1. Julie Umbarger ITEC 7445 Dr. Bacon July 15, 2013 Emerging Technology STAR MATH ENTERPRISE RENAISSANCE LEARNING

2. DO YOU WISH YOU COULD SPEND LESS TIME ON ASSESSMENT AND MORE TIME ON INSTRUCTION IN YOU CLASSROOM?  STAR Math Enterprise is an online assessment program that allows teachers to screen students, plan instruction, progress monitor, benchmark, and measure Common Core progression and student growth percentiles.

3. BARTOW COUNTY SCHOOLS’ TECHNOLOGY VISION “Our vision of schools as we move through the next three years includes some of the following scenarios. Modern technology will be available in each classroom and technology access will be extended beyond the classroom. Classroom teachers will actively seek technology applications and networking from other schools, business enterprises, governmental agencies, research institutions, and universities to expand student experiences directed at problem‐solving and issues resolution surrounding a major theme/concept. Interactive whiteboards will be available and in use by teachers. Students will be actively engaged in the learning process with technology” (Harper, Pearson, & McEntyre, 2009, pg. 4).

4. BARTOW COUNTY SCHOOLS TECHNOLOGY VISION CONT’D Teachers will have a vast number of resources readily available to them and will be using technology as a tool in their daily teaching to increase student learning and achievement. Students’ interest and attendance will increase and improve as they are able to be more active participants in the learning process with technology. Teachers will easily be able to find resources that they can use to present Georgia Professional Learning standards to their students. They will have access to materials that will assist students on all levels to be successful. Parents will have current information available to them about their child’s academic progress, discipline, and attendance. Access to the school’s curriculum tools will be available to parents and students” (Harper, Pearson, & McEntyre, 2009, pg. 5-6).

5. HOW DOES STAR MATH ENTERPRISE SUPPORT THIS VISION?  Modern technology that will be available in all third-fifth grade classrooms.  Program recommended through networking with other Bartow County Schools who are already using it.  Teacher will be using this technology tool in their daily teaching to make data-driven decisions in regards to their instruction in order to increase student learning and achievement in an efficient way that decreases the time needed for assessment and increases instruction time.  Program will assist teachers in pinpointing specifically what is needed to ensure all students, regardless of their current levels, will be successful.  Program provides educators and parents with current data regarding student progress and helps to identify student needs.

6. OBJECTIVES  Increase student achievement in mathematics through the use of prescriptive assessment technology that pinpoints personal student gaps in knowledge and understanding.  Obtain individual and specific student progress data in regards to the mastery of CCGPS for mathematics.  Provide quick and accurate student data for teachers to use when making instructional decisions and for students remediation planning.  Decrease assessment time so that instruction and practice time will increase.

7. KEY BENEFITS  Quick and Efficient: Each student in the classroom can be assessed in minutes to allow teachers to know which students need further assistance to reach benchmarks.  Groups students based on proficiency levels for use in differentiation and remediation.  Assessments are easy to administer and intuitive for students.  Delivers accurate, valid, and reliable data to be used for RTI.  Completely correlated with CCGPS.  Content areas are weighted in line with CCGPS weights for assessments.  Uses Core Progress learning projections and Student Growth Percentiles.

8. TARGET POPULATION  STAR Math is available for grades first through twelfth.  Requesting purchase for grades third through fifth. This will allow a large group of the Pine Log Elementary population to benefit from the program, while remaining cost effective.  Regular education students, EIP and Title 1 students, and SWD students will all participate in using the program.

9. TARGET POPULATION EQUITABLE ACCESS  Each student in fourth and fifth grades, at Pine Log Elementary, will be receiving Mac Books beginning with the 2013-2014 school years.  The individual and unlimited access to these Mac Books will provide all fourth and fifth grade students easy and unlimited access to STAR Math Enterprise.  Third grade students will not have personal laptops, however, they may use either of the two, fully operational computer labs housed in the school building. They can also make use of the 3-4 desktop computers that are housed in each individual third grade classroom.  Teachers and support staff have either school issued laptops or MacBook Airs that will allow access to the program and data results.

10. EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE  The technology program is web-based so Internet access will be required. Data and software are accessible anytime and anywhere.  Desktops/Laptops with a minimum operating system of Windows XP or Vista and a recommendation of Windows 7-8.  Desktop/Laptops with a minimum Web-Browser of Internet Explorer 7-8 or Firefox 4-13 and a recommendation of Internet Explorer 9-10, Firefox 14.0 or later, or Chrome 23 or later.  Mac Books with active Wi-Fi Capability and a minimum operating system OS X v10.4-v10.5 and a recommendation of OS X v10.6-v10.8.  Mac Books with a minimum Web-Browser of Safari 3-5 or Firefox 11-13 and a recommendation of Safari 5.1-6.o, Firefox 14 or later, or Chrome 23 or later.  Components: Adobe 9 or later, Adobe Flash Player 10 or later, RLI Print Plug-In.  Mobile options available as well for iOS and Tablets

11. TECHNICAL SUPPORT  The following resources are available to customers on the STAR Math Enterprise website.  Teacher Tips  “Getting the Most” Guides  Technical Support  Included in Technical Support are the following:  School Set-up  Download Center  Live Support Chat  Consulting and Training  Free presentations are available by phone, computer, or in person.

12. LIMITATIONS  In order to use the program students must have Internet access and in the case of using their Mac Books they must have Wi-Fi access.  The program will only be purchased for those students in grades 3-5, therefore students in lower grades will not benefit from the purchase of this program.

13. COST OF THE TECHNOLOGY  STAR Math Enterprise is sold for a one time school fee and an annual subscription cost per student.  Pine Log Elementary has previously paid the one time fee through other Renaissance Learning products adopted.  Total Cost for one year is $1502.38 for 360 student subscriptions. This includes the most current and updated version of the software.  Quote provided by Renaissance Learning. Consultation can be provided by calling (800)338-4204.

14. POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES  Bartow County Education Foundation provides yearly grants in the amount of $500 to those teachers who apply and are chosen.  Pine Log Elementary School is a Title 1 School and has a Title 1 allotment of money that can be used if purchases will be used with Title 1 students. According to the guidelines, research-based instructional technology is an acceptable purchase.  Fifth grade at Pine Log Elementary School holds several fundraisers and the money is used towards the purchase of instructional materials for use with fifth graders.  Renaissance Learning, the parent company of STAR Math, has a funding center on their personal website complete with representatives to assist in locating the funds for purchase of their products. http://www.renlearn.com/fundingcenter/defaults.aspx  Pine Log Elementary PTCO requests can be made to pay for all of or portions of requested instructional needs.

15. HOW WILL THIS TECHNOLOGY BE UTILIZED?  Benchmark assessments that are aligned to the current CCGPS will be administered to students in fall, winter, and spring during the school year.  The data attained from these assessments will accurately forecast student performance in regards to end of the year state testing.  Program benchmarks identify specific standards that students are not meeting. This information will be used to drive instruction and remediation in the classroom.  At risk students will be targeted with interventions based on gaps that are found in mathematical knowledge.  Data and information collected about each student will be sent home to parents, used during parent-teacher conferencing, used for RTI, and utilized during IEP, SST, and eligibility meetings.

16. HOW WILL THIS TECHNOLOGY BE UTILIZED? CONT’D  Data and reports for each student will be used to bridge assessment and instruction.  Teachers will target prerequisite skills that will further students’ conceptual understanding.  Teachers will use reports to group students for targeted instruction.  Teachers will set student goals using the information attained through use of the program through the  Teachers will measure student growth using the “Student Growth Percentile” function of the program. This will allow teachers to determine where students are achieving accelerated results.

17. HOW DOES STAR MATH PROMOTE SPECIFIC LEARNING GOALS?  With the use of this technology, teachers will maintain learner centered classrooms. Teachers using this program will be able to:  Assess students based on CCGPS and determine if students are reaching benchmark or if remediation is necessary.  Group students for instruction and remediation based on individualized needs.  Plan instruction that is data driven and will meet the specific needs of the learner through the programs Core Progress learning progression.  Determine if a student is ready to learn a new concept.  Progress monitor students to determine what interventions are working.  Forecast mastery of state standards to identify at-risk students.  Measure student growth and adjusts the difficulty of each assessment item based on student response.  Spend more time with instruction and less time on assessment.

18. DIFFERENTIATION WITH STAR MATH  The data and reports that STAR Math provides teachers is detailed in that it automatically groups students based on which standards they are struggling with or have not yet mastered. These groups can be used for individualized instruction and remediation of concepts.  The program places students on a continuum so that teachers and parents will clearly see each student’s progress towards mastering the CCGPS.  The various reports and detailed data that will be provided for each child can be used to drive differentiation in the classroom.

19. COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION  With STAR Math’s multiple data reports, teachers can ensure that there is a clear understanding of each student’s progress towards mastery of the CCGPS.  The reliable and specific data that is provided can be used to communicate with parents so that they have a detailed explanation regarding their child’s progress and goals.  The data can be used to communicate a need for placement or other interventions and/or modifications that a student may need to be successful in collaboration with student support teams and special education professionals.

20. WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY?  According to the National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI) the STAR Math Enterprise program provides reliable assessment data. “A reliability level of.60 and higher is good;.80 is very good. We have collected and analyzed four types of reliability data, including test-retest reliability. In all types of analysis, the reliability level of STAR Math exceeds.90” (NCRTI, 2012, pg. 10).  According to the National Center on Intensive Intervention (n.d.) STAR Math received high rankings and met all five of the qualities that were being assessed. The five areas were reliability of the performance level score, reliability of the slope, validity of the performance level score, predictive validity of the slope of improvement, and disaggregated reliability and validity data.

21. WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY? CONT’D  The Student Assessments for Teacher and Principal Evaluation Service Provider Publicly-Available Service Summary (2011) posted on the New York State State’s Education Department website states that, “STAR Math Enterprise is the only interim assessment statistically linked to a research-based learning progression called Core Progress. As a result of this statistical link, STAR Math Enterprise bridges instruction and assessment. (pg. 37).

22. WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY? CONT’D  Also included in this report was the following statement: “To inform our approach we conducted an extensive analysis and review “ and “assembled an external team of the leading experts in the areas of teacher evaluation, interim assessment, and school improvement. We also consulted organizations such as CCSSO, NCSL, and NAESP and have an ongoing dialogue with NEA. After our extensive analysis we concluded that the inclusion of STAR Math Enterprise data in educator evaluation broadens the scope of the system and supports the very intention of teacher and principal evaluation-to improve effectiveness and increase student outcomes” (pg. 37).

23. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING  Teachers who implement STAR Math enterprise in their classroom will need to be trained to use the program. STAR Math offers personalized coaching and consultation throughout the entire implementation process. Coaches are provided to work with the teachers to plan the implementation that best suits them.  Renaissance Learning provides an online Training Center complete with implementation topics, e-learning opportunities, live events, and other resources. This allows each individual teacher to begin implementation in the way that is best suited to him or her.  Math department chairs will be responsible for setting up training and /or redelivery to other mathematics teachers in grades 3-5.

24. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CONT’D  Students would be shown how to use the program before the first scheduled benchmark and would continue to use the program throughout the entire school year. Assessments will be given in fall, winter, and spring.  During the first year of implementation, only grades 3-5 will be included. At the end of the school year, math teachers in these grades will meet with the school leadership team to discuss the pros and cons of the program, and to decide if it will be continued.  If the school leadership team can provide substantial evidence that the program has made a difference for students in grades 3-5, the program will be renewed for the following school year. It will also be presented to math teachers in grades 1-2 to determine if the program should be provided for lower grades as well.

25. REFLECTION  When looking for an emerging technology to research and consider implementing, I contacted a colleague of mine, Robin Morrow, who is known for her extensive technology knowledge. We discussed several different programs and ultimately she suggested STAR Math Enterprise to me. This came about after a long discussion about how so many of us have discussed and feel that we have so many assessments that are being utilized throughout our county that do not seem to be that beneficial or accurately predict performance on end of year testing. Many of the programs we have are currently unused due to the issues we have found with them such as those already mentioned and the immense amount of instruction time we seem to lose when utilizing them.

26. REFLECTION CONT’D  Robin mentioned that her school had implemented STAR Math Enterprise this past school year and that it was a huge success. She felt like the program lived up to it’s claims and most importantly was:  Quick and Easy  Aligned perfectly with CCGPS  Provided Instant Result  Accurately Predicted CRCT performance (This was looked at at the end of the 2012-2013 school year)  Provided specific strengths and weaknesses of each individual student and made prescriptive suggestions.  I truly feel that this program will allow us to limit the many time consuming assessment and benchmarks options we currently use and will provide a clearer picture of our students so that we may use reliable data to drive our instruction and eliminate unnecessary lost instruction time.

27. WORKS CITED  Harper, J., Pearson, E., McEntyre, J. (2009) Local system technology plan. Bartow County School System. Retrieved July 10, 2013 from http://bartow.ga.schoolwebpages.com/education/page/download.php?fileinf o=QmFydG93X0NvdW50eV9TY2hvb2xzX1RlY2hub2xvZ3lfUGxhbl8wOV8xMi 5wZGY6Ojovd3d3MTAvc2Nob29scy9nYS9iYXJ0b3cvaW1hZ2VzL2RvY21nci8x MjdmaWxlMzI5Ny5wZGY=&sectiondetailid=2183  Getting the Most out of Star Reading Enterprise and Star Math Enterprise. (2012). How we know STAR Enterprise assessments are reliable and valid. Retrieved July 10, 2013 from http://www.goddardusd.com/userFiles/236/1/- getting_most_out_of_star_rdg_math_enterprise.pdf  National Center on Intensive Intervention (n.d.) Academics progress monitoring GOM. Retrieved July 10, 2013 from http://www.intensiveintervention.org/chart/progress-monitoring

28. WORKS CITED CONT’D  STAR Math Enterprises. (2013) Spend half the time on assessment and more time on instruction and practice. Renaissance Learning. Retrieved July 11, 2013 from http://www.renlearn.com/sm/default.aspx  Student Assessment for Teacher and Principal Evaluation Service Provider Publicly-Available Service Summary.(2011) Retrieved July 11, 2013 from http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/teachers- leaders/assessments/docs/starmathc.pdf http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/teachers- leaders/assessments/docs/starmathc.pdf