1:1 Technology and Computerized State Assessments

Abstract

American students in the 21st century are growing up with Internet accessible technology available at their fingertips. Considering this and the continued pressure to compete in a global society, The United States' Department of Education's National Education Technology Plan (NETP) (2010) calls for educators to leverage technology in order to provide more meaningful and authentic learning opportunities for students. Not only is technology being harnessed for instruction, but the push for online assessments as a part of The Race to the Top federal initiative has compelled school districts to continue to pour funding into technology. While student motivation, collaboration skills and critical thinking skills are often reported as benefits to students' access to technology, the impact of these computing initiatives on student achievement has been inconclusive. The purpose of this quantitative study was to better understand the impact of 1:1 technology on 4th grade student achievement on the computerized Missouri Assessment Program. For the purpose of this study, 1:1 technology is an Internet connected device provided by the school district that students have direct access to throughout the school day. The researcher examined state standardized testing data to determine the impact of 1:1 technology usage on student achievement at the 4th grade level in communication arts and mathematics. Analysis of the data associated a statistically significant difference in overall student achievement in the areas of communication arts and mathematics with students in schools with access to 1:1 technology performing below their peers in schools without access to 1:1 technology. As technology advances, so must our instructional best practices to ensure teaching and technology work together to support student learning. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]