Renaissance Learning: An SAISD Accelerated Reader Pilot Study, 2003

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Renaissance Learning An SAISD Accelerated Reader
Pilot Study, 2003

• Ball ES, Bowden ES, Japhet ES, Schenck ES,
  Instructional Technology and Library Services
• Spring, 2003

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Purpose of Pilot Study, 2003
The purpose of this study was to determine the
networkability of Renaissance Learnings
motivational reading system, Accelerated Reader,
within SAISD. Inclusive of this study is
information regarding this system and the
fundamental beliefs and research upon which it is
based. This information is presented as a guide
for campuses interested in pursuing the
acquisition of this or similar systems on their
campus. This presentation will be made available
through the SAISD Library Media Services web page
no later than April 30, 2003.
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Philosophy BehindRenaissance Learning

• Concepts of Learning
• The more you do, the better you become at what
  you do
• You need to have the correct materials to learn
  to do something correctly
• A good teacher is instrumental to successful
  learning

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Beliefs

• The goal is to improve student reading skills and
  develop life long readers.
• Students are given the best instruction from the
  best teachers. Without adequate practice time,
  at school and/or home, to hone reading skills,
  research has shown children will not become
  readers.
• Football Analogy

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Supportive Research - 1

• Anderson, Wilson, Fielding, 1998
• The best predictor of reading achievement.. was
  the time spent reading books
• The National Literacy Act defines literacy as -
• an individuals ability to read, write, and
  speak in English, and compute and solve problems
  at levels of proficiency necessary to function on
  the job and in society, to achieve ones goals,
  and develop ones knowledge and potential.

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Supportive Research - 2

• Fluency should be promoted through practice with
  a wide variety of well-written and engaging texts
  at the childs own comfortable reading level.
  Snow, Burns, Griffin, 1998.
• What teachers know and can do is the most
  important influence on what students learn. -
  Report of the National Commission on Teaching and
  Americas Future, 1996.

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District Pilot Experiences - Ball ES

• Dawn Fontana, School Librarian

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District Pilot Experiences -Bowden ES

• Juliet, School Counselor

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District Pilot Experiences -Japhet ES

• Barbara Palcewski, School Librarian
• Technology Mini-Grant
• STAR Reading Pre-Test
• Reading Renaissance Training for all Staff
• Startup on Network 3rd Nine Weeks

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District Pilot Experiences -Schenck ES

• Sandy Scroggs, School Librarian

AR by itself is merely a management tool for
teachers to document the reading interventions
occurring within the classroom. Without adequate
training in the philosophy and design from
Renaissance Learning and use of Reading
Interventions supported by the District, the
implementation of AR within a school can be
disastrous to a child learning to love to read
for pleasure as well as for information.
HOWEVER with the proper amount of books,
computers, training, and lack of competition
based upon invalid criteria the program works!
Library circulation will definitely increase. I
enthusiastically support AR when the guidelines
provided by the parent company are followed.
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Budget Concerns

• Hardware
• Software
• Books
• Quizzes

• Professional Development
• Philosophy
• Software
• Hardware Troubleshooting
• Students learn best from teachers who know and
  can do.

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Correlations with Frameworks and Scope Sequence

• Accelerated Reader
• Instruction - Power Lessons - 1 hour
• Reading Practice Time - To, With, Independently
• Status of the Class - Power Lesson application

• SAISD Framework
• Focus Lesson - 45 minutes
• Read Aloud, Guided Reading, Independent Reading
• Small group instruction

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Parental Involvement

• Parent are essential to Reading Renaissance at
  Japhet. Parents read with Kinder and First
  Graders and help with quiz monitoring in the
  library before and after school.

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Technology - Software - 1

• Site License, Super Kit for 200 students includes
  STAR and 1,000 quizzes 2,999
• Expansion Modules for every 50 students 79
• ESP, Technical Support, every 2 years 179 or
  139 with additional title supports, (discounted)

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Technology - Software - 2

• Custom Quiz Disks 2.58 for approximately 50
  tests each disk
• Book Guide CD 179
• On-site Training, Consultant Fees
• Dawn Fontana
• Barbara Palcewski

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Technology -Software Concerns - 3

• Need a list of the SAISD schools which already
  own site license for AR
• Evaluate district AR school costs
• Components which can be purchased by each
  participating campus

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Hardware - OverallPilot School Experiences - 1

• These schools used computers acting as servers
  dedicated to AR but these did not work because
  networking software was needed and was not
  purchased. This method would not permit more
  than 10-15 users at one time. Purchasing network
  software was going to be very expensive.

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Hardware - OverallPilot School Experiences - 2

• Snap servers were then provide by ITLS Office at
  no cost to pilot schools. Although this allowed
  50-60 users, it took approximately 12 minutes of
  wait time for each user to take a quiz. No back
  ups were available. Security is an issue for
  those using MACs where anyone could delete the
  entire program in one click. All pilot schools
  had a MAC snap server. Finally it became
  necessary for Ball ES to come off the snap
  because this solution was ineffective.

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Hardware - OverallPilot School Experiences -3

• The final conclusion to solve the multi-user
  capabilities needed was to purchase a high end
  server. This would be cost prohibitive for each
  campus since purchasing a dedicated server would
  cost at minimum, 10,000 and would either require
  the cost of a network person or technical support.

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Hardware - Overall Pilot School Experiences - 4

• Great News! New servers will be upgraded in all
  SAISD schools, either October or November, 2003.
• What does this mean to the pilot schools for 2003
  and beyond? Continue standalone procedures.
  Networking Dept. will support remotely.
• What does this mean to any campus interested in
  AR purchases in 2003-2004 school year?

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Suggested Implementation Guidelines - Campus AR
Coordination Team Members - 1

• Lead the Charge!
• Monitor accountability
• Evaluation of teachers and students
• Evaluation of at-risk student reports
• Monitor interventions
• Analysis of data
• Communication with stakeholders and area
  superintendents

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Campus AR Coordination Team Member - 2

• Make connections with instructional programs
• Strategies
• Scope Sequence
• Reading Process
• Merging fundamentals of Reading Renaissance
  strategies

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Campus AR Coordination Team Member - 3

• Assists with the technological component of the
  AR motivational reading system
• Learns software
• Maintains AR database of quizzes and users
• Calls AR or SAISD technical support as appropriate

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Campus AR Coordination Team Member - 4

• Orders and completes in-house processing of books
• Maintains budget expenditure through local funds
  not library budget
• Suggested to begin with 4,000 quizzes for initial
  implementation

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Campus AR Coordination Team Member - 5

• Representative Stakeholders
• Monitor student progress using AR reports to
  identify students at-risk and students succeeding
• Develop campus-wide extrinsic reward system
• Coordinate AR events Community involvement, AR
  Kickoff, Family Reading Nights, Principals EOY
  Celebration

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Campus AR Coordination Team Member(s) - 6

• Professional Development
• Technology
• Hardware Troubleshooting
• Software Usage
• AR Reports
• Understanding various reports
• Data analysis
• Curriculum Integration

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Evaluation of Pilot Study - 1

• Successful implementation is dependent upon joint
  acceptance and fulfillment of responsibilities of
  all team members.
• Buy in should begin with CLT with the
  consideration that the use of the system will
  begin at a low level of engagement as all
  stakeholders learn to manage the system to their
  advantage.

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Evaluation of Pilot Study - 2

• Curt Zaumeyer, District ITLS support for the
  pilot, assisted all pilot schools
• He stated it was important to include the
  Networking Dept. in the future to assist with
  troubleshooting and the networking component of
  the software program.

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Evaluation of Pilot Study - 3

• Campuses should be networked for more efficient
  and effective use of such a reading motivational
  system.
• Standalones require enormous duplication of work
• Standalones do not provide for accountability
• Standalones leave too many opportunities for
  failure
• More difficulties arose with MACs than PCs

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References and Resources

• Anderson, R. C., P. T. Wilson, L. G. Fielding.
  Growth in Reading and How Children Spend Their
  Time Outside of School Reading Research
  Quarterly 23 no. 3 (1998) 285-303.
• National Institute For Literacy
  http//www.nifl.gov

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References and Resources Continued

• Snow, C. E., M. S. Burns, P. Griffin, eds.
  Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young
  Children. Washington, D. C. National Academy
  Press, 1998. Available online http//www.nap.edu/
  catalog/6023.html
• Renaissance Learning, http//www.renlearn.com