The U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) recently updated its online database of middle school math interventions and found only one program to have strong evidence of a positive effect on student achievement, with no contradictory evidence.

The WWC rates the effects of an intervention in one of seven ways: positive, potentially positive, mixed, no discernible effects, potentially negative, or negative. One program, the I CAN Learn® IIS, earned  the highest score, a “positive” rating. Ratings of eight other math intervention programs ranged from no discernible effects to potentially positive effects.

The WWC publishes reports that evaluate research on curricula and instructional strategies that are designed to increase student outcomes.  The I CAN Learn® IIS’  rating is based on an evaluation of five recent studies which included 16,519 eighth-grade students from middle schools in California, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana.

The WWC rating of effectiveness takes into account four factors: the quality of the research design, the statistical significance of the findings, the size of the difference between participants in the intervention and the comparison conditions, and the consistency in findings across studies.

Two recent examples of  schools boosting their math scores highlight the WWC results. At Florida’s Indiantown Middle School, a school with an 80 percent Hispanic enrollment, roughly half of which are English Language Learners, the percentage of students scoring at or above state grade levels in math has increased from 38 percent (2003) to 67 percent (2009) since implementing the I CAN Learn® IIS six years ago.

At Granite Public Schools in Oklahoma, the percentage of eighth grade students passing the state’s Algebra I test more than doubled, increasing from 43 percent in 2007 to 91 percent in 2009.  This occurred in the school’s first two years using the I CAN Learn® IIS.

“We are proud of the work that we have done in the past to achieve the What Works Clearinghouse’s positive effects rating and continue to improve the program every day to keep it,” said Jacqueline Canales, curriculum specialist for the I CAN Learn® IIS.

One positive influence cited by principal Debbie Henderson is the use of the Web-based, interactive software program I CAN Learn® Instructional Improvement System.

“The I CAN Learn® Instructional Improvement System helps our teachers reach students who have previously not done well in math,” explained Henderson. She added that the system allowed gifted students to progress even while slower students might need more time to master the material.

Independent, peer-reviewed studies have concluded that the I CAN Learn® Instructional Improvement System closes the achievement gap by nearly one-third on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In 2009, the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse noted “positive effects in math achievement.”

Classrooms in 32 states are currently using the I CAN Learn® Instructional Improvement System, and recently California and Oklahoma adopted it as a textbook.

In California, the system is being used in 36 schools, including one school in the Los Angeles Unified School District which saw a 175% increase in the number of 8th graders passing state tests after  one year’s use.

Pat Chawannakul, an 8th grade math teacher at Sepulveda Middle School in Los Angeles Unified School District noted how the system affects student performance. “All students are individually working for mastery and success at their own level,” said Chawannakul.  ”I find that students are not afraid to ask questions because they are not being judged by the rest of the class.”

The number of students meeting ESEA requirements at Sepulveda Middle increase by nearly 40 percent since they started using the program in 2005.

The National Education Association’s NEA Academy has announced it has partnered with I CAN Learn to help both K-12 and college mathematics educators improve content knowledge and learn new classroom strategies.

The I CAN Learn system offers online professional development courses on a number of math-related topics, including building math concepts and process and communication skills, improving math reasoning skills, increasing math vocabulary knowledge, and presenting strategies for finding contextual meaning. Each 50-hour course allows the user to progress at his or her own pace through depth audio and video presentations by a diverse group of lecturers.

NEA members will have access to the system’s professional development courses for math education in grades 3 through 5, grades 6 through 8, and pre-algebra. “The NEA Academy’s mission is to provide educational professionals access to effective professional development courses that they can take anytime and anywhere,” said Mark Stevens, vice president of professional and Web solutions for NEA Member Benefits. “The I CAN Learn system offers outstanding courses designed to bolster content knowledge and raise the bar for quality math instruction.”

Members who take the courses through the partnership are eligible to receive 2 continuing education units for each completed course, subject to approval by state and local educational certification agencies. Further information about the partnership and CEU eligibility can be found here.

INDIANTOWN — After incorporating a computer program into daily lessons six years ago, Indiantown Middle School has seen a 35 percent gain in students scoring at or above grade level in math.

It’s the only school in Martin County to use the I CAN Learn software that teaches mathematical concepts.

Lorraine Gine, an eighth-grade math teacher, said she can’t imagine being without the I CAN Learn program, along with her traditional whiteboard.

“It would be like going back to the Dark Ages,” Gine said. “It would be like taking phones and televisions away. This is the future of education.”

The $300,000 program is paid for with grants and included 30 lab stations, the software, the server, the furniture in the classroom and three years of maintenance, said Principal Debbie Henderson.

Two years ago, Uzziah Davis struggled with math. Now, an eighth-grader, Davis is no longer struggling but excelling in the subject with an A.

“There is a tutor that helps me before I take the quiz and all the notes are given at the end to make sure I know what is important and I didn’t miss anything,” Davis said.

Teachers personalize lesson plans for students who work at their own level and at their own pace, Henderson said. A student is tested on each concept before moving on to the next. The program is used with advanced fifth-graders and in small group sessions with sixth- and seventh-graders.

“The ability to differentiate instruction is a key to student achievement and gives us flexibility,” Henderson said.

In 2001, Hidden Oaks Middle School, Murray Middle School and Stuart Middle School scored an “A” in math while Indiantown Middle School scored a “C.” In 2008-2009, all Martin County middle schools scored an “A” in math, including Indiantown Middle School, according to the Florida Department of Education’s school accountability reports.

The 30-station math classroom lab is used by the 100 eighth-grade students. They watch video tutorials and are required to keep an updated notebook. While one student is learning algebraic equations, another student could be learning geometry. If a student does not understand a concept, he or she can ask the classroom teacher for assistance and further explanation

Eighth-grader Eulalia Matias said she likes how the lessons are presented and the ability to rewind lessons she did not understand.

Gine believes that using computers has become a natural way for students to interact in the classroom and only has complaints from students when it is time to leave the math lab.

Indiantown Middle School, designated a Title I school, receives federal funds because of its large population of low-income students. In 2004, Henderson chose to use the school’s Title 1 funding and a matching federal grant to purchase the I CAN Learn Program for eighth-grade students. After success with the program, she bought another 30 lab stations, for use for fifth-to seventh-grade students in small group settings.

Public schools can use the additional federal funding however they decide to help meet student’s educational goals, said Cathleen Brennan, spokeswoman for the Martin County School District.

“There are many supplemental programs used at schools throughout the district, with each one chosen based on the unique needs of students,” Brennan said.

Pamela Peterson-Daly, an eighth-grade math teacher at Indiantown Middle School, said the I CAN Learn program is challenging her teaching skills and helping her become a better teacher.

“It keeps me on my toes,” she said. “If one student raises their hands and needs help they may be working on one math concept while another student is working on a completely different concept.”

Gine agreed: “This frees me up to help others. Learning doesn’t stop.”

Columbia, Tenn. – Maury County schools are planning to expand the use of a software program that they say is extremely effective in helping to teach students algebra.

The school system wants the commission to allow it to use $231,075 in leftover funds to purchase computers, furniture and a software program called I CAN Learn.

All of the system’s eighth-graders started using the I CAN Learn program to learn algebra at the beginning of this year. Students receive electronic lessons and work problems at computer terminals with monitors and headphones.

“It really engages all students,” Director of Schools Eddie Hickman said. “It pushes them to improve.”

School officials say the program also allows instructors to spend more time working individually with students who are struggling. The money will be used to provide an I CAN Learn classroom at Central High School for students who need extra help in math, as well as funding a lab at Spring Hill Middle School.

Hickman said the district will not have data on the program’s effectiveness until the end of the year, but so far, teachers say it has been a success.

California made the largest embrace of digital textbooks this summer when it approved 10 free high school math and science titles developed by college professors and the CK-12 Foundation, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit aimed at lowering the cost of educational materials. The titles were approved as meeting at least 90 percent of California’s academic standards, with the state leaving the choice to use them up to individual schools.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) hopes they will. His digital textbook initiative is meant to cut costs in the severely cash-strapped state. (Given that the average textbook costs $100, he argued, the state could save $400 million if its 2 million high school students used digital math and science texts.) The initiative also aims to replace aging hardbound books that don’t teach students about the Iraq war, the country’s first black president or the Human Genome Project.

“The textbooks are outdated, as far as I’m concerned, and there’s no reason why our schools should have our students lug around these antiquated and heavy and expensive books,” Schwarzenegger said this summer. “Digital textbooks are good not only for the students’ achievement, but they’re also good for the schools’ bottom line.”

California public and private schools spent more than $633 million on textbooks in 2007, making the state the biggest spender nationwide, according to the latest data from the Association of American Publishers. Schools in Texas spent $375 million; in New York, $264 million. The District spent $13.9 million.

Controlling costs?

Concerns over costs prompted Congress to pass legislation last year that requires publishers to disclose the price of textbooks when they sell them to teachers. It also ends a practice in which publishers sell books and supplemental materials together, driving up costs. Several states have passed similar legislation.

But some dispute the idea that digital textbooks — even open-source versions — will be cheaper for states, at least right away, or improve education quality.

“Keep in mind that with open-source materials, you have to ask, ‘Where are they coming from?’ ” said Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers’ school division. “Is it a trusted source? Is it aligned to state standards? Is it based on real research?”

Diskey said traditional textbooks offer a comprehensive curriculum, while some open-source texts provide only bits and pieces. “There can be quite a difference of content and accuracy,” he said. “In many cases, you get what you pay for.”

Textbook publishers face losing business as free Internet content expands. But Diskey blames the recession, not free digital books, for any fiscal hardships facing the industry. “We don’t think budgets are being cut because of open-source materials,” he said.

A lack of digital resources

Schools using digital texts say it’s too soon to tell how much money they may be saving. As critics point out, long-term fiscal benefits require upfront resources that many schools lack: money, teacher training, bandwidth to support Internet multimedia and, most critically, computers.

The majority of households have personal computers and Internet access, according to a 2005 report from the Census Bureau, but access declines with income. And U.S. schools on average have roughly one computer for every four students, according to 2005 data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

“It’s going to be a bit of a challenge for schools throughout the country to implement this new technology,” said David Sanchez, president of the California Teachers Association. “How do you guarantee all children have access to that kind of textbook?”

Glen Thomas, California’s education secretary, questions whether digital textbooks require a computer for every child. “This initiative is not about hardware,” he said. “I visited a classroom where there were a couple kids using laptops, several had textbooks, some had a couple chapters printed out, and the lesson was displayed on a screen in front of the class.”

For now, it appears that digital textbooks are largely a school-by-school, teacher-by-teacher choice. But converts such as Stephans of Agoura High School are quick to encourage more.

“If there was a list of math teachers who would have signed up for this, I would have been at the bottom,” said Stephans, who hesitantly agreed to pilot the textbook-free class this year. To educators considering the digital possibilities, he now says: “What are you waiting for?”

Report Roundup

By Sean Cavanagh

Computer-aided instruction can potentially improve student learning in prealgebra and algebra, partly because the technology gives teachers the ability to tailor instruction to children’s individual needs, a new study says.

The study, which appears in the February issue of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, found that students using a particular program called “I CAN Learn Education Systems” made gains in mathematics test scores. Those improvements were especially strong for students in large classes and those with high absentee rates.

Produced by JRL Enterprises, of New Orleans, the “I CAN Learn” prealgebra and algebra program uses computer software and hardware and includes a classroom-management tool for teachers.

The researchers’ randomized study began with 3,451 late-middle and early-high school students from 17 schools, who were given various tests. Achievement rose significantly for students who used the technology, according to the study.

Computer-assisted instruction “has the potential to significantly enhance student mathematics achievement in middle and high school,” the authors conclude, and could be easier, and potentially cheaper, for schools and districts to use than other math interventions.

The study’s authors are Lisa Barrow, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Lisa Markman, the acting director of the Education Research Section at Princeton University; and Cecilia Elena Rouse, a professor of economics and public affairs, who is also at Princeton. Ms. Rouse also has been nominated to serve on President Barack Obama’s White House Council of Economic Advisers.

The research was released as the federal What Works Clearinghouse, in a separate report posted online this month, found that “I CAN Learn” prealgebra and algebra had “positive effects” on student achievement. The clearinghouse’s report was based on a review of five studies of the program.

A computerized math program is producing dramatic gains among students at one of Greenville County’s struggling middle schools.

Using the I CAN Learn math lab, developed and marketed by JRL Enterprises of New Orleans, students at Tanglewood Middle have learned twice as much in three months, on average, as middle school students usually learn in a year, according to Principal Dennis Dotterer.

“Statistically speaking, it blows the average away,” he said.

On a test called Measuring Academic Progress, the typical sixth-grader gains four to five points from the time they take the test in the fall until they take it again in the spring, Dotterer said.

The average growth among students using I CAN Learn Math was 10 points, he said.

In the program, each student has a computer and headphones, with the monitor embedded beneath a glass desktop to allow them to take notes as they work.

It uses real life examples, videos and multiple-choice quizzes that allow students to progress at their own pace. The teacher monitors each computer from her own and works with students individually and in small groups as problems arise.

“I can’t think of a student in here who wants to go back to the old way of doing math,” said teacher Jennifer Driscoll.

The program is effective because it approaches various styles of learning: students hear, see and write what they’re being taught.

Dotterer said he hopes the program will help his school’s scores on the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test, which have put the school in “restructuring” status because of its failing to make adequate yearly progress as determined by the federal No Child Left Behind law.

John Lee, president of JRL Enterprises, the company that developed and markets the math lab, said he and his partner based the program on what they learned by observing teachers who were effective in helping at-risk and minority inner-city children in New Orleans.

“It’s just simply taking good pedagogy from the teachers and capturing it into a format that the MTV generation and Nintendo generation enjoys,” he said.

In testing the program at an all-black high school, students were learning 53 percent faster and retaining 38 percent more of what they learned, he said.

The I CAN program, which stands for Interactive Computer Aided Natural learning, is now being used by about 150,000 students at more than 500 schools in at least 30 states, although only a handful have been installed in South Carolina schools, Lee said.