Renaissance Learning

Renaissance

Type	Private
Industry	Educational software
Founded	1986
Headquarters	Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
Area served	International
Key people	Judith and Terrance Paul (founders)
Products	Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Reader 360, English in a Flash, Accelerated Math, MathFacts in a Flash, Star 360
Number of employees	1,030 (as of August 1, 2016)
Parent	Hellman & Friedman
Subsidiaries	AlphaSmart; Humanities Software, Inc.; Renaissance Learning UK Ltd.; Renaissance Corporate Services
Website	www.renaissance.com

Renaissance Learning, Inc. (Renaissance) is a software and learning analytics company that makes cloud-based, K–12 educational software. Renaissance employs about 950 employees in nine U.S. cities and subsidiaries in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Renaissance’s products are used in U.S. schools and more than 60 countries around the world.

Accelerated Reader, the company's flagship product, was created in 1985 by Judith and Terrance Paul, who founded the company in 1986 under the name "Advantage Learning Systems". Terrance, a lawyer and businessman, and Judith, a homemaker with a degree in elementary education, though she never taught school, began their software business in 1986 from the basement of their home in Port Edwards, Wisconsin. The company's name changed to "Renaissance Learning, Inc." in 2001. In August 2011, the company was sold to Permira, a European private equity firm, for a reported $455 million. In early 2014, CapitalG (formerly Google Capital) made a $40 million investment in the company at a $1 billion valuation. Later in 2014, Renaissance was sold to Hellman & Friedman for $1.1 billion. In 2016, Renaissance rebranded and dropped “Learning” from their name.

Accelerated Reader, the company's flagship software, is "reading management software". It determines whether a student has read a book through comprehension quizzes and is computer-scored. Educators collaborate with students to set personalized reading practice goals based on their reading level. Students select books within their reading range, read independently, and then take short, computerized comprehension quizzes. After each quiz, educators and students are able to see progress toward reading goals.

In 2013, Renaissance acquired Subtext, a K12 digital reading service. Soon after, Renaissance introduced Accelerated Reader 360, a premium version of Accelerated Reader that adds nonfiction articles with embedded skills practice.

English in a Flash is a language acquisition tool for grades K–12 for use with English language learners. It aims to help students build vocabulary and grammar.

Renaissance released Accelerated Math in 1998. A math management program, it generates personalized math assignments at each student's level and scores the assignments. It also provides reports and record-keeping functions to monitor student progress and address individual student needs.