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Chesterfield Township
Elementary School

Highlights

• The 2004 New Jersey ASK (Assessment of Skills and Knowledge) grade four scores in math were 83.3%, demonstrating that all students (including special education) attained a score of proficient or advanced proficient in math.
• In language arts/literacy, grade four students attained a 96.7% of proficient or advanced proficient on the 2004 ASK test.
• In 2004, grade three students scored an 85.3% in language arts and a 95.1% in math on the NJ ASK test.
• During the 2001-2002 school year, SuccessMaker dramatically helped students increase their basic skills in reading and math. In reading, students gained three quarters of a year in 10.9 hours of instruction, and in math students gained over half a year in 14.5 hours of instruction.

School/District Profile

Chesterfield is a one-school district located in Burlington County in central New Jersey. Chesterfield Township resides in a suburban/rural community with large agricultural farms and equestrian training centers. Chesterfield Township Elementary School has an enrollment of 267 students in grades K through 6. The school’s ethnic makeup consists of 96 percent Caucasian students, 2 percent African-American students, and 2 percent Hispanic and other minorities.

Remedial speech and basic skills assistance is provided to the Chesterfield students who qualify. The school also has a Gifted & Talented Enrichment Program open to all students who meet the program’s criteria.

Challenge/Goals

Chesterfield Township School District needed to raise its NJASK (Assessment of Skills and Knowledge) test scores for its fourth grade students, modernize classroom technology, and utilize computers effectively in each classroom. Although the district had a good LAN network with T1 Internet access and up-to-date hardware, the instruction software system had been made up of disparate, off-the-shelf pieces and lacked a management system to tie it all together. Chesterfield needed an integrated system that would allow students to work at their own level and pace—i.e., SuccessMaker.

The District goals are to 1) provide well-planned, personalized, and small-group instructional opportunities for all students so that they can experience success in academic, social/emotional, and physical skill areas, and 2) provide a safe, clean, and positive environment where all students are valued, recognized, and rewarded for academic achievement, appropriate conduct, and good citizenship.

Solution

The Chesterfield Township Board of Education addressed the need for students to increase their NJASK test scores, along with the need for all students to increase their achievement levels so that "no child would be left behind." With this in mind, a committee consisting of Dr. Edward Gibson, the Chief School Administrator for Chesterfield, Mr. George Karr, Chesterfield’s computer lab teacher, and Christina Everard, Pearson Digital Learning account representative, made a presentation to the Board, followed by a visitation to a school district similar to the size and community demographics of Chesterfield. "The committee examined possible scenarios for product implementation, and concluded that the placement of SuccessMaker in the lab and in each classroom would maximize student access," said Dr. Gibson. The Board approved the SuccessMaker purchase, and funding was provided by the Chesterfield Public Education Fund, the PTA, and the Board of Education.

SuccessMaker was implemented in September 2001 at Chesterfield Township Elementary, naming the program "SuccessMaker—A Path to Personalized Instructional Excellence." All students have the opportunity to use the SuccessMaker courseware in their classrooms, the computer lab (holding 25 computers), the resource center, and the Gifted & Talented program. Every class visits the computer lab twice a week, working for 40 minutes per session. Students take SuccessMaker courses in reading and math, including titles such as Reading Readiness, Initial Reading, Reader’s Workshop, Reading Adventures, Writer’s Studio, Math Concepts and Skills, and Math Investigations. Dr Gibson says, "The support of the administration, combined with the commitment of Chesterfield’s teaching staff, has enabled SuccessMaker to be effectively integrated into our daily schedule."

All New Jersey public schools are required to offer a G&T (gifted and talented) enrichment instructional program for students who are determined to be eligible. Chesterfield offers all eligible G&T students in K-6 access to SuccessMaker. The diagnostic prescriptive capability of SuccessMaker allows students to work at their own personal academic levels of instruction. In grades K-2 the G&T teacher works in the classrooms in a team approach with the regular teacher in an inclusion arrangement. In grades 3-6, the students who are eligible, participate in a pullout program, where they go to the G&T-Enrichment Room and work with the G&T teacher exclusively for several periods a week on a variety of academic enrichment topics. "If a second-grade student is able to work on a third or fourth grade level, he or she can begin on that level with SuccessMaker. This answers the question from parents, 'what are you doing to meet my son's or daughter's needs in math or reading?' With SuccessMaker it is now easier to answer this important question," says Dr. Gibson.

In the G&T Classroom as well as all other classrooms, all students have access to SuccessMaker. What's valuable about the SuccessMaker program is that all students, whether they are in the G&T program or not have the opportunity to work at their own levels and make as much progress as they can in math and language arts/literacy.

To monitor Chesterfield’s student progress, the classroom and computer teachers assist the students and assess their gains through various SuccessMaker reports. "Teachers frequently report the high level of enthusiasm that students express about SuccessMaker. Students enjoy working in the program and often ask for additional time. The multimedia aspects of the program hold the students’ interest and make learning very enjoyable for them," says Dr. Gibson.

Results

Since the implementation of SuccessMaker, Chesterfield has experienced an increase in student achievement. "With SuccessMaker, students have gained exposure in math and reading that has empowered them to be challenged in areas they were previously reluctant to explore," says Dr. Gibson.

After an average of 10.9 hours of instruction, 237 students gained three quarters of a year in reading, with 84% demonstrating acceptable performance.

SuccessMaker Student Reading Gains

In math, 221 students made gains of over half of a year after 14.5 hours of instruction, with 99% demonstrating acceptable performance.

SuccessMaker Student Math Gains

Since the implementation of SuccessMaker, Chesterfield has seen considerable improvement on the New Jersey ASK test in language arts/literacy and math.

The percent of 4th grade students scoring Proficient or Advanced Proficient on the NJ ASK in language Arts and mathematics increased from 2003 to 2004. In math, all students including special education scored an 83.3 percent proficient or advanced proficient. In language arts/literacy, 96.7 percent of all students scored proficient or advanced proficient.

 Grade three students also scored high on the NJASK, with an 85.3 percent in language arts and a 95.1% in math. "We've experienced a statistically significant improvement in state mandated test scores this year, and that improvement is largely attributed to SuccessMaker," said Dr. Gibson.

In addition, Chesterfield's second, fifth and sixth grade students took the Terra Nova Tests of Achievement and continued to exceed the National Average in all areas assessed.

Chesterfield Township School District and SuccessMaker from Pearson Digital Learning will continue to help students raise test scores and increase achievement levels in the years ahead.
 

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