New Study Released - Study Island Helps Increase Standardized Test Score Performance

Study Island Helps Increase Standardized Test Score Performance --

Review of Study Island Published on Aug 16, 2008
http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/reviews/4636.aspx

Below is an excerpt of the article:

Study Island is a web-based computer program that allows students to practice state standards and indicators. The best part is that students, teachers and parents can keep track of student progress.

NCLB requires that all educational programs need to be based on research. Study Island has provided documentation that they are using research based procedures. A new independent study, Study Island Scientific Research Base by Magnolia Consulting in July 2008, shows that it “provides documentation that connects the key features of the Study Island program to scientific and academic research literature.”

In addition, the research showed that when “teachers used web-based instruction to supplement classroom instruction it was 13% more effective than classroom instruction alone at teaching declarative knowledge, suggesting a combination of the two formats may lead to better achievement than classroom instruction alone.”

The content on Study Island is written from state standards. The program gives diagnostic, formative and summative results to teachers and administrators. In addition, it allows for an assessment feedback loop, reinforces learning through practice, motivates students, supports mastery, and uses a web-based platform. Anther great feature is that it encourages parental involvement.

How It Works

Study Island allows students to practice and to build skills over time toward mastery. Students can practice math, reading, writing, science or social studies. Once students are connected to the online program, they choose how many questions they want to answer. If they are not familiar with an indicator or standard, basic lessons are available. When they begin their session, they receive immediate feedback for their answers. Students and teachers can see the progress in any subject and/or indicator on the computer screen.

This supports the research from the report that says that the best feedback encourages students to keep working until they succeed and tells students what they know about the target knowledge instead of telling how they did in comparison to others.