"We believe in public schools and the people who have dedicated their careers to teaching children," said Terrance D. Paul, CEO, Renaissance Learning. "Working with schools around the country, we have seen this transformational model for school improvement succeed when there is buy-in from all stakeholders, when school teams are coached in educational best practices and when students have access to premier learning tools. SetPoint gives our two organizations the opportunity to work together to implement this proven model for school improvement and make real, sustainable change." The two organizations come to the consortium with differing but complementary backgrounds and skills. Since 1986, Renaissance Learning has produced software for classroom assessment and data-driven decision-making. Products include Accelerated Reader, the most widely used software in K-12 schools, as well as the first nationally normed computer-adaptive reading comprehension test, STAR Reading, introduced in 1995 and today part of a suite of advanced assessments that federal agencies have given top ratings for screening, progress monitoring and mastery measurement. JBHM was founded a decade ago by a former superintendent to help schools struggling to meet No Child Left Behind requirements, and has built a team of experienced superintendents, principals and other top educators who have helped scores of failing schools by working day to day with educators - monitoring, modeling and mentoring. For several years, JBHM and Renaissance Learning have often found themselves working with the same schools and, in the process, discovered they share many educational principles, as well as a profound belief in the value of public schools.

"There's a good deal of evidence that school closures and mass dismissals of staff are detrimental to kids. At the same time, transformation is not a cake walk, and isn't business as usual," said Mike Walters, founder of JBHM and a former school superintendent. "To make big changes in results, you have to make big changes in procedures. That means helping everyone - from classroom teachers to school board members - to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently. That is the SetPoint approach to transforming schools."

SetPoint meets or exceeds criteria for federal funding under the "transformational" model for school change described in two programs of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): the "Race to the Top" initiative and the newly expanded School Improvement Grant (SIG) program. SIG funding is aimed at the bottom five percent of U.S. schools, the group the SetPoint program of intensive intervention targets most directly. Together, the two programs will provide about $8 billion for school improvement. Both require that districts choose among four change models for low-performing schools: closing the school, turning it over to a charter or outside "educational management organization," a "turnaround" process requiring the dismissal of at least half the faculty, or the transformation model.

The SetPoint Process: Changing Schools From Within: With the SetPoint process, most staff members remain in their positions and receive intensive coaching and modeling in best instructional practices from experienced principals and school leaders. Mentors are in the school daily to provide teachers, staff and administrators with the support they need to adhere to an approach called the "Five Essential Practices." This model for improving schools was developed by JBHM over decades in close consultation with experts on effective instruction and is highly regarded by leaders in school change, such as Larry Lezotte, Ph.D., of Effective Schools.

The "Five Essential Practices" are designed to turn a dysfunctional school into a thriving learning community. 1) The school must use a research-based curriculum, aligned with district, state and national standards and taught with fidelity to all students. 2) The school environment and culture must be safe, secure and orderly so that learning can happen. 3) Both the amount and quality of instructional time must be increased for all students, particularly in reading, math and writing, including substantial time for guided practice of acquired skills. 4) Student achievement must be monitored constantly and consistently, using technology to both assess and analyze the data. 5) School policies and procedures must support the ongoing implementation of educational best practices - not just on professional development days, but every day of the school year.

Meanwhile, students have access to the most highly rated and advanced instructional technology for both learning and assessment on their own wireless-network laptops. Educators rely on a steady stream of assessment data to personalize instruction for every student, providing more intensive intervention for struggling students as called for in the evidence-based Response to Intervention (RtI) model.

The SetPoint model is already working in schools around the country. Just one example is Gibbs Elementary in Franklin, La. In 2006, this rural school, with 75 percent of its students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, was under academic warning and slipped into the "choice" category, which gave parents the option to send their children elsewhere. Gibbs' School Performance Score (SPS) was only 54.9 when a JBHM specialist started working with its team. In just one year, the school's SPS increased nearly 26 points, the largest single-year gain in the state. Comparable gains occurred in the second year.

For more information about SetPoint, go to www.setpointschools.com or call 866-505-2459.

About JBHM Education Group, LLC Established in 2000 by a veteran school superintendent, JBHM began by helping districts struggling with the mandates of No Child Left Behind and quickly discovered that intensive hands-on assistance was required to help schools meet their achievement goals. They therefore developed detailed processes for monitoring and advancing the skills of school and district leaders and teachers. JBHM's growing corps of specialists - all highly experienced superintendents, principals, teachers and specialists and highly trained and mentored in the JBHM process of improvement and coaching - provide services in school improvement, teacher coaching, special education and working with struggling learners. JBHM has worked with hundreds of schools in increasing academic rigor and instructional focus, demonstrating that sustainable achievement gains are possible once excuses for weak performance are left at the schoolhouse door.

About Renaissance Learning, Inc. Renaissance Learning, Inc., is the world's leading provider of computer-based assessment technology for pre-K-12 schools. Adopted by more than 74,000 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 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 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.

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/SetPoint/Schools/prweb3160524.htm.

PRWeb.com

Renaissance Learning, Inc.

Renaissance Learning, Inc. is the world's leading provider of computer-based assessment technology for pre-K-12 schools. Adopted by more than 74,000 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 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 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.

http://www.renlearn.com

While bestsellers' lists, publisher information, and library circulation data report how often books are purchased or circulated, Renaissance Learning has a unique insight into the books kids are actually reading, from cover to cover. This insight comes from Accelerated Reader (AR), the world's most popular reading software and largest single database of student book-reading behavior. For the 2008-09 school year, upon which the report is based, the AR database includes the book-reading records of more than 4.6 million students in grades 1-12 from more than 15,000 schools nationwide.

What Kids Are Reading, 2010 includes lists of the most widely read books for grades 1-12--by all students, by low- and high-achieving students; and in areas such as nonfiction and subjects spanning the curriculum.

"Learning to read is a life-changing experience, and whatever can be done must be done to inspire a love of reading in all children," said Mark Musick, Renaissance Learning Board Director and James H. Quillen Chair of Excellence at East Tennessee State University. "It is our hope that this report serves as inspiration to teachers and parents to help foster a love of reading in all children."

Among the report's key findings:

    --  Book selection can be heavily influenced by trends. The influence of pop
        culture can be seen in the book choices of students in all grades. The
        Diary of a Wimpy Kid titles, by Jeff Kinney, dominate the top positions
        in grades 3-6, while Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series takes over the
        top spots in grades 7 and up. In the 2008 report, Harry Potter titles
        were prominent, but they did not dominate the top of the list to the
        extent that Twilight titles have.
    --  Contemporary "classics" remain high on the youngest and oldest readers'
        lists. Beyond the trendy titles, many of the same popular titles with a
        lasting presence remain high on the list, including many titles by Dr.
        Seuss and Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. In the middle grades, The
        Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and Gary Paulsen's Hatchet remain top reads. In
        spite of the strong showing by the Twilight series, high school students
        continue to read modern classics, such as Harper Lee's To Kill a
        Mockingbird and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.
    --  Nonfiction is largely missing from the most-read lists. Except for a
        strong showing in the books widely read by struggling readers,
        especially in grades 4 and 5, nonfiction is mostly absent. To shed light
        on which nonfiction titles appeal to students as well as provide
        educators with ideas to incorporate reading in other subject areas, this
        year's report includes lists of the Top 10 most-read nonfiction titles
        by boys and girls in grades 1-12.

    --  Several top titles also appear on 'most challenged books' lists. To Kill
        a Mockingbird, Lois Lowry's The Giver, Of Mice and Men, and other top
        titles appear on the American Library Association's Office for
        Intellectual Freedom's lists of most challenged books.

Musick, who previously served as chair of the Governing Board for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, wrote the introduction to the What Kids Are Reading, 2010 report. The report also features contributions from popular children's authors Gary Paulsen, Jeff Kinney, and Lois Lowry, as well as a foreword by cognitive scientist Daniel T. Willingham (author of Why Don't Students Like School?).

To read the full report, visit www.renlearn.com/whatkidsarereading.

About Accelerated Reader

Renaissance Learning, Inc., developed the Accelerated Reader software to make the job of managing book reading, often called reading practice, easier, less burdensome, and more reliable. Accelerated Reader is a progress-monitoring system. It helps teachers accurately and efficiently monitor student progress in the quantity and quality (comprehension) of their book reading. Introduced in 1986, Accelerated Reader has become one of the most popular educational software programs. While AR has become increasingly sophisticated over the years, its basic three-step approach has not changed: First, a student reads a book either at school or at home. Next, the student takes a computerized quiz of 5, 10, or 20 items depending on the length of the book. Then, the student and teacher receive immediate feedback and reports detailing books read, number of words read, book reading level, and comprehension (percent correct on the quiz). There are currently quizzes on more than 120,000 books, so students can read and quiz on just about any book available in a school or public library. AR also includes quizzes to assess vocabulary and literacy skills, as well as quizzes on leading reading textbooks and content-area leveled readers. With the company's newly released Home Connect feature for use with Accelerated Reader Enterprise Edition, parents can keep track of their children's reading progress, including books read, average percent correct on AR quizzes, and results on the last quiz.

About Renaissance Learning, Inc.

Renaissance Learning, Inc. is the world's leading provider of computer-based assessment technology for pre-K-12 schools. Adopted by more than 74,000 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 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 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.

http://www.renlearn.com

Revenues for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2009 were $89.1 million, up 4.0% from 2008 revenues of $85.6 million. Net income was $13.2 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2009, up 55.4% from the prior year's net income of $8.5 million. Earnings per share for the nine months of 2009 were $.45, compared to $.29, in the first nine months of 2008.

"I am pleased to report these excellent third quarter results," commented Terrance D. Paul, Chief Executive Officer. "Third quarter revenue is the highest quarterly revenue since 2003, earnings doubled from last year's third quarter, and operating cash flow of $16.7 million was a new quarterly high. Orders were up 34% for the quarter.

"As good as this quarter was, future periods will likely be more challenging due to seasonal variations and to recession-related pressure on school funding, especially as stimulus dollars are used up," continued Paul. "On the other hand, our customers understand the value of our products to accelerate learning, and with our growing customer base, exceptional product lineup, strong balance sheet and solid cash flow, we believe we are positioned to achieve solid growth in the longer term."

Renaissance Learning added approximately 800 new customer schools during the quarter, bringing total schools worldwide that are actively using the Company's products to over 74,000. Of these, more than 30,000 are actively using at least one product running on the Renaissance Place platform.

The Company will hold a conference call at 5:00 p.m. EDT today to discuss its financial results, quarterly highlights, and business outlook. The teleconference may be accessed in listen-only mode by dialing 877-869-3847 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Please call a few minutes before the scheduled start time to ensure a proper connection.

A digital recording of the conference call will be made available on October 19, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. through October 26, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. The replay dial-in is 877-660-6853. The conference account number to access the replay is 350 and replay ID number is 332624.

Renaissance Learning, Inc.

Renaissance Learning, Inc. is the world's leading provider of computer-based assessment technology for pre-K-12 schools. Adopted by more than 74,000 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 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 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.

This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding growth prospects and management's expectations regarding orders and financial results for 2009 and future periods. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and various assumptions which management believes are reasonable. However, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results encompassed within the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the failure of AR and AM Enterprise and laptop orders to achieve expected growth targets, a decline in quiz sales that exceeds forecasts, risks associated with the implementation of the Company's strategic growth plan, dependence on educational institutions and government funding, our ability to successfully implement cost savings measures and achieve cost reductions, and other risks affecting the Company's business as described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K and later filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, which factors are incorporated herein by reference. The Company expressly disclaims a duty to provide updates to forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or other occurrences.

(tables to follow)

                              RENAISSANCE LEARNING(R), INC.
                            CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
                (dollar amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)
                                     (unaudited)


                                         Three Months         Nine Months
                                     Ended September 30,   Ended September 30,
                                        2009      2008       2009      2008

    Net sales:
      Products                       $21,941    $19,439    $63,811    $63,532
      Services                         9,813      8,761     25,278     22,100
        Total net sales               31,754     28,200     89,089     85,632

    Cost of sales:
      Products                         3,693      3,176     10,603     11,175
      Services                         3,419      3,664      8,771      9,993
        Total cost of sales            7,112      6,840     19,374     21,168

    Gross profit                      24,642     21,360     69,715     64,464

    Operating expenses:
      Product development              4,110      4,521     12,488     12,822
      Selling and marketing            9,558      8,953     26,882     27,230
      General and administrative       3,397      4,226     10,030     11,783

    Total operating expenses          17,065     17,700     49,400     51,835

    Operating income                   7,577      3,660     20,315     12,629

    Other income (expense), net          218        275        401        616

    Income before income taxes         7,795      3,935     20,716     13,245

    Income taxes                       2,590      1,365      7,474      4,722

    Net income                        $5,205     $2,570    $13,242     $8,523

    Income per share:
      Basic and Diluted                $0.18      $0.09      $0.45      $0.29

    Weighted average shares
     outstanding:
      Basic                       29,224,309 29,118,309 29,208,957 29,082,067
      Diluted                     29,224,376 29,120,940 29,208,985 29,085,529

SOURCE Renaissance Learning, Inc.

http://www.renlearn.com