Running head: TECHNOLOGY & LEARNING GAPS

Innovation Plan: Addressing Learning Gaps with Technology

Ashley Ausburn

Georgia Southern University

ITEC 74300
Running head: TECHNOLOGY & LEARNING GAPS 1

Addressing Learning Gaps with Technology

 In the past two years teachers have faced many challenges including switching from

teaching the traditional way to online overnight, transferring physical learning content to a digital

version, teaching with masks, teaching classes with face to face and online students, and teaching

with overcrowded and underfunded classrooms. The combination of these challenges is resulting

in many teachers leaving the field and their positions not being replenished by new graduates.

This domino effect has placed a strain on teachers still in the field. The constant state of change

along with overcrowded classrooms is affecting the success of the teachers and the students.

Furthermore, Covid-19 led to major learning gaps socially, emotionally, and academically. I

believe that technology can be used to support these teachers and students and serve as a second

teacher in the classroom thus close learning gaps.

Classrooms are diverse. Students are from different backgrounds, cultures, races,

ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, learning abilities, and more. These differences are to be

celebrated. However, when classrooms are overcrowded, teachers struggle to meet the needs of

the students who are gifted, have an RTI or and IEP, have a speech disorder, learning English,

and the average student. With just one teacher in the room and the effects of students not being

in a physical school due to Covid-19, teachers can feel overwhelmed and may eventually leave

the profession. In my Kindergarten classroom, I have 24 students and the legal limit is 25 in the

state of Georgia. My six other colleagues also have 21 to 26 students in their room. Our team has

been waiting for months for a new teacher to come, but the school has not found anyone to fill

the position yet. According to the Department of Education (2010), “Many school districts,

straining under logistical challenges and uncertain budgets, have pointed to staffing shortages as

an ongoing challenge in supporting students who are struggling” (p.10). Additionally, many of
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our students never attended preschool so there is a huge knowledge and behavior gap to fill

before they move on to first grade. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit families of color and

linguistically diverse families the hardest regarding academic success (Education in a Pandemic,

2021). Fortunately, technology can be useful to school districts in lower socioeconomic areas.

According to Hill (2021), “Theoretically, technology allows you to operate in ways that are more

economically feasible, so under resourced districts could have an opportunity to get really

creative about restructuring.” The purpose of this paper is to explain how technology can

improve the post covid education dilemma by using technology programs to support struggling

students and reduce the current learning gap.

Stakeholders

There are multiple stakeholders to consider when thinking about supporting the needs of

post Covid students in overcrowded classrooms. These stakeholders include teachers,

administration, students, parents, media specialist, and support coaches. The first stake holder is

the administration. They are responsible for identifying the need and taking action to support

their teachers and students. The next stake holder is the media specialist or support coaches who

may help train teachers in the solution decided by administration. Then teachers have the

responsibility of taking the solution and implementing it in their classroom. Students participate

in the solution and their progress determines how effective the solution is. Finally, parents are

stakeholders and can support their child through implementation of the solution at home.

Proposed Solutions

The first solution I am proposing is to replace iReady with IXL. IXL is comparable to iReady

as it is also a personalized learning program. IXL covers math, English language arts, social

studies. One benefit that IXL has that iReady does not is that it offers science and social studies
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instruction. iReady only offers reading and math. In addition, IXL is compatible with iPhone,

Andriods, and iPad (I-ready vs. IXL Comparison Chart, n.d). iReady only works on computers.

This limits students who come from a lower socio-economic status (SES) and do not have access

to a computer at home. This problem can be solved by using a program such as IXL that is

compatible with mobile devices.

The second solution I am proposing is to implement Imagine Learning Math to support

English language learners. Newcomers receive daily support from the ESOL teacher using the

pull-out model, but they need extra instruction during class and at home. My school currently

offers Imagine Learning for reading but not for math. English Language learners need language

support in math as well as reading. Imagine Learning offers “age-appropriate math solutions

provide learning environments that help students develop language proficiency in mathematics

so they can move beyond computation to real comprehension” (Imagine learning, n.d). I believe

implementing Imagine Learning Math and reading will reduce the current learning gap.

The third solution I am proposing is to equip teachers with enough devices to be able to use

these programs. Currently there is one iPad cart for kindergarten which is split among seven

classes and the other grades are in similar positions. Students need devices to use these

programs. More devices allow the teacher to work with a small group while the other students

are receiving individualized instruction through Imagine Learning Math or iReady.

Evaluation Procedure

To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed solution there will be formative and

summative evaluations. The Summative evaluation would involve comparing and analyzing state

test scores from the year 2021-2022 to the test scores from the year 2022-2023. After using each

program for a year, the state test scores from each year will be used to evaluate the effectiveness
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of IXL versus iReady. The formative evaluation would include surveys for teachers every three

months to assess their attitudes towards the proposed solution. Teacher observations will also be

used to formatively evaluate student progress throughout the year.

Implementation

Goal The goal is to improve instruction through incorporating programs that can

support struggling students and ESOL students to close the learning gap.
Objectives 1. Obtain more devices for students

2. Replace iReady with IXL

3. Implement Imagine Learning math to accompany Imagine Learning

reading
Stakeholders Administrators- Administrators are responsible for researching each program

further, analyzing the budget, and choosing the solutions best suited for their

school. In addition, they need to assign tasks and roles to support coaches in the

school so that all teachers are supported.

Teachers- Teachers are responsible for implementing the solutions and keeping

data on what they observe since implementing the solution.

Students- Students are responsible for being active learners and participating.

Parents- Parents are responsible for implementing the solutions at home when

possible and encouraging their children to participate.

Media Specialist/ Support Coaches- The media specialist or the support

coaches can develop training sessions. During the sessions, they will teach the

teachers about the proposed solutions and support teachers during this process.
Timeline The school should spend no longer than a month to ensure all teachers have been

trained on the proposed solutions. After teachers have been trained, they should

implement the solutions and evaluate the effectiveness every three months to
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reach a yearly goal. Teachers and support coaches/media specialist will meet

every three months to discuss observations, problems, and positive aspects of the

solution. At the end of the school, the administration and support coaches, media

specialist, and the grade level team will meet to discuss progress over the entire

year and to evaluate if they meet the yearly goal.

Yearly Goal Imagine Learning Math: Students will spend at least 60 minutes a

week on Imagine Learning each week and pass at least 70% of the lessons

completed.

Weekly Goal IXL: At least 70% of students school wide have a proficiency (a

SmartScore of 80) on at least two skills per week.

Yearly Goal: After using each program for a year, the state test scores from

2022-23 ( Using IXL and Imagine Learning Math) will be higher on average

than the state test scores from 2021-22 ( Using iReady).

Potential There are multiple risks to consider when choosing a solution:

Risks 1. IXL- one risk associated with IXL is human error. If parents or teachers

are providing the students with answers or over supporting, then the

program may be ineffective. Another human error is not spending the

recommended amount of time on the program.

2. Imagine Learning Math- One risk is not having a large enough budget to

get all students who need it the program. There may be a linted number

of students that the program is available to such as newcomers.

3. Learning Devices- One risk associated with obtaining more devices is the

budget. The budget may not be big enough to provide each class with the

resources they need. In addition, devices can become a distraction to the

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students if they are not managed well.

Conclusion

Many students and teachers are struggling to cope with the academic, social, and

emotional results from being out of a physical school for an extended period. Many teachers

have noticed this year is unlike any other regarding the larger learning gap. According to Hill

(2021), “One of the bigger studies, conducted by consulting group McKinsey & Company, found

that students, on average, could be behind by up to nine months in math, for example. For

students of color, it increased to 12 months. That finding seems to be largely supported by data

from individual districts, where many schools are seeing sharp increases in the number of failing

grades.” I believe that this gap can become smaller by replacing iReady with IXL, implementing

Imagine Learning Math for English language learners, and acquiring more devices for students to

use. These proposed solutions may possibly increase test scores, reduce the nine-month learning

gap to just a few months, and reduce stress being placed on teachers. School staff will achieve

these goals by meeting every three months to discuss progress, improvements, and problems. At

the end of the school, all collected data will be analyzed to determine if the proposed solutions

were effective in reducing the current learning gap.

References

Department of Education. (2021). Education in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impacts of COVID-

19 on America’s Students . Education in a Pandemic. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/20210608-impacts-of-covid19.pdf.
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Hill, D. (2021, April 7). How serious is the covid "learning gap"? Dearborn. Retrieved

November 3, 2021, from https://umdearborn.edu/news/articles/how-serious-covid-learning-

gap.

I-ready vs. IXL Comparison Chart. i-Ready vs. IXL Comparison. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1,

2021, from https://sourceforge.net/software/compare/i-Ready-vs-IXL/.

Learning, I. (n.d.). Imagine learning. SourceForge. Retrieved November 1, 2021, from

https://sourceforge.net/software/product/Imagine-Learning/.