Renaissance Star 360 Approved as a K-2 Assessment by the Arkansas Department of Education

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis., July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Renaissance^®, the leader in pre-K-12 learning analytics, has announced that its Renaissance Star 360^® assessment suite has been approved as a K-2 assessment by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). The state's contract for Star 360, based on mutual agreement by Renaissance and the ADE, may run through June 30, 2024.

The ADE is committed to supporting early childhood education to ensure that all Arkansas children develop a strong foundation for learning. In doing so, the ADE seeks to provide all K-2 students with a comprehensive assessment that measures student performance and growth on the Arkansas English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics academic standards for grades K-2. The assessment solutions adopted by the ADE are measured through a rigorous and thorough approval process.

Mike Evans, interim CEO at Renaissance, says, "Star 360 can maximize instructional and practice time by immediately yielding timely and actionable data-driven insights and reports designed to provide rich information and drive instruction. We're honored to be able to support the ADE's efforts to provide teachers with critical insights to prevent students from falling behind."

Powered by the Renaissance Growth Platform™, Star 360 is the leading interim and formative assessment tool, giving educators research-validated, state-specific learning data in less than 20 minutes of testing time. Star 360 allows educators to see grade-level mastery down to the sub-skill level—making it possible to know precisely what students have mastered, the goals they need to reach, and the optimal path for proficiency. These insights make it possible for educators to make informed decisions, personalize learning, and lead every student to mastery of the Arkansas Academic Standards.

The Star 360 assessment suite includes Renaissance Star Early Literacy^®, Renaissance Star Reading^®, Renaissance Star Math^®, and Renaissance Star Custom^®, a day-to-day formative assessment tool where teachers can administer pre-made and custom assignments for reading, math, and early literacy. Star 360 assesses the Arkansas Academic Standards for English language arts and mathematics through state-aligned learning progressions built specifically for the state's standards. Arkansas teachers can use Star 360's Arkansas-specific learning progressions to quickly identify what K-2 students have mastered and what they are ready to learn next. The learning progressions also provide thousands of aligned instructional resources to guide and differentiate instruction.

Thelma Forte, former principal of Union DaVinci Magnet School in Texarkana, Arkansas, and the current superintendent at the Mineral Springs School District in Mineral Springs, Arkansas, used the program at Union DaVinci Magnet School to monitor student growth while increasing the use of research-based childhood assessments. She applauds the ADE's decision and is excited about the implementation of Star 360 in the Mineral Springs School District.

"Star 360 provides educators more information in less time," Forte says. "The program assesses the breadth and the depth of the Arkansas standards, and the resulting data and reporting makes it easy for us to track student mastery. It helps us answer key questions about our students—everything from the skills and concepts they've mastered and what they're ready to learn next to which students may need intervention, or how they're responding to the intervention. Instruction is meaningful, individualized, and effective due to information derived from the assessments."

Throughout the summer, the ADE has worked continuously to prepare districts for this approval, including hosting a K-2 assessment vendor fair in late July. Renaissance participated in these demonstrations, and is also offering districts regional professional development and product training as part of the Star 360 approval.

For additional information on Star 360, visit http://www.renaissance.com/products/assessment/star-360/.

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 throughout 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.

Media Contact: Katie Waite
www.renaissance.com │[email protected]

SOURCE Renaissance

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