Chesterfield Township Elementary School
Chesterfield Township School District
Trenton, New Jersey
(Pearson Digital Learning SuccessMaker)

“We’ve experienced a statistically significant improvement in state mandated test scores this year, and this improvement is largely attributed to SuccessMaker.”

— Dr. Edward F. Gibson, Chief School Administrator, Chesterfield Township Elementary

Highlights

• Since the implementation of Pearson Digital Learning SuccessMaker^®, the school has seen a significant improvement on the New Jersey ESPA (Elementary School Proficiency Assessment) tests. In math, the scores rose from 55.5 percent in 2001 to 87.5 percent in 2002. In Language Arts Literacy, Chesterfield rose from 86.2 percent in 2001 to 97.5 percent in 2002.

 
• During the 2001-2002 school year, SuccessMaker dramatically helped students increase their basic skills in reading and math. In reading, students gained three quarters of a year in 10.9 hours of instruction, and in math students gained over half a year in 14.5 hours of instruction.

School/District Profile
Chesterfield is a one-school district located in Burlington County in central New Jersey. Chesterfield Township resides in a suburban/rural community with large agricultural farms and equestrian training centers. Chesterfield Township Elementary School has an enrollment of 267 students in grades K through 6. The school’s ethnic makeup consists of 96 percent Caucasian students, 2 percent African-American students, and 2 percent Hispanic and other minorities. 

Remedial speech and basic skills assistance is provided to the Chesterfield students who qualify. The school also has a Gifted & Talented Enrichment Program open to all students who meet the program’s criteria.
 

Challenge/Goals
Chesterfield Township School District needed to raise its ESPA (Elementary School Proficiency Assessment) test scores for its fourth grade students, modernize classroom technology, and utilize computers effectively in each classroom. Although the district had a good LAN network with T1 Internet access and up-to-date hardware, the instruction software system had been made up of disparate, off-the-shelf pieces and lacked a management system to tie it all together. Chesterfield needed an integrated system that would allow students to work at their own level and pace—i.e., SuccessMaker.

The District goals are to 1) provide well-planned, personalized, and small-group instructional opportunities for all students so that they can experience success in academic, social/emotional, and physical skill areas, and 2) provide a safe, clean, and positive environment where all students are valued, recognized, and rewarded for academic achievement, appropriate conduct, and good citizenship.
 

Solution
The Chesterfield Township Board of Education addressed the need for students to increase their ESPA test scores, along with the need for all students to increase their achievement levels so that “no child would be left behind.” With this in mind, a committee consisting of Dr. Edward Gibson, the Chief School Administrator for Chesterfield, George Karr, Chesterfield’s computer lab teacher, and Christina Everard, Pearson Digital Learning account representative, made a presentation to the board, followed by a visitation to a school district similar to the size and community demographics of Chesterfield. “The committee examined possible scenarios for product implementation, and concluded that the placement of SuccessMaker in the lab and in each classroom would maximize student access,” said Dr. Gibson. The Board approved the SuccessMaker purchase, and funding was provided by the Chesterfield Public Education Fund, the PTA, and the Board of Education.

SuccessMaker was implemented in September 2001 at Chesterfield Township Elementary, naming the program “SuccessMaker—A Path to Personalized Instructional Excellence.” All students have the opportunity to use the SuccessMaker courseware in their classrooms, the computer lab (holding 25 computers), the resource center, and the Gifted & Talented program. Every class visits the computer lab twice a week, working for 40 minutes per session. Students take SuccessMaker courses in reading and math, including titles such as Reading Readiness, Initial Reading, Reader’s Workshop, Reading Adventures, Writer’s Studio, Math Concepts and Skills, and Math Investigations. Dr Gibson says, “The support of the administration, combined with the commitment of Chesterfield’s teaching staff, has enabled SuccessMaker to be effectively integrated into our daily schedule.”

All New Jersey public schools are required to offer a G&T (gifted and talented) enrichment instructional program for students who are determined to be eligible. Chesterfield offers all eligible G&T students in K-6 access to SuccessMaker. The diagnostic prescriptive capability of SuccessMaker allows students to work at their own personal academic levels of instruction. In grades K-2 the G&T teacher works in the classrooms in a team approach with the regular teacher in an inclusion arrangement. In grades 3-6, the students who are eligible participate in a pullout program, where they go to the G&T-Enrichment Room and work with the G&T teacher exclusively for several periods a week on a variety of academic enrichment topics. “If a second-grade student is able to work on a third or fourth grade level, he or she can begin on that level with SuccessMaker. This answers the question from parents, ‘what are you doing to meet my son’s or daughter’s needs in math or reading?’ With SuccessMaker it is now easier to answer this important question,” says Dr. Gibson.

In the G&T Classroom as well as all other classrooms, all students have access to SuccessMaker. What’s valuable about the SuccessMaker program is that all students, whether they are in the G&T program or not have the opportunity to work at their own levels and make as much progress as they can in math and language arts/literacy. 

To monitor Chesterfield’s student progress, the classroom and computer teachers assist the students and assess their gains through various SuccessMaker reports. “Teachers frequently report the high level of enthusiasm that students express about SuccessMaker. Students enjoy working in the program and often ask for additional time. The multimedia aspects of the program hold the students’ interest and make learning very enjoyable for them,” says Dr. Gibson.
 

Results
Since the implementation of SuccessMaker, Chesterfield has experienced an increase in student achievement. “With SuccessMaker, students have gained exposure in math and reading that has empowered them to be challenged in areas they were previously reluctant to explore,” says Dr. Gibson.

After an average of 10.9 hours of instruction, 237 students gained three quarters of a year in reading, with 84 percent demonstrating acceptable performance. 

Since the implementation of SuccessMaker, Chesterfield has seen a statistically significant improvement on the New Jersey ESPA tests in math and language arts.

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.