Renaissance Australia
See Every Student.
02 4225 9698 Contact Support
Demo Request a demo

Salisbury High School: Knowing every reader from Term 1 with NGRT

For Salisbury High School in South Australia, improving reading comprehension is about more than test results. It’s about giving students the skills they need for life.

Meg Hughes, the school’s English and Literacy Improvement Leader, uses NGRT (New Group Reading Test) to understand every student’s reading from the start of the year. The school tests across the transition years, compares results over time and uses the data to decide who needs support and what that support looks like.

In this case study, Meg shares:

  • How NGRT helps the team know students from Term 1, with no lost term working out where to start
  • How the school uses cohort and individual reports to form intervention groups
  • Why the practical strategies were the game changer for teachers in the classroom

“The information you get from the NGRT is priceless. Without the individual student reports, we’d be going in blind, and it would take us a term to figure out what to do with a student.”

– Meg Hughes, Salisbury High School (SA)

Read the case study

How Gold Creek School Junior Site sees every student’s potential with CAT4

See how Lachlan Ferguson, Gifted and Talented Liaison Officer at Gold Creek School Junior Site in Gungahlin, ACT, uses CAT4 to build a clearer picture of how every student thinks.

Lachlan assesses ability across four cognitive domains in a single sitting. That gives him the evidence to identify high-potential learners who might otherwise go unnoticed, guide class groupings, and give teachers practical strategies to challenge and support every student, including those from EAL/D backgrounds.

Read our case study

How one Sydney primary school teacher is using Nearpod to make STEM hands-on, inclusive and genuinely exciting.

Sharon Raj is a primary STEM teacher (STEM RFF) at Dee Why Public School in New South Wales, teaching digital technology and STEM concepts to students from Kindergarten through Year 6. Originally trained in the sciences, Sharon moved into teaching after volunteering at her children’s school, drawn by a love of working with young learners. She first discovered Nearpod through the NSW Department of Education’s Technology for Learning (STEM T4L) program and now uses it to differentiate instruction, run virtual reality field trips, and create low-stakes formative assessments that help every student, including quieter learners and those for whom English is a second language, engage with confidence.

Read the case study

How the University of Technology Sydney engages every student

See how UTS College, the pathway provider to the University of Technology Sydney, uses Nearpod to transform live lessons.

By combining interactive content with real-time insights, educators can see what every student understands, increase participation across diverse cohorts, and adapt instruction instantly – not after the lesson ends.

Read our case study

Understanding the Whole Student at The Southport Preparatory School

At The Southport Preparatory School, understanding students means looking beyond academic results alone. In this case study, school leaders and teachers explain how combining insight into cognitive ability with student wellbeing data has helped them gain a clearer, more meaningful picture of every learner.

By using CAT4 to understand how students think, alongside PASS to explore attitudes, confidence and engagement, the school has been able to identify hidden potential, recognise uneven learner profiles and better understand the factors influencing learning. This joined-up approach has supported more informed conversations, targeted classroom strategies and proactive wellbeing support.

Read the case study

Using Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) to Identify and Nurture Academic Potential in students at Hammond Park Secondary College, Perth.

School: Hammond Park Secondary College (WA)
Contact: Karen Corbett, Pathways to Success Coordinator
Focus: Introducing CAT4 to identify and support high-potential learners in the Academic Extension Programme
Key Themes: Personalised learning | Cognitive insight | Parent engagement | Teacher collaboration | Data-driven progress

Read the case study

Citipointe Christian College

For students at Citipointe Christian College, reading isn’t just homework – it’s part of who they are. From their first steps in the Home Reading Program to the freedom of choosing books through Accelerated Reader, every child experiences reading as something personal, engaging, and rewarding.

Teachers guide students through daily reading sessions, using Star Reading data to personalise goals and celebrate progress along the way. In every classroom, children discuss books, take quizzes, and set their next challenges – building confidence, comprehension, and a lasting connection to literature.

With more than 363 million words read by Term 3, 2025, Citipointe’s community of readers continues to grow stronger each year, driven by shared passion and purpose.

Read the case study
Citipointe Christain College

Kennedy Baptist College: 400 million words in three years

Kennedy Baptist College in Murdoch, Western Australia, has long been proud of its vibrant reading culture. Every English lesson begins with ten minutes of reading, the library runs fortnightly sessions with Years 7 to 10, and their own annual Champions Read competition generates thousands of hours of reading time across the school. Yet, as Head of Research and Study Natasha Georgiou explains, there was a missing piece. 

“We needed to have some form of data to see how students’ reading comprehension was progressing,” Natasha Georgiou recalls. “NAPLAN and PAT didn’t show progress throughout the current year.” 

Read the case study

Race to a Million at Emmanuel College

This case study captures Emmanuel College’s library-led reading programme-clear routines, inclusive recognition (including the Millionaires’ Club), and data-informed adjustments that strengthened confidence and engagement. Literacy growth was tracked and supported with Accelerated Reader (AR) and STAR Reading.

Read the case study
Emmanuel College

Transforming Literacy Across Campuses: The Story of Australian Islamic College and Renaissance

When it comes to nurturing a love of reading and measurable literacy progress, few stories are as compelling as that of Australian Islamic College (AIC). With six campuses across Perth & Adelaide and over a decade of using Renaissance solutions, AIC has not only embedded literacy into the fabric of school life, but consistently outperformed national averages, and the data proves it. 

Read the case study

Using CAT4 to identify gifted students and support those with additional learning needs

St Andrew’s Cathedral School transformed its approach to gifted education by adopting CAT4 to assess student ability, not just achievement. The data revealed hidden potential – especially in students with learning challenges – and now supports personalised teaching, accurate class placement, and better parent communication across the whole school.

Read the case study
St Andrews Cathedral School
Ashfield Public School Case Study

Student reading in a classroom Making Ashfield Public a reading school: A community effort

A holistic approach to literacy

The integration of AR at Ashfield Public School is not merely about tracking reading levels; it represents a holistic approach to literacy that involves students, teachers, librarians, and school leadership. Accelerated Reader has fostered a love for reading by encouraging student choice and active participation, which has transformed the school’s learning environment and enriched the overall educational experience. 

Read the case study

Consistent growth at Oakleigh South Primary School

Fifteen Years of Reading Success: How Oakleigh South Primary Transformed Literacy with Renaissance

Oakleigh South Primary School is located in the South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. They introduced Renaissance over 15 years ago to students from Grade 2-6. Students use STAR Reading, Accelerated Reader and the digital book platform myON.

Read the case study
Ashfield Public School Case Study

Improving literacy skills at Ardlethan Central School

The challenge: a reading program to improve literacy in primary and secondary students

We are a Central School so have children from K-12, and we have been running Star Reading and Accelerated Reader for approximately 13 years.

At the time the NSW government had a big focus on improving literacy and numeracy skills, so our librarian was looking at programs to implement across the school.

Read the case study

Request a demo