Highland Park ISD, Amarillo, Texas. PLATO Evaluation Series.

N

30

Achievement Gains; Computer Software; Elementary School Students; Elementary Secondary Education; Secondary School Students; State Programs; Testing Programs

An evaluation was conducted of student use of the PLATO computer assisted instruction system in the Highland Park Independent School District, Amarillo, Texas, a school district that has one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. The evaluation was based on telephone interviews with the Assistant Superintendent, three written surveys from district teachers, and three from district students. All students in grades 3 through 12, including special education students, a population of about 860 students, use PLATO. The district standard is 2 hours use a week, evenly divided among mathematics, language arts, and science and social studies. In the 1999 and 2000 school years, students mastered an average of 48 PLATO modules a year, spending an average of 18 hours in PLATO learning per year. The level of PLATO use was higher in 1999 than in 2000, with 50 modules mastered that year. Highland Park students' mathematics and reading scores on the Texas Learning Index (TLI) were somewhat higher than the statewide averages on the tests of the TLI, and the district's writing scores were somewhat lower than state averages. The analysis of PLATO use data found that increases in the number of PLATO modules mastered are positively related to higher test scores. The more PLATO modules students mastered, the higher their TLI scores. The study also found that taking more hours on PLATO without making progress in mastering modules is negatively related to higher test scores. This suggests that slow progress mastering modules on PLATO can be used as an indicator of learning problems teachers should note and address. (Contains 16 figures.) (SLD)

2003

ED470286