Journal Article #3 - Assessment Made Easy

Zucker, A. A. (2009). Assessment made easy. Learning and Leading With Technology, June, Retrieved July 27, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20090607/

This article discusses the success that Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) has experienced by being a one-to-one laptop school that uses technology as a means to quickly assess and help students in various subject matter. Every graduating senior of DSST has been accepted into a four-year college or university, which is a huge feet considering that the average public school graduation rate is 52% in Denver.

There are several reasons that the laptop program has improved student performance. The first is that the one-to-one laptop enables a model of instant assessment and feedback for assignments and tests. Students and teachers use software installed on all of the school’s laptops once a week that allows teachers to generate reports to show where students need improvement in regards to their ACT test scores that measure college readiness standards. Additionally the laptops help language arts teachers more effectively teach writing to students. Student’s electronic works are submitted to teachers who in turn can use their tablet computer and projector to show students how she would edit an anonymous passage written by a student. Teachers and students also use Moodle, which is an open source program that enables students to participate in class discussions in a password-protected environment.

Having a one-to-one laptop program does not guarantee the success of the students. What does determine the success of the students is the school utilizing the laptops as vehicles to help it achieve its core mission.

Why is instant feedback so important for students? Getting feedback on work is an essential part of the learning process. The faster students get the feedback on the work, the faster they will be able to incorporate that feedback and learn from it.

In what way, aside from test scores, does this program help students prepare for college? College work is increasingly performed on computers and the more proficient students are at using computers, different programs and software, the better prepared they will be for learning in a college environment.