didn’t know what taking a Star Reading assessment looked like, for example. But now, we can show headteachers how it works ‘on the ground,’ and this has increased their engagement with it. Staff were taking new information from training sessions with Renaissance back to the school and giving it to teaching staff but were not including headteachers: but if the headteacher is involved, then a project will take off much better.
“The onsite support from Renaissance helped give headteachers a benchmark of reading standards across the trust.”
We have individual Directors of Teaching and Learning (DTLs) across the trust to be there for the schools that, currently, need the most support. When our trust formed, we needed someone to provide our DTLs with training, as well as needing someone to train staff across schools as our number of schools grew. The support that we’ve received from the Special Projects team at Renaissance has been efficient and practical. Because most staff start using AR with little to no experience of it, the onsite support from Renaissance helped give headteachers a benchmark of reading standards across the trust. Once they began to understand the data, this allowed them to see that they needed help with a specific issue. Likewise, if a headteacher is asking for support that other schools are more in need of, we can show them the data that illustrates this, allowing us to justify why DTLs have are deployed to specific schools.
AR and Star have allowed us to deploy DTLs more effectively to schools who need their support the most. With trust-wide data from Star Reading, we can now track the lowest-performing pupils across all schools, and use this evidence to justify deploying DTLs to appropriate schools to our executive leadership team. Being able to view each school’s corresponding Renaissance data from trust level has helped. We’re now ready to submit data in line with trust-wide assessment procedures. Previously, we would have conducted a risk register across all schools to identify the most significant risk in trust. We would use this information to share with regional hub teams to scrutinise senior leadership teams across schools. However, the trust quickly became too big, and the risk register soon became unmanageable. Now, we take all the data from Star Reading assessments and AR quizzes to regional hub boards, and we’re able to tap into that data at any point.
Sharing information across the whole trust
We incorporated Star Reading tests into our school assessment schedule so that we had more in-depth information about how our pupils were achieving in reading: we wanted to use Star Reading scaled scores as our primary measurement for pupils’ reading ability across the trust. All KS2 pupils use AR. We conduct a Star Reading assessment each half term, and we share all schools’ scaled scores and average progress with trustees and Regional Hub Boards. The progress information from Star Reading is key to our overall assessment: it lets us track reading, contextualise scaled scores with reading age and subsequently, share all this information with parents. With the information we’re able to give parents from AR and Star Reading reports, they have a greater understanding of their child’s reading ability and progress.
We have since changed the reading programme that we teach in all schools across the trust to include some of the aspects that AR and Star Reading both accurately assess. For example, we’ve introduced speed reads so that the pupils are reading more words per minute and therefore, building up their reading stamina. We identified this as an issue across our schools from both AR and SATs data.
Understanding all pupils’ true ability
We’re also keep to encourage a reading for pleasure culture across our trust. The books that children wanted to read before we implemented Accelerated Reader are now entirely different: you wouldn’t recognise our libraries now, and it’s fabulous! We’re still implementing new reading strategies, even to this day. As a progressive trust, we’re always willing to give freedom to staff to try new things, but everyone must be involved. For instance, we used information from the Education Endowment Foundation’s study on Accelerated Reader to incorporate new reading standards: and now we have a whole new approach to teaching reading.
“Now we have a whole new approach to teaching reading.”
When we found out how many words per minute children have to read within SATs tests, that was a big shock for us. We realised the reason why some pupils’ progress was significantly lower was was because it took them so long to read the material within a test paper, so now we ensure that all schools are supporting pupils to improve this; this intervention has led to better scores.
We prioritise reading across the trust, and we’ve made sure that reading is on every school’s improvement plan this year. During recent inspections, Ofsted were impressed with how the in-depth information provided by Accelerated Reader and Star Reading supported us in planning for further progression. We ensure that our trust-wide budgets include purchasing new and quality books to stock all school libraries. Last year, we had a successful external grant application to receive an additional £4000 on library books. We were only able to receive this funding because of the improvements we’d seen in reading across all of our schools.
We’ve had a massive show of support from parents across all schools throughout the trust. As a trust, we relayed the message to all parents that we need to be more focused on how children are engaging with reading and that parents need to be recording this information. We have 64% proportion of disadvantaged pupils making up the entire pupil population of the trust. Many of these pupils come from homes that don’t have any reading materials other than digital devices and video games. So, as a trust, we set several new initiatives to encourage parents to listen to children read and record their progress. For example, if a child reads four times a week, the parent receives a raffle ticket that puts them in with a chance of winning a £20 shopping voucher. All schools in the trust now replicate the shopping voucher initiative.
In the last year, using the data from Accelerated Reader and Star Reading, we looked at the reading ages of all pupils across the trust. We divided them into one of three tiers based on how good a reader they were:
- Tier 1: urgent intervention – staff must read one-to-one with these pupils every day in school.
- Tier 2: intervention required – staff must read one-to-one with these pupils several times a week.
- Tier 3: on track – staff must read one-to-one with these pupils once a week.
As a trust, we decided to redeploy teaching interventions based on Star Reading data. Ofsted were impressed with the structure of our tiering system, especially as we allow pupils to transition between tiers based on their current reading performance. We now use the Star Reading baseline assessment from the beginning of each academic year to allocate each pupils into a tier, and throughout the rest of the academic year, all schools submit their data each half term, which is shared openly amongst the whole trust. From this, we deploy our DTLs according to where the greatest need is after each data drop. Additionally, we use the data to learn from each other and allow our teachers to visit our most influential schools – CPD at its best!
“As a trust, [Star Reading] has supported the way we proactively deploy our staff and signpost teachers to personalised CPD.”
This valuable data has helped us to focus on the reading skills in greater detail as well as tracking pupil progress regularly. Star Reading has enhanced our process of teaching reading, but most importantly, as a trust, it has supported the way we proactively deploy our staff and signpost teachers to personalised CPD.
School closures
Since school closures, in March 2020, we’ve asked all families to continue to access Accelerated Reader at home: however, a lot of homes have bad internet connections which means that a lot of children could be viewing learning resources on their parent’s smartphones rather than the pupil’s own, appropriately sized device: and so, one of our DTLs put together seven weeks’ worth of work during school closures. We have supplemented this with activities that pupils can access if they have limited internet access.
testimonial_3
Accelerated Reader & Star Reading North East
Nunthorpe Academy, Redcar and Cleveland
Using STAR testing we are able to monitor all KS3 students' progress and easily identify students who need some form of intervention. This means we're able to keep a forward momentum throughout KS3 and help continue the good work begun at Primary. Through AR we are able to monitor that students are actually reading 20 minutes per day as instructed (combination of lessons, form time and homework) and that they are reading within their ZPD. The impact is seen throughout the school in all subjects and all year groups as they progress through the school.
We needed a far more efficient way of discovering students' reading ages without simply giving them all the same paper test which did not differentiate for ability and was also incredibly time consuming to mark. On top of this, once we knew the reading ages we need a simple effective way of knowing whether students were actually reading or simply taking a book for the lesson, reading the middle and replacing it - never reading a book from beginning to end.
All students in KS3 are STAR tested at the beginning of every term. Students have one literacy lesson per week where they read and their quizzes are monitored by the class teacher. Students are able to quiz during their literacy lesson and have access to Kindles for quizzing in the school library every day.
A huge increase of books being loaned from the library. It's no longer uncool to carry a book around school as all KS3 students are required to have a book. A big increase in interest around books - conversations about which books are interesting or easy or funny, etcetera.
We use the Screening Reports to help identify students who need intervention. We use the Growth Reports to monitor students' progress. For intervention groups we use the Reading Dashboard to identify which areas they need help with.
It has raised the profile and importance of literacy across the whole school, raised the literacy skills of students across the school and made reading more than just acceptable - students now see it as fun and get excited about new books and author events
testimonial_4
myON Ticks all the Boxes
St John’s Catholic School & Sixth Form College, County Durham, have been using myON, the digital library from Renaissance, since 2021 to support the reading development strategy of all students across key stage 3.
St John’s School & Six Form College – myON Impact Report
Since August 2021, the students at St John’s Catholic School & Sixth Form College have read more than 30,000 minutes of myON digital books, equating to more than 5.5 million words read!
Following these amazing statistics, we got in touch with Learning Resource Centre Manager Linzi, who explained how myON had become such an integral part of the school’s reading routine.
Linzi explains:
I was asked to trial myON to feedback to the schools within our multi-academy trust. Following the success and impact myON had with our students, we now use it all the time, including during a weekly timetabled reading lesson with Year 7. In this lesson, students can choose whether they want to read a book in the library or read their digital texts on myON.
St John’s School & Six Form College – myON Impact Report
With myON, I can also set projects for intervention groups. Setting the projects guides students to more subject and age-appropriate books. I believe that getting students engaged in their reading and helping contextualise their learning is the key to success with myON.
“Getting students engaged in their reading and helping contextualise their learning, is the key to success with myON.”
myON allows me to support my small nurture groups. For example, we were doing a project on the Holocaust, so I looked at the relevant texts on myON and assigned them to the group using myON projects to facilitate the learning.
I’m also surprised by how many students use myON at home. When we had children who were isolating, it was easy to set reading assignments and specific texts to read on myON to support learning from home; this was especially beneficial if students didn’t have books at home, which many of our students don’t.
Our students find myON incredibly easy to access and use. I’ve set up all their profiles with the same usernames and passwords as their Accelerated Reader accounts. Therefore, students have the same login credentials to access their entire reading profile. So now, all the information about their reading age, development, book interests and suggestions are all in one place.
“For reluctant readers and those who aren’t typically enthusiastic about reading, myON is an amazing tool.”
For reluctant readers and those who aren’t typically enthusiastic about reading, myON is an amazing tool. It works like an Amazon or Netflix profile; when they log into their myON profile, they can see which books they’ve read and have book suggestions given to them.
Furthermore, because we have myON linked to Star Reading, students will also find their current ZPD range and reading progress information within their profile. Having this information available encourages students to take ownership of their reading development.
Sometimes I think there is a stigma attached to using a library, especially for some boys and they have no motivation to come into the library, pick a book off the shelf and just start reading; but now if they’re reading on a computer, reading becomes more accessible and exciting for them.
“Now they run into the library, grab a Chromebook, open up myON, and are engaged for the whole hour!”
I have to say it’s mostly boys who are excited to read with myON, and it’s mostly the boys who said in September that they hated reading! Now they run into the library, grab a Chromebook, open up myON, and are engaged for the whole hour! Even more satisfying is listening to them recommend books to their friends.
St John’s School & Six Form College – myON Impact Report
Many of our low-level readers enjoy using myON and the audio function. We’ve got headphones in the library so students can listen and follow a text as the words are being said aloud. In addition, the corresponding words are highlighted as they’re read by the narrator, which can be slowed down or sped up to meet the student’s unique requirements. This is a great function for our EAL students too.
I also encourage students to use the tools on myON, allowing students to highlight words if they need a specific colour overlay for reading. Similarly, students know that they can click on any word within a myON text and view a dictionary definition and a thesaurus of synonyms for the respective word.
“For a secondary school, myON has ticked all of the aims that we had as a school by promoting reading for pleasure and encouraging students to read more non-fiction.”
At the beginning of every term, I hold a reminder session for students showing them how to use all of the various helpful tools and features in myON. This top-up session ensures every student gets the most out of myON for their own individual needs.
The key to myON’s success in our schools is that students and staff have been shown how to use it correctly and that everyone is aware that myON isn’t just for use in the library or during English lessons – it’s a cross-curricular tool. Our MFL teachers love the books that students can read and listen to in Spanish.
I also wanted to encourage students to read around the topics they are studying. So, for example, if students are studying something in history or science, I can recommend and assign informative non-fiction texts on that subject for further reading.
I’m confident that our students who don’t have access to books at home will have an opportunity to read throughout the summer with myON. What’s more, I can monitor how much reading engagement they’re generating throughout the holidays.
St John’s School & Six Form College – myON Impact Report
For a secondary school, myON has helped to fulfil our requirements of promoting reading for pleasure, encouraging students to read more non-fiction and supporting learning across the curriculum.
To find out how your school can use myON to support your reading development strategy, click here.
Contact Details
Offers
Free access to myON this summer!
To help ‘keep students reading’ all summer long no matter where they are in the UK and Ireland, we are offering free, limited access to thousands of enhanced digital myON books and myON News articles throughout the holidays.
What’s more, no matter where your school is located, your students will also receive exclusive access to a Publisher Pack from either Sweet Cherry, Cranachan, Firefly Press or O’Brien Press, depending on your location. Plus, we will be awarding students’ certificates of participation and prizes to schools in each country!
To register for your free access all summer - follow this link: https://www.renlearn.co.uk/free-summer-reading/