Findings from First Year of Study

The implementation analysis for the first-year study focused on how products were used in classrooms, their extent of usage, issues that resulted from their use, and how their use affected classroom activities. The analysis found that nearly all teachers received training on using products and believed the training prepared them adequately to use them. Technical difficulties using products mostly were minor. They included issues with students logging in, computers locking up, or hardware problems such as headphones not working. Most of the technical difficulties were easily corrected or worked around. When asked whether they would use the products again, 88 to 92 percent of teachers indicated that they would (the percentage depended on the grade level).

Comparing student test scores for treatment teachers using study products and control teachers not using study products is the study’s measure of product effectiveness. Effects on test scores were estimated using a statistical model that accounts for correlations of students within classrooms and classrooms within schools. Next we summarize the key first-year findings.