Renaissance Learning#Hardware
{{Short description|American educational software company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Renaissance
| logo = Renaissancelogo.png
| type = Subsidiary
| industry = Educational software
| foundation = {{start date and age|1986}}
| location = Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, U.S.
| area_served = International
| founders = Judith and Terrance Paul
| products = Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Reader 360, English in a Flash, Accelerated Math, MathFacts in a Flash, Star 360, myON Reader, Nearpod, Flocabulary, Freckle, Lalilo
| num_employees = 1,200 (as of June 1, 2017)
| parent = Francisco Partners
| key_people = Chris Bauleke, CEO
| subsid = AlphaSmart; Humanities Software, Inc.; Renaissance Learning UK Ltd.; Renaissance Corporate Services
| footnotes =
| homepage = {{URL|http://renaissance.com}}
}}
Renaissance Learning, Inc. (also known simply as Renaissance) is a software as a service and learning analytics company that makes Pre-K–12 educational software and adaptive assessments. Renaissance employs about 1,000 employees in nine U.S. cities and subsidiaries in Canada, the United Kingdom, Korea, and Australia.{{cite web |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/francisco-partners-acquire-renaissance-170000959.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905175817/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/francisco-partners-acquire-renaissance-170000959.html |archive-date=2018-09-05 |title=Francisco Partners to Acquire Renaissance}} The company is known for creating Accelerated Reader and Star computer-adaptive assessments.{{cite web |url=http://www.renlearn.co.uk/accelerated-reader/international/ |title = Accelerated Reader for international schools}}{{Cite web |title=Test scores rising as students return to in-person learning, report says |url=https://mycbs4.com/news/nation-world/test-scores-rising-as-students-return-to-in-person-learning-report-saysrenaissance-learning-inc-star-assessments-covid-pandemic-virtual-learning-schools-students-children-teaching |access-date=2022-03-24 |website=mycbs4.com|date=23 March 2022 }}
History
The company was founded in 1986 by Judith and Terrance Paul after Judith developed Accelerated Reader, originally named Read Up!, in the basement of her home in Port Edwards, Wisconsin. Judith designed Accelerated Reader to encourage her children to read more books. Read Up! changed its name to Advantage Learning Systems, Inc., in 1991.{{Cite news |last=Vitello |first=Paul |date=2014-09-16 |title=Terrance Paul, Developer of Teaching Software, Dies at 67 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/technology/terrance-paul-developer-of-teaching-software-dies-at-67.html |access-date=2016-12-09 |newspaper=The New York Times}} On September 25, 1997, the company had its initial public offering and was traded on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker ALSI.{{Cite web |date=September 30, 1997 |title=Advantage Learning Systems completes IPO |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/1997/09/29/daily16.html |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Milwaukee Business Journal}} It adopted the name Renaissance Learning in 2001. In 2005, Renaissance acquired AlphaSmart for $57 million in cash and stock.{{Cite web |date=2005-03-01 |title=Renaissance Learning to Merge With AlphaSmart |url=https://thejournal.com/articles/2005/03/01/renaissance-learning-to-merge-with-alphasmart.aspx |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=THE Journal |language=en-US}}
The company was publicly traded until October 2011, when Permira purchased all outstanding shares and maintained ownership of Renaissance until selling the company in 2014 to Hellman & Friedman for $1.1 billion.{{Cite news|url=http://www.inc.com/issie-lapowsky/renaissance-learning-40-million-google-capital.html|title=Why a 30-Year-Old Education Company Just Landed a $1 Billion Valuation|date=2017-02-19|newspaper=Inc.com|access-date=2016-12-09}}{{cite web|url=http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/renaissance-learning-is-sold-to-hellman-friedman-for-1-1-billion/|title=Renaissance Learning Is Sold to Hellman & Friedman for $1.1 Billion|first=Michael J. de la|last=Merced|date=13 March 2014|website=The New York Times|access-date=9 June 2017}} CapitalG, a sister company to Google and subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., became an equity investor in Renaissance in 2014.{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/19/google-capital-invests-40m-in-learning-analytics-firm-renaissance-learning-at-1b-valuation/|title=Google Capital Invests $40M In Learning Analytics Firm Renaissance Learning At $1B Valuation|first=Frederic|last=Lardinois|date=19 February 2014|website=techcrunch.com|access-date=9 June 2017}} In February 2015, Renaissance acquired UClass, a cloud-based storage and content management service.{{Cite web |last=Lardinois |first=Frederic |date=2015-02-19 |title=Renaissance Learning Acquires UClass |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/19/renaissance-learning-acquires-uclass/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} In 2016, Renaissance re-branded and dropped "Learning" from their name. In May 2018 the company was acquired by private equity firm Francisco Partners.{{Cite web|url=https://marketbrief.edweek.org/marketplace-k-12/renaissance-acquired-francisco-partners-new-ceo-takes-helm/|title = Renaissance Acquired by Francisco Partners, and New CEO Takes Helm|date = 7 May 2018}}
In 2019, Renaissance acquired Schoolzilla.{{Cite web|url=https://thejournal.com/articles/2019/10/29/schoolzilla-acquired-by-renaissance.aspx|title=Schoolzilla Acquired by Renaissance -|last1=Nagel|first1=David|date=2019-10-29|website=THE Journal|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-10}} In February 2021, it acquired Nearpod and Flocabulary,{{Cite web |date=2021-02-19 |title=Renaissance Learning to Acquire Nearpod in Blockbuster $650M All-Cash Deal - EdSurge News |url=https://www.edsurge.com/news/2021-02-19-renaissance-learning-to-acquire-nearpod-in-blockbuster-650m-all-cash-deal |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=EdSurge |language=en}} and the French education company Lalilo.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hightech/edtech-lalilo-rachete-par-le-groupe-americain-renaissance-1300293|title= Edtech: Lalilo racheté par le groupe américain renaissance|date= 22 March 2021}}
Reception
In June 2016, the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences in What Works Clearinghouse found Accelerated Reader to have mixed effects on comprehension for beginning readers.{{cite web |url=https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/EvidenceSnapshot/12 |title = WWC {{!}} Accelerated Reader}} The company's programs have been criticized for potentially limiting a student's recreational reading to a list of books that fall in their book level, in order to accrue "points",{{cite web|url=https://hacklibraryschool.com/2012/03/06/accelerated-reader-instigator-of-readicide/|title=Accelerated Reader: Instigator of Readicide |first=Teresa|last=Silva|date=6 March 2012|website=hacklibraryschool.com|access-date=9 June 2017}} and trivializing books and undermining reading by reducing it to a competitive game. Susan Straight in The New York Times says, "the passion and serendipity of choosing a book at the library based on the subject or the cover of the first page is nearly gone, as well as the excitement of reading a book simply for pleasure. This is not all the fault of Renaissance, which I believe is trying to help schools encourage students to read."{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/books/review/Straight-t.html|title=Reading by the Numbers|author=|date=30 August 2009|website=The New York Times|access-date=9 June 2017}}