Results of first comprehensive study of Maine’s pioneering ed-tech initiative show promise
Maine’s vanguard program to supply seventh and eighth graders with laptops, the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, is working to improve students’ writing scores, according to the first in a series of studies evaluating the program.
November 8, 2007—Maine’s pioneering program to give every middle school student a laptop computer is leading to better writing, according to a new study.
Despite creating a language all their own using eMail and text messages, students are still learning standard English, and their writing scores have improved on a standardized test since laptop computers were distributed, the study says.
Moreover, the students’ writing skills improved even when they were using pen and paper, not just a computer keyboard.
“If you concentrate on whether laptops are helping kids achieve 21st-century skills, this demonstrates that it’s happening in writing,” said David Silvernail, director of the Maine Education Policy Research Institute at the University of Southern Maine.
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The study, authored by Silvernail and Aaron Gritter, is the first in a series in which educators aim to evaluate Maine’s first-in-the-nation laptop program.
The program, which seeks to eliminate the so-called “digital divide” between wealthy and poor students, kicked off with distribution of about 36,000 computers to each seventh- and eighth-grader in Maine public schools in 2002 and 2003.
The study focused on eighth-graders’ scores on the Maine Educational Assessment to see if the standardized test results backed up the perception of both students and teachers alike that laptops have led to better writing skills. (See “Maine laptop program gets high marks in mid-year survey”.)
State Education Commissioner Sue Gendron said the study represents the first concrete evidence that backs up what most educators already believe: that the laptop program, known as the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, is working.
“It’s about enhancing learning opportunities, and the evidence and the data we’ve received in this report substantiates that this is the right approach,” she said.
Maine Education Assessment scores indicate 49 percent of eighth-graders were proficient in 2005 in writing, compared with 29 percent in 2000.
And it wasn’t just a function of taking the writing portion of the test using a computer and keyboard. Students who used pen and paper, and those who used a computer keyboard, showed similar improvements on the test, Silvernail said.
During the same period, math scores were unchanged and science scores improved by 2 points, while reading scores actually dropped 3 points, Silvernail said. Writing showed the biggest improvement of 7 points, from 530 to 537, he said.
Silvernail said it’s unrealistic to expect big increases on standardized test scores that are tied to laptops, but writing is the exception.
Laptops make it easier for students to edit their copy and make changes without getting writer’s cramp, he said. As a result, students are writing and revising their work more frequently, which leads to better results. And it’s important, Silvernail said, that those skills translated when the test was taken with pen and paper, too.
Virginia Rebar, principal at Piscataquis Community Middle School, said she was not surprised by the results, because language skills are being developed every time the computers are used, in social studies and other subjects beyond language arts.
“It’s just a lot easier to edit, to self-critique. Our teachers engage students in a lot of peer editing. Not only are they helping themselves, but they’re helping each other as they get to their final projects,” Rebar said.
Links:
Maine Learning Technology Initiative
Maine Education Policy Research Institute
Study: “Maine’s Middle School Laptop Program: Creating Better Writers”
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Posted by John Armentrout at Thursday, November 08, 2007, 08:21 PM.
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Use of laptops in curriculum results in greater writing achievement
AUGUSTA – Education Commissioner Susan Gendron and Governor John Baldacci hailed the results of a study released on Tuesday that offers, for the first time, quantifiable data showing that the use of laptops in classrooms improves learning.
The Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) at the University of Southern Maine released today the results of a study, “Maine’s Middle School Laptop Program: Creating Better Writers.” The study shows that the Maine Learning Technology Initiative has had a clear and significant positive impact on student writing achievement. In fact, twice as many students met “proficiency” standards in writing in the highest-laptop-use group as compared to the lowest-use group.
Maine has been a leader in the deployment of laptops and learning through technology – all eyes around the nation have been on Maine, and an important question to be answered was whether or not laptops are having the desired impact on learning. MEPRI conducted the study at the request of the Legislature. The study is the first in a series aimed at evaluating Maine’s first-in-the-nation laptop program.
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Gendron said the report shows promise for the future of technology in supporting the learning of 21st century skills.
“The days are gone when our kids could learn math and reading and go out into the world and be successful,” Gendron said. “Whether going on to a four-year college, or to a job in an automotive shop, our students need problem-solving skills, the ability to research, experience working in teams, and other critical 21st century skills. This study shows one way in which students are improving learning through the use of technology.”
Gov. John Baldacci, who has supported the laptop program, as well as the effort to expand the program into high school grades, said the report validates the anecdotal evidence we have been hearing from teachers, principals, students and others.
“Since the implementation of the laptops initiative, we have all wanted to know what kind of impact they would have on student learning and achievement,” Baldacci said. “Until now, we have had only anecdotal evidence of success. For the first time we have proof that laptops make a difference in learning, and we also have quantifiable support for students’ and teachers’ belief that laptops make a difference in teaching and learning.”
The report by Dr. David Silvernail will undoubtedly be viewed closely both here in Maine and nationally as other states continue to watch Maine closely because of its nation-leading efforts in the implementation of 1-to-1 laptop use and Maine’s incorporation of laptops into the middle school curriculum.
MEPRI plans to conduct additional research on the impact of laptops in the future.
Here are some of the key findings of the report:
• Use of laptops and a technology instructional program contributed to significant improvement in writing scores for eighth graders from 2000 to 2005 (laptops introduced in 2002).
• An average student in 2005 scored better than approximately two thirds of all students in 2000.
• In 2000, only 29.1 percent of eighth-grade students scored at the proficiency level. In 2005, the percentage increased to 41.4 percent of eighth-grade students meeting the MEA writing proficiency.
• Students who used the laptops in all phases of the writing process scored the highest on the MEA writing test. In fact, twice as many students in the highest-use group as in the lowest-use group met proficiency (43.7% compared to 21%).
• Writing scores improved for all students – regardless of the MEA test medium, i.e., online versus longhand. Laptops in classrooms helped students become better writers in general, not just better writers while using laptops.
• Over 80 percent of the teachers report that the quality of their students’ work has improved since the implementation of the laptop program.
The MEPRI report can be accessed online at: [ http://www.usm.maine.edu/cepare ]www.usm.maine.edu/cepare.
Posted by John Armentrout at Wednesday, October 24, 2007, 12:07 PM.
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