WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (March 28, 2014) – Renaissance Learning, a provider of online assessments and data-powered teaching and learning solutions, announced today that the Mississippi State Board of Education adopted Renaissance Learning’s K–3 assessment system. This integrated assessment system will include: a universal screener and diagnostic assessment, kindergarten readiness assessment tool, and a third-grade reading summative assessment.

“We are excited and honored to be working with schools across Mississippi to provide them with an assessment system that will identify students’ early literacy and numeracy skills quickly and accurately,” said Jack Lynch CEO of Renaissance Learning. “With our computer-adaptive diagnostic assessment tools, teachers are able to target and generate data to set priorities for instruction. Through this platform, we can help schools across Mississippi drive successful academic outcomes and ensure student success in these critical early grades.”

Mississippi Department of Education will use the universal screener and diagnostic assessment in Literacy Target Schools while the kindergarten readiness assessment tool will be used initially by eleven early learning collaborative councils. Mississippi Department of Education plans to conduct the third-grade reading summative assessment statewide during the spring of 2015.

Renaissance Learning’s STAR Early Literacy assessment is the breakthrough, computer-adaptive software that helps teachers determine a student’s command of phonemic awareness, phonics, and other literacy and numeracy skills. The platform organizes skill-specific, actionable data to target instruction and practice, selects students for intervention, and estimates mastery of state or Common Core Standards. This allows school administrators and teachers to personalize instruction and identify best practices that are having a significant impact on academic growth.

Mississippi’s rigorous approval process includes multiple stages of review. The process included a thorough review by instructional and content review experts whose recommendations were approved by the State Board of Education.

About Renaissance

Renaissance, the leader of K-12 cloud-based assessment and learning analytics, has a presence in more than one-third of U.S. schools and 60 countries around the world. By delivering deep insight into what students know, what they like and how they learn, Renaissance enables educators to deliver highly personalized and timely instruction while driving student growth in reading, writing and math. To learn more, visit: www.renaissance.com.