James Bell has worked in the education industry for Renaissance Learning for more than 10 years. Over this time he has worked with the National Foundation for Educational Research to assist them in completing an independent correlation study to confirm the reliability and validity of Renaissance Learning’s STAR Reading, STAR Maths and STAR Early Literacy products. He also piloted Accelerated Reader in the United Kingdom with great success, and an independent research report was subsequently written by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust confirming outstanding results
A recent study by the National Literacy Trust has revealed a sharp increase in the number of pupils aged between 8 and 18 who read regularly outside of the classroom. In 2014, 41% of pupils read outside the classroom, a 32% year-on-year increase from 2013, and this is a hugely encouraging sign for literacy development.
Results from a report published at the beginning of March shows that in Year 7, when students are making the transition to secondary school, children are choosing books six months below their chronological age and from then on reading difficulty plateaus or declines. However, in primary schools both the difficulty levels of books chosen and the accuracy with which they are read is on the rise.
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