During the 2008-9 school year, the research group at the University of Kentucky will conduct a new study of the use of Read & Write Gold in two Kentucky school districts. The study will look at how to increase student access to the general curriculum through increased availability and use of ETEXT technology with the anticipated outcome of gains in reading comprehension and student achievement.
NCSeT KY ETEXT Implementation Project
Human Development Institute
University of Kentucky
Purpose: To increase student access to the general curriculum through increased availability and use of ETEXT technology with the anticipated outcome of gains in reading comprehension and student achievement.
Background: Use of ETEXT to support student access to the general curriculum in Kentucky and nationwide has not reached meaningful implementation levels sufficient to have measured impact on student performance. This is evident in the recent data from the NCSeT KY ETEXT Study. In this study Read & Write Gold (RWG) usage data was collected electronically from 23 Kentucky schools by voluntary submission. Data was collected electronically from the 23 schools for approximately 400 students for the last two school years (06/07 &07/08) on student frequency and duration of use of the text reader software. Analysis of this data indicates students were using the software an average of 63 minutes per month per student in 06-07 and 54 minutes per month per student in 07-08.
These statistics indicate a need for a systematic school-wide model of implementation of etext with text reader software across the general curriculum.
Procedure: The implementation model in this proposal to be followed is the one put forth by CITEd and HIRN (http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=186 or http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~nirn/).The stages of implementation laid out by HIRN are: 1) Exploration and Adoption, 2) Program Installation, 3) Initial Implementation, 4) Full Implementation, 5) Innovation, and 6) Sustainability.
Data collected from the KY ETEXT/RWG usage data shows that out of the 23 KY schools submitting RWG usage data, Shelby County Schools has emerged as one of the current leaders in Kentucky in frequency and use of RWG/ETEXT with large numbers of students. Based on data collected from the KY ETEXT/RWG usage data, Shelby County East Middle School may have accomplished significant aspects of the first two phases of Exploration and Installation, and can likely move through the next stage of Initial Implementation and on into Full Implementation.
This project plans to document Shelby County East Middle’s completion of the first two stages of implementation (Exploration/Adoption and Program Installation) and then to assist Shelby County East Middle in full completion of Initial Implementation on into the next level of Full Implementation. Shelby West Middle School will be used as a control group with non-intervention.
Project evaluation will consist of both process and outcome measures. Process measures will include documentation of the proceedings and activities that accompany the heretofore mentioned steps to implementation. Outcome measures will include but not necessarily be limited to: 1) Read & Write Gold Student Usage Data Tracking ;2) Digital Text Made Available for Access to the General Curriculum; 3) Student Performance on State Assessment Across Content Areas; 4) Control vs. Intervention Group Measures.