The Results of Professional Development About Technology West Virginias Statewide Technology Model Schools Program Brenda Williams, Executive Director Office of Technology and Information Systems

The Results of Professional Development About Technology A Three-year analysis of West Virginia's Technology Model Schools program Funded by US Department of Education and Conducted by Dale Mann, Ph.D., Managing Director, Interactive, Inc., Huntington, NY

SUMMARY The Technology Model Schools program dramatically increased the use of technology by teachers and students in classrooms That increase is associated with gains in Mathematics and Reading/Language Arts.

SUMMARY What is West Virginias Technology Model School Program? Teachers specially trained and deployed to help other teachers. Most assistance embedded in classrooms and on-demand. $150,000 training grants focused on counties and schools serving low-income children. TMS trainers assisted and managed by a staff from the WVDE.

SUMMARY Why train teachers about technology? Does professional development about technology improve test scores? Yes, in Reading/Language Arts and in Mathematics for 4 th and 5 th graders.

SUMMARY Why train teachers about technology? Does professional development about technology contribute to closing the achievement gap? In Math, Title I-eligible students in versions of the TMS program outperformed others. In Reading, Title I-eligible students did as well as others.

SUMMARY Why train teachers about technology? Does professional development increase the use of technology in classrooms? Yes, as a result of the TMS model, trained teachers used technology 22% of the classroom day compared to 1% for untrained teachers. And, TMS students used computers twice as much as students without the programs support.

SUMMARY Why train teachers about technology? How much professional development is necessary? Assistance across at least one academic year.

SUMMARY Why train teachers about technology? How should it be delivered? In schools, in classrooms, on demand.

SUMMARY Why train teachers about technology? Who should deliver it? Classroom teachers with special training to work with their adult colleagues.

SUMMARY Why train teachers about technology? How much do the technology-trained teachers use computers? One-fifth (22%) of the school day including intensive use of productivity applications.

SUMMARY Why train teachers about technology? Are there other benefits for teachers? TMS teachers used their own computers more, more expertly and for more productivity applications than others.

WAS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN TMS SCHOOLS HIGHER THAN IN OTHER SCHOOLS? Achievement of students whose teachers had any of the three versions of the program's help was higher than students in classes without the program. Two years of TMS help is associated with higher achievement than one year or no years of TMS help.

WAS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN TMS SCHOOLS HIGHER THAN IN OTHER SCHOOLS? Table 1: Higher Achievement for Each Year in the TMS Schools Differences after the 1 st Year (EOY EOY 2005) Differences after the 2 nd Year (EOY EOY 2006) MathYes Reading/ Language Arts NoYes

WAS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN TMS SCHOOLS HIGHER THAN IN OTHER SCHOOLS? Table 2: Higher Achievement by How Much TMS Service Was Provided One Year of TIS Service (EOY 2006 from the first year TIS schools) Two Years of TIS Service MathYes Reading/ Language Arts NoYes

WAS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN TMS SCHOOLS HIGHER THAN IN OTHER SCHOOLS? Math Title I students had higher math achievement in both the one-year and the two-year TMS schools than their counterparts in the control schools.

WAS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN TMS SCHOOLS HIGHER THAN IN OTHER SCHOOLS? Reading For Reading/Language Arts achievement for one-year treatment/turnkey group (TIS in the first year only) and the control-plus- treatment group (TIS 2 nd year only) is higher than for the control group (no TIS either year).

HOW DID STUDENTS USE THEIR COMPUTERS? TMS students used computers twice as much as students without the programs support and they used them significantly more for Reading/Language Arts.

WERE TEACHERS BENEFITED IN THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL AND OTHER DUTIES? TMS teachers were much more confident in their expertise and in their independent use of technology than were the others. TMS teachers used their own computers more and used them more for productivity applications.

DID THE EFFECTS OF THE TISs SURVIVE THEIR DEPARTURE TO OTHER SCHOOLS? Yes, the effects lasted. Teachers' use of computers, in the control group schools, plummeted from 9% of the school day to 1% of the school day between the first and second years. For the TMS teachers it remained constant at 22% of the day. For the TMS teachers confidence increased from year to year but not among the other teachers.

WHAT WERE THE NEW METHODS FOR EVALUATING THE OUTCOMES OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT? Interactive, Inc. collected data using: (1) Pagers that went off at random intervals so that teachers and students could fill out a web- survey (2) Meters in teacher desktops that recorded all applications accessed (3) Student and teacher self-report web-surveys (4) Field visits, personal interviews and classroom observations.

DID THE NEW METHODS FOR EVALUATING THE OUTCOMES OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORK? We have the first independently verified and objective estimate of how much teachers and students are using technology in classrooms.

DID THE PROGRAM---AS A WHOLE--- WORK? Yes. The TISs performed according to plan and they got better at their work over the two years. Technology use increased due to their training. Student achievement increased in the TMS schools. Teachers have continued to use technology after the departure of the TISs. Thus, the Technology Model Schools program has helped teachers and students be more successful.

HOW TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE SCHOOLING: RECOMMENDATIONS #1: Use learning technology to improve student achievement #2: Apply a critical mass of professional development--- (1) on-site, (2) in classrooms and (3) on-demand. #3: Calibrate expectations and strategies by curriculum topics (some topics, some grade levels are easier to improve with technology than others) #4: Use technology to measure technology (get beyond self-report, smile check data). #5: Use evaluation results to improve practice.

CONTACTS Brenda Williams (304) Dale Mann (631)