Renaissance Learning Products Receive Highest Ratings from the National Center on RTI

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis., April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Renaissance Learning, Inc. (Nasdaq: RLRN) announced today that Accelerated Math, MathFacts in a Flash, and all three STAR assessment products have been reevaluated by the National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI) and again received the highest possible ratings as progress monitoring tools.

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Accelerated Math and MathFacts in a Flash are the only two programs to be positively rated as Progress Monitoring Mastery Measures, which NCRTI defines as a system of tracking a student's successive mastery of a hierarchy of objectives. The programs received recognition in all six of NCRTI's categories for review, including skill sequence, sensitivity to student improvement, reliability, validity, pass/fail decision, and disaggregated reliability and validity.

The company's STAR assessments—STAR Reading, STAR Math, and STAR Early Literacy—also received the highest rating of "Convincing Evidence" in all nine categories for progress monitoring tools reviewed in the General Outcome Measures category. NCRTI defines General Outcome Measures as a measure that reflects overall competence in the annual curriculum.

The National Center on Response to Intervention, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, evaluates the scientific rigor of the research for commercially available progress monitoring tools for use with Response to Intervention (RTI). The Center helps educators identify credible and reliable evidence to make informed decisions about scientifically based tools for use within an RTI framework. The Progress Monitoring Tools Chart can be found on the NCRTI website at www.rti4success.org.

"NCRTI's ratings of Accelerated Math, MathFacts in a Flash and the STAR assessments signifies the high level of effectiveness these products offer educators for progress monitoring tools for use in an RTI framework," said Glenn R. James, CEO of Renaissance Learning. "All of these products have been rigorously reviewed by NCRTI and have received high ratings, and it's an acknowledgement that mirrors what educators have known and been telling us for years."

Accelerated Math is a scientifically based, continuous progress-monitoring system for educators that produces daily, personalized, student math practice and assessments. MathFacts in a Flash software helps educators ensure students' computational fluency in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.

The company's suite of STAR products is used by more than 43,000 schools, and provides screening, progress-monitoring, and diagnostic assessment results. Each is completely computer administered and requires little administration time to achieve reliable data. Assessments may be repeated frequently throughout the year for progress monitoring at no additional cost.

About Renaissance Learning, Inc.

Renaissance Learning, Inc. is a leading provider of technology-based school improvement and student assessment programs for K12 schools. Adopted by more than 70,000 schools, Renaissance Learning's tools provide daily formative assessment and periodic progress-monitoring technology to enhance core curriculum, support differentiated instruction, and personalize practice in reading, writing and math. Renaissance Learning products and school improvement programs help educators make the practice component of their existing curriculum more effective by providing tools to personalize practice and easily manage the daily activities for students of all levels. As a result, teachers using Renaissance Learning products and programs accelerate learning, get more satisfaction from teaching, and help students achieve higher test scores on state and national tests. Renaissance Learning has seven U.S. locations and subsidiaries in Canada and the United Kingdom.

SOURCE Renaissance Learning, Inc.