Renaissance Blog

Learnalytics^®: The promise of learning analytics

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Learnalytics^®: The promise of learning analytics

September 18, 2014

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading

This month we’re launching the first phase of Learnalytics®, a website designed to leverage Renaissance’s massive databases and to provide insights into what students know, what they like, and how they learn. We are so pleased [...]

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The over-testing dilemma and a vision of efficiency

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The over-testing dilemma and a vision of efficiency

September 11, 2014

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading | Products: Star 360

Today’s students are the most tested in history. Teachers feel the pain of over-testing more than most, because they directly witness its effects on their students. They see firsthand the stress many students experience when they sit down to a [...]

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Classroom-based assessments: a recipe for success in a time of change

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Classroom-based assessments: a recipe for success in a time of change

September 4, 2014

Categories: Assessment,

Lately, I’ve been hosting Thanksgiving at my house. I’ve found that family members frequently request a favorite side dish, want to try a new recipe, or even offer to help out in the kitchen. I’m open to trying something new, [...]

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The basics of test score reliability for educators

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The basics of test score reliability for educators

August 21, 2014

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading

Reliability is a broad topic, broad enough to be thesis worthy. So, when I set out to summarize “all things reliability”—in two pages, no less—I didn’t know where to start. Naturally, I procrastinated. When my problem didn’t magically go away [...]

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Toward a culture that values data and protects student privacy

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Toward a culture that values data and protects student privacy

July 31, 2014

Which kids do you worry about? I worry about all the kids, each and every one of them. Why do I ask this question? Because without data, without knowing how well each child is doing, we can’t help them. We [...]

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Understanding the reliability and validity of test scores

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Understanding the reliability and validity of test scores

July 10, 2014

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading

 Toward the end of my master’s degree program, I called my parents and excitedly announced that I was entering a doctoral program in psychometrics. A few uncomfortable moments later, my father responded, “That sounds…interesting.” Encouraged, I explained that a big [...]

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From possibility to probability

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From possibility to probability

June 19, 2014

Categories: Assessment, Math, Reading

A question that I constantly wonder about is this: What does it look like when teachers are truly making a difference in the lives of each and every one of their students? Improving learning starts with knowing the academic and [...]

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The power of close, repeated reading: Why our brains crave a reread

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The power of close, repeated reading: Why our brains crave a reread

June 5, 2014

Categories: Reading | Products: Accelerated Reader

Our brains thrive on repeated experiences. This explains why we seek to watch the same movies again and again and re-read favorite books. According to the health blog, “The Body Odd,” the drive to re-experience is a conscious effort to [...]

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T-Plex: Text complexity through a dinosaur lens

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T-Plex: Text complexity through a dinosaur lens

May 22, 2014

Categories: Reading | Products: Accelerated Reader

When my son Justin was young he was a dinosaur omnivore. He voraciously ate everything related to dinosaurs. He checked out dinosaur videos at the library; he read about allosaurus; he drew protoceratops; he told grandma about velociraptors; and he [...]

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What book should I read next?

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What book should I read next?

May 8, 2014

Categories: Reading

Upon turning the last page of a book, I often feel a sense of accomplishment-slash-relief at having arrived at the end of the book.  However, these feelings, coupled with a sense of nostalgia and loss that I have to leave [...]

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