Renaissance and the Florida Department of Education collaborate to support kindergarten success

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (July 11, 2017) – Renaissance^®, the leader in Pre-K–12 learning analytics, has announced that its Renaissance Star Early Literacy^® assessment solution has been approved as the Florida Department of Education’s (DOE) Kindergarten Readiness Screener. The Florida DOE will begin using Star Early Literacy at the beginning of the 2017–2018 school year.

The Florida DOE approves assessment solutions though a rigorous approval process. These reviews include thorough examinations by instructional, technology, and assessment experts from multiple divisions within the Florida DOE, such as the Division of Technology and Innovation and the Office of Early Learning.

“We look forward to working with schools across the State of Florida to provide them with an assessment solution that clearly identifies students’ readiness for kindergarten in their early literacy skills, which is critical to educational success,” says Renaissance interim CEO Mike Evans. “The Star Early Literacy assessment will immediately yield data-driven insights, reports designed to promote action, and access to open educational resources that are aligned to and curated for Florida Standards.”

The state is providing Star Early Literacy to public schools as a screening tool to be used at the beginning of the kindergarten year. Research-validated, computer-adaptive Star Early Literacy is focused on reliability and efficiency, making it possible to screen an entire class in approximately 10–15 minutes, which allows educators to quickly interpret assessment data and prioritize student learning needs. Clear, concise data reporting will be immediately available to provide information about a child’s readiness to learn the content of kindergarten literacy skills. Star Early Literacy will also meet each child’s individual needs, and identify areas of focus for intervention.

In addition to the recent approval of Star Early Literacy, Renaissance also collaborated with the Florida DOE on the approval of Renaissance Star Reading^® as an Alternative Standard Reading Assessment for Florida’s third-grade students. Star Early Literacy and Star Reading measure students’ mastery of early literacy concepts and student progress toward third-grade reading proficiency while personalizing practice to promote growth and positively impact students’ future success. Renaissance continues to be the state leader in measuring student performance.

Rob Stratton, coordinator of instructional technology, instructional materials, and media at Lee County School District in Fort Myers, Florida, agrees with the Florida DOE’s decision to approve Star Early Literacy as the state’s Kindergarten Readiness Screener. “Lee County School District has already been using Star Early Literacy as a kindergarten screener, and we’re thrilled about the state’s decision.”

Renaissance is working closely with the Florida DOE to provide regional trainings this month, throughout the state, to ensure and support an effective rollout of this new assessment measure.

For additional information on Star Early Literacy, visit https://www.renaissance.com/products/assessment/star-360/star-early-literacy-skills/. For more information on the Florida DOE Kindergarten Readiness Screener, visit http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/flkrs/.

About Renaissance

Renaissance^® is the leader in Pre-K–12 learning analytics—enabling teachers, curriculum creators, and educators to drive phenomenal student growth. Renaissance’s solutions help educators analyze, customize, and plan personalized learning paths for students, allowing time for what matters—creating energizing learning experiences in the classroom. Founded by parents, upheld by educators, and enriched by data scientists, Renaissance knows learning is a continual journey—from year to year and for a lifetime. Our data-driven, personalized solutions are currently used in over one-third of U.S. schools and more than 60 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.renaissance.com.

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