1 Experimental Analysis of a Curricular Intervention on Student Achievement and Transition Outcomes OSEP Project Directors Conference Margo Vreeburg Izzo, Ph.D., The Ohio State University Nisonger Center Kelly Dillon, MA, The Ohio State University Nisonger Center

2 Need for Information and Technological Literacy Defined as the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze and use information. Individuals who are both technologically and information literate will be able to use computers effectively to find the information they need. Useful for people with disabilities because they enhance communication, learning, writing, and task management. Creates equal opportunities in education and aid in transition from school to work. Teachers and students appreciate the independent self- directed learning technology can provide.

3 EnvisionIT Curriculum An online curriculum for ALL high school students that teaches: Information Technology (IT) Literacy Self-directed Transition Planning National and Ohio English/Language Arts Standards National and Ohio Technology Standards. Age Appropriate Transition Assessment

4 EnvisionIT Curriculum 40 hour curriculum in Technology or English/Language Arts classes Grades 9–12 6 th grade reading level, on average 10 complete units, 8 with Guided Notes & quizzes Students complete information technology and reading comprehension activities Students create Self-Directed Transition Portfolios.

5 Need for EnvisionIT EnvisionIT integrates IT and transition skills into general curricula. Students become more engaged and invested in learning by using relevant material. Examples: Online self-assessments, searching the Internet for information on career choices, developing resumes, cover letters, high school course plans.

6 Curriculum Intervention Study A pretest-posttest control group design was used to answer the following research questions: 1. Did the EnvisionIT online transition curriculum increase student IT literacy? 2. Did the EnvisionIT online transition curriculum increase student transition planning skills?

7 Methods: Setting and Participants 15 high schools randomly assigned stratified by SES 7 experimental schools 8 control schools 19 inclusive classrooms 18 resource room/direct instruction classrooms English/Language Arts classrooms & Technology classrooms Year 1 N=287

8 Dependent Measures: IT Literacy Information Technology Literacy Survey 21-item multiple choice test used as pretest and posttest The curriculum-based measurement was found to be reliable (Cronbach’s Alpha =.822, ICC =.676) Example Question: Web directories and search engines are created differently. Search engines are made by ________.

9 Dependent Measures: Transition Skills Ohio State Career Survey 23 item survey to measure students’ perceptions of their transition skills The curriculum based measurement was found to be reliable (Cronbach’s Alpha =.847, ICC =.740). Example Question: Please rate your knowledge about finding jobs.

10 Preliminary Results: Analytic Sample Year 1 Participants (N=287) 59% did not have a documented disability. 41% had a documented disability, 17% had a learning disability 14% had mental retardation 11% had other documented disabilities (e.g., autism, multiple disabilities, SED/SBH, Speech, TBI and OHI).

11 Preliminary Results: Analytic Sample 80% were from rural school districts 55% were male 87% were of Caucasian ethnicity, 12% are African- American, Hispanic, Asian, or of other decent. 47% were 9th graders (65% in experimental group compared to 25% in control group) 68% were not reading either independently or instructionally at grade level.

12 EnvisionIT Year 1 Descriptive Statistics VariableExperimental (N=153)Control (N=134) School Setting Suburban17%25% Rural83%75% Gender Male56%55% Female44%45% Ethnicity White93%82% African-American3%8% Other4%10% Classroom Setting Resource Room34%47% Inclusive66%53% Disability Status No Disability59%57% Disability41%43% Reading Ability Benchmark32%22% Strategic Intervention35%47% Intensive Intervention33%31% Grade Level 9 th Grade65%25% 10 th -12 th Grades35%75%

13 Preliminary Results: IT Literacy

14 Preliminary Transition Results: Knowledge of Finding Jobs Experimental students with and without disabilities had significant gains in knowledge post-test compared to control students with and without disabilities. MeanLower 95%Upper 95% Students without Disabilities Experimental Control Students with Disabilities Experimental Control

15 Preliminary Transition Results: Finding College Information Compared to control students with disabilities, experimental students with disabilities had greater gains in reported ability to find college information. MeanLower 95%Upper 95% Students with disabilities Experimental Control

16 Discussion and Questions Students who completed EnvisionIT: Improved their IT Literacy Scores Reported increased knowledge of how to find jobs (all students) Reported increased knowledge of college information (SwD only) Data analysis to continue for school year. All schools receive intervention