Support accountability and inform instruction

The following success stories, case studies, research, and evaluation reports support this vision statement.

Integrating a Decision Support System into a School: The Effects on Student Functioning
K-12 Education - Research
Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Volume 34 (4). Conducted by P.Kalay and D.Chen. 2002.
This study examined how students are effected by the integration of an information system into school management's decisions regarding teaching and learning. It found a noticeable improvement in student achievement, especially in both mathematics and English. Also significant is that while individual achievement rose, the number of failures and drop outs fell.

On-line tutoring for Math Achievement Testing: A Controlled Evaluation
K-12 Education - Research
Journal of Interactive Online Learning, Volume 6(1). Conducted by C.Beal, R.Walles, I.Arroyo, and B.Woolf. 2007.
This study reports the results of a control group study of an interactive on-line math tutoring system for high school. High school students completed a math pre-test and were then assigned by teachers to receive interactive on-line multimedia tutoring or their regular classroom instruction. The on-line tutored students improved on the post-test on the problems involving skills tutored in the on-line system (within-group control). Control group students showed no improvement. Students' use of interactive multimedia hints predicted pre- to post-test improvement, and students with weakest initial math skills benefited the most from tutoring. Read more

Paper-based Versus Computer-based Assessment: Key Factors Associated with the Test Mode Effect
Postsecondary - Research
British Journal of Educational Technology, Volume 33(5). Conducted by R. Clariana and P. Wallace. 2002.
This investigation seeks to confirm several key factors in computer-based versus paper-based assessment. Based on earlier research, the factors considered here include content familiarity, computer familiarity, competitiveness, and gender. Following classroom instruction, freshman business undergraduates (N = 105) were randomly assigned to either a computer-based or identical paper-based test. ANOVA of test data showed that the computer-based test group outperformed the paper-based test group. With the current increase in computer-based assessment, instructors and institutions must be aware of and plan for possible test mode effects.

Using digital technologies and contemporary psychometrics in the assessment of performance on complex practical tasks
K-12 - Research
Technology, Pedagogy and Education, Volume 18(2). C. Paul Newhouse and Joseph N. Njiru. 2009.
There is a critical need for research into the use of digital technologies to support the assessment of performance on complex tasks in schools. This paper reports on a component of a pilot study aimed at investigating the use of digital forms of performance assessment, manageable within schools, with high levels of reliability and capable of being scaled up for statewide implementation.