In My Opinion
A More Proficient Population
Don’t expect less from struggling students, says Donald B. Austin, principal of La Sierra High School in Riverside, California. Instead, use instructional technology to do more.
Many educators still argue that students with special needs or language barriers cannot be expected to reach proficiency at the same rate as other students. But it is no longer acceptable to rationalize poor academic achievement based on demographics or zip codes, especially with the presence of instructional technology in the classroom.
Our high school in Riverside, California, is no different from most other large suburban schools. The diverse population mirrors the state’s averages in ethnicity and economic status. And each year a population of students arrives unprepared to demonstrate proficiency in core academic subjects. At La Sierra High School, we have turned to instructional technology to support these students’ needs, rather than expect less from them.
We use instructional technology to quickly assess the proficiency levels of individual students and determine the targeted assistance they need. Students can then move through the curriculum with the help of supplemental programs that provide the necessary flexibility to meet their needs and fill in the gaps that have grown throughout their previous years of education. These technology-based instructional delivery models give students the individual attention they require to reach proficiency.
ELIMINATE STUDENT DOUBT
Achievement gaps do exist among students, and those who are at risk are more likely to suffer from poor efficacy, expectancy, and confidence. Students’ perceptions of their academic ability are in place by the age of nine and rarely improve. Research suggests, too, that confidence actually declines over time as academic failures reinforce self-doubt. Without confidence in their abilities, students are less likely to engage in positive academic risk-taking behaviors, and the achievement gap widens.
The beauty of instructional technology is the absence of bias. A computer program is not concerned about demographics or behavioral issues. Our country is full of caring and competent teachers, but instructional technology can assess shortcomings quickly and possibly better serve the individual needs of students. It is unrealistic for all classroom teachers to conduct the equivalent of an Individual Education Plan for every student. Instructional technology can accomplish this task in a relatively short amount of time.
DON’T BE AFRAID OF CHANGE
At La Sierra, as with most other schools, there was relatively little difference in classroom instruction between 1972 and 2002. For inexplicable reasons, schools were often slow to adjust to the changing needs of their students. With the emergence of No Child Left Behind, it became important to reexamine the established method of instructional delivery.
In 2000–01, for example, our school had 29 seniors who were not going to graduate because they had failed a government/economics requirement. The only existing vehicle for graduation required students to drive 10 miles to take a nighttime adult-school class. Faced with this option, many seniors simply would not graduate. We realized that once a senior fell behind in credits, he or she often felt helpless—and it was equally apparent that our school was not providing adequate options for students.
Rather than leave these students behind, we decided to take a new approach. We implemented an online comprehensive courseware system to provide our students with the opportunity to recover the necessary credits to fulfill the government/economics requirement. Through the use of instructional technology, we quickly identified students’ academic deficiencies. Once shortcomings were determined, it was much easier for teachers to remediate specific skills. As a result, the 29 seniors graduated.
LOOK AT THE FACTS
In light of our students’ success, we began to look for new ways to use technology in other core curriculum areas. Data-driven decisions replaced what simply felt good in the past. We eliminated our lowest-level courses, which had been created with good intentions but were rooted in low expectations. We reeducated our staff to understand that students can succeed if given supplemental support in addition to a rigorous core curriculum.
Our students didn’t disappoint us. After they used online courseware for support classes to supplement our challenging courses, their fail rate decreased by nearly 50 percent, and our test scores soared. La Sierra High School has now met all adequate yearly progress (AYP) standards while consistently comparing favorably in mathematics with other comprehensive high schools in the region.
NCLB also includes high-achieving students. Time spent in class with low-skilled students effectively takes away time from prepared students. Unless we are careful, our best and brightest may be left behind. Instructional technology can open the door for distance-learning opportunities or acceleration in courses.
GET THE GOOD NEWS OUT
At this important time in our educational history, we are asked to reexamine past practices and identify best practices. When students are equipped with the skills to feel proficient and competent, they are more likely to demonstrate engaged behavior. Success breeds success. We need to share those successes. Plenty of schools throughout the country with challenging populations are doing very well. Technology allows educators to share documented and quantitative results as they occur.
As a society, we must quit rationalizing failures and reinforcing low expectations. Our educational system is full of gifted teachers and administrators who can utilize the power of instructional technology to ensure that no willing child is left behind.
Donald B. Austin, Ed.D., is the principal of La Sierra High School in Riverside, California.
