Documenting Outcomes from
Henrico County Public School’s
1-to-1 Laptop Computing Initiative:
2005-06 through 2007-08
PHASE II 2007 Data
Overall
 Laptop use continues to grow from the
launch year (2005-06 for Dell laptops)
for students, teachers and
administrators. There is
comprehensive growth in different
functions and different curriculum
topics including teaching practices
and 21st Century student skills.
Student achievement and
frequency of laptop use.
The students who made more use
of laptops had higher scores in:
•World History
•Biology
•Reading and
•Chemistry
Student achievement and
frequency of laptop use
The students who made more use of
laptops had lower scores in:
 Algebra I & II – laptop use may be
displacing use of graphing calculators.
 Writing - teachers are preparing
students to take the SOLs (SOL writing
still paper and pencil.)
Student Laptop Use
40% of HCPS students report using their laptop at any
moment. That is up from 2006’s 38% and more than
double another state’s student average of 18%.
Students say that because of the laptops, they are
“learning more”.
Virtually every student-reported application of their
laptops is stronger this year last. For example,
students continue to believe that school is more fun
and that they are more interested in school because of
the laptops.
Students believe laptops are helpful for
studying, taking notes, preparing
presentations and organizing information.
The curriculum topics where computer use
and favorable attitudes are most clearly
related to achievement are:
• History
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Reading
• Writing
 Students use their laptops every day at
school, take them back and forth to
school every day and use them at home
three or four days a week.
 Use between classes and during free
periods has increased to three to four
days a week.
Last year (2005-06), the 21st Century Skills
Partnership activities were notably absent.
 Students now report increased problem
solving, research, communication,
independent work, teamwork and community
based assignments.
 HCPS teachers and students are engaging
the workforce and personal/professional
demands of the future more closely.
Changes in Teaching
 Last year, students reported that their
teachers had changed their instructional
practices (probably because of laptops in
student hands).
 Students are now more certain that “when we
use laptops, my teachers lecture less and
walk around the room more, helping
students” and that they assign more group
projects. Students also report differentiated
instruction for the first time.
Teachers
 At any point in the instructional day, between 40%
and 50% of HCPS teachers are using their
laptops.
 This year there is twice as much work with small
groups or individuals.
 Teachers report using their laptops more to
present material and to assess student needs.
 Last year, teachers reported a lot of noninstructional activities: this year that has declined.
Morale & Functions
Teachers report continued positive effects
on morale from the laptops.
Three functions have increased:
 Checking student attendance, information
and grade administration
 Communicating with other teachers, and
 Communicating with administrators.
Interim Assessments
Interim assessment is still a work in
progress for HCPS as it is for all
American schools.
But, teachers report that they are using
their laptops much more “to analyze
more quiz data, assessment data this
year” and “to assess students based on
SOL state tests”.
Changes to Grouping and
Individualization
Contrary to last year, teachers now agree that
1. “Individual computers have made small
group assignments more possible”
2. “Laptops have made small group instruction
more feasible”
3. “I use my laptop to change instructional
groupings more frequently than last year”
and
4. “I have changed the way I group students
for instruction”
Administrators
Administrators report that in 2006-07
they used their laptops more than in
previous years including for looking at
interim assessments and
communicating with teachers.
Family Participation
 Ninety-eight percent of all parents have
allowed their children to take part in the
laptop program.
 Forty-eight parents opted out of the
program: half were worried about
“influences related to computers“ and
about one in five of the group cited cost.
Conclusions from Parents
 The school has done a good job of integrating
computers into instruction: 81%
 “I’m satisfied with Internet filtering”: 81%
 “I go online to see homework or grades” 80%
 “HCPS’s technology-supplemented schooling
will help my child in paid employment or
further education”: 80%
 The laptops are reliable: 78%
 “Laptops have helped my child in current
studies”: 50%
2006 HCPS Graduates
 94% had a laptop while they were in the
Henrico schools
 93% said they had laptops for all four years
 95% had Internet access at home during
high school.
 87% had been trained in word processing
and 67% in spreadsheets, tables and
graphs
Summary: Achievement
 For each of these two years, laptop use is
associated with test scores.
 The production of learning is the sum of many
factors including computers.
 HCPS has school improvement initiatives
underway in several areas of teaching and
learning, including 1:1 computing. The
hopeful prospect is for the cumulative impact
of those projects taken together.
Recommendations
 Continue and increase professional
development about laptop integration into
classroom instruction especially among the
lower use topics as appropriate
 Promote interim assessment linked to
changes in instruction
 Connect teachers to each other through best
practice sharing and
 Increase school-home-school
communications.
The 2007-08 Analysis
 Random interval laptop ‘pinging’ queries for
students and teachers
 Metering of selected laptops
 EOY Web survey self-report opinionnaires for
students, teachers and administrators
 f2f school and classroom observations and
interviews
 Three-year longitudinal analysis of continuing
effects