ASSESSMENT AND LEARNING IN KNOWLEDGE SPACE

By: Sabrina McDow

PROBLEMSweetwater Middle School in Gwinnett County School District, Georgia USA has failed to meet Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) mainly because of the math Criterion Referenced Competency Test.

The next slide shows the scores for 2010, 2009, and 2008 in math. Pay special attention to 6th and 8th grade scores. They are below the district and state averages.

PROBLEM CONT.

RESEARCHALEKS is an online software program developed from research at New York University and the University of California, Irvine (UCI) by software engineers, mathemeticians, and scientists with the support of a multi-million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation. It is based upon original theoretical work in “Knowledge Space Theory”.

This work began in the 1980’s by Jean-Claude Falmagne. He is the founder and Chairman of ALEKS Corporation (Introduction to ALEKS).

RESEARCHThere were several people and

organizations that researched the affect of the ALEKS system on improving math test scores.

Researchers include the following:Vincent LaVergne from Shawnee Mission

South School DistrictHolly Stillson and Parthasarathi Nag

from Black Hills State University

DEVELOPMENT

1983-1992 Knowledge

Space Theory is created.

1992 Professor Falmagne obtained a

large NSF grant to develop educational software based on Knowledge Space

Theory

1996 ALEKS corporation is

founded

1996 The software is

made available to K-12 and

college students .

Current- ALEKS is being used by

hundreds of thousands of

students

COMMERCIALIZATION The ALEKS software has been granted

by UCI to ALEKS Corporation under an exclusive, worldwide, perpetual license (UC Regents and ALEKS Corporation, 2011)

Information about ALEKS is provided in several educational and business journalsALEKS representatives visit many education professional organization’s conferences

KNOWLEDGEKnowledge Space Theory is what the ALEKS system is based.

The theory is based on the “knowledge state” of the student.

What the student can do?

What the student is ready to learn?

PERSUASIONRelative Advantage – “In contrast to standardized

tests, which typically result in numerical measures of achievement or “aptitude”, the outcome of an ALEKS assessment consists in

(i) the precise and comprehensive delineation of an individual’s competence in a subject in the form of his or her knowledge state describing all the types of problems mastered by that individual, and(ii) a comprehensive list of the topics the individual is ready to learn (referred to in Knowledge Space Theory as the outer fringe of that individual’s knowledge state)” (ALEKS, (2011).

DECISION/IMPLEMENTATION/CONFIRMATION

ALEKS is currently being used by hundreds of thousands of students each year in over 50 courses (ALEKS, 2011). Thousands of k-12 schools and higher education institutions around the world are currently using this software (ALEKS, 2011).

THE S-CURVE (ESTIMATION)

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INNOVATORS AND EARLY ADOPTERS

The innovators and early adopters for this program would be the 8th grade math teachers and the special education math teachers. These teachers could use the ALEKS program with the current students to test its benefits and ease of use.

LAGGARDS

The sixth grade math teachers would be the next group of teachers to utilize the system for effectiveness. The laggards would be the seventh grade math teachers because they currently have the highest math scores and will not see the need in trying a new innovation to raise math test scores.

LAGGARDS CONT.

The best strategy to move the seventh grade teachers towards adopting ALEKS, would be to prove its effectiveness with sixth and eighth grade math.

MEETING CRITICAL MASS1. Triability - Introduce ALEKS to the

eighth grade math teachers. They need the most assistance with raising the CRCT scores.

2. Triability - Allow the eighth grade math teachers at least a semester of using the system to rate its effectiveness with our students.

3. Observability - ALEKS to the sixth and seventh grade math teachers, sharing the results from the eighth grade students’ progress.

4. Triability - Allow the sixth grade math teachers to utilize the system the second semester.

5. Observability - Based on CRCT results, decide if the system should continue and be used county wide.

DECENTRALIZED DIFFUSION SYSTEM

The ALEKS system should be piloted at Sweetwater Middle School to determine its effectiveness before expanding to the other “Needs Improvement” schools in the district.

CHANGE AGENT

The Change Agent will be the eighth grade math department chair and an effective eighth grade math teacher. The two agents can work as a team to help the other teachers with the use of ALEKS and conduct an in-service to explain how to use the system and provide the necessary resources to ensure its continued use throughout the life of the program licenses.

CRITICAL MASSCritical mass has not been met for ALEKS. Diffusion networks would be the best way to meet critical mass. Improved test scores will be shared with the public and blamed on the use of the ALEKS program. Other schools and school systems will want to use the system to improve their scores too.

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Sweetwater Middle School has not met AYP because of the math CRCT scores. As a school, it is our duty to provide the best possible education for our students. ALEKS is the solution.

ALEKS is a technological innovation that offers an opportunity for Sweetwater Middle School to assess the needs of the students’ math skills, individually.

ALEKS builds on “what the students already knows”.

It will produce the results we are looking for in our scores.

REFERENCES ALEKS Corporation. (2011). Research behind aleks. ALEKS. Retrieved from

http://www.aleks.com/about_aleks/research_behind

Education.com. (2011). Sweetwater Middle School. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/georgia/lawrenceville/sweetwater-middle-school/.

Falmagne, J., Doignon, J., Cosyn, E., Thiery, N. (2011). The assessment of knowledge, in theory and in practice. Retrieved from http://www.aleks.com/about_aleks/Science_Behind_ALEKS.pdf

Introduction to ALEKS: A beginner’s guide. Retrieved from http://people.msoe.edu/~jorgensen/ALEKS_Intro.pdf

LaVergne, V. (2007, April 9). The effect of the ALEKS web-based learning system on standardized math scores. Shawnee Mission Board of Education. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/4813630/ALEKS-Action-Research-Results-April-2007.

Stillson, H., Nag, P. (2009). Aleks and mathxl: using online interactive systems to enhance a remedial algebra course. Mathematics and Computer Education: 43(3); Docstoc pg. 239. Retrieved from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/44985516/ALEKS-AND-MATHXL-USING-ONLINE-INTERACTIVE-SYSTEMS-TO-ENHANCE-A-REMEDIAL-ALGEBRA-COURSE