The Reading Launch Pad project enhances the reading program at New Market Elementary School by providing students with experience using technology which includes hardware, software, Internet projects, email, video conferencing and online resources to improve reading ability. This state of the art project will provide elementary grade level students with instruction by a technology technology facilitator in a lab environment. Through coordination of the technology facilitator and the classroom teacher, students were able to carry projects from the lab into the classroom. The classroom teachers attended the Reading Lab sessions with their students. Students participated in innovative projects that incorporated reading objectives as identified by the State Curriculum Framework Reading Objectives.

The Reading Launch Pad measured student progress through use of S.T.A.R., a computer-adaptive, norm-referenced reading test assesses reading.  This program is an individualized approach that quickly identifies a student's Instructional Reading Level, Grade Equivalent, and Percentile Rank.  S.T.A.R. serves as an achievement-level learning information system.

Students using the Reading Launch Pad participated in the Accelerated Reader program.  This program assessed reading comprehension, performance, and provided reports for teachers and parents.  The program was be placed on the file server at New Market Elementary School, providing access to it from any classroom with a computer on the network.

The student’s lab progress was shared with the classroom teacher through monthly reports. These reports will had feedback space for the classroom teacher input.  The classroom teacher then reported the student’s status in a parental report.

The project also provided an onsite Reading Renaissance seminar conducted by the Institute for Academic Excellence for the faculty and the technology facilitator.  The seminar instructed those attending in the combination of literature-based reading with information technology and demonstrated how to interpret and respond to information on Accelerated Reader and S.T.A.R. reports.  It also provided teachers with motivational strategies.

Carson-Newman College partnered with New Market School by providing practicum and student teachers who assisted in the project.  Dr. Kester Green, integrated the Reading Launch Pad project with his “Teaching of Diagnostic and Remedial Reading”.

In addition to the use of this software, students in grades 3-5 recorded anticipated and reflective entries in their journals each week.  Students in grade 1 and 2 composed experience chart journals using word processing.   Samples of these can be located at the Reading Launch Pad web site (http://207.125.93.3/nms/launch/).

· In August 1998 the technology facilitator was trained and Internet project databases will be searched for Internet projects and activities for classroom participation.  The parent evaluation log was also distributed at this time.
· During the month of September 1998, participants will be introduced to MS Word 97 and Publisher 97.  These programs were used for student journaling.  Samples of these journals can be found at the Reading Launch Pad web site (http://207.125.93.3/nms/launch/). The Institute for Academic Excellence conducted an onsite Reading Renaissance in-service for the staff at New Market Elementary and the technology facilitator( see http://207.125.93.3/nms/renaissance.htm).
· In October 1998 Students created PowerPoint multimedia presentations focusing on the elements of a story.  Samples of these can be found at the web site (http://207.125.93.3/nms/launch/ppt.html).
· November 1998 Students pre-tested using S.T.A.R and begin participation in the Accelerated Reader program.  Participants used a set of Internet bookmarks of web sites toward the mastery of objectives and learned to conduct web searches.
· December 1998 Students focused on the use of email as a communication tool for classroom reading related Internet projects.
· January 1999 Students used ICQ chats to communicate with other classroom participants in projects. 
· February 1999 The planned use of video conferencing as a communication tool for Internet projects and activities was delayed until late May 1999.  By the time the equipment was set up for use, it was too late in the school year to be used effectively.  It will be utilized during the 1999-2000 school year.
· March & April 1999 Students prepared a Reading Launch Pad Showcase for parents and the community on April 25th.  Students demonstrated skills they have learned throughout the year and presented Internet projects. Post testing of students was conducted using S.T.A.R. and the results of this test will be reported in the August report.
· September 28 1999 Grade Level Chairs, the principal, the Technology Coordinator, Technology Instructor, and the lab facilitator will meet to outline the direction for the project to be implemented during the 1999-2000 school year.

During the month of May 1999 a final evaluation of the project was conducted.  Classes concluded Internet Projects.  Parent evaluation logs were collected. Teachers completed an evaluation of the integration of technology into the curriculumNEED

The National Goals this project addresses are: 
· Improved student achievement through the use of technology as a tool to enhance the reading curriculum.

The Tennessee Master Plan Goals this project addresses are: 
· State of the art technology will be used to improve curriculum.
A random sampling of parents’ were asked to complete an evaluation of the project’s effectiveness by recording a log of their child’s reading habits and student attitudes about reading.  At the end of the project 90% indicated they had seen an improved interest on the part of their child toward reading and 87% said they had seen an increased focus on the part of their child during silent or oral reading. 

The S.T.A.R. Growth Report (5/24/99) compared pretest(1/1/99) to posttest (5/1/99) which yielded these results:
Grade 1 Akard 
Grade Placement Change 0.41
Scaled Score Change  140
PR Change   22
NCE Change   13.7
Grade 1 Courtney 
Grade Placement Change 0.41
Scaled Score Change  126
PR Change   20
NCE Change   12.5
Grade 1 Hayes 
Grade Placement Change 0.38
Scaled Score Change   54
PR Change     9
NCE Change    4.9
Grade 2 Pohlman 
Grade Placement Change 0.69
Scaled Score Change  98
PR Change    1
NCE Change   0.6
Grade 2 Stroud 
Grade Placement Change 0.74
Scaled Score Change  91
PR Change   -4
NCE Change   -2.4
Grade 2 Walters 
Grade Placement Change 0.66
Scaled Score Change  39
PR Change   -16
NCE Change   -8.9
Grade 3 Long 
Grade Placement Change 0.70
Scaled Score Change  84
PR Change   4
NCE Change   2.4
Grade 3 Romines 
Grade Placement Change 0.72
Scaled Score Change  99
PR Change   7
NCE Change   3.5
Grade 3 Williams 
Grade Placement Change 0.74
Scaled Score Change  45
PR Change   -9
NCE Change   -4.6
Grade 4 Cain 
Grade Placement Change 0.65
Scaled Score Change  112
PR Change   11
NCE Change   6.0
Grade 4 Melton 
Grade Placement Change 0.72
Scaled Score Change  52
PR Change   -5
NCE Change   -2.9
Grade 4 Noyes 
Grade Placement Change 0.71
Scaled Score Change  63
PR Change   -3
NCE Change   -1.5
Grade 5 Burns 
Grade Placement Change 0.72
Scaled Score Change  57
PR Change   -4
NCE Change   -1.9
Grade 5 Lampman 
Grade Placement Change 0.73
Scaled Score Change  64
PR Change   -2
NCE Change   -0.9

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Target Group Data

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Comparison of New Market Scores
1998-99 Fourth Graders’ Terra Nova Reading Composite Scale Scores to those of the same group’s 1997-98 Third Grade Test

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Comparison of New Market Scores
1998-99 Fourth Graders’ Terra Nova Language Composite Scale Scores to those of the same group’s 1997-98 Third Grade Test

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Comparison of New Market Scores
1998-99 Fourth Graders’ Terra Nova Reading Composite Gains and Losses from 1998 test to 1999 test

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Comparison of New Market Scores
1998-99 Fourth Graders’ Terra Nova Language Composite Gains and Losses from 1998 test to 1999 test 

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Comparison of New Market Scores
1998-99 Fifth Graders’ Terra Nova Reading Composite Scale Scores to those of the same group’s 1997-98 Fourth Grade Test 

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Comparison of New Market Scores
1998-99 Fifth Graders’ Terra Nova Language Composite Scale Scores to those of the same group’s 1997-98 Fourth Grade Test 

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Comparison of New Market Scores
1998-99 Fifth Graders’ Terra Nova Reading Composite Gains and Losses from 1998 test to 1999 test 

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Comparison of New Market Scores
1998-99 Fifth Graders’ Terra Nova Language Composite Gains and Losses from 1998 test to 1999 test 

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Conclusions

As a result of participation in the Accelerated Reader program provided through this project, students at New Market School read and tested on a grand total of 18,305 books since they started the program in November.  Considering that there are only a little over 200 children enrolled in the program, this is a remarkable feat.  A copy of an article published in our local newspaper will be mailed. 

Based on a comparison of the 1998 Terra Nova test administered before the project and the 1999 Terra Nova test administered after students had progress through the project, current fourth graders at New Market School experience an average gain of 11 scale score points on the Reading Composite and 12 scale score point average gain on the Language Composite.  Fifth graders showed a more dramatic improvement with an average of 12 scale score points gained on the Reading Composite Terra Nova test and 16 scale score points average gain on the Language Composite.

In addition, during a SACS review, New Market School and Jefferson County Schools received an accommodation from the review team for providing updated technology training and support to the students and teachers. 

Four teachers participating in this project have registered as presenters for the Tennessee Education Technology Conference in the fall of  ’99.  If their proposal is accepted, this will be the first time these teachers have ever presented at a conference. 

Further effects of the project were seen in increased teacher interest in technology.  Several New Market teachers attended after school technology workshops where as during the previous year only a few attended such training.  During the 1998-99 only one teacher from New Market School applied and received a 21st Century Classroom through the county.  After participation in this project, three teachers from New Market applied and were awarded 21st Century classrooms.  Fifteen teachers from New Market School have gone through the Technology Literacy Grant process and all but one have been approved.

During the 1999-2000 school year math and language arts will be incorporated in the lab through the addition of  Orchard software through the network.  Teachers will develop monthly plans for student use of the lab and continue Internet project work.
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