Renaissance Learning Partners with MetaMetrics to Add Lexile Measures to Accelerated Reader and STAR Reading

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis., May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Renaissance Learning, a leading provider of online assessments and data-powered teaching and learning solutions, announced today its partnership with MetaMetrics®, developer of the widely adopted Lexile® Framework for Reading. Renaissance Learning will incorporate Lexile measures into its reading platforms, including Accelerated Reader, the nation's most widely used reading management program.

Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, a student's reading performance from Renaissance Learning's STAR Reading assessment can be reported as either an ATOS or Lexile measure. Also, Lexile text measures will be provided for 160,000 books in AR BookFinder, Renaissance Learning's online search tool that helps teachers, students, and parents find ability-appropriate books corresponding to Accelerated Reader Quizzes. The reporting of ATOS and Lexile measures will provide students, parents, and educators with two options for both the text complexity of a book and student reading progress in relation to Common Core, state standards, and the reading demands for college and career readiness.

The Lexile Framework scientifically measures a student's reading ability and the complexity of text on the same developmental scale. Recognized as the global standard for matching readers with texts, tens of millions of students worldwide receive Lexile measures that help them find targeted readings from the more than 100 million articles, books, and websites that have been measured.

"Lexile measures are a key readability metric in today's classroom and we're excited to now be able to offer this measure to the more than one-third of U.S. educators using Renaissance reading tools," said Jack Lynch, CEO of Renaissance Learning. "There is no better time than today to provide educators with essential data on text complexity and student reading growth as they begin to map their instruction to the Common Core and other rigorous state standards that are requiring much more of our students and the texts they are reading."

"We are honored to team with such an iconic educational leader as Renaissance Learning," stated Malbert Smith, III, Ph.D., president and co-founder of MetaMetrics. "Renaissance Learning's programs provide educators with tremendous insights on student achievement and our mutual collaboration will strengthen and enhance the tools educators are already using to improve reading in our classrooms and schools."

The partnership between Renaissance Learning and MetaMetrics will also bring Lexile metrics to the STAR Early Literacy assessment and to Subtext, a close reading platform that makes it easy for students and teachers to collaborate in the pages of any digital book, article, or document.

About Renaissance Learning

Renaissance Learning is a leader of K12 assessment and learning analytics with a presence in more than a 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 Learning enables educators to deliver highly differentiated and timely instruction while driving personalized student practice in reading, writing and math daily. Renaissance Learning is comprised of top researchers, educators, content-area experts, data scientists and technologists that create and perfect classroom-proven tools.

About MetaMetrics

MataMetrics is focused on improving education for learners of all ages and ability levels. The organization develops scientific measures of academic achievement and complementary technologies that link assessment results with real-world instruction. MetaMetrics' products and services for reading (The Lexile® Framework for Reading, El Sistema Lexile® para Leer), mathematics (The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics) and writing (The Lexile® Framework for Writing) provide unique insights about academic ability and the potential for growth, enabling individuals to achieve their goals at every stage of development. Connect with the organization at: http://blog.lexile.com. 

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20001108/RENAISSANCELOGO

SOURCE Renaissance Learning