A new study by researchers at Columbia University suggests that West Virginia's use of educational technology has directly led to significant gains in reading, math, and language skills among the state's K-6 students.

Commissioned by the Milken Exchange on Education Technology, the report marks the first time a long-term statewide technology program has been studied for its effectiveness in schools--and some of the first real evidence supporting the use of computers to improve basic skills in the early grades.

The study examined West Virginia's Basic Skills/Computer Education (BS/CE) program, one of the nation's longest-running statewide programs for implementing technology in education.

Launched in 1990, the BS/CE program now encompasses all students in grades K-6. The program consists of three components: (1) integrated learning system software that focuses on the state's basic skills goals; (2) enough computers so that each student has easy and regular access to the software; and (3) training for teachers in the use of the software to improve student learning.

According to the West Virginia Department of Education, scores have steadily risen on state standardized tests and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) since the program's initial implementation. In fact, West Virginia was one of only two states cited for three categories of improvement in NAEP math achievement in 1996, the department said.

The Milken study, led by Profs. Dale Mann of the Columbia University Teachers College and Charol Shakeshaft of Hofstra University, suggests that as much as one-third of the gains made by the state's K-6 students can be directly attributed to the BS/CE program. The study also concludes that West Virginia's program is more cost-effective than hiring more teachers or reducing class sizes.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Henry Marockie hailed the study as a clear indication of the program's success.

"This [study] clearly points to the value of technology in the classroom," Marockie said. "It links what's happened in the program directly to student achievement--and that's the program's ultimate purpose."

The new study also challenges critics' assertion that scant evidence exists to link technology with student achievement, Marockie said: "It shows that the nay-sayers were wrong--with proper teacher training, you can use technology in the classroom to improve the achievement of all students, regardless of their gender, race, or level of income."

Conflicting evidence

The West Virginia study partly contradicts a nationwide study of 14,000 fourth- and eighth-graders also commissioned by the Milken Exchange and published by Education Week in October 1998. Researched by the New Jersey-based Educational Testing Service (ETS), the 1998 study concluded that computer applications increased the test scores of fourth-graders only marginally--and therefore were not likely to be cost-effective solutions.