SOLO Project
Basics
• Each research assistant will
– Work with 2 or 4 students (2-4 hours per week)
for approximately 9 weeks
– Be paid for today’s 2 hours in the last paycheck
– Turn in weekly time sheet and data documents
This week …
• See Teresa Allmon in room 204 to be put on
payroll
• Give me a copy of your background clearance
or have Tina Brannon email me to say you are
cleared to visit schools. If you do not have a
current background clearance, you cannot
work on this project
Purpose of Project
• Conduct two research studies examining the
effects of writing with assistive technology
software (SOLO) on written expression for
students with disabilities
Other important things…
• All data collection must be completed before
the end of the semester
Steps…
• Training (today)
• Coordinate with teachers to set a schedule for data
collection. (You may also ask the teacher if there is
some small token you can give each student for
working hard each session; e.g., sticker, a few Skittles).
• Collect parent consent and student assent on each
participant. You cannot begin data collection until we
have a copy of those documents.
• Begin data collection
– Baseline – paper/pencil
– Intervention - SOLO
Data Collection Sessions
ABAB (approximate)
• Pre-assessment
• 2 baseline sessions
– (3 paper/pencil)
• 5 intervention sessions
– SOLO
• 2 baseline sessions
– (3 paper/pencil)
• 3 intervention sessions
– SOLO
• Post-assessment
Alternating Treatments
• Pre-assessment
• 2 baseline sessions
– (3 paper/pencil)
• 10 intervention sessions
– One paper/pencil
– One SOLO
• Post-assessment
ABAB
• Comparing difference between performance
without intervention and with intervention
Alternating Treatments
• Comparing two ongoing conditions
Writing Prompts
• Narrative
– Fictional
• Expository
– Fact-based
SOLO
• Draft:Builder
– Organization of writing
• Co:Writer
– Word prediction
Let’s look at..
• Pre-assessment procedures
• Baseline procedures
– Scoring writing
– Excel file
• Intervention procedures
– Software
Data Sheet
• Words
• Word Sequences
• Rubric
Scoring Correct Word Sequences
• A CWS was defined as (1) two adjacent, correctly
spelled, capitalized, and punctuated words; (2)
capitalized and correctly spelled beginning of
sentences; or (3) correctly spelled and punctuated
ending of sentences. All phrases must be acceptable in
standard English usage. CWS are scored line by line. For
example, in the sentence Sally run fast., four CWS are
possible. One CWS would be counted for the first word
of the sentence being capitalized and spelled correctly.
Next, the sequences of Sally run and run fastwould not
be counted as CWS because run is not the correct verb
tense. Finally, the sequence fast. would be counted as
a CWS because it is a properly punctuated end of a
sentence.
Excel File
• Complete after student goes back to class
• Complete immediately after every session
SOLO