LOS ALAMITOS–Oak Middle School has seen a significant jump in its state test scores since the introduction of a new learning technology that forces students to participate in classroom lessons and helps teachers better tailor their lectures, officials said.
Social Studies teacher Todd Schmidt acted as the guinea pig for the Los Alamitos Unified School District in using a hand-held, question-and-answer program called Qwizdom that he says helps students better learn and retain information.
"There's this lofty goal that sounds unattainable, but (we can) actually achieve it: to get every student to answer every question, every time," he said.
The technology allows the teacher to ask a question related to the lesson, then students plug in the answer on a hand-held remote. The teacher can see who has answered and who hasn't.
Answers are projected onto a computer screen that uses kid-friendly graphs and games to keep students engaged.
Schmidt said Qwizdom specifically benefits students who are shy or not confident to answer questions out loud in the classroom because it allows them to participate anonymously.
"It is non-threatening," he said. "I have proof that shows these kids are definitely getting it."
And that proof comes in the form of better standardized state test scores, he said.
"We had a 20-point jump in Social Studies in the California State Test," Schmidt said. "Los Alamitos is 75 percent proficient, which is three times the state average. Last year, we went up to 84 percent because we've been using these. I think next year our scores are going to be even higher."
The program also lets teachers better mold their lesson plans because they can see what students are grasping or what concepts may need more attention.
"Now, I know exactly what to hit," Schmidt said. "It has impacted my teaching so dramatically... because I know they're understanding and retaining the material."
The program started in Schmidt's classroom last year and this spring the district has been incorporating the hand-held devices into more classrooms and a variety of subjects including math, language arts and science, he said.
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