May 2004 — Exclusive Series: SBR
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State-Level Studies
7. Texas Education Agency
Evaluation of the Texas Technology Immersion Pilot (eTxTIP); $1.9 million over three years.
TxTIP is a technology immersion pilot seeking to increase student achievement by providing each student with a wireless mobile computing device, software, online and other learning resources. The TxTIP evaluation will study the effectiveness of technology immersion in increasing middle school students' achievement in core academic subjects, technology proficiency and attendance, among other outcomes.
8. West Virginia Education Department
ED PACE: Educational Development for Planning and Conducting Evaluations; $1.4 million over three years.
ED PACE will assess student achievement in virtual foreign language courses as compared to the achievement of students in classroom-based foreign language courses. Over three years, the project will generate three scientifically based research models (a summative, formative and action research model) that can be replicated in other settings.
9. West Virginia Education Department
The Evaluation of West Virginia's Enhancing Education Through Technology Model School Project; $1.3 million over three years.
The study will make use of technology-based desktop meters and random interval data collection pop-up screens to document the use, time, topic and function budgets of teachers and students. These methods will yield information about classroom integration of technology as an outcome of professional development and the impact of technology integration practices on student performance.
10. Wisconsin Public Instruction Dept.
A Study of the Effectiveness of Three Models of Implementing Educational Technology; $1.6 million over three years.
The Wisconsin project will (a) identify three promising models of educational technology use in state schools from existing data; (b) implement the models using the Title II, Part D competitive grant process; (c) and evaluate the effectiveness of the models on student achievement.
State Educational Technology Evaluation Grants
The U.S. Education Department, through the School Support and Technology Programs Office and the Office of Educational Technology, made grant awards to 10 State Education Agencies. Descriptions of the studies, including the scientifically based methodologies on which the studies are based, are provided below.
Arkansas Department of Education
Evaluation of the EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) Initiative
$1.8 million over three years
Online: www.eastproject.org
This project will assess the nature, quality and intensity of EAST program implementation strategies and processes. It will also evaluate their relative outcomes on teachers' attitudes, classroom practices and content knowledge, as well as on students' attitudes, skills and achievements. EAST involves the creation of interdisciplinary school-based technology labs that promote student intellectual growth and technology skills acquisition, as well as teacher training on facilitating student learning through service projects and teamwork.
