PHASE II 2007 Data

Documenting Outcomes from Henrico County Public School’s1-to-1 Laptop Computing Initiative:2005-06 through 2007-08 PHASE II 2007 Data

Overall • Laptop use continues to grow from the launch year (2005-06 for Dell laptops) for students, teachers and administrators. There is comprehensive growth in different functions and different curriculum topics including teaching practices and 21st Century student skills.

Student achievement and frequency of laptop use. The students who made more use of laptops had higher scores in: World History Biology Reading and Chemistry

Student achievement and frequency of laptop use The students who made more use of laptops had lower scores in: • Algebra I & II – laptop use may be displacing use of graphing calculators. • Writing - teachers are preparing students to take the SOLs (SOL writing still paper and pencil.)

Student Laptop Use 40% of HCPS students report using their laptop at any moment. That is up from 2006’s 38% and more than double another state’s student average of 18%. Students say that because of the laptops, they are “learning more”. Virtually every student-reported application of their laptops is stronger this year last. For example, students continue to believe that school is more fun and that they are more interested in school because of the laptops.

Students believe laptops are helpful for studying, taking notes, preparing presentations and organizing information. • The curriculum topics where computer use and favorable attitudes are most clearly related to achievement are: • History • Chemistry • Biology • Reading • Writing

Students use their laptops every day at school, take them back and forth to school every day and use them at home three or four days a week. • Use between classes and during free periods has increased to three to four days a week.

Last year (2005-06), the 21st Century Skills Partnership activities were notably absent. • Students now report increased problem solving, research, communication, independent work, teamwork and community based assignments. • HCPS teachers and students are engaging the workforce and personal/professional demands of the future more closely.

Changes in Teaching • Last year, students reported that their teachers had changed their instructional practices (probably because of laptops in student hands). • Students are now more certain that “when we use laptops, my teachers lecture less and walk around the room more, helping students” and that they assign more group projects. Students also report differentiated instruction for the first time.

At any point in the instructional day, between 40% and 50% of HCPS teachers are using their laptops. This year there is twice as much work with small groups or individuals. Teachers report using their laptops more to present material and to assess student needs. Last year, teachers reported a lot of non-instructional activities: this year that has declined. Teachers

Morale & Functions Teachers report continued positive effects on morale from the laptops. Three functions have increased: • Checking student attendance, information and grade administration • Communicating with other teachers, and • Communicating with administrators.

Interim Assessments Interim assessment is still a work in progress for HCPS as it is for all American schools. But, teachers report that they are using their laptops much more “to analyze more quiz data, assessment data this year” and “to assess students based on SOL state tests”.

Changes to Grouping and Individualization Contrary to last year, teachers now agree that • “Individual computers have made small group assignments more possible” • “Laptops have made small group instruction more feasible” • “I use my laptop to change instructional groupings more frequently than last year” and • “I have changed the way I group students for instruction”

Administrators report that in 2006-07 they used their laptops more than in previous years including for looking at interim assessments and communicating with teachers. Administrators

Family Participation • Ninety-eight percent of all parents have allowed their children to take part in the laptop program. • Forty-eight parents opted out of the program: half were worried about “influences related to computers“ and about one in five of the group cited cost.

Conclusions from Parents • The school has done a good job of integrating computers into instruction: 81% • “I’m satisfied with Internet filtering”: 81% • “I go online to see homework or grades” 80% • “HCPS’s technology-supplemented schooling will help my child in paid employment or further education”: 80% • The laptops are reliable: 78% • “Laptops have helped my child in current studies”: 50%

94% had a laptop while they were in the Henrico schools 93% said they had laptops for all four years 95% had Internet access at home during high school. 87% had been trained in word processing and 67% in spreadsheets, tables and graphs 2006 HCPS Graduates

Summary: Achievement • For each of these two years, laptop use is associated with test scores. • The production of learning is the sum of many factors including computers. • HCPS has school improvement initiatives underway in several areas of teaching and learning, including 1:1 computing. The hopeful prospect is for the cumulative impact of those projects taken together.

Recommendations • Continue and increase professional development about laptop integration into classroom instruction especially among the lower use topics as appropriate • Promote interim assessment linked to changes in instruction • Connect teachers to each other through best practice sharing and • Increase school-home-school communications.

The 2007-08 Analysis • Random interval laptop ‘pinging’ queries for students and teachers • Metering of selected laptops • EOY Web survey self-report opinionnaires for students, teachers and administrators • f2f school and classroom observations and interviews • Three-year longitudinal analysis of continuing effects

PHASE II 2007 Data