Microcomputers. Goal Eased Education Program Hardware and Software Characteristics Are Presented As They Relate Finally, Profile

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AUTHOR Smith; Ronald M. TITLE Improving Instructional Management with Microcomputers. Goal eased Education Program Occasional Paper. Number 1. INSTITUTION Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, Oreg. SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Education (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE Dec 81 GRANT 400-80-0105 NOTE 26p. PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) Reports Descriptive (141)

EDRS P CE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Computer Managed Instruction; *Computer Programs; Glossaries; *Information Sources; Media Seolection; *MiCrocomputers; Program Descriptions; Program Development; *Program Implementation

ABSTRACT Many aspects of computer managed instruction(CMI) are discussed ill this paperlahich focuses on the use of computer technology to support teachers in their efforts toprovide effective instruction. The nature,of instructional management is explained and links to picrocomputer capabilities are established.Microcomputer hardware and software characteristics are presented as theyrelate 'specifically to instructional management applications. The imformation presented is designed to help teachers get startedin the use of microcomputers to supporttheir instructional programs. Finally, profiles of seven diverse CMI programs provide aglimpse of microcomputer-based ,CMI concepts in practice. This paper emphasizes generalized CMI systems, those not tied to a particular curriculum content or computer assisted instruction program. A ,glossary and a list of CMI resources with addresses areincluded.

*********************************************************,************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. **********************************************************Ic************ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IERICI . I talk This dolument has been reproduced as received from the person oforganitation of iginating ii Minor changes have been made to improve

reproduction quality .

Points ot view or opinions stated in this docu ment do not necessarily represen«,flicialme position orpollCy

et,

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LMPROVING INSTRUCTIONAL MANAGEMENT WITH MICROCOMPUTERS

Ronald M. Smith

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY M. Margaret Rogers

TO THE EDUCATIDNAL RESOURCp INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." f ducat'

7.1S, ."-:.7 IMPROVING INSTRUCTIONAL MANAGEMENT WITH MICROCOMPUTERS by Ronald M. Smith with technical assistance from Don Holznagel

OVERVIEW There are m.any educational uses of computer explored andlinks to microcomputer capabilities technology. Comter's can deliver instruction to established. Microcomputer hardware (terms in bold students (computersisted instruction) and support type are dqfined in the glossary) and software charac- school administrators as like attendance and teristics vein be presented as they relati speciAcally accounting. They may be the subject of instruction to instructional management applications. Informa- (computer literacy) or may support,teachers in their tion will be presented that is designed to hJp you efforts to provide effective instruction (computer get started in the use of computers to support your managed instruction). It is the last of these uses that instructional programs. Filially, profiles of seven is the subject of this paper. And, in the area of in- diverse CMI programs will provide a glimpse of structional management applications, the focUs will microcomputer based CMI concepts in practice. be on the use of microcomputet technologV, exclu- Throughout, the emphasis 4ill be on generalized sively. CMI systems, those not tied to a particular curricu- In the sections that follow, many aspects of com- lum contentlor computerassisted instruction pro- puter managed instruction (CMI) will be examined. gram. The nature of instructional management will be

COMPUTER These,. features give meaning to the concept of corn- MANAGED puter power. The computer extends the capabilities of teachers and others to manage instruction effec- INSTRUCTION. tively. Strictly stieaking, the term "computer managed instruction is a bit of a misnomer in the context How the Computer Can Help presented in this paper. The computer does not Computers can be used to benefit in all kinds of manage instmCtion in the systems to be described instructional programs, but are especially useful, hcre. Rather, itupports the teacher in several ways' even a necessity, in highly personalized programs. tharcontribute tici effective instructional manage- There areat least four 'features of computers that rnent. It is a support tool, part of a larger instruc- make them useful in instructional management tional managemeprocess. applications. The beneficial features of computers, described above, apply to computers of any size. Tispwever, Speed of calculation and retrieval of informa- microcomputers, the smallest members of the tion computer family, have some additional characteris- Accuracy and reliability in carrying out opera- tics which Offer benefits for instructional manage- tions ment applicatAns. Capacity to maintain a large number of de- Compact. Microcomputers and their storage tailed records in an organized fashion 'and printing devices are small and lightweight, and can easily be Rlaced in a classroom or school Capacity to do repetitive tasks endlessly office near the point of use.

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ANorthwest Regional Educational Laboratory300 S.W. Sixth Avenue POrtland, Oregon 97204 Graphi a Color. Microcomputers'offer systems arrange to collect, manipulate and dissemi- facilities to eas ly produce-graphic displays of nate the information needed by a variety of decision information, luding color. This provides for makers. improved comunication of statistical and However, not all instructional programs are alike, other data, especially at a summary level. either in terms of complexity or information needs. Instructional management is more difficult in some Interactive. The computer languages most programs than in others. Here are two contrasting commonly used.on micros provide the opportu- examples. nity to produce programs which allow,almost conversational interaction between the computer program and the user. Example 1Time Based Classroom Instruction Low Cost. Microcomputers are relat vely inex- pensive and have low operating costs: Most secondary instruction takes place in the context of a course, a period of time denned by a The advantages of microcomputers suggested by grading period. The instructional cycle in a course these characteristics are that they are affordable, can is usually linked to the length of the grading be easily placed where they are to be used and can be period used in the school. under the complete control of the user for work At the start of the course some general goal scheduling and problem resolution. Furtherinore, may be stated,More often than not, no explicit programs can be simple to use, have a high degree of outcomes are presented.'What follows is like`ly to interaction and display information in communica- be a series of units designAd to teach the content, tive and meaningful Ways... of the course. Each course segment will contain Along with the advantages, however, comes the classroom activities arid some periodic or daily responsibility for things traditionally handled by assignments, which are corrected and the scores computer,. center staff such as maintenance, trouble recorded. At the end of a unit, a test is developed, shooting, problem resolution and data security. administered, scored and the sCore recorded. At Work scheduling control and convenience also, the end of a grading period, a grade is prepared accrue only if a micro is dedicated to one application and a report card completed. The cycle comes to area such as instructional management, avoiding an end. use for a variety of application4. In the period of a nine or ten week c se, 'many The Benefits of CMI for Teaching. instructional management tasks pmst ticornplet- and Learning ed. However, the decision making problt is relatively straightforward. Information is colleted, Computer power, especially as expressed in the stored and summarized suthat a decision abput a Inicrocom.uter, can improve instructional manage- grade can be made at the end of the marking'period. ment. It cZ help teachers and others make better The goals, materials, sequence of activities, §ttident more accurate, timely and learner resPonsivedeci- groupings and tests are thrgely pre-pthnned fotAhe sions. The overall effect of the computer, group. Many decision problems are avoided in Whole bedded in an effective instructional program, group classrooms. But, often, Opportunities to pto- s ould be better studerit achievement. The potential mote thorough learning are also missed. is great. Dimensions 6f Instructional Example 2Masiery Based- Management Classroom Instruction While instruction has many dimensions, nage- A relatively new approach to instruction called ment is surely one of the mist important. Instruc- mastery learning works like this. The content of tional management is the process that controls the a course of study is divided into unitseach with content, context, duration and pace of instructional objectives, activities and tests. Units typically events: Its purpose is to promote thorough,.efficient last two or three weeks. The unit defines the learning. Teachers manage instruction as one of length of one instructional cycle. At the start of a their major responsibilities, and so do parents and course, a pretest may be administered to deter- students at various times. Teachers, parents and mine a starting point in the curriculum. A t the students all must make decisions that affect individ- beginning of the first unit the objectives are ual educational programs.' introdiiced and initial instruction is provided. In the instructional management process, there There will be classroom activities-and assign- are many decision points. Many choices must be ments ips(as in regular.courses. made day to day to maintain the momentum -of A t the end of the initial instruction phase, a instruction and learning. Good decisions require test is given to determine whether the desired information that is accurate, specifically targeted, lyrning has taken place. The teSt is scored, but timely and accessible. Instructional management

_ 2. Grouping students for instruction. Students are not Used for grachng purposes. Instead, the test graiped at varickis tfmes according to achieve- data are used to group students according to ment levels and interest. Placing students in mastery of the objectives. Those who have mas- courses or classes, scheduling, is the most tered them receive an nfithment prescription. common form of grolping. Grouping within Those who haven't, recëive a corrective (reme- classes is becoming niore Common. The time dial) prescription. The on-mastery group is intervals for grouping and regrouping vary retaught. The teacher orrects the work of all considerably across programs. Grouping deci- groups and provides fdback. sions, especially these involvingachievemerit When the enrichmen °correction phase is level, are sometimes difficult. Having the best complete, another test is ,ven to assess mastery poSsible information at the right time helps for summative (grading) purpos,es. The test.is minimize the chance of misassignment. scored and a unit grade is developed. Often a report for students and parents is prepared and 3 Prescribing instruction. Assignments are . distributed. That ends the two or three week matched by teachers tdgroups and individuals. instructional cycle. In addition to content, assignments vary in length and level of difficulty. Types of materials and activities prescribed may vary widelY", even As shbuld be clear, the second example involves a when addressing the same topic. Good instruc- more complex instructional process. It is probably tional prescriptions match both the objectives more intense because of the shorter cycle angl has of the lesson and the cognitive characteristics of greater information needs because of the increased the learner. number of decision points. It is a harder process to manage. But it does have the advantage of being 4. Testing. Prior to instruction, there is often a more responsive to individual progress; thus pro- need to know a student's level of achievement. moting high achievement. This information is needed to decide on objec- The examples just presented are only two on a tives (diagnosis) and to plan learning activities continuum of instruetional processes ranging from (prescription). Assessment is the method of those with relatively low responsiveness to individ- getting needed information. Assessmerit in- ual differences to those with high responsiveness. volves several management tasks.:The assess- In general, the more reponsive instruction is to ment instrument, often a test, must he devel- individual students and the shorter the instruc- oped, perhaps using items from an item bank. tional cycle, the more difficult and complex instruc- The intent is to get a test that perfectly matches tional management becomes. Often, effective, the lesson objective and the instruction. The responsive instructional programs strain or exceed tesrt must be presented to the student in some the caPabilities of manual instructional mangeinent form, perhaps on paper, or orally or perhaps systems. In these kinds of programs, the computer through the video display unit of a microcom- may be an essential supportstool. puter. Once the student has reponded to tFie items, they must be scored and the scores summarized some way. Recording progress. Teachers accumulate many Types of Instructional Management kinds of information about students: test stores, observational data, the products of daily/assign- Functions ments, These bits of information about per- Instructional prOgrams include a variety of com- formance are the basis for many kinds of deci- mon management functions, areas in which decisions. Consequently, classroom information sions mustibe made. Some of these are discussed needs Xform of organization that facilitates beldw. decision making.

1 Assigning learning objectives. Many instruc- 6. Reporting performance. To support good deci- tional progritms'are based on goals and objec- sions, information must be reported selectively tives, and thnumber of such programs is and in a systematic way to teachers, parents and increasing all the time. Objectives may be students. A common way to share information assigned to groups or individuals. They 1ay be is through the letter grade:based report card. A linked to short segments of instruction;like complimentary approach is to develop perform- lessons, or to larger segments, like courses. ance profiles for individuals that link objectives There may be graduation or grade level compe-, to performance levels such as mastery-criteria. tencies. Whatever the configuration, the goals Information must be managedretrieved and and objectives must be well managed to be summarizedso that ieports are accurate useful. representations of learning.

3 t) 7. Reviewing program'effectiveness. There is relative to test items may be examined to spot increasing emphasis on the review of instruc- poor items or areas where instruction needs tional programs based on student performance improvement. In this function, teathers man- data. The goal is to continuously improve the age the quality of instruction, a tough but effectiveness of classroom instruction. To important task. achieve this.end, teachers need various kinds of Figure 1 summarizes all the instructional manage- 'summary data about student progress. Achieve- ment functions just presented. ment data may be analyzed statistically and compared with objectives. Group performance

Figure 1 Instructional Management Functions I t. 1. Assigning learning objectives 5. Recording progress Long range planning Test scores Instrnctional outcomes Observational data Daily assignment$ 2. Grouping students for instruction Scheduling 6. Reporting performance Within class Grade reports . Performance profiles 3. Prescribing instruction Materials 7. Reviewing program effectiveness Activities Group data analysis Test item analysis 4. Testi Generation Delivery Scoring

MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEMS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL MANAGEMETT Anatomy of a MicrocomPuter System A microcomputer is a type of computer based on a micropr,essor, a small square (chip) of silicon, a quarter ixçh or less on a side, on which has been etched ten of thousands of logical circuits and storage locations. (A microprotessor is shown in Figure 2.) This chip is the working part of the micro, where the "computing" goes on. In addition to the microprocessor, or central processing unit (CPU), the microcomputer also includes the circuitry needed to input and output data. MicrocOmputer system consists of the microcomputer plus other devices (peripherals) that rnA-. nipulate information and allow the user to control the microprocessor. A typicabirray of hardware used in CMI applications is shown in Figure 3.

4 Figure 3 Typical CMI Hardware

Video Display (CRT)

Disk Drive

Keyboard

Printer Central Processing Unit

Card Reader

Disk Drivea device used to store and retrieve Here is what the various parts of the systemdo. information from a storage medium, usually a 51/4 " floppy disk. Central Processing Unitprocesses data according /o program specifications. Printertranslates electronic signals into typed copy. Keyboardallows information to be input and programs to be selected and controlled. Card Readerdevice for the automatic entry of 4fr data coded on cards. Video Display (CRT)a television set or monitor that allows the user to review information in All the pieces of the system work together to carry memory, observe results and interactwith pro- out the functions that support theteacher's overall grams in conjunction with thekeyboard. instructional management plan.

5 Hardware Requirements for CMI affordable improvements in storage capabilities can be expected in the near, future. Perhaps the most critical feature of CA/II systems .from a hardware point of view is the need for large amounts of storage or memory. CMI systems often Alternative Ways to Organize a contain information about many aspects of instruc- Micro Based System for CMI tion, from lists of objectives to test items. And, of eourse, there isv file for each student managed AlmoSt all current implementations of micro within the system. Each collection of related infor- based CMI are at the building level. The most typi- mation is called a data base. Figure 4 presents some cal arrangementincludes one microcomputer of the more common of these as used in microcom- housed in a central location operated by a trained puter based CMI systems. aide. Data are transported to the "center" on mark sense sheets, cards or via written codes on standard- ized forms. The aide controls all data entry and Figure 4 report generation. Multiple use of hardware is common, although equipment dedicated to CMI use Common CMI Data Bases probably results in fewer problems. Other possible arrangements include: Objectives A central (within buirding)CPU with networked Curriculum Structure terminals distributed at key locations Such a system may rely more heavily on teachers than Resources (materials.- and activities) aides for data entry and retrieval. ( Test items Intelligent terminals (micros) networked with Student information . larger computers at remote locations. 7'eaêher information Micros decentralized with each teacher partici- pating in the CMI system housing and,using a micro in his/her own classroom. This configura- The number and size of the data bases usually tion increases the possibility that students could leads taa modular approach when developing and take a larger role in managing their own instruc- running Pior-r s on a microcomputer. Each in- tion. structional mana ent function is independent of the others and uses o ly the data base infbrmation needed to carry outie function. This approach CMI Software leads to linear processing rather than the simulta- Software refers to computer programs, which"are neous processing common with larger computers. sequences of instructions which cause a co,mputer Normally this approach creates few problems, but to carry out desired functions. Some imograms (sys- does result in slower processing rate* tem software) control and coordinate the various Microcomputers used for CMI usually h'ave mini- hardware components of a computer. Other pro- mum primary memory size of 32k. 48k is common. grams (applicationtoftware) contain the proceduws Because of the large amount of information typical for carrying out functions for a specific need such as of CMI systems, secondary memory, usually in the instructional management. The software, docu- form of floppy disks, is needed to store information ments and procedures necessary for an application and programs not in use at any given time. From the are called a package or system. point ofyiew of disk storage (51/4" installations), the Good criteria for the development of CMI pro- following very general rules apply in terms of total' grams are not yet well specified. There are very few system capacity. Commercially available packages for cw. Some of With little disk switching and a CMI program of the available ones are described in the-Profiles sec- medium complexity, about 100 students can be tion that follows. As already mentioned, CMI packages tend to be modular due to storage limitation. maintained. Commercial systems may or may not have a data With much disk switching and a CMI program of base structure well suited to your instructional medium complexity, up to 1,000 students can be management process. maintained. One characteristic that seems to be emerging as a key indicator of quality is the interactive nature of . Generally, less disk switching is better than more the program. The best programs seem to be menu- 'disk switching. Loading and unloading digks fre- driven with built-in error traps and many prompts quently can lead twa variety of errors and equipment presented to the user: Quality programs seem to problems. require little use of paper documentation. God* More secondary (disk) memory can be obtained in programs are easy to use. a number of ways, all of which cost r'ore money There are at least three ways to get the kind of (e.g., larger disks, hard disks). However, storage disk CMI program you need: _technology is advancing rapidly and sig cant,

6 e a programtner and have a custom program Buy a commercially available progranz..hire a written to match your instructional program. programmer and have the program modified to meet your needs. , Buy i commercially available program, use what you want and adapt your instructional process to All three approaches apittcar to work, with the the program. critical variables related to success being time, money and programming competence.

2:PA':!Mi GETTING STARTED WITH CMI

1 First Steps Planning Strategies Often the first step in planning for CMI has noth- If you have an instructional improvement process ing to do with computers at all. Before spending in place, use it to plan and implement your CMI time looking at computer hardware and software, system. If you don't, one alternative might be to give spend some time, perhaps a good bit of time, looking your CMI effort status as a special developinent at your instructional program. project. You can then apply ffirly standard project Basically, you will need to decide what kind of planning strategies, including the development of instructional program you want and then set about methods for disseminating the project once it is organizing it in a very systematic way. Here are completed. some ideas about this process. Of course, a key principle is to involve those who will usfq the CMI system in planning and developing Decide on the level of implementation yoU want. it. Without user ownership, implementation will be Do you want CMI in just a couple of classrooms, difficult, in a department, in a building or implemented Some other ideas include the f011owing: across a whole district? Some schOols have found that a task force with a Once you have decided on the scoiDe of your knowledgeable leader and the use of outside effort, do an 'instructional "audit." CarefuLly describe how instruction is cairied out, what resources is an effective approach. kinds of management decisions teachers make Identify your immediate CMI needs, but keep an and what kinds of information they collect and eye on the future. A flexible CMI system can use. better meet changing needs. The long-term view needs adequate weight in planning. Use the audit information to initiate dialogue among those who will participate in the:CMI As has been noted before, staff awarenes's con- system concerning,the need for some common cerning computer technology willprobably be an instructional processes. Focus on developing a early and continuing inservice concern. An common instructional model. adequate kaowledge foundation must be essta'b- Carry out curriculumanspnctional develop- lished before much development can be carried ment that is needed to get .a unified instnftional out. approach. Start small. At least as a general rule. Oseshort, intermediate and long-range goals to pace your Once the instructional process is developed, efforts. Plan to expand as you gain experience at) anaryze it carefully in terms of the ways that computers can help. Doing this generates the each level of implementation. specifications for the CMI system that will meet your needs. It helps ensure that the dog wags the Ways to Get the Expertise You Need tail, not vite versa. If you have a corhuter whiz on staff, you are For the best possible implementaion, your in- lucky. Most people don't. But knowledge about structional program should be aligned perfectly hardware, software and instructional applications is with the capabilities, of your CMI system. absolutely essential. How can you get the expertise needed? Here are some ideas: Hire an outside consultant.

7 Train a perrn who is already in your district or Software building. Expendables like printeP paper and diskettes Team consultants and internal staff on a long- hardware maintenance term basis to get the development done and to train your staff.' Operator's salary and benefits Collaborate with a vendor or with university Facilities costs including space and utilities personnel. Consultant costs for problem solving Form a consortium with other school districts Manager's salary and benefits and share ideas and combine resources. Staff training One or more of these ideas may be used to build the capacity you will need to successfully imple- Consideration of thele and, perhaps, other factors, ment a,CMI system. as well, will help you budget realistically for implementation. Cost Analysis for CMI The,kal cost of a CMI system lies beyond hardware and softwar. The followinglist givesa\s_arnple of sdme of the factors to consider. c Hardware

J;7,-!;.,-1*,=7.-;% tn, tirigt4 COM UTER MANAGED INST UCTION: 3ti., PROFILES OF SUCCES§FUL PROGRAMS

In this ection, profiles of successful CMI programs are presented. Based on extensive research, it seems as thou h the programs described here are representativ of th'e kinds of efforts going on across the country. B way of introduction to the sits, Y'ou may wish.to st dy Figure 5 below.

Figure 5

p. . 4 CMI Site Characteristics et. District StudentsGtadeProgram Area Software CMI Site Size Context in CMI Levels Where Used Source

Wrangell, AK s 467 Rural 467 K-12 General ', , CommerciailLocal. ( Los Gatos, CA ,3.900 Urban 3,900 9-12 Graduation Commercial Competencies' ..Houston, TX 190,000 Urban 9,000 6-12 Reading Commercial Lake Stevens; WA 3,003Suburban1Rural 500 ' 1-8 Basic Skills Commercial Duluth, MN 15,214 Suburban 2,100 7--12 Basic Skills Loca l.' Local ., Dalla4, OR 2,622 °Rural . .450 7-'8 General Portland, OR 53:856 Urban 500 4-8 . Title I Commercial

8 Geographic Isolation Overcome printer. The high school center also has a card reader that allOw" s automatic data entry and scoring of . as Teachers BringComputer C.A.M. tests. - Several types.orreports can be generated, includ- Power to Wrangell, Alaska ing the following. Student couponThese are reports to students Wrangell is a small town isolated on an island in a and parents prepared and distrib'uted after each remote section of southeastern Alaska. The setting tescadministration. A coupon shows the objec- seems unlikely for successful CMI implementation. tives tested, whether the student's answer to the Yet committed teachers have brought computer test item was correct or incorrect and whether . power to their educational programsan& as a result, .oinstruction on the objectives had been given. are managing instruction more effectively. The total score for the test is given as the ratio After a 1980 visit to a CMI project site in Hopkins, between the number right and the number Possi- Minnesota, four teachers led a local development ble (e.g. 21/26). A cumulative list of scores of ay efforl supported byTitle IV-C and II-B grants. Their C.A.M. tests taken is also supplied. first initiative involved the implementation of a CMI program call C.A.M. (ComprehensiJe Achieve- Class reportA report for the teacher that shows ment Monitoring) originally developed inHof:46ns. summarized performance for each student for C.A.M. works this way. For each course,/ a set of each test administration. objectives is developed or located. Test items are Objective reportThis report, for teachers, then prepared for each objective creating an item shows group performance on each objective bank for the course. The item bank allows test forms tested for each test administration. covering a broad range of course objectives to be developed. Each test form is called a "mini-final''' Test evaluation reportAgain, a report for because it covers content across the whole course. teachers. This one provides an item analysis for Aethe start of a course, the teacher administers each test item in a test form. the first of the 0. k.M. tests. Since none of the objec- C.A.M. is being applied in several subject matter tives have been taught, this first test serves as a Use is concentrated pre-test for all course,pritent. Subsequently, C.A.M. areas. In the elementary school, tests are administered-at two to four week intervals. in courses teaching language and study skills. In the In these later administrations some items form a high school, C.A.M. is being used in English, Biology taught), and Algebra-courses. Hardware, C.A.M. software, pre-test (items related to objectives not yet expendable materialsond aide's salary ($7.22 @ some form A ptigt-test (items related to objectives taught since the last C.A.M. test), and the remaining items form a retention test (items related to objec- Re-2 tives taught in the past). Tests can be customized to FORM 21 385 TEST PERIOD 1 9/24/1981 the needs of the teacher who may select.the objec- FRACTIONCORRECT ON YES ITEMS IS 2126 tives to be tested And request a specific number of OBJ AINS 084A INS OB4 AINS ORJ INS OBJ A INS YES 1304f YES 1214 + YES test items.per objective. 1501 ffES 1104+ YES 1204 hYES Information from C.A.M. tests is intended to help 1504 4YES 11044 YES 12O 4YES :504 YES :104 - YES 120* fYES iES teachers decide what content to emphasize and 1504 - YES 1104 + YES 124 what to cover quickly, when students need remedial 1324 fYES 1104+ YES :204 fYES 1324 + YES 11C4f.YES help or when they need re-teachiug on important 1304 f YES 1214+ YES 1304 +YES 1214 YES * concepts or skills they have forgotten. C.A.M.tese 1304 + YES 1214 - YEs inforation also mavhelp students manage their fkL Cuk FRC COR FRC COR owryJarning more effectively. ILIAL YES , REP! 1 21/26 21/26 21/26 C.M. is used in boththe school buildings in 2 Wrang11. In each school,:.:,, e a high school and the 3 4 other an elementary, space has been set aside for an 5

"Evaluation Center." Each school has an'aide who 7 8 makes most of the computer entries, maintains the 9 mOst of 10 test item bank, compiles tests and generates 21/26 21/26, the reports and records produced by the C.A.M.1 CUM TOT 21/26 program. The coordinator, Kathy Wayne,teaches elementary classes in the morning and works in the C.A.M. student coupon showing test high school evaluation center in the afternoon. Each results center is equipped with a microcomputer and

4 .01

,. hourl for one schooLyear for each building cost HI is being used in grades 4-12 in a variety of ariproximately $16,000. Operating Costs in subse- subject matter areas such as math, English, govern- quent years should be in the range Of $10,000- ment and typing. Evaluation center staff carry out . $11,000.per year. data entry as do classroonl teachers because of the' In addition to the C.A.M. program, Wradgell program's input simplicity. . teachers, ledliy the programming efforts of teachat Most inservice.work for.bothC.A.MrandHI !Richard Port, haxe implemenced another CMI pro- implementations was completed by district staff. A gram'called HI. Port customized an existing program C.A.M. specialist from Hopkins was brought in for to meet the needs of:Wrangell teachers for a grade one workshop. Members of the teaching staff have JE. recording system. The HI "electronic grade book" contriipited many hours of their own time to secure, keeps track of assignments, grades and grade ayer- successful implementation. , e, ages. Future work in the CMI area will focus on refining' Silidents receive a bi-morrthly printout' which procedures for the use Of the C.A.M. and HI pro- shoWs current grade average and lists all assign- grams an yl. extending their use to additional cOtirses ments.to da( with the grade for each. Teachers and gradeqevel programs.. receiv_e 1) an alphabetical list of stuclehis with cur- Despitekoere cqpstraints, computer managed rent averages, 2) a ranked list of students and aver- instructi works in Wrangell. All of the4district's ages, pid 3) a list of assignments t6date with-a class nearly 0 students in grades K-12 have benefited ..

averagefor each. . frors computer support. i

r . . tin.'

Hardware, Repdrts produced Audience How used

1 'N. General description of 1 1.Individual Student/ Testing systein +; keyboard and student coupon:parent feedback CPU in one unit \-?\. 2.Class report Teacher Group Central processing unit.. 6502, Da§ 3.3 with 48K monitoring RAM 3. Ob jective reportTeacher Program review Peripherals disk drive Apple dual disk 4: Test evaluation Teacher Progiam feview monitor Amdel2 100G, 11". report printer Raber Tiger 5: Student couponStudentl Grading numeric keypad Advanced Business paren't feedback Tecnology. card reader Chatsworth MR 500 6. Cumulative Teacher Group graphics tablet Apple group averages monitoring (alphabetical) Software 7.Cumulative Teacher Group 4, Programming language .. Integer Basic group averageit4 monitoring Program source. C.A.M.: Evaluation (rank order)

Center, . 8. Assignment list Teacher Program review' Hopkins Public Schools - 1001 Highway 7 Hopkins, MN 55343 (612) 933-9.236 Contact P.erson: Kathy Wayne. Or loan Eagle Wrangell City School Distfict Box 651 Wrangell, Alaska 99929 4 (907) 874-37451874-3397

total of eight Apple II+ micros in useln the district

fri 10 ft The microcomputer is housed at the,district's Los Gatos High School central office and operate'dlby a techrtical aide. The Competencies Program Made system is used inttrmittently, with heaviest use aroupd test administration dates. Reports,are dis- More Manageable Through Use perSed by the district's mail service on a request of a Microcomputer basis. There are two large,.comprehensive high schools and one small continuation high school. Administrators and counselors are the primary High schools in Los Gatds, California, like many system users. other high schools across the United States, require The program run on the computer was purchased students todemonstrate competence in several from the Evans-Newton Company, a firm which has basic skill areas as a prerequiSite to graduation. In developed and markets a generalized CMI program Los Gatos, nearly 4,000 students must be tested, Called PROJECT BASIC. Los Gatos purchased the tracked and remediated as necessary, as they move PROJECT BASIC package and then paid approxi- toward completion of the graduation competenCies mately $400 additional for customprogramming to requirement. Los Gatos educators find manual meet needs specific to the graduationtompetencies testing and record keeping systems cutribersome, program. both slow and prone to error. Existing district com- Microcomputer hardware used in Lo atos cost puter services were judged inadequate also. Enter approximately $3,000 with the PROJEC ASIC the microcomputer. software package costing $1,950. Operating costs, Eleven graduation competencies in math, reading including salary for a part-time clerk, are expected to and writing were identified. Tests were then devel- run in the neighborhood of $6,500 for the-next year. oped to assess proficiency in each area. The first Inservice training for teachers focused on interpre- assessment takes place in ninth grade. There are tation ofcomputer generated reports. Additional four subtests, one for ipath (3 competencies), one for inservice for administrators and clerks focused on reading (4 competencies),and two for writing (4 system operation. competencies). Each subtest t'akes about one hour to complete, though there are no strict time limits imposed. Tests are given in English 'and social stud- c a__ 1=1,.. --E: ...... :-r IF-1 -r g__a -z-_-- : =,.c..------r ------ies classes and require about four class periods. The :LASS NO. 201 TODAY S DATE 03'17'01 .,PADE LEVEL . BULJECT AREA mRTH/RERDING/WRITING mAsTERY 4ARSENT math and reading subtests are multiple choice while ROGPFlm MATH READING WRITING - A01.-KASTEP..

NUMIEF 1 . :, 4 ! S 7. 10 the writing tests are performance assessments, :OMPETEtcy 101 102 10: 201 2 20:204 7,01 302 SO. 3e4 mAET 3FP-201 000014t-N, . - a . 91 holistically scored. S55202/ER"t" ,./63 6: - Al..-- 1 0 Students must pass each objectiv.e. Those stu- SFR204 .,,..., ,,.. . , 1 0 El SMR244 ,P4 r ' . dents with deficiencies must take makeup tests SRR205 i - 100 SKR206 iKi.jV 100

. . 100 offered three times a year (November, February, SMR207 . a SFR305 IJ C 00 1 C April) in grades 10, 11 and 12. Makeup assessments SmR290 SME21 0 SPRI:: 10C include one test per objective. Students take only LFR211 1 0 those test segments needed. Makeups are adminis- 7FR: SKR: tered on Saturdays and require preregistration,..,4 SFR:. 0FR2 STUDENTS WITH NON-MASTERV oF When students take a reading or math test, they SmR: COMPETENCY II 00102 SmE2 SOLVE CONSuKER PROILEMS RRE respond on mark-sense answer sheets. These are SFRZ ;FR.7.. then fed through a card reader that automatically LFRZ. '4r iRAD.spR281 scores the test and enters or updates a report in each .

MF-:- SMR244 student's computer file. Writing scores are entered ' SR.:. - . > KZ 01:7:S.-t. !.:;-,;:i manually via the keyboard using a pass/fail code. iMR24SKR245 ,..**.pfitqt:fiAc' i mR: z ..::4 4::'..-:.:, 4; - Information stored in the computer is manipulat- SRF.: !i:4:..;1,4+.4:t.,..C!,,Y SFR:. ed several ways to produce reports useful to stu- FM: smR2 ICICOPYRIGHTEL 1920 FY EVANS NEWTOA INCORPORATED.ALL RIGNTS RESERVED. FmR2 dents, teachers and other decision makers. Reports SCR: :FAL_ include those describing progress of individuals ,-, L. ei : :00 (non-mastered competencies, status of all compe- : ... ,-,240 - ..0 tencies, results from all test admihistrations) and .., 0. those describing progress of groups (class/grade 4 ,Iirl : status, school status, list of all students not mas- 4 40 40 40 40 47 40 40 4.f. 40 40 4.?f 14:-E;IE: r)F ...AS: 44 42 44 44 4, 4, 44 42 4: 41 4:472

. . . . tering a specific competency). Of particular interest . - . . are the statistically oriented school status reports .:C." mAZ-E., which are useful to administrators in program re- Coinpetency reports target 'students view and revision efforts. needing additional instruction implemented in mid-1,981, Los Gatos' CNII project that the microcomputer is going to male an imptr- will concentralg the first full year's effort on tant contribution to the effective management of smoothing out procedures and solving any technical the graduation competencies program. problems that may.arise. Early evidence suggests

Hardware Reports producedAndience How used General description of 1.Non-mastered Student I Counselling system Commodore CBM 2001; competencies parent keyboard, CPU, monitor . in one unit 2.Student report Student I Monitoring cerd parent Central processing unit.6502, 32K RAM 3. Student history Student Monitoring Peripherals parent disk drive Commodore 4040 dual disk drive 4.Gradelclass Teacher PThnnin monitor Commodore, integrated status prescribing printer Commodore 2002 School status Adminis- Program review card reader Chatsworth MR 500, report trators modified for opte:cal scan 6.Non-proficient .Teachers I Plann ing, Software students listei by counsellorsremediation Programming languageCommodore Basic competency (Microsoft derivative) Program source Evans Newton, Inc. 7745 East Redfield Road Contact Person: Donald R. Brand, Director of Scottsdale, AZ 85260 -Competency Testing Los Gatos Joint Union High School (602) 998-2777 District P.O. Box 1257 Los Gatos, California 95030 (408) 354-2520

lum levels in the reading program. Each cuiricu- Reading Achievement Target of um level focuses on building specific skills and uses CMI Application m. terials matched to the functional reading levels of enrolled students. At all levels, the content of ihe in Houston, Texas materials is matched to the age level interests of the partiCipan6. The curriculum levels correspond For the Houston, Texas, Independent School roughly to the following grade level equivalents. -District, the use of microcomputers for instruc- Level 1grade 3-4 instructional level tional management purposes is a natural extension of the district's long-standing involvement in the Level 2grade 4-5 insiructional level area of computer technology. Following a review of Level 3--grade 6-7 instructional level district reading programs in middle, junior high and senior high schools, a decision was made to bring in At each level, objectives are divided into groups of microcomputers to support instructional manage- two or three which form a unit of instruction. These ment. units or "clusters" form the basis for a classroom The content and structure of the reading program, instructional cycle. Each cycle lasts two weeks and which is lab based, were modified in an effori to includes intense, direct instruction and practice on increase the effectiveness of instruction. In Hous- clusteg objectives. At the end of a cycle, a cluster ton, there are 17 reading objectives replicated at test is given to determine if students have mastered different levels of complexity at each of three curric- the objectives. Students move step-by-step through

12 1 4 1 a sequenced set of clusters designed to build needed tained for each student and referenced to level place- reading skills. . ment and objectives mastery. Computer generated To be eligible for the reading program, students reports include individual student profiles, student must be two or more years below grade level in report cards and class summaries which-teachers reading ac'hievement. The program is for students in can use for instructional planning. grades six through twelve. - Begun in the fall of 1981, the reading program has 'Student placement in the program is determined been implemented at 57 middle, junior high and by an annual test. For high school students (grades senior high schools in the district. About 9,000 9-12), pe)-formance on the reading section of the students participate in the program. Houston Minimum Competency Test is used for placement decisions. This test is given in tne aghth At each campus, there are typically two or three grade and repeated periodically, as needed, there- reading labs. Each lab teacher has four or five sec- after. tions. All the labs at a campus are served by one FoiThost.,in middle and junior high school (grades microcomputer housed in a center. The micro is run 6-8), placement is baSed on a.pre-competency test by an aide who inputs data and generates reports as which focuses on reading only. Eacligrade level has requested by lab teachers. its own version of the test. The microcomputer is The CMI software was supplied by Evans-New- used to score pre-competency tests and to record ton, Incorporated (ENI). The program is called PR 0/- results. ECT BASIC and costs about $2,000 per implementa- Students are scheduled into labs for a semester at tioh. The programis generalized and adaptable to a time. At the end of each semester, progress is most curriculum structures and many instructional revieweeStudents may be placed in another se- processes. quence in the same level, advanced to a higher level Inservice training, both for classroom teachers and or scheduled nut of the lab program:if reading per- micro operators, was supplied by district personnel, formance is satisfactory. who, in turn, were supported by training from ENI. The microcomputer is used to provide support to Houston is using microcomputers to hely teachers the lab teacher in tracking and reporting student spend more time providing instruction and less time progress, as well as in making placement decisions. managing it. - Diagnostic and cluster test information is main-

Hardware Reports producedAudience How used -1 General description of 1.Diagnostic i'est Teacherl Placement system Bell and Howell version results counselor of Apple 11+; keyboard and CPU in one unit 2.Objective test Teacher Monitoring results Central processing unit. .6502, DOS 3.3 with 48K RAM 3.Student report Studentl Monitoring card parent - Peripherals disk drive Apple, dual disk 4.Class status Teacher Planning monitor Sonya, 9" report printer Mannesmann Tally or Paper Tiger, IDS cak,d reader Chatsworth Contact Person: Ronnie Veselka. Assistant Software Superintendent Research, Evaluation and Programming language.Basic (Applesoft) Accreditation Program source Evans Newton, Inc. Mike Mauldin, Associate Director 7745 East Redfield Road Institutional Research Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Houston Independent School (602) 998-2777 . District 3830 Richmond Houston, Texas 77027 (713) 623-5226

t) During the 1981-82 school year, emphasis will be Lake Stevens Basic Skills placed on the development of a math management CIVII Project system and making better u,se of grouping information. Additional development,will focus on integrat- ing learning styles information into the student Better information about student progress will information data base. More teachers will be partici- help teachers deliver instruction, tailored to individ-_, pating in the project. The grade range involved in the ual needs, mere effectively. On this premise, the project will be extended to eighth grade. Lake Stevens School District has implemented a Here are some other points Of interest. CMI system in an instructional improvement effort, Using a Title II basic skills grant, the district pur- The so.ftware used at Lake Stevens is not tied to a chased a microcomputer and installed a CMI pro- specific curricul}im package. Any curriculum, if gram (MICRO-CMI) develciped by Don Mc Isaac and formatted to data entry requirements, can be others At thesUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison. . used. Development efforts during the two-year project The capacity of the system is large, having been (1980-82) are focused on inStructional management designed to manage as many as L.,000 students. in reading, language arts and mathematics in first through fifth grade. The software is rrienu based for easy operator Five key teachers, one at each grade level, in one use; the use of prompts and fail safes reduces the elementary school (Hillcrest Elementary) have been chance of data.loss. actively involved in ccustomizing and field testing the CMI system. They are part of a CMI task force' which includes the Title II project director, the district curriculum director, the principal, librarian V ?Al no I and secretary at Hillcrest, and a basic skills aide KILOOT alrk9aMf responsible for operating the microcomputer. The . 101.7arittl computer is housed in Hillcrest's instructional, 7E4x-us:FF. PalrO&I media center (IMO., During the 1980-81 school year, emphasis was tnrar CREUP OW ID TEENY DATE M1ED OSP ME placed on the reading curriculum (Houghton-Mif- 6441 5 CiAR-102 611ACE, &WM 5/11/11 flin). Learning objectives and roster information are 2: S2 C-111-144 litUar DARIEN 5/20/11 entered as prerequisites to the "electronic grade 1971 .144 book" function of the microcomputer. Here is how INMUCTIOAk_ CROUPIK RECOMARDATION - SUMMARY 0. the system works. HILLCRESTELEAESPRI UNIT :C Progress tests are distributed throughout the 4171 KHER0011 : 1 curriculum and occur frequently. After a test is administered, a teacher hand scores it and assigns either an "M" for mastery, if at least 80% of the 144 INDICATES THE STUDENT IS RECOWILlaFOR TIE TOPIC. TIENUM2ER PERIM: 'X INDICATESoca GfOSJECTIVES items for an objective are correct, or writes down the NOT 1E1 MASTERED tti raw or percentile scores,(e.g., 65%) if the score is less than 80%. 103X Grade information is sent to the conquter center HAOATIK where the basic skills aide enters it on the computer. SED ID 4 Once test information is on the machine, several types of reports can be generated for individuals and groups showing progress through the curriculum. Teachers also have the option of certifying student performance using non-formal assessment or personal judgment. The code "MC" is used to de- note those objectives certified in this way. Typical elapsed time between receipt of task information in the computer center and production of performace reports is a half day. Performance reports show what has been learned and what hasn't. Teachers use computer generated reports to group students, to identify those needing remediation and to prescribe learning activities that The computer automatically gener- are neither redundant nor too difficult. ates grouping reports

14 4

The microcomputer is connected via telephone Information on the effectiveness of the project will to the software developer's home base in Wis- not be available until the end of the 1981-82school consin; the entire Lake Stevens'.program can be year. run ftmotely for problem solving purposes. Hardware, software andinstallation cost the DIstrict just under $20,000. 1980-81 costs for the Other functions, such as automatic prescription half-time operator, the maintenance/service con- -of learninractiviiies and instructional grouping tract and expendable materials wasapproximately are built into the software and,ayailable on $7,000. During the 1980-81 school year, members-of demand; the computer is also sophisticated the task force participated in an inservice workshop eriough to run administrative programs in such involving two half-days of release time and two areas as attendance and word processing. eyening sessions each month.

Hardware Reports produced Audience How used General description of 1.Individual Teacher Remediation system . General Robotics, RT-11 achievement Microcomputer, keyboard profile separate, CPU and Teacher Remediation monitor integrated in Individual performance single housing. profile KD1'1-HA, 3'2K RAM Central processing unit. 3.Multiple Teacher Grouping Peripherals performance disk drive 2-GRC disk drives profile by monitor' GRC, integral classroom printer IDS 440 Paper Tiger scanner/ card reader .#5098 DMR data terminal Contact Person: Wayne Robertson, Director of SoftWare Special Programs Programming language. . Fortran' Lake Stevens School Distriet No. 4 12708 - 20th Street, N.E. Program source University of Wisconsin Lake Stevens, WA 98258 Research and 2061334-0441 Development Center, Madison, WI, Donald Mcissac, Principal Developer (608) 263-2718

151 ;$-1. 11. 14.k.4* 1...0:A.;'3Sr.-10:0'1,;40,5,7.5i:Y.Xfte..% *9

CMI Supports Basic Skills using a remote terminal housed in the high school. This time-sharing approach soon proved too'costly Development in Duluth, leading project managers to seek a less costly alternative. A microcomputer, housed on site, was Minnesota Secinulary Schools selected. Additional programming was done to implement the recordkeeping program on the micro. Reading and math, two fundamental skill ereas, The basic skills program works like'lhis. Students receive special attention in two Duluth, Minnesota are tested at the end of sixth grade using a criterion- secondary schools. CMI is a key feature of a basic referenced proficiency test. The results are entered skills program intended to ensure that students into the computer then used in parent,copferences develop needed proficiences. and as the basis for placement in basic sleills classes Washington junior High and Central Hi.Li School in junior high. When deficiencies are found, stu- participate in the program, developed undrer a Title dents are assigned to classe8-whereskills defined in IV-C grant and implemented in 1978. Called the the objectives scope and sequence are specifically Basic Skills Development Design, the program taught. The results of criterion-referenced unit tests includes criterion referenced testing, ability gioup- (post tests) also become part of each student's data ing and a tracking system that allows skill deve,lop- file maintained in the computer. ment to be followed across classes and grade levels. At the end of ninth grade, students are tested

.. Using an objectives scope and secp.4nce in teading again. Records are updated and new placements and math, Duluth staff developed minimum profi- made. Instruction in the minimuin skill areas con- ciency tests for each subject, units of instruction tinues as needed. keyed to objectives and a computer based record- Computer generated records are used for place- keeping system. ment, for diagnosis in basic skills clasfirooms, as p The computer program used in the project was -source of planning information for regular ti;lassroorn developed locally under the directiorrof Donna teachers and as a mechanism for communication Mark. A programmer was hired to write a custom with parents. Counselors, teachers and parents can program tailored to defined information needs. request reports at any time. Basicskills information . Initial development costs were in the range of $1,500 provided by the system is used not only for remedi1-.4 to $2,000. tion purposes but also for making advanced place-4 At firSt, the computer program was run on a main- ment decisions. frame computer at a site some.150 miles distant- The microcomputer is housed at the high school.

CLASS RU11E6422223

10-50 MAHE READING TEACHER MATH TEACHER READ MAIN CON VOU STR LIRD SEN SELSEG AAP GPH nATH MATH DATE DATE ANL MNG MNG CO5P U0 ,

I7103 STREIT/ RAPP 1/71 8/I1 100 90 30 ;0 72 45 4/110 I, i7 17 10 10234 ANDERSON OLIN 9/79 1/71 87 10 73 50 13.31 23 30 30 9/10 / 76 70 67'93 74.67 42 93100 103456 COHEN ZBASMIK 3/79 3/79 07 73 67-50100201 75 00-90 10 27

46 78 11 90 11 13 106789 MCNAMARA MELAMDER 3/79 3/79 67 67 70 119 64 5/80 / 100100 93100 11 11100 10 100 10,176 pUtERIACN JAMISON 3/10 3/10 100100 17100 13 18 73 NO 10

90 70140 14 104565 NUONN 1ERG 3// 10 340/ 93 SO 93 75 IS100 73

100 10 60100 23 30 31 60 60 6; 13 1ARRY . LAURVICM 5/10 5/10

33 1:787 DER5014 ANYONICH 1/79 13 6/10 45 67 80 LOPEAG STROME 5/10 5/10 100 17 47 50 6; 63 31 10 10 72

73 88 111100 75 60 10 67 44 '17 NYGAARD NELSON 6/71 1/71 100 17 6/10 11 78 10 40 10 80 .07,99 TUCKER CATO 1/71 8/71 100100 60 75 50 SS 50

75100 10100 107111 SJOGREN 1OULES 5/10 100100100100100

5553 CARLSON PETERSON 1/71 1/71 93 6, 53 11 50 50 7 S 30 10 76 47

50 SO 10 87 41 04444.. MCKEON LUND1ERG 4/10 6/10 73 53 53 50 50100

/00 PROFICIENCY TEST RESULTS 117CLASS NO

Test results are easily accessible through computer printouts

16 I An aide works about half-time updating records and ducted in faculty meetings with considerable one- preparing reports. System use varies across the to-one followup provided. The project director school year with the greatest effort generally at the handled all the training. start of the year. Future development will focus on the addition of a The Apple II+ and peripherals cost approximately ctard reader for test grading purposes and the devel- $4,000.-Operating costs for the 81-82 school year opment of software to integrate auto scoring into the should run about $4,500 including aide time. A existing program. programer is retained to assist in solving software In Duluth, over 2,000 secondary school students problems and in developing new capabilities. Hard- benefit from a computer supported basic skills ware support is provided at the district level. program, developed and operated locally. Inservice for those using the system was con-

Hardware Reports p4oducedAudience How used General description of 1.Proficiency te,st ClassroomPlanning system Apple 11+; keyboard and results by class teachers CPU in one unit' 2.Individual Reading/ Diagnosis/ Central processing unit.. 6502, DOS 3.3 with 48K student report . math Prescription RAM teachers . lieripherals 3. Math' anieadingCounselors/Scheduling disk drive Apple dual disk information by advisors monitor RCA black an white advisor printer Tele-Terminal, Model 143 4.Deficiency reportsCounselors/Scheduling Software it special education Programming languaga.Basic personnel Program source Locally developed 5.Incomplete or . Project , Test J missing scores director administration

Contact Person:'Donna Mark, Project Director Secondary Basic Skills Design Central High Schoo 800 E. Central Entrance Duluth, Minnesota 55811 (218) 722-6343

17 4 A Grassroots Approach to CMI related tasks. Fobert is the district's programmer, provides needed staff training and maintains hard- Development Results in ware. Certain features of CMI will change during the Improved Instruction in Dallas, 1981-82 school year as the district expands its ef- Oregon forts. The Dallas School district participates in a cooperative research and development group called the Valley Educational Consortium. One of the Needs at the classroorn leve4 and an efiterprising Consortium's projects, sited at Dallas, will test the teaclier have stimulated.a grassroots coMputer feasibility of using microcomputers to manage supported instructional management effort in Dal- instruction in a goal-based mathematics program. las,. Oregon. A junior high math teacher, Diy( Fo- Approximately twenty math teachers across all bert, supported by key administrators, has : grade levels will participate in the pilot project. spearheaded tke district's CMI initiative. Working Interesting features of the math management it first in his own classroom, Dick developed CMI. project, headed by John Davis and Fobert, include capabilities to better meet the needs of his students. the following: As he successfully demonstrated the computer's potential, other teachers in the ninior high became Continuation of the electronic grade book func- interested, experimented with Dick's programs and tions with the addition of automated test scoring eventually applied CMI functions.routinely to their using mark sense test forms and a scanner. own classrooms. The interest in C,MI has spread, throughout the district resulting in a K-1.2 pilot project scheduled fol. the 1981-82 school year. Work to date has focused on computer support of irceiscaae

testing, grading arid recordkeeping functions. Fobei4 STUDENT TEST DRILY OUS2 FINAL has written his oWn programs or customized com- 39 180 212 180 24 108 160 A 38 S7 194 II '22 91 95 mercial programs to meet his needs. By the 80-81 2 37 94 Eel 4R 28 95 94 V; ii ill ii IN ;i school year, a grading program had been produced 36 92 209 N 22 91 N 6 37 94 286 97 53 95 94 and a broader classroom management program was 7 38 97 , 148 66 20 S3 93 34 87 N 24 188 89 'under development. 9 36 92 199 93 28 83 90 The grading program is based on a poin.t grading 18 32 82 198 89 22 91 84 11 29 74 136 64 28 83 73. system where point values are assigned for a variety 12 33 84 198 89 22 91 85 13 37 94 188 88 23 95 93 of student activities such as tests, homework and 14 34 57 192 N 21 87 57 15 36 92 199 93 20 95 92 laboratory x ercises. Each akivity that contributes 16 32 82 Ite 93 21 87 _84 17 34 87 193 91 22 91 ee to the stud nt's grade has a maximum point value. 18 31 79 162 76 23 95 88 19 36 92 IN 917 19 79 89 The raw score for each student in each activity is 28 35 219 212 IMP CI S7 90 21 36 92 131 61 CI 87 86 entered in the computer along with the point max-. 22 152 71 21 87 23 imums. Once these data are entered, the computer 23 36 92 159 75 21 87 88- 24 33 84 182 az 22 91 85 adds points in each area of stusient activity (e.g., all MINIMUMPOINTS REOU1nD AREFI A tests), computes the percent or points accumulated TEST 35 31 27 re DAILY IN 159 148 127 in relation to the total number possible and pro- OUS2 21 4 19 16 14 duces'a letter grade using cutoff scores entered earlier by the teacher. This "electronic grade book"

has been used successfully by teachers at several DERR PARENT / GUARDIAN, different grade levels and in several different subject MS FAILED TO TURN IN THE ASSIGNME14.11S LISTED MOM

matter areas. SCORE/CODE ASSIGNPIENT Fobert is also working on other applications of the 414 PAGES 24 AHD 2.3 THE EVENmount microcomputer for classroom management. As part DETAILS CONCERNING THESE ASSIGNMENTS ARE AVAILABLE TO DURING CLASS,TIME. of the distritt's graduation requirements, students- are.expected to attain and demonstrate several competencies. Dick has developed a program that assists teachers in tracking, recording and reporting s individual student progress toward completion of required competencies. "Electronic grade book" function The microcomputer has been housed in the media makes grading simpler center at a junior high school. Teachers operate the computer independently to complete data entry and

18 A detailed set of student learning goals in mathe- Each teacher will have his/her own floppy disk matics with matching test iten-Nwhich are at for maintaining classroom information. the kart of the computer supported teaching/ testing process. Costs are limited to hardware, expendable supplies and four hours of aide time each week. One A new Ayord processing program that lets teach- TRS-80 Level III and Lineprinter cost approximately els create tests using the microcomputer. - $3,100. With local expertise, strong commitment from One microcomputer per building (junior and key individuals and efficient use of local resources, senior highs) to give teach5rs easy access to microcomputers are providing teachers with needed information. assistance in managing classroom instruction. The availability of an aide to run tests through Grassroots development.is yielding good results. the scanner housed at the district office. One day turn around is anticipated for test scoring. All other functidns handled in locbuildings.

Hardware a Reports producedAudience How used, General description of 1.Grade printout Teach& Completing system * Radio Shack TRS-80 report cards Model III microcomputer; keyboard, CPU, monitor, 2. Area printout Teacher Checking and disk drive integrat (grad" g student progress in one unit "'", corn onents), 3." Comtency Teacher Remediationl Central processing unit. .Z-80, 48K RAM report placement Peripherals disk drive Radio Shack, integral 4.Performance Teacher Remediation monitor Radio-Shack, integral report -printir Radio Shack, Lineprinter ;, 5.Individual reportTeacher Reporting 6 (grades, progress scanner/card reader.. . Scantron competencies) Software 6. Item analysis Teacher Locating good Programming language .Basic (TRS-D OS) report or-bad test items lreviewing Program source 'locally programmed, group some custom versions of performance Radio Shack listing . programs Contact Person: Dick Fobert John Davis La Creole junior High School 701 S.E. LaCreole Drive -Dallas, Oregon 97338 (503) 623-6662

*Several micros in use, all TRS-80, but with varying levels 2 19 -1- When the teacher receives the diskette system, In Portland, 0 egon, Title I the complete set of lab management functions can ClassrooTeachers be undertaken. After the initial assistance, the classroom teacher maintains and updates the class- Use'Micros to St1pport Individual room files as needed. Pro ams . A8 students work through their prescriptions, they.s4ake short tests designed to check their progress. These "hands-on" tests aredelivered via the Five schools inoPortland, Oregon, use microcom- `4 computer terminal. The student, operatingthe putOrs to mana'a,instruction in Title I classrooms, keyboard, responds to the test items:presented by classrooms which serve students in grades 4-8. The the computer. The items are keyed to the student's micro based management system is part of a com- prescription. Records are immediutely and automat- prehensive instructional package, called Prescrip- ically updated. tion Learning, whichis/focused on skill improve- 1' The system has provisions for many kinds of inent in the areas of reading and mathematics. reports. There are those for teachers, rangingfrom The Prescription Learning program, a commer- 'individual student profiles to grouping recommen- cially available laboratory package, uses an objec- dations. There are also reports especially designed

tives-based skill continuum as the basis for organiz- A for parents that describe student progress and make ing a large collection of multi-media learning suggestions about ways parents can help t.heir chil- resources. Test information is used asthe basis for dren learn. There is also a report that provides a list matching.objectives and resources ta individual of library books keyed to the reading ability ofthe' students. Each student's program is completely student and his/her interests. Finally, there are individualized, but instruction is delivered in sev- reports that aidteachers and others in reviewing eral ways including individual study and teacher- program effectiveness. directed, small groups. The intent of the Prescrip- tion Learning approach is to get maximum "time on tappropriatO task" for each learner. PRINT-OUT OF STUDENT RECORD The In-Lab Management System, one component DENERAL INFORMATION:

of the total Package, helps the teacher run the class- STUDENT) PERIOD, 411: STUDENT NURSER, 0012 ALT! GRADE) OS room effectively and efficiently.The microcomput- DATE, 11/20.111 er, which is at the heart of the System, ishoused in OPTIONAL CODES, I. Z. 1 3. 4. Z.

the classroom and directly operated by the teacher TRSTINC, INFORMATION--RERDINC. FIRST TEST LAST TEST

or aide. Here is how the management component DATEt TYPE TEST: PLIT 1 works in the Title I programs at the following vOCRBAJLAR, SCORE: OC.0 COMPREHENSION SCORE, S Z.S schools: RFAnt14, YnTft Frnoc. O INDIVIDUAL PRESCRIPTION George Elementary RI DATE 09.'1561 STUDENT NAmE Kellogg Middle STUDENT NUMIER 11E.46.' ALT PERIOD 01 Al Ockley Green Middle vENDOF NAmE PRESCRIPTION DATE COPPLE7ED Sellwood Middle CLILL AREA 070i-- MAIN IDEA Whitaker/Columbia Elementary TIME ON READING COmP; EL. 1 PP.3.4;5.6.7 :LAS AD 4-1 ! CONPR TRPE C-1 READNG CUES 4-5 C-CAPD: wORKTOOr P.17 MOT) TALES 3-6 C-wORII,001 At the start of the year, each student takes a FACEI.TACTS wORK1001 AND TAPE C-1. LESSONS 1 AND 5

diagnostic test. Teachers may key student,responses Si ILL AREA 095 uORD DEFINITIONS into the computer to get a Starter Prescription, a set CLAS PD voCRI C-W.I.0 PP, 2. 4. 6. 8 10. 12, )4 RERLNG CUE: .4-S z of sequenced activities related to Lab resources, MOT( TALES 3-6 1-ZFF11,101.0Tkg?n73 appropriate to each student. This initial prescription SKILL PREF KAI: DETAILS

covers approximately the first twoweeks of school. TIME ON READING SOmPF P.. 1 PP.9 10.11,12,13.14 11.,S.e. LA S: 1LF-1 PF.10 16,22,2E 34,40.46.52.5E In the interim, the diagnostic test answer sheets :LA: Fl! 4-i COMP; TAPE C-S. C-WRIC11 FT. 3 :LE: S-CARD: NORr8001 F. 15, headquarters TMLE: F.I1 are sent back to the vendor's company FACE:. SACT. wOR,J.001 ANL TAPE C-1 LESSONS 2 AND 6 TO where they are processed. The company sends back SA ILL AREi., OS $Y14:04YM,S the data base infor- TO a set of diskettes which contain TIME Cfl FIALINC! 'OCA1 Ph. 1 PP.41.42.41-44.45.4 P, I C S 7 9. IS; 15 : F - AI :-WF1 11 mation needed to run the management system. ;EADNS CUES -: -GA; D! w0e1,000)PF 13 14 They also sendback detailed, long-term prescrip- ICS: TALE S-: -NOP, FOC. FF .1.14 tions for each student based on the diagnostic test information and the resources avialable in the Lab. Test data are used to update prescriptions

20 READING SKILL DEPICTION The PrescriPtion Learning Company provides all needed staff development including initialtraining

STUDENT NNE CRow JUTE of three to ten days and periodic follow-up assist- STUDENT HINIPER A0Air DATE E1/1581 ance. Prescription Learning also supplies the maintenance needed to keep the Lab, including computer ThEDEPICTICA PELOu ILLUs ES 'ME RESULTS OF YOUR CHILD'S PERFORMANCE Ih THE LAI. EFIEN SKILLIS LISTED TO THE LOT OF TWE PAGE. ME STATUS OF mi..,AT SxILL WILL ATOM ulDER THE -STATUS' HEADING. hardware, running smoothly. Hardware, software and expendables are all availatile-through Prescrip- STATUS DESCRIPTICA tion Learning. - ROOT AND PASE 'ORBS I MPROVED Recently, an enlarged version of the In-Lab Man- CONTExT CLUES I MPROVED mAIN IDEA MISSED SENTENCE ELEmEHTS mASTERED agement System has becorpe available for general USE OF THE DICTIONARy mASTERED COmPOuND wORDS I mPROVED instructional management use. It is called Moti wORD DEFINITICNS MISSED DETAILS m I SSED Management. Though implemented on the same TYPES OF SEKTEWES mASTERED SyLLADICATICA mASTERED '.hardware as the In-Lab System, MotioManagement is SYNONvmS m I SSED SEQUENCE NIA PAFTs OF SPEECH N/N more extensive biatfi in terms of storage capacity and ME OF REFERENCE.1.1DRANy SKILLS 14/14 DKAuING CONCLUSIOW N/A the variety of functiOns and reports available. Some INFLECTIONAL ENDINGS IVA ANTONYMS administrative functions, like attendance, have been FACT OF OPINICA N/I1 CAPITALIZATION integrated into the software. -, PREFIXES MCMIONYME IVA OMPAPE F04j, coNntres, Both the,In-Lab Management System and the PI.NCTLAT c. NIA TKIF T I OF A POO. N/14 Moti Management system have the potential for MAE FINDEFF EC T N/A SUFF N/A helping teachers have more time for teaching. As MGL T FI-E MEAN INGE. N/A EXPRE lyE LAMOUHOE N/F1 exemplified in Portland, computer technology can OFELI. I NG N/A OUTLINING N/F1 be used to help students succeed.

This report helps parents monit'- or progress toward learning goals

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Hardware Reports producedAudience How used G'eneral description of 1.Printout of Teacher Monitoring system Commodore CBM 2001; student record keyboard, CPU, monitor report in one Unit 2.Lab profile Teacher Planning 6520, 32K RAM Central processing unit. 3.cioup Teacher Grouping Peripherals prescriptions Commodore 2040 d al disk drifie 4. Teacher Planning disk drive- Exception reports monitor Commodore integáted 5.Individual Student Classroom printer Commodore, 40 2 prescription activities Software 6.Skill depiction Parent Monitoring Programming language Basic 7.Parent Parent Home prescription instruction . Program source Prescription Learning/ 8.Library book listStudent Home Moti Management parent instruction 5240 S. 6th St. Road Springfield, IL 62705 9.Pre-post analysisTeacher Program review (800) 637-8598

Contact Person: Jack Ball, Title I teacher George Elementary 10000 N. Burr Avenue Portland, OR 97203 (503) 286-0828

21 r

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS Figure 6 summarizes the management use of the microcomputer across all seven sites. The manage:, ment functions displayed in the Figure are the same as those discussed in Section 1. The Figure,Oows the range of actual applications compared with the possible range.

.. 5, Figure 6 Instructional Management Functions at the Seven Sites ,

, . . . C)- 0,.)> 2 0 ._, -o b.o m .... (3 Ci) v al -2, m INSTRUCTIONAL MANAGEMENT v) .- FUNCTIONS *

k. Assigning Learning long range planning Objectives instructional outcomes 2. Grouping Students scheduling For Instruction within class 3. Prescribing materials Instruction activities I 4\Testing , generation

, . delivery scoring , 5. ReCording test scores 1 2 Progress observational data 2 daily assignments 2 6. Reporting grade reports 2 Performance performance profiles . 1 e 7. Reviewing Program gr.oup data analysis\I 1 2 Effectiveness test item analysis '-

.. key: 1 = C.A.M. program 4inuse 2 = HI program - = potential (available in software)

Several generalizations can be drawn from the those involved in CMI programs may be a prereq- profiles presented above which probably apply uiite for success in the long run. across most CMI implementations nationwide. A second barrier seems to be the organization of Most implementations are at the building or many instructional programs. CM1 systems classroom level. woAonly in instructional programs where the instructional process has been clearly defined Micros seem to have good potential across all and where the particip,ants agme to use the sizes and types of schools. process uniformly. Obtaining these conditions is The use of mictos for instructional management sometimes difficult, especially in secondary purposes is a new area of computer applications. schools. Most schools are still in the development stage Developing or buying software both have prob- of implementation. lems associated with them. Software develop- One barrier to implementation seems to be the ment is a slow process and can be costly. Com- lack of computer literacy among professional mercially available software is convenient, but educators, in general. Greater knowledge of the package rarely includes a program list. You computer characteristics and capabilities among don't get to see the program that runs,your sys-

22 2 r ,

tern. When you buy a commercial prograrn, you problems, but overall it is prdving reliable in don't actually get the program, you get the right onsite applications. to use it. This can be an issue when syste'rn Without exception, CMI prograrns currently in problerns arise. operation take only a slice out of the wholsrange Nationwide, there are relatively few implernen- of instructional management functions which tations of micro balqd instructional manage- could benefit frorn cornputer support. Even in' rnent systerns, egpecially at the secondary schcrl -the b9st programs, there is untapped potential, level. areas in which the cornputer could be applied to° further strengthen instruction. Microcomputer hardware is not withotit its ,. r :,. ':14'.1% :iv,: 17:.:45ytv ,:tt'es % /tor, 1.,;72...,;. ;:u It . $. '0:

Association for Educational Data Systems (AEDS) 1201 16th Street, N.W. Washingthn, DC 20036 Idea Sharing Contact: Shirley Easterwood, Executive If you are working in the area of cornputer Secretary rnanaged instruction, we would like to hear frorn (202) 833-4400 ydu. Drop us a line or call toll free, 1-800-547-6339. International Council for Computers in In the future, we will update the contents of this Education (ICEE) paper. We would like to include your ideas and Department of Cornputer and Inforrnation experiences. Science University of Oregon Commercial CMI Packages Eugene, OR 97403 In addition to the commercially available CMI-4 Contact: David Moursund packages discussed in the Profiles section, two other (503) 686-4405 efforts should be noted. Both SRA and Bell & Howell Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory offgrlearning systerns that have CMI cornponents. Microcomputer Software and Information for Both cornpanies live tailored their packages to,their Teachers (MicroSIFT) own particular objectives and rnaterials. However, 300 S.W. Sixth,Avenue their CMI cornponents rnay be adaptable-to rnore Portland, OR 97204 general instructional prograrns. Contact: Don Holznagel (503) 248-6800 Bibliogiraphy ,Journals/Newsletters/Directories Baker, F.B. Computer Managed Instruction: Theory and Practice. Englewood Clif s, N.J.: Classroom Computer News Educational Technology Publicatio s, 1978. P.O. Box 266 Carnbridge, Massachusetts Mclsaac, D.N. and F.B. Baker. "Coputer- $12.00 per year. Managed Instruction Systern Implernentation on a Microcornputer." Educational Technology, Octo- The Computing Teacher ber, 1981. Depariment of Cornputer and Inforrnation Science University of Oregon Sources of Assistance Eugene, Oregon 97403 Organizations. $14.50 per year, 9 issues Association for Development of Computer- Educational Technology Baked Instructional Systems (ADCIS) 140 Sylvan Avenue ADCIS Headquarters Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632 Cornputer Center $49.00 per year. A rnonthly journal. Western Washington University Electronic Education Bellingharn, WA 98225 Suite 220, 1311 Executive Center Drive Contact: Gordon Hayes, Executive Secretary Tallahassee, Florida 32301 -41 (206) 676-2860 $10.00 per year, Septernber-June.

1 S3o

A ElectrOnic Learning ct Microcomputer Directory: Applications in 90,2 Sylvan Avenue Educational Settings Englevisood CMfs, New Jersey 67632 Monroe C. Gutman Library % $17.00 per year. Published b-y Scholastic, Inc. Halyard School of,Education, Administrative Office School Microware 6 Appian Way Dresden Associates Cambridge, Massachusetts1 02138 P.O..Box 246, Cost $5.00. A,guide to some 250 schools with Dresden, Maine 04342 microcomputer program's, including alternative $20.90 per year. A directory of microcomputer learning enVironments. programs which support teaching and learning.

r. GLOSSARY Memory A location within a computer system where -4.. information or programs are stored. Primary Membry Space inside the microcomputer Conversational interactionAs the user enters information where inforniation is, stored. into the computer through the keyboard, the computer. Secondary Memory Space outside the processes the data and gives information back through microcomputer, usually a floppy disk where the videddisplay (monitor). This back and forth exchange information is stored. of information is called interaction. When the computer processes information quickly, the interaction can be fast Menu-driven When a user starts through a program, the or conversational The user can interact wifh the computer displays a set of options froniwhickthe user computer almost like talking with a person. may choose. In a CMI system, the choices gerilerally relate to instructional management functions. The DocumentationDocumentation is printed material, choices form the menu. Once a choice is made, the usually a booklet, that gives instructions for using a computer gives information about the kind of additional computer program. data needed to continue running the program'. Error-trap When the wrong key is pressed by the user, the 'Modular From a computer perspective, modular means computer recognizes the error and informs the user, via that a program is broken up into pieces, each piece doing the monitor, of the mistake. The program does not a special job and needing specific linds of information. advance until an appropriate response is made. CMI programs are almost always broken into modules. Floppy disk A floppy disk is a soft, plastic disk housed in a ,Networked terminalsSometimes keyboards 'and other square protective case. In most mitro applications, a pieces of hardware in separate locations are all wired to a floppy disk measuring 51/4 inches is used. The disk stores central'processing unit. Through the processing unit, the information and programs when they are not used on the terminals can share information. Often central processing micro. It is also called a diskette. units in this kind of configuration are faster and have HardWare The physical components that make up a more storage than regular micros facilitating efficient ) microcomputer system are called the hardware. processing. Intelligent terminalSojnetimes micros are hooked up Program A program is a sequencé-of instructions which ,< with much larger computers. In this arrangement, the cause the computer to carry gut desired functions. micro has access to information and programs stored iy Prompt A prompt is a message displayed by the computer the large computer. Actual processing of informaffon is that helps the user make correct responses to compWer done on the micro, though information or a program may requests for information. be borrowed from the large computer. In this context, the micro can be considered an intelligent terminal or SoftwareSoftware is a general term referring to any kind extension of the large computer. of computer program.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Several people contributed significantly to the prepara- tion of this paper. Don Holznagel, of NWREL's Com- puter Technology Program, provided his expertise through helpful critiques of early drafts and rewrites of Im'prOving.Instructional ninagement with ,Vlicrocrlitiputers key technical sections. Robert Blum's assistance in .was developed by the Goal Based Education Program of the developing initial ideas and in reviewing drafts was Northwegt Regfonal Educational Labocatory, a private nonprofit invaluable. The author offers special thanks to Charles corporation. The paper was developed under grant 400-80- Clemans, Robert O'Neill and Wayne Neuberger for their 0105 CBE P#3 with the National Institute of Education, arid.no timely reviews. And finally, thanks to Susan Gustayson official endorsement by the Institute should be inferred. and Carol Davis for their assistance in preparing the final GBE Program Director: Dr. Robert E. Blum document. NIE Project Monitor: Dr. Richard Otte Ronald M. Smith November, 1981