RENAISSANCE LEARNING UK LIMITED

Renaissance Star Assessments

Low-stakes, 10–20-minute computer-adaptive assessments for students in R-Y11. These reading and maths assessments provide educators with reliable and actionable data, informing planning and teaching. Star Early Literacy informs early literacy development while Star Assessments (Reading and Maths) also guide students to appropriate practice in Accelerated Reader , myON and Freckle.

Features

• Delivered digitally using the power of adaptive testing
• Tailored to each students’ capabilities
• Concise, valid, and reliable data
• Instant reports with comprehensive scores and analysis
• Attainment and progress benchmarked against national data
• Reliable progress tracking year-on-year
• Correlated with the Key Stage 2 national tests
• Reliable progress data tracking year-on-year
• Curriculum-aligned learning progressions identify next steps to support learning
• Integrates with Renaissance practice solutions: Accelerated Reader, myON, Freckle

Benefits

• Screen an entire class in just 20 minutes
• Use the same assessment with all ages and abilities
• Assess students as frequently as needed, at no extra cost
• Reduce teacher workload
• Tailor reports to meet your needs
• Empower teachers with unlimited customer support and flexible training packages
• Monitor students longitudinally, even between schools
• Promote consistency across the school and/or trust

£665 an instance a year

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at procurementframeworks@renlearn.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

627408425333934

Contact

Procurement Frameworks
0207 184 4000
procurementframeworks@renlearn.co.uk

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: Yes, but can also be used as a standalone service
• What software services is the service an extension to: Freckle: data from Star Maths integrates with Freckle to provide personalised practice for students and is included in the cost of the subscription. ; ; Data from Star Reading integrates with Accelerated Reader and myON to provide personalised reading levels for students and is included in the cost of the subscription.
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: N/A
• System requirements:
  • Internet connection, web browser: Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari 7>
  • Browser cookies must be enabled for logging in purposes
  • 7-inch screen plus recommended for tablet use
  • A sound card or headphones for audio features
  • Screen resolution 1024 x 768 or higher for best performance

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Customer support is available 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Renaissance typically responds to queries within one business day.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web chat support is accessible: All staff are able to access web chat from their product homepage and can expect a response within 4-seconds from a member of Customer Support. They will be treated with respect and patience, no matter their query. Answers are provided in a step-by-step format where applicable and users are given the option to receive a transcript of the conversation via email.
• Web chat accessibility testing: N/A
• Onsite support: No
• Support levels: All users receive the same level of high quality Customer Support via phone, email, web chat, and social media at no extra cost. ; ; Onboarding training is included in the price of all new purchases (see pricing document), offering 12 months of unlimited access to two introductory product webinars (repeated regularly throughout the week), 1:1 coaching clinics, training resources, and a 1:1 training session. This flexible package allows all staff to attend training at a time that suits them, removing the need to cascade training. They can attend as frequently as they require to confidently and successfully launch Star Assessments. ; ; Schools are encouraged to retain a training package on renewal. Users may select from three packages, each offering 12 months of unlimited access to:; ; - Essential (£190): training resources and coaching clinics; - Enhanced (£380): all of the above plus a calendar of exclusive CPD sessions; - Premium (£570): all of the above plus 1-hour of 1:1 training and exclusive workshops and events. ; ; Training is provided remotely by default. Onsite training days are charged at £1,210.
• Support available to third parties: No

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Professional development is compulsory for all new customers and recommended during subscription renewal. During their first year, new customers have unlimited access to an extensive timetable of webinars, Coaching Clinics and a 1:1 coaching session, along with product guides and resources embedded into the products and the company website. Customers have access to customer support 8am–5pm via phone, email, and live chat.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
  • Other
• Other documentation formats:
  • Video guides
  • Live/Recorded webinars
• End-of-contract data extraction: Users can download data either as PDF reports or in CSV format. Administrators can control which accounts have authorisation to view/extract data.
• End-of-contract process: Users will be informed that their subscription is approaching renewal by their account manager with plenty of notice. Should they not wish to renew their subscription, users will receive a grace period of 60 days during which their data is retained. At this point, they will be contacted by the Data Team and given one month's notice before their site is deleted. Should customers wish to retain copies of their data, this can be downloaded by the school administrator either in PDF or CSV format. Renaissance can also support the transfer of individual students’ data between sites to allow for longitudinal tracking with permission from both schools. These services are provided at no additional cost.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: The program's interface is responsive and will resize itself to fit any screen, though performance is best on screens 7" and larger.
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: None or don’t know
• Description of service interface: A secure, cloud-based website built specifically for each customer.
• Accessibility standards: None or don’t know
• Description of accessibility: Star Assessments have a number of features that help accommodate students with special needs:; All assessments are computer adaptive, allowing the same assessment to be used across most ability ranges (teachers can also change the starting level of their first assessment for students' comfort); all question time limits can be extended by teachers on an individual student basis; large norming samples allow standardised scores to be provided on both attainment and progress, allowing teachers to track students against peers with comparable education histories; instructional planning reports/dashboards highlight suggest next steps for individuals and groups, no matter their age or ability.
• Accessibility testing: N/A
• API: No
• Customisation available: No

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Star Assessments are statically scaled to accommodate expected traffic patterns.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Educators have live, on-demand access to a wide range of metrics - from license usage and participation rates, to attainment and progress scores. Metrics can be tailored to suit their needs; filtering reports by grouping and/or characteristic and personalising the default benchmarks to align with that of the school or trust. Metrics are available in report, extract, and dashboard formats to cater to all needs and preferences. Administrators can manage access by role and individual to maintain privacy and security.
• Reporting types: Real-time dashboards

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: Other locations
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Supplier-defined controls
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest: Physical access control, complying with another standard
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
• Equipment disposal approach: In-house destruction process

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Data can be exported in PDF and CSV format in-product and on-demand. Permission to export data is limited to administrators, unless others are assigned additional permissions through this account.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats: PDF
• Data import formats: CSV

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: Renaissance makes every effort to ensure its products are available to customers and several layers of technical controls and monitoring processes are in place to reduce downtime. Further details can be found in our terms & conditions: https://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R60994.pdf.
• Approach to resilience: Renaissance deploys solutions on enterprise class hardware deployed in an enterprise class data centre built around high availability and resilience. Redundant hardware, networking, and internet connectivity are maintained and the environment is fully virtualised, which supports high availability and fail-over. Capacity, performance, system age, system health, and other factors are closely monitored to ensure business and customer needs are met. Extensive security features are in place including: antivirus software; firewalls; regular patching, updating, and hardening processes; and application security testing to ensure connectivity protection. We monitor all hosted systems 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using various methods, and any suspicious activity is promptly investigated and addressed. More details can be found in our Data Security and Privacy Overview: https://www.renlearn.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Renaissance_Vol-4-Lot-6_AQ2_Information-Security-Overview.pdf. Further questions may be directed to our Security officer at infosecurity@renaissance.com.
• Outage reporting: Our system status is available for view 24/7 at: https://apps.renlearn.com/rpportal/rpstatus/rpstatus.aspx. Support is also available for system status updates.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Other user authentication: A unique, anonymous website address for each customer.
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Our processes are built around the principle of least privilege: a subject should be given only those privileges needed for it to complete its task. Renaissance sets high standards for its employees and agents; all staff whose roles necessitate access to customer data are required to have an enhanced DBS check, and all staff complete 1.5 hours of privacy and security training every year.; ; To control access to customer administration accounts, password resets to this account require written confirmation from the account holder or Headteacher.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication: 2-factor authentication

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: Between 6 months and 12 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: Between 6 months and 12 months
• How long system logs are stored for: Between 6 months and 12 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: No
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: Cyber Essentials application in progress

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: No
• Security governance approach: Security is a critical aspect of Renaissance’s business as Renaissance is subject to global data privacy & security regulations. We abide by our regulatory obligations and we strive to exceed the security expectations of the educators we serve.
• Information security policies and processes: Renaissance policies and procedures are aligned to CIS Top 18 and NIST CSF. An Information Security & Privacy Committee is charged with evaluating all security and privacy related policies, procedures, and operations, along with products, product development, and product systems, in order to identify, monitor, and protect against potential vulnerabilities and risks. These evaluations are used to develop policy, practices, and processes aimed at mitigating or removing vulnerability and risk. Evaluations also inform strategic direction for information security and privacy programs. The committee reports directly to the Executive Leadership Team. Additionally, Renaissance’s employees and agents are obligated to protect all customer data and ensure its security, receiving 1.5 hours of data and security training every year. More details can be found in our Data Security and Privacy Overview: https://www.renlearn.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Renaissance_Vol-4-Lot-6_AQ2_Information-Security-Overview.pdf. Further questions may be directed to our Security officer at infosecurity@renaissance.com.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: All changes are developed, tested, and deployed through well-defined change management protocols and procedures. Agile and Scrum protocols are in use. Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) is run at each phase of the deployment cycle, testing our software for exploitable weaknesses and vulnerabilities at each stage of the development process. Vulnerability scans are also run on a; regular basis, along with penetration testing to validate controls.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) is run against all our applications on a regular basis. The DAST process, which is an integral piece of our software development cycle, tests our software for exploitable weaknesses and vulnerabilities, such as those on OWASP Top 10, at each stage of the development process. Active and passive vulnerability scans also run on a regular basis. Patches are deployed to development and test groups shortly after they are made available by vendors. After a testing period, generally one week, patches are applied to all systems. The process is automated and closely monitored.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Our proactive risk management plan ensures we stay up to date on security best practices, government policy and legislation, threats and vulnerabilities, and new technologies. This includes EDR alerts, firewall alerts, network utilisation alerts, and various application and host-level alerts. A standing Incident Response Team are in place to respond immediately to any incident: 1. Severing the connection of the intruder to the compromised system(s) 2. Activating the Incident Response Plan. 3. Assessing damage from the intrusion. 4. Assess the intrusion and correcting security vulnerabilities. 5. Reporting assessment, damage, and remedies to the data owner.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Renaissance maintains an Incident Response Plan and procures base on NIST CSF. Users can report concerns via their usual channels or directly to our data protection officers at privacy@renlearn.co.uk. Renaissance’s employees and agents are obligated to protect all customer data and ensure its security, receiving 1.5 hours of data and security training every year. Once counter measures have been enacted, the Data Protection Officer will immediately notify any affected customers, with further information on the incident, and measures being taken to prevent future occurrences, being sent within 30-days. All incidents are reported to the Information Security & Privacy Committee.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Conforms to a recognised standard, but self-assessed

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Equal opportunity:

  Equal opportunity

  Renaissance is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. All colleagues have the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices. ; ; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core tenets at Renaissance. DEI Leaders, an Inclusion Council, and DEI working groups are responsible for ensuring that under represented groups are represented within Renaissance's culture, working practices, and business strategy. A global Inclusion Survey is run annually to collect insights and have led to changes in policy, training, and the creation of employee resource groups (ERGs). ; ; ERGs are employee-led groups, sponsored by HR and a member of the Executive Team. They offer additional support and career development to under-represented groups such as LGBTQ+ and Persons of Colour, as well as providing insights into how Renaissance could better deliver on its commitment. The impact of these groups can be seen throughout Renaissance, from the the popular One Renaissance Book Group to the introduction of DEI targets in content teams, helping to promote under represented authors within schools and ensuring that all students are represented within our platforms. ; ; Renaissance's job advertisements, interviewing procedures, monitoring and review, promotion, and complaints procedures and best practices have all been set out by Human Resources. For more information, please see Renaissance's Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: https://www.renlearn.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Equal-Employment-Opportunity-Policy-Statement.pdf. Renaissance has also made a commitment to the Modern Slavery Act which can be found at www.renlearn.co.uk/about-us/policies.

Pricing

• Price: £665 an instance a year
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at procurementframeworks@renlearn.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.