Highlights
- Nixon has met all 2003 federal proficiency benchmarks
by showing adequate yearly progress in reading and
math.
- Reading, language and math scores on the TCAP test
have steadily increased since implementing SuccessMaker
in 2001.
- With the help of SuccessMaker, Nixon Elementary
has been removed from the Tennessee Governor’s
List of Low-Performing Schools.
 Profile
Nixon Elementary is a Title I school in a low socioeconomic
area of Hardin County, Tennessee. Seventy percent of
students receive free and reduced-priced lunches. Ninety-nine
percent of Nixon’s kindergarten through grade
five students are Caucasian. The elementary school enrolls
94 students and is part of the Hardin County School
System, enrolling 4,000 students in 10 sites.
Challenge
In 2000, Nixon Elementary was placed on the Tennessee
Governor’s List of Low-Performing Schools due
to low achievement on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment
Program test (TCAP). Nixon Elementary needed to take
action to be removed from that list. In addition, they
needed to demonstrate adequate yearly progress by meeting
state and federal benchmarks and objectives in reading,
language, math, science and social studies.
Solution
Nixon Elementary implemented SuccessMaker instructional
courseware from Pearson Digital Learning in 2001. All
94 students in the school use SuccessMaker.
To work toward meeting school objectives in both computer
labs and classrooms, each student participates in two
15-minute SuccessMaker reading and math sessions each
day. SuccessMaker courses at Nixon include Math Concepts
and Skills (MCS), Reading Readiness (RR), Initial Reading
(IR), Reader’s Workshop (RW), Spelling Skills
(SPS), and First Adventures Bookshelf (FAB). According
to Donna King, principal at Nixon Elementary, “Students
especially like the immediate feedback they receive
with SuccessMaker and they love to check their scores.
We’ve been extremely pleased with how well SuccessMaker
reinforces learning skills.”
Teachers are involved on a daily basis to monitor and
assist their students as they work with SuccessMaker.
The administrator is also involved through student enrollment,
running course reports, and troubleshooting. Along with
regular instruction in all learning objectives, students
receive weekly instruction in reading content and data
analysis. The lead Title I teacher at Nixon implements
the program and runs daily session reports on each class
and student, giving teachers the information they need
to provide individualized, targeted instruction to each
student’s areas of greatest need.
Teresa Hurley, Kindergarten teacher at Nixon, says,
“SuccessMaker provides excellent reinforcement
for classroom skills. Because each child works on their
own level, it is also a challenge for more successful
students. They love going to the computer—it is
something they look forward to and enjoy doing even
though it is school work.”
Fourth grader Spencer says, “It’s fun! It’s
at your level so it helps you get a better education.”
To honor student achievement, Nixon Elementary gives
SuccessMaker awards to students every six weeks.
Results
A comprehensive set of nationally normed achievement
tests is administered annually to Tennessee students
in grades three through eight, one of which is the TCAP
test. Each score represents a percentile ranking. A
score of 50 means that the students in a school scored
as well as or better than 50 percent of students nationally.
The following graph documents Nixon’s average
TCAP scores in grades three, four, and five over the
past four years. Scores have been steadily increasing
since implementing SuccessMaker in 2001.
Carol Schultz, four th grade teacher, says, “SuccessMaker
has helped to raise our test scores by exposing students
to many skills on a daily basis. Problems are presented
in a variety of ways, so that students often use higher
level thinking skills.”
When asked about the math portion of TCAP he had just
taken, one student replied, “Oh it was easy! I’d
seen all of it already on SuccessMaker!”
In addition to increased achievement on the TCAP, Nixon
has met all federal proficiency benchmarks in 2003 by
showing adequate yearly progress in reading and math.
Nixon has also successfully met its attendance requirement.
With the help of SuccessMaker, Nixon Elementary has
conquered its challenge and has been successfully removed
from the Tennessee Governor’s List of Low-Performing
Schools. Strides in achievement are continually being
made each year.
For more information on how Pearson Digital Learning
can help you achieve results, visit http://www.pearsonedtech.com/
or call 888/627-5327; Canada and other international
locations: 800/400-6192.
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