 Highlights
- Since Pearson Digital Learning SuccessMaker®
was implemented, there has been a direct correlation
between SuccessMaker use and increased scores on the
Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) in Yeshivot and Jewish
day schools.
- For the 2001-2002 school year, Yeshivot and Jewish
day schools using SuccessMaker scored higher on the
ITBS than the average for the state of New York.
- Since implementing the program, teacher support
for SuccessMaker has grown, with feedback indicating
that the system supports classroom instruction, contributes
to academic proficiency, and allows students to work
independently and stay motivated.
Profile
The Gruss Life Monument Funds, Inc. (GLMF) provides
funding for Yeshivot and Jewish day schools in New York
City and Long Island, New York.
In 2001-2002, GLMF launched an initiative to improve
secular education for 3,000 elementary school children
in 15 Yeshivot and Jewish day schools in the New York
City and Long Island areas. As part of the initiative,
each school received a computer laboratory, the SuccessMaker
courseware system, and support from a supervisor and
two Education Program Liaisons (EPLs). In addition,
each school provided an onsite lab manager.
Challenge/Goals
In Yeshivot and Jewish day schools, students spend between
10 and 20 hours a week on general studies, with the
remainder of the week being dedicated to Judaic Hebrew
studies. A program was needed during the challenging
general studies timeframe to maximize teaching and learning.
 Solution
GLMF identified software and sent requests for proposals
to Yeshivot and Jewish day schools in the New York area.
The foundation then reviewed proposals, visited the
schools, and made its selections for funding. In September
2001, the Gruss Foundation placed 15 servers, 450 desktops
with SuccessMaker courseware, and 450 site licenses
in the schools. This courseware configuration included
five Foundations courses in math and language arts:
Initial Reading, Reading Readiness, Reader’s Workshop,
Spelling Skills, Math Concepts and Skills, and Exploreware
courses in Math Investigations®, Reading Adventures
Primary™, Reading Adventures™ and Reading
Investigations™. In September 2002, 15 additional
schools were added.
There are now a total of 30 labs, and more than 6,000
students in preK-7 using the courseware. Students work
on SuccessMaker Enterprise two times per week in math
and reading for 40 minutes each session.
The labs are run by site managers, with staff development
provided by the Gruss Education Center. Teachers, principals,
and site managers were all trained on the SuccessMaker
Enterprise courseware, and Staff Development helps teachers
strategize based on reports generated from the courses.
Four educational program liaisons work with the schools
to assist in the program’s implementation. EPLs
act as liaisons between the Gruss Education Center,
Pearson Digital Learning, and participating schools.
During the summer the EPLs prepared documentation for
site managers, and received extensive training from
Pearson Digital Learning on the program’s Exploreware
courses.
Several schools are incorporating SuccessMaker Enterprise
into their teaching and producing very positive results.
Yeshiva of Flatbush is individualizing its instruction,
and beginning to integrate the SuccessMaker curriculum
with the traditional classroom curriculum.
At Hebrew Academy of Nassau County, West Hempstead,
NY, “Teachers are very enthusiastic about SuccessMaker
Enterprise”, says educational program liaison
Aryeh Majerowicz. “Many teachers are telling me
they can accomplish more because of the software.”
Majerowicz says that many students who have been introduced
to concepts in the lab are able to accomplish the skills
in the classroom in one or two days, as opposed to the
three or four classroom days needed in previous years.
Yeshiva K’tana of Queens held a Parents General
Studies Teachers Night, and enrolled the parents on
SuccessMaker Enterprise in the computer lab. According
to Reva Bloch, educational program liaison, “The
parents are very excited about the new program, and
enjoyed a hands-on-experience of the programs their
children are using in school. The parents are looking
forward to seeing the application of this exciting new
educational tool used for their children’s general
studies program.”
Rasha Grossman, general studies principal at Yeshiva
K’tana, is also very excited about the program.
“I’ve been involved in education for 30
years, and have taught grades 3-12, and I am so thrilled
to see a program that encompasses all the reading and
word attack skills in addition to the more sophisticated
literary analytical skills. It is a pleasure to observe
how exhaustively the creators of SuccessMaker have covered
every facet of reading: word attack skills, vocabulary
comprehension skills, literary analyses, and implicit
definition of figurative language.”
Results
Staff at Yeshivot and Jewish day schools wanted to see
the effect SuccessMaker Enterprise had on students since
its implementation in 2001. GLMF took a control group
of 15 schools using SuccessMaker and compared its results
on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) with the general
New York state ITBS scores. The difference was outstanding.
The students in the control group raised their ITBS
scores from the 2000-2001 to 2001-2002 school years
by 10 percent, and exceeded the New York state average.
In addition to the increased test scores, the implementation
of the GLMF Program and SuccessMaker Enterprise brought
positive changes in instruction to previously non-technical
teachers. Teachers agree that the software:
- Contributes to student academic proficiency
- Supports classroom instruction
- Saves teachers time
- Motivates students
- Allows students to work independently
In 2001, SuccessMaker Enterprise was positively received
in Yeshivot and Jewish day schools. First-year student
achievement across the schools confirmed the value of
the initiative and the improvement of basic education.
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