Renaissance Blog

Girls’ results negatively impacted by the pandemic, new report finds

The final report in a series from the Education Policy Institute and Renaissance, drawing on over six million assessments completed by pupils from Years 3 to 9 using Renaissance Star Reading and Renaissance Star Maths, looks at the impact of the pandemic on specific characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, SEN, EAL and geographic region.

Favourite LGBTQ+ romances for older readers

By Krista Culbertson

Love was in the air this past February during Valentine’s Day. Throughout the month of March, the Content team will continue to celebrate love in all its forms. Members of the team were asked to talk about their favourite LGBTQ+ romance novels for older readers. From the beauty in contemporary first loves to the thrills […]

Children’s maths results lower than pre-pandemic, new report finds

New analysis produced by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and Renaissance has found that results of pupils from low-income backgrounds in both primary and secondary mathematics still lag behind where they were before the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Behind the Shelves: A Librarian’s Roadmap to Perfectly Planning World Book Day

World Book Day isn’t just a date in the calendar; it’s a celebration of authors, an ode to the importance of reading, and an opportunity for children and young people to step into the shoes of their favourite book characters. As we approach its 26th year, schools across the UK are buzzing with anticipation, preparing […]

What Makes a Book “Non-Quizzable” for AR?

By Kerry McGuire

Reading Practice quizzes are at the heart of Accelerated Reader. It is important to us that they are fun to take, and that students are motivated by seeing their success when they pass a quiz. It is vital to the integrity of the product that we produce high-quality quizzes that truly test a pupil’s reading […]

New Year, New Chapters: Reading resolutions for teachers and students to cultivate a love for reading in the classroom

By Denisha Polin

As the new year unfolds, it’s the perfect time to sow the seeds of a love for reading that will continue throughout the academic process. For both teachers and students, adopting and encouraging positive reading habits can be an enriching experience. Let’s explore some effective strategies to make reading a pleasurable part of the classroom […]

Some of the Content Team’s Favourite Fiction of 2023

By Lisa Heller

With this first blog of 2024, we want to look back at some of our quiz writers’ favourite fiction titles of 2023. We added 1,300 new titles to Accelerated Reader last year, and below you can read up on some of our top picks. The titles are as different as our quiz writers are and […]

Celebrating Excellence in Education: The 2023 Renaissance Awards

By Denisha Polin

Thursday 16th November marked a significant day in the Renaissance calendar as teaching staff, senior leaders and supporting teams gathered at Glaziers Hall, London Bridge for the eighth annual Renaissance Awards – the first in-person celebration post-COVID. The event showcased the remarkable achievements of schools worldwide in the 22/23 school year and brought together a […]

Non-Fiction November: The Content Team’s Favourite Non-Fiction Titles of 2023

By Lucy McGraw

To celebrate Non-Fiction November, the Content Team has compiled a list of some of our favourite non-fiction titles we’ve read in 2023. Throughout the year, the team has enjoyed reading and quizzing 269 non-fiction books covering topics from healthy eating to footballers to peculiar plants to life in the ancient Aztec age. We’ve loved reading […]

Shedding light on High Interest/Low Level titles on AR

By Lisa Heller

This month the Content Team wants to shed light on some of the High Interest/Low Level (Hi/Lo) series we’ve been quizzing. Sometimes it can be hard to find books for readers whose interests and reading levels don’t align. This is where the Hi/Lo titles come into play. These titles contain age appropriate content and topics, […]

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