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In 2004, the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training launched a pilot demonstration project to assess the feasibility of a model for improving education in public high schools. The demonstration was conducted with 6 teachers and approximately 100 students from the 9th and 10th grade, in special education classes for students with learning disabilities on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). The assistive technologies used in the project included Kurzweil 3000™, Inspiration™, and selected features of the Microsoft Word™ application. In addition to these technologies, teachers were provided with training and instruction in learning strategies and techniques to help students use the technology effectively. The deliberate integration of learning strategies with technology was at the heart of this project to improve student understanding of approaches to reading and writing, as well as effectively organizing information and studying.
The demonstration project included periodic evaluation and testing in order to assess the effectiveness of the program. Due to the short duration of the demonstration project, the team did not expect to find measurable differences in many of the outcome measures. However, positive change was noted in students’ project-related self-efficacy levels. The project team also established the feasibility of deploying a testing protocol in the high school setting. The testing protocol included a comprehensive battery of test methods to evaluate multiple aspects of performance, including reading assessment, oral reading fluency, writing, and self-efficacy.
At the conclusion of the demonstration project, the project team developed a checklist to help determine the level of readiness and feasibility of deploying similar technologies and techniques to other high schools. The checklist includes commitments and resources that must be in place in order for a high school to effectively deploy and support the infrastructure and training necessary for assistive technologies and learning strategies to be implemented at the level necessary for positive gains in student performance. The ATLS program demonstrated the feasibility of Landmark College’s approach to deploying assistive technologies and professional development for learning strategies in a public high school. The checklist that was developed will allow future teams to assess the readiness of schools interested in implementing this program, and the testing protocol and related instruments can be adopted to track student change and outcomes. Despite the short duration of the demonstration project, the observed gains in student self-efficacy scores highlight at least one benefit of this type of program – a potential correlation between exposure to the program and improvement in student perceptions of efficacy.
For more information, please contact the Principal Investigator:
Dr. Dr. Marie Breheny
Director of Evaluation
Landmark College Institute for Research and Training
Telephone: (802) 387-1682
Email: mbreheny@landmark.edu
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