Renaissance Learning - Accelerated Reader Case Studies

School	Case Study
Clacton County High School in Essex	AR lessons have proved to be calm, virtually silent, effectively independent and incredibly productive "Enthusiasm for reading has improved beyond anything we have seen before. Pupils read books accurately, swiftly and passionately. One particular student read 73 books during the test period, scoring 90% or more on all books bar 1. Another student who hated reading at the start of the project became one of our more prolific borrowers." Marina Lee, Librarian Read the Case Study
Burrowmoor Primary School in Cambridgeshire	AR has definitely motivated pupils to read, especially the boys "Since fully implementing Accelerated Reader it has made a huge difference to the library circulation. I have been with Burrowmoor nearly two years now. When I first arrived you never saw anyone in the library, but now it is one of the busiest places - especially at lunchtimes and in the mornings." Audrey Morton, Librarian Read the Case Study
Yattendon School in Surrey	Parents have reported that they now have to make their children stop reading at home! "Our use of Accelerated Reader across the school has been a fantastic initiative. I have noticed that several children take their books outside at break time so that they can carry on reading whilst walking around the playground - I have never seen that before!". Chris Bennett, Head Teacher Read the Case Study
Mile Oak Primary School in Brighton	"Outstanding" whole-school reading community developed at award-winning Brighton school "Accelerated Reader is proving very popular with boys you would never have imagined would ever pick up a book and enjoy reading it." Each term 'Reading Champions' - who have met or exceeded their Accelerated Reader targets - are selected from every Year group throughout the school. The pupils chosen have their photos displayed on the 'Wall of Readers'". Martin Cooper, Deputy Head Teacher Read the Case Study
John Kelly Boys Technology College in London	All my EAL learners are benefiting from Accelerated Reader The improvement in reading that Accelerated Reader has generated has positively impacted on other subjects in the school, such as writing, language acquisition, and overall levels of confidence amongst pupils. "The chance to read lots of books has not only proved motivating for pupils, but their vocabulary has also improved - particularly amongst EAL pupils." Janet Collins, Librarian Read the Case Study
Handford Hall Primary School in Ipswich	Improvements across the board in reading at Handford Hall "I have to say that Accelerated Reader is effective with all children! Nothing beats the fact that Accelerated Reader enables pupils to actually enjoy the challenge of the quizzes which is rather surprising for many teachers. It provides motivation of pupils to read!" Jon Trotter, Head Teacher Read the Case Study
Caldecote Primary School in Cambridge	His reading is really coming on leaps and bounds! Mrs Dee Butler, IT Co-ordinator, has found that the boys in Year 3 and 4 especially are enthusiastic about reading; one child in particular who was very reluctant to read now reads in the line at the start of school and nearly every day asks to do a quiz. Read the Case Study
Downham Feoffees Primary School in Ely	I would definitely recommend AR other schools "Some children in particular have made huge improvements to their reading. It's especially motivational for boys, who tend to be very competitive and like to keep up their percentage in the quizzes." Jenny Maynard, Deputy Head Teacher Read the Case Study
Churchgate C.E. Primary School in Harlow	Constant requests for more books! Now boys and girls alike can be heard comparing notes on what they've read and recommending books to one another. They corner members of staff to tell them how many books they've read, and are constantly demanding new books in the classroom. Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
Hazelbury Junior School in London	Marked increase in enthusiasm with reluctant readers; boys in particular According to Zeenat Hussain, confidence and interest is rising, and she expects far better SATS results in the future on reading levels. She is convinced that reading ages will improve, just as she has seen happen with other schools. Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
Rush Green Junior School in Romford	Helps create a buzz around reading and has improved the way we track progress Speed and certainty is the main outcome for this school. The critical task of measuring reading skills on a regular basis has fallen from five weeks to a few days, for the entire school. Tracking can now be done "comfortably" every half term, and done better. English Second Language Read the Case Study
Stukeley Meadows Community Primary School in Huntingdon	Builds a reading culture where children can't help but get hooked! Accelerated Reader has motivated boys to engage in books knowing they will have to answer a question on them, which in turn has prompted them to think about the books. Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
Walnut Tree Walk Primary School in London	Pupils have achieved two years' improvement in one year! Using SATS results as a yardstick, pupils have achieved two years' improvement in one year and teachers report that interest in literature has rocketed, with turnover of books in the school library described as little short of remarkable. Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
Boothville Primary School in Northampton	Has stimulated children to the point where they have developed a genuine love of reading. Accelerated Reader has kept the pupils really fixed on the task. "I think we would have struggled to be sure of getting to the position where this level of motivation was possible, without this method." Andy Elyard, Teacher English Second Language Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
Godmanchester Community Primary School in Godmanchester	10 years of experience with Accelerated Reader "We've been using Accelerated Reader at Godmanchester for 10 years now. We've extended it across the whole of the juniors, which is 10 classes, and the enthusiasm is just wonderful. Books are wearing out because they are being read to death!" Vicki Hayes, Libraries English Second Language Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
Sir William Burrough Primary School in London	Create a Reading Frenzy! "Accelerated Reader, our popular computerised reading system, tests, tracks and records reading progress and gets girls and boys hooked on books! As a result, we have narrowed the large gender gap in performance from 54% to 17% in the KS2 English SATs." Avril Newman, Head Teacher Read the Case Study
Heathcote School in Chelmsford	Astonished to find so many gaps on library shelves! Success has also been noticed by parents, one of whom states, "I don't know what you've done to her but she won't stop reading. One says, It's not normal, she usually won't pick up a book." Read the Case Study
Woolwich Polytechnic School in London	It has had huge benefits in raising the self esteem of all the boys involved Even pupils who have only basic reading skills can achieve 100% on a quiz, as they are reading titles within their own ability. Our Learning Support department are using the program to work with our most needy pupils and they report that students are very keen on marrying reading with the use of ICT in this way. Read the Case Study
Chatham Grammar School for Girls in Kent	Developing a good reading habit! "It has certainly been successful enough for me to want to carry on and I would happily recommend it to other schools." Diane White, English teacher Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
Lavant House in Chichester	Major improvement in NFER tests scores! Head of Juniors Meg Gardner is "absolutely delighted" with the results. "We get a lot of new things in school, and while we're always willing to have a go, sometimes it's more in hope than expectation. But this has returned much more than we would have expected." Read the Case Study
Holmesdale Technology College in Snodland	Instant results give immediate positive boost and motivator to do better "There is no question Accelerated Reader has brought about a notable raising of standards. Its success springs from the fact that it makes reading positively enjoyable. Children actually want to read, which these days is quite extraordinary." Special Needs Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
City of London Academy in London	Library is overflowing at lunchtime! "It has definitely created a buzz around the school. Boys in particular, have got much more involved than we expected, and I think it's the competitive element that has prompted them. If you look at the results board, there are a lot of boys' names towards the top of the list." Greg John, English teacher Special Needs Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
Geoffrey Chaucer Technology College in Southwark	Lure of the computer motivates children "Looking back over the first year of using Accelerated Reader, girls are easier to encourage reading. It can be harder to interest boys in reading, but they will do anything to get their hands on a computer." Jeanne Lockwood, Librarian Special Needs Libraries English Second Language Read the Case Study
Hockerill Anglo-European College in Bishops Stortford	Fool-proof way of measuring comprehension This increased interest in reading has led to noticeable improvements in pupils' reading and comprehension skills. Teachers have found it easy to link the system with class reading, and keep track of each individual's progress. Special Needs Libraries English Second Language Parent Involvement Read the Case Study
St John's Senior School in Enfield	Accelerated Reader is a winner "Today TV and computer games are big time! Both exercise a truly major influence in our children's lives and getting many of them to read is so difficult. Now the computer software developed by Renaissance Learning has come to the rescue!" Andrew Tardios, Headmaster Read the Case Study
Sion-Manning RC Girls' School in London	Accelerated Reader - Report on first four months with year 7 "Because I am now able to read books at a higher reading level with a wider vocabulary. I have learnt lots of different words and am able to use them in my work and understand them in a book." Student Read the Case Study

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