“PassKey is a very effective remediation
tool,” says John McCullar, Technology Director. “We
used it to prepare 25 students, including ESL students and
those with learning disabilities, for the Alabama High School
Graduation Examination.”
The score needed to pass the state test
was 477; the average score of the 25 Haleyville students
prior to their PassKey experience was 325. “We used
the programs in reading, language arts and math,”
McCullar says, “and we had a teacher dedicated to
test improvement. The students received regular instruction
for a few weeks, and then they worked on PassKey.”
| “PassKey
is a very effective remediation tool.” |
McCullar says that the most useful
feature of the PassKey program was the correlation between
the lessons and the Alabama state test. “It got them
ready for the actual test,” McCullar says. “Students
liked the fact that PassKey was different. They enjoyed working
on the computer. It was a new and different way to learn,
and they really appreciated the self-pacing aspect of it.”
Haleyville Schools’ research extended
from September 2001 to June 2002. The results? A 175-point
average increase in score on the Alabama High School Graduation
Exam—from 325 to 500 points. “The students improved
tremendously,” McCullar says. “Even the students
with learning disabilities passed the state test. It’s
been a great tool for us and for the students.”
