What does that mean? Explore the graphic organizer below to see the brainstorm results of K-12 educators as we explore this question based on the article “A Complete Definition of College and Career Readiness” by David T. Conley. This session was hosted by Indiana State University’s Sycamore Educator’s Day. Please post your thoughts below!
click the graphic to explore
The primary reason we pursued a 1:1 initiative and a transition from print to digital resources is for the increased ability to give differentiated, current, relevant and and engaging curriculum that addresses an increased number of learning intelligences. I want to share with you some statistics today that show how well it is working.
When we started using Achieve 3000, our program that provides differentiated content for reading comprehension of informational text, we immediately discovered that the number of students below grade level in this area was greater than we thought. Previous measures had given us data that included both fiction and non-fiction, and were based on old grade level bands for Lexile measures, so we didn’t have an accurate picture. Initial assessments with Achieve showed us that 80% of Southwest Parke Students were below grade level. Not good. What is good is how fast that’s changing with the digital tools we are using. In the report we ran in early February, after just one semester of using the program, we found a 9% change in that statistic! It’s working.
But wait… there’s more! Not only were students below grade level, many were significantly below. I won’t clutter this page with all 11 graphs, but take a look at this one as a representation of what we’re seeing. Initial tests showed the average student Lexile to be 224 below the low end of the 3rd grade range. At the end of January, they were only 90 Lexile points below that line. In a very short time we are closing the gap. It’s working.
We are using a number of tools that I believe are making this kind of difference. Achieve 3000 is just the one I have the most concrete data from to prove it. This is what happens when we use technology in all the right ways, proving differentiated, dynamic content that just can’t be found in a textbook. It has to be done right, but when it is…
Taking the Plunge
At Southwest Parke we are using a huge number of digital resources that are changing the way we do school. It is incredible how much quality content is available that’s free for education. However, there are a few areas that are worth some investment. Achieve 3000 is a differentiated reading program we have purchased, focusing on comprehension of informational text. After conducting an initial assessment, Achieve delivers news articles supplied by The Associated Press to each student at their unique reading level. Students answer opinion polls, complete comprehension questions based on the article, and write responses to critical thinking questions. In doing so, they see exponential growth in their reading comprehension skills, and teachers receive continuous data to guide their instruction.
You can discover a lot about exactly how the program works on their website, but I’ve put together a short video so you can hear directly from a couple of our students and see some of our actual results. There is no doubt that adding more digital content and greater differentiation into our curriculum is benefiting student learning.
Why We Made The Investment
Although we have made lots of progress in recent years, our students were still not showing the growth and success we wanted them to have (you may be able to relate). We know that differentiating learning produces results because it provides each student with exactly what they need. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that concept, it just was so very difficult without the technology tools in place. Our first experience was with ALEKS to provide differentiated learning in math. We saw what a huge difference it made and sought something to provide the same benefits in reading comprehension, recognizing that there is no skill more fundamental to success. A student who doesn’t understand the non-fiction text they read will struggle in all academic areas. Achieve 3000 seemed to be the perfect solution at the perfect time, as we were also implementing 1:1 and digital curriculum initiatives. We began using Achieve in grades 3-9. When we saw such rapid results and realized that our freshmen needed more time to close the achievement gap, we expanded to provide Achieve for grades 10-12 as well.
The Early Harvest
As shown in the video, we have seen a very quick return on our investment with increased student Lexiles, but there have been other positive outcomes. We’ve seen students come alive that had no interest in school or the quality of their work before. The immediate feedback they receive, the fact that the content is on their personal level, and the motivating elements are appealing to both non-traditional and typical students. Here’s a story that didn’t make the video…. I met with a junior who is using Achieve to help him pass the ECA test. Although he is quite intelligent, he is a student who makes it known how much he loathes school, and his lack of success shows his attitude toward education. I asked him how he felt about Achieve, expecting the same sort of answer I had always heard from him. Instead, he paused and quietly said, “I don’t hate it.” If you know students like this, that’s saying a lot. We have students who would never complete homework assignments that are now getting on and completing several Achieve articles per week from home. The high achievers are benefiting as well because the program puts no limits on how much they can advance.
Keys to Success
Teachers – As with any resource, you get out of this program what you put into it. Although powerful enough to produce some results even on “auto pilot”, the real success comes when teachers interweave their reading, writing and language arts instruction into their use of Achieve 3000 articles. It is also a very effective means of providing complex informational text in science, social studies, health and other content areas.
Students – Students have to learn to take some responsibility for their own learning. This is one of the added benefits, teaching them to be more independent learners. A student who skims the articles and clicks through questions isn’t going to grow. The program does have some things built in to catch this sort of behavior, but a high level of accountability for quality of work goes a long way. I think it also helps if the students learn exactly why their reading skills are so crucial to their success later in life and know some specific things to do (and what NOT to do) when they are using the program. To that end I created a Student Guide to Achieve 3000, which has been presented in most classes.
Administration – Monitor data. I can’t emphasize that enough. Achieve provides an enormous amount of customizable reports that paint a good picture of progress or the lack thereof. If students aren’t growing, drilling into the data often reveals the reason, which can then be corrected. You won’t be successful with a weight loss program unless you monitor your food and exercise. You won’t stay on budget unless you track your spending. Students won’t grow to their fullest potential with any learning program unless you use data to guide instruction and implementation.
Ready to Transform Learning Through Differentiation!?!
Watch the promo video below and visit Achieve’s website to learn more about how the program works and the research behind it. Contact me if you have questions you’d like to ask a real school instead of a company or if you’d like to visit us to see it in action! If you’d like to schedule a presentation, contact Diane Baldessari (pssst…. she’ll probably bring snacks!).
Awaken 