Technology & Learning November 2007 - (Page 39) ADVERTISEMENT BEST PRACTICES IN SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY Round Rock Bolsters ELL Program Using Technology Throughout America, educators are looking towards interactive classroom technology to redesign or reinvigorate their expanding ELL program needs. Round Rock ISD, a progressive central Texas district with a student population of 39,000, wanted to redesign their ELL program in a way that would bolster academic success across the spectrum while closing the achievement gap for their ELL students. The solution? The DLC (Digital Learning Classroom). The DLC began as a project to examine the potential of interactive whiteboards in ELL classrooms as a means to enhance student comprehension of curricular concepts and to increase overall student achievement for the district’s diverse population. A district committee reviewed current interactive whiteboard technology on the market, and chose Promethean’s Activclassroom (Activboard, Activslate, Activote –Activstudio) for the backbone of the Digital Learning Classroom (DLC) project. Developed by and exclusively for K-12 educators, Promethean provides industry-leading teaching and learning solutions for teachers to prepare and deliver digital lessons that increase comprehension of key concepts by utilizing visual, audio and kinesthetic delivery of instruction. Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) is Texas’ high stakes assessment mandated by NCLB legislation. “We wanted to use quantitative data to determine the extent to which Promethean could help close the achievement gap of ELL and mainstream low income students in mathematics and reading, said Ms. ” Alcorta. “When reviewing the Texas TAKS data for 2007, Round Rock’s goal of increasing student achievement for ELL students was realized. ” Promethean Technology Increases Achievement in Math and Reading For third grade, the math ELL pass rate in classrooms with Promethean was 84.5% compared to 60% for similar classrooms without the technology. For fifth grade, the math ELL pass rate was 88.9% in classrooms with Promethean compared to 66.0% for similar classrooms without the technology. In both grades, the percentage of students in Promethean classrooms achieving the TAKS Commended level Test Scores Up Within 1 Year Through the Digital Learning Classroom Project, the district’s study evaluated third and fifth grade test scores of classrooms using the Promethean Activclassroom, compared to similar classrooms without the technology. “Our goal is to ensure that the strategies we employ meet the needs of our rapidly changing student population, said Laura Alcorta, Director of ” Student Diversity and Learning. “We implemented Promethean and the results are evident through the rise in TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) performance. ” 1-888-652-2848 www.prometheanworld.com was higher. The TAKS Commended achievement level indicates performance at a level that is considerably above the state passing standard and shows a thorough understanding of the knowledge and skills at the grade level tested. In Texas, a student earns “Commended Performa nce” by making a 2400 scale score. In third grade math, 50.0% of ELL students received the TAKS Commended rating, compared to 8.5% in other classrooms. For fifth grade math, the percentage for TAKS Commended rating was 35.9% in Promethean classrooms, compared with 28.2% in other classrooms. For TAKS Reading Performance, the results are admirable in both third and fifth grade. In third grade, the percentage of ELL students who achieved the TAKS Commended level was 10% higher than comparable classrooms without the Promethean technology. For Fifth grade, the TAKS pass rate for ELL students was 100% in Promethean classrooms compared to 73.2% in other classrooms without the Promethean technology. “Based on these findings, we found that Round Rock significantly increased student achievement levels for ELL students using Promethean through the Digital Learning Classroom project, said ” Ms. Alcorta. Based on the learning gains witnessed this year, we are confident even greater results will be realized in the second year of implementation. ” http://www.prometheanworld.com http://www.prometheanworld.com
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