I CAN Learn® is recommended as a Promising mathematics program.
Program Description.
I CAN Learn® is a computerized Algebra curriculum program designed primarily to help ethnically diverse, inner-city students in grades 7-10 achieve equity in higher level mathematics and thinking skills. Student proficiency in problem-solving is a primary goal.
I CAN Learn® creates an environment to support the implementation of the national standards by arranging desks in conference room settings to enable students to engage in cooperative learning, group projects, and peer tutoring. Homework assignments, lesson organization and presentation, manipulatives, alternative and authentic assessments, and rubrics and grade evaluations are set by the teacher at the start of the school year. The program then follows the teacher's lesson plan and can be changed as needed. The program guides students through the lesson plan, administering real-time assessment and giving constant feedback to the student and teacher.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs.
Computer technicians from JRL Enterprises, Inc., install the I CAN Learn® program, hardware, and desks and remain with the teacher and students until everyone is comfortable with the system. The technicians take one to two days to train the teacher in the use of the program. The program contains computer-generated voice instructions, and intuitive menus guide students and teachers. The cost for a 30-student I CAN Learn®
Computerized Algebra Classroom is about $180,000, which includes computers, custom desks, software, installation, and a year's support. There are no annual licensing fees.
Program Quality.
The program's learning goals are comprehensive and explicitly stated. Reviewers noted that the goals challenge educators to encourage minorities and women to value mathematics and promote good reasoning, problem-solving, and communication. Content is focused and strongly aligned with the learning goals. Mathematical procedures are reviewed and taught clearly and accurately. Many mathematical problems and current real-world problems are presented to students. A variety of solution strategies, e.g., symbol manipulation graphing and graphing calculator, allow for multiple approaches to the same problem and diversity in learning styles and abilities. Built-in discussion with groups generated by the computer allows for communication between students. The design provides individualized instruction permitting students to review the material and lessons as often as necessary to understand concepts. A variety of assessments integral to instruction are offered. Self-assessments and discussion provide students with opportunities to reflect on learning.
Usefulness to Others.
Reviewers recognized that the cost of the hardware and technical expertise necessary to keep the program up and running might be prohibitive to some school districts. Nevertheless, they agreed that this factor should not negate the benefits that can be derived from this computer-assisted Algebra program. They noted that the program is easy to use and can be successfully implemented, adopted, or adapted in multiple educational settings.
Educational Significance.
The program's learning goals clearly reflect the vision promoted in the national standards. Reviewers agreed that the individualized nature of
I CAN Learn® promotes equity. The program's teaching methods and assessments are sound, learning goals are comprehensive, and instruction is designed to improve learning for a wide spectrum of students. Lessons on disk that are clear and well-delivered allow the teacher to individualize instruction.
Program Effectiveness and Success.
Reviewers found that two independent evaluations conducted in 1995 and 1996 demonstrated statistically significant pre-post test gain scores for
I CAN Learn®
students. A six-week evaluation conducted at an inner-city school during the fall 1995 used a pre-post, random assignment, treatment vs. control group design, with 124 ninth-grade beginning Algebra I students assigned to five treatment classes using a combination of computer and teacher instruction and 68 students assigned to three teacher-only instruction control classes. Results indicated that
I CAN Learn® students performed better than control students by a statistically significant margin on standardized tests, which were constructed from items sampled from chapters of the Algebra I textbook developed in conjunction with the
I CAN Learn® Algebra I software and used in the school. In addition, student retention of material appeared to be greater with the
I CAN Learn® computer-assisted instruction. Benefits of computer-assisted instruction were evident for males and females, all ability groups, and all teachers.
A follow-up evaluation conducted in April 1996 concluded that the I CAN Learn® students learned faster and retained more of the material they were exposed to than the control group. On the basis of ongoing controlled study, the I CAN Learn® software statistically significantly enhanced Algebra I achievement. Students using I CAN Learn® progressed at their own pace. For many students, this pace was accelerated beyond traditional classroom instruction.
Gains in students' understanding of mathematics were demonstrated through improvements in CAT scores for I CAN Learn® students in 8th grade at two middle schools. Evidence also showed that I CAN Learn® enabled inner-city students in grades 8-10 with strong at-risk academic profiles to enroll in Stanford University's Education Program for Gifted Youth Program.
For Further Information Contact:
John R. Lee
JRL Enterprises, Inc.
912 Constantinople St.
New Orleans, LA 70115
Telephone: (504) 891-8200
Fax: (504) 891-8258
E-mail: johnrlee@icanlearn.com
Web site: http://www.icanlearn.com
Peggy Kirby, Education (504-263-4212; pkirby@icanlearn.com)
Tom Hohan, Marketing & Public Relations (504-263-4211; thohan@icanlearn.com)
3520 General DeGaulle Drive
New Orleans, LA 70114
Fax: (504) 263-1545
Growing with Mathematics is recommended as a Promising mathematics program.
Program Description.
Growing With Mathematics is an activity-based, integrated, and problem-solving approach to learning mathematics for students in grades K-5. The program incorporates computation and skill development as a major component, thus maintaining a balance between concepts and skills. Through hands-on activities, and with teacher guidance, students explore and construct their own knowledge. Emphasis is placed on content that encourages thinking, problem-solving, and in-depth development of concepts. Computation and practice of skills are included so that students develop a strong basis of understanding. Connections are made between the different areas of mathematics and other curriculum areas and the real world. A major focus of the program is number sense, which is an integral part of all lessons on number and operations. A separate number sense strand also builds from lesson to lesson through connected activities found at the beginning of each lesson. The program provides the tools that create the context for both oral and written communication to help build understanding of mathematics concepts.
Professional Development Resources and Program Costs.
Mimosa Education offers complete in-service training to districts adopting the program. Teachers receive a full day of initial in-service with follow-up days as needed. Mimosa contracts with INSIGHT, a Center for Professional Development in Mathematics Education, to provide in-service training for large districts. A complete Grade Level Set of materials costs under $1000 per grade level (Grade 3 costs $1136). The program provides options for districts unable to purchase the entire range of materials.
Program Quality.
Reviewers noted that the program's general and content-specific learning goals are clearly outlined at the beginning of the Teachers' Resource & Activity File and throughout the twenty-four topics. The goals are consistent with national standards and reflect current research. The learning goals represent a clear emphasis on and balance among problem-solving, content knowledge, and skill outcomes. Content is aligned with the learning goals, and the sequencing of content at each grade level provides many exposures in different contexts allowing students to extend their knowledge. Reviewers noted the importance of the program's comprehensiveness, length of time spent on student investigations, and emphasis on teacher understanding of content and student assessment to the program's learning goals.
Instructional design and materials send a consistent message that mathematics is an integral part of the student's environment and experience. Opportunities for collaboration, discussion, and reflection are provided. Students are engaged at all times and asked to apply learned skills in many situations, using multiple methods and tools. The program has a comprehensive and ongoing assessment system that uses multiple approaches and formal/informal assessment and provides information and suggestions about student portfolios.
Usefulness to Others.
Reviewers agreed that the program could be successfully implemented in many educational settings. They noted that the program is comprised of many different components to support its balanced learning approach, and some reviewers perceived that all of the components would be necessary for the successful implementation of the program. Instructions are well-organized and easily understood.
Educational Significance.
The program meets the national standards and addresses important societal needs. It focuses on maintaining a balance of strategies and development of skills. Instruction and assessment are well-suited for a wide spectrum of students, and suggestions are given to teachers to help them meet individual student needs.
Program Effectiveness and Success.
Reviewers examined test score results collected from numerous individual schools and districts using different standardized and performance test measures and concluded that the program demonstrated sufficient evidence of gains in student learning to be judged promising. Reviewers found that test score results from some of the individual schools and districts were positive. However, they cautioned that the test score data were not aggregated or summarized across sites, results were not reported for all grade levels of the program, and tests of statistical significance or effect size were not reported in the submission.
A sample of test score evidence of student learning from eight individual sites demonstrated positive outcomes for Growing With Mathematics students. Positive student learning outcomes for 2nd grade students in the program included an increase in students' proficiency scores on understanding of number sense, probability, and statistics; yearly increases in the percentage of students' proficiency scores on understanding of number sense and math addition/subtraction facts; and an increase in CTBS scores. Positive outcomes for 4th grade students in the program included yearly increases in the percentage of students passing a state mathematics proficiency test; yearly increases in students' math power as measured by a state mathematics assessment; yearly increases in CTBS mathematics scores; and higher ITBS mathematics stanine scores. In addition, the program demonstrated gains in MAT average percentile scores in computation for 3rd grade treatment classrooms and yearly increases in the percentage of grade 4 and 6 program students meeting the mastery goal on a state mathematics test. Three sites yielded test score evidence of gains in problem-solving skills for the Growing With Mathematics curriculum. Positive program results included an increase in 2nd grade students' proficiency scores on ASCD Core Thinking Skills, yearly increases in the percentage of 2nd grade students' proficiency scores on problem-solving skills, yearly increases in 4th grade students' problem-solving, and gains in MAT average percentile scores in concepts and problem-solving for 3rd grade treatment classrooms.
For Further Information Contact:
Ed Gregory
Wright Group/McGraw-Hill
155 E. 91st Street, #9A
New York, NY 10128
Telephone: (800) 831-1688 or (212) 831-1688
Fax: (212) 876-8273
E-mail: edward_gregory@mcgraw-hill.com
Web site: http://www.growingwithmath.com
This page last modified September 7, 2001 (tca)