Accelerated Reader¶
Product or Programme · All products and programmes
Evidence · 5 claims (2 mixed, 3 against) · 1 study (1 review),q3· 0 of 1 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study
Description¶
Accelerated Reader™ is Renaissance's software-based K–12 reading practice and assessment system in which students read books, complete computerized quizzes, and receive progress data for teacher monitoring and goal setting.
Components¶
- Accelerated Reader™ guided reading practice and quiz system: Accelerated Reader™ is "a guided reading intervention used to supplement regular reading instruction in K–12 classrooms." Students select and read a book, then take a computerized quiz on the book's content and vocabulary; the software reports quiz performance to teachers so they can monitor progress and identify students needing more reading assistance. Students earn points based on correct responses, book length, and readability level, which teachers use to set goals; point accumulation is intended to motivate learning, though the developer does not require extrinsic rewards. (Accelerated Reader™ (2010))
Claims¶
- Accelerated Reader has no discernible effects on reading fluency or comprehension for adolescent learners [-W]
- The evidence base for Accelerated Reader with adolescent learners is thin: only 2 of 318 reviewed studies met WWC standards [~W]
- Bullock (2005) RCT found no statistically significant Accelerated Reader effects on comprehension (STAR and 4J Vocabulary) [-W]
- Bullock (2005) RCT found no statistically significant Accelerated Reader effects on reading fluency (DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency) [-W]
- Nunnery and Ross (2007) reported significant grade 5 but not grade 8 TAAS effects, which were non-significant in WWC recalculation [~W]
Related Products and Programmes¶
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Key Sources¶
- Accelerated Reader™. (2010). WWC Intervention Report: Accelerated Reader™, Adolescent Literacy. What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. http://www.renlearn.com/ar/
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
product |
id |
accelerated-reader |
title |
Accelerated Reader |
description |
Accelerated Reader™ is Renaissance's software-based K–12 reading practice and assessment system in which students read books, complete computerized quizzes, and receive progress data for teacher monitoring and goal setting. |
status |
review |
moved_from |
element/accelerated-reader-program-element |
product_kind |
software |
generated |
by process:sweep-kinds on 2026-10-10 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — accelerated-reader-2010 |
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