read. write. think.
TCR Connections:
Using Technology to Advance the Goals of the
No Child Left Behind Act
“ED Tech is ed, not tech.”
(Ed Tech Czar John Bailey, Wired News, 1/31/02)
“It is not enough to have a computer and an Internet connection in the classroom
if they are not turned on. It’s not enough to turn them on if they are
not integrated into the curriculum. And it’s pointless to integrate them
into the curriculum if they don’t add value to student performance.”
(Secretary of Education Rod Paige, U.S. Dept. Ed. Press Release, 3/22/02).
Charting a New Course.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) represents an integrated, across-the-board effort to
promote the development of programs that use education resources to increase preK-12 literacy
and achievement. No Child Left Behind also presents a new vision for educational technology.
In this new vision, technology becomes not an end in itself, but a tool to call upon in the effort to
improve the quality of education for all students. Hallmarks of this new approach are:
Former Educational Technology
Efforts
Multiple, overlapping grant programs (e.g.
Challenge Grants, Star Schools, etc.)
Emphasis on infrastructure, providing
technology to schools to address the Digital
Divide
Goal - systemic reform
Focus on technology skills - using computers
and applications
Experimental approaches encouraged to
explore new problems of technology
Traditional on-site staff development
Diverse approaches to evaluation, stressing
implementation goals
No Child Left Behind
Flexibility to integrate and coordinate programs
Emphasis on learning outcomes, integrating
technology into curriculum to align with
Academic Standards
Goal - increase achievement
Focus on literacy - strategic reading, writing
and thinking in curricular contexts
Scientifically-based on reading research
Electronic and distance learning approaches to
staff development
Rigorous evaluation required, stressing
teaching and learning goals
-1No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
Current federal education programs such as Title1, Reading First, and ED Tech provide funds
that encourage the use of technology to advance the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act. The
Curriculum Resource (TCR) Connections is uniquely suited to help states, schools and districts
translate this new vision for technology into meaningful improvement in teaching and learning
where it really counts…in the classroom.
TCR Connections helps educators use technology as a catalyst, or glue, to promote the
meaningful content-area reading writing and thinking, and to create high-achieving learning
environments for all students by connecting:
 Reading, writing and thinking skills in all subject areas
 State learning standards
 Research-based, best teaching practice
 Multiple assessment models and test preparations
 Critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills
 Classroom topics to real world
 Technology staff development with instructional staff development;
 School learning to home and community learning.
TCR’s integrated program helps educators build these connections in six specific ways to support
key NCLB federal program requirements and promote student learning:
-2No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
Federal Program
(NCLB) Requirements
TCR Provisions and Partners
(Title I, II, III, Reading
First, ED Tech)
1 –Reading
Improvement
Using technology to
improve student
achievement in reading
and writing through
research-based
strategies
2 - Standards
Alignment
Address state academic
standards
3 – Curriculum
Integration
of Technology
Integration into
curriculum areas
4 – Effective
Professional
Development
Training and
development for teachers
and school leaders
5 – Parent/Community
Involvement
Home access for families
6 – Getting Results
Research-based, best
practices
Incorporates scientifically-proven,
research-based, best practices
including: strategic reading, the Big6™
model; engaged learning; graphic
organizers; reading in the content areas
Aligned with national and state
curricular standards through Achieve
and McREL
Bank of online student activities and
resources support research-based
practices in all core subject areas
Teacher productivity tools, onsite and
online workshops to promote best
practices; special focus on leadership
academies; continuing education
credits available through Florida State
University.
Parent and community resources;
online access from school and home 24
x 7.
Design applies broad base of research
on effective practices shown to improve
reading achievement; promote a
balance approach integrating multiple
forms of assessment including rubrics,
standardized test preparation with both
open/closed response items, and
Kaplan K-12 test-prep hints; evaluation
services to help schools design/develop
survey and observational assessments,
gather/analyze/report to enable datadriven decision making.
-3-
No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
1 – Reading Improvement
TCR develops strategic literacy.
TCR Connections embraces the true spirit of the No Child Left Behind Act with a strong,
research-based approach to strategic literacy that embodies best practices for reading
improvement. Research indicates that effective readers are strategic (Baker & Brown, 1984).
This means they have purposes for reading and adjust their reading to each task. Specifically,
research indicates the effectiveness of selecting a deliberate plan to accomplish a goal or
complete a task (Paris, Wasik & Turner, 1991). Comprehension monitoring is another strategic
reading skill found by researchers to improve the ability to construct meaning from text. Strategic
literacy skills will be essential for participation in the economies of the Information Age.
The new education must teach the individual how to classify and reclassify information, how
to evaluate sources and rearrange categories when necessary, how to move from the concrete to
the abstract and back, how to look at problems for himself. Tomorrow’s illiterate will not be the
[person] who can’t read; it will be the [person] who has not learned how to learn (Murray, 2000).
---------TCR uses graphic organizers to develop analytical reading skills.
Creating graphing representations (e.g. Venn diagrams, ideawebs, fishbone diagrams, KWL
charts, etc.) help learners to comprehend, summarize, and synthesize complex ideas in ways that
often surpass verbal statements (Devine, 1991; Van Patten et al. 1986).
Numerous studies have shown significant differences in achievement as a result of the use of
graphic organizers. Examples from ERIC (the Federal Department of Education clearinghouse
on educational research www.askeric.org) include:
 Content-area reading in history
 Reading comprehension with learning disabled students
 Higher-order thinking skills with secondary students learning a second language
 Vocabulary skills in mathematics instruction for elementary students
As the focal point of standards-based education has shifted from “remembering isolated pieces of
information” toward more rigorous/integrated understanding, graphic organizers are also widely
recognized as important tools to support “teaching for meaning” (Hyerle, 1996). Graphic
organizers help students to connect new information to prior knowledge, integrate knowledge to
see the whole, and learn using different learning styles.
---------The Big6™ Model: A Powerful Research Base.
TCR exclusively features the Big6™ information-age literacy model to guide success for all
students. The research-based Big6™ model is “the most widely-known and -used approach to
teaching information and technology skills in the world” (Eisenberg & Berkowitz, 2000).
The Big6 information literacy model is explicitly designed is develop the information-age literacy
skills required to address problems commonly encountered in unstructured Internet use with
students (e.g. Oppenheimer, 1997), such as dealing with the overabundance of information,
synthesizing, and distinguishing relevant/irrelevant information. TCR Connections models the
powerful Big6™ literacy process in all activities and all subjects.
-4No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
Real-world Contexts: Meaningful, Engaged Learning.
TCR Connections meets the challenge of Leaving No Child Behind by translating computer
access into meaningful learning activities. Beyond rote drill and practice, in order to teach for true
understanding, new skills and knowledge must be developed in meaningful contexts. Language
arts material must also be worthy of understanding. It must represent important ideas that have
value beyond the classroom, reside at the heart of the discipline, require student to uncover key
ideas, and engage students (Wiggins & McTighe,1998).
TCR Connections improves reading…
 Promotes research-based approaches shown to improve reading, writing, speaking and
listening
 focuses on non-fiction reading in the content areas (an estimated 70-80% of standardized
tests in reading focus on non-fiction)
 activates student prior knowledge as a basis of constructing new knowledge.
 challenges students with essential and important questions that naturally engage and invite
deep thinking
 exclusively features the Big6 model to develop strategic reading skills in all student
activities in all subjects (e.g. define task, select information seeking strategy, evaluate the
product and process)
 helps students learn to monitor their comprehension and task completion with online
interactive graphic organizers
 develops the lifelong literacy and learning skills used throughout adulthood as we utilize
many different sources of information (not just textbooks) to be successful in school, in our
careers, and in life
 features nineteen interactive and collaborative online graphic organizers
 helps students to analyze, organize, synthesize and apply information from text
 uses email for collaborative work on graphic organizers among peers/teachers/parents
 teaches students to read for understanding (beyond rote skill memorization)
2 – Standards Alignment
The goal of standards-based reform is to help all students reach higher levels of performance,
not to set impossible goals or create winners and losers (Achieve, 2000).
In many settings, students experience the curriculum as a hodgepodge of separate initiatives.
Obviously this approach only leads to inconsistent student performance. Standards alone cannot
change this, but can only make a difference when all curriculum, assessment, technology, and
staff development is coherent and aligned (Carr & Harris, 2001).
TCR Connections directly aligns curriculum with standards…
 links all student activities to the McREL-ACHIEVE standards database.
 targets the essence of increasingly rigorous state standards, often overlooked by traditional
programs
 integrates online curriculum, online assessment, and onsite/online staff development services
that all promote “best” teaching practices
-5No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
3 - Curriculum Integration of Technology
TCR Connections provides a carefully-structured and well-integrated set of student resources and
activities for reading/writing across all core subject areas. A majority of public investment in
technology in education (e.g. The FCC E-Rate Program) has been spent on infrastructure, but not
the instructional application of technology to improve the teaching and learning process.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (U.S. Department of Education,
2001), while students are learning the basic information in core subjects, they are not learning to
apply their knowledge effectively to thinking and reasoning. On the other hand, integrated
content-area reading activities provides a meaningful way in which students can use knowledge
learned in one context as a knowledge base in other contexts (Collins, Brown, & Newman (1989).
Many of the important concepts, strategies, and skills taught in the language arts are especially
portable, and transfer readily to other content areas (Perkins & Grotzer 1997).
TCR Connections integrates technology with curriculum…
 increases the percent of technology use directly connected to standards and assessments
 provides teachers with resources they can use in a regular classroom (and not just for
pullout)
 promotes the transfer of reading/writing/thinking skills to all subjects
 targets the critical thinking skills that are at the heart of standards in all disciplines (e.g.
drawing conclusions, compare/contrast, cause-effect, making inference)
 leverages your technology investments into improved teaching and learning
-6No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
4 - Effective Professional Development
Research on traditional staff development has uncovered little evidence that stand-alone
workshops for teachers actually improve teaching and learning. Major reviews of staff
development effectiveness (Fullan, 1991; Berman & McLaughlin, 1980; Gusky & Sparks, 1991;
Joyce & Showers, 1988; Little, 1982) suggest that less than 5% of skills teachers learn in training
is transferred back to the classroom. These studies identify several impediments that prevent
workshop training from translating into effective teaching practices:
 how-to product training does not actually change teaching strategies
 training often not tied to student learning goals
 teachers need to adapt, not just “learn to use”
 workshops must use multiple training methods that balance… hands-on, lecture,
hands-on, application, feedback, and collaboration among colleagues
 the overall school environment needs to support change/innovation through the
communication of clear goals, participation in implementation planning,
encouragement of experimentation
Support for teachers is critical to the success of educational technology, and professional
involvement, buy-in and support has been identified as one of the key factors in successful
educational reform (Desimone, 2000). TCR Connections builds a relationship with teachers
through a series of professional development experiences designed with teachers to respond to
their needs. Workshops and tutorials are offered in various formats: on site; on-line, on-demand;
and via interactive distance learning. Professional development is not confined to workshops, but
is built in to the integrated set of TCR Connections resources, forming a powerful set of
productivity tools for teachers.
TCR Connections provides effective staff development that actually improves the
teaching/learning process back in the classroom…





links professional development with standards, curriculum and assessment
promotes research-based best teaching practice back in the classroom
integrates multiple methods/media into workshops:
 onsite workshops (balancing lecture, hands-on, application, feedback, and
collaboration among colleagues)
 online workshops (self-paced and available 24 x 7 from school or home)
 teacher productivity tools/resources (available online 24 x 7 from school or home) to
take back into the classroom to reinforce workshop experiences and make it easy to
effectively use new teaching strategies based on best practices
Creates a positive school climate for change through professional program evaluation and
planning services that identify clear needs/goals, communicate those goals, involve critical
stakeholders and monitor progress against program goals
Is accredited through The Florida State University for teachers to earn continuing education
units (CEU’s)
-7No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
5 – Parent/Community Involvement
The promise of the Internet is best expressed as “connectivity”. New connections can be forged
and maintained within school communities to teachers and learners, and connections can also be
made to the wider communities of educational stakeholders: parents and extended family
members, and other community organizations and members: business, government, scientists,
artists, etc.
The development of these virtual communities has been shown to transform classroom activity in
powerful ways for at-risk students (Lento, O’Neill & Gomez, 1998). Involving parents is
particularly important. There is considerable evidence that parent involvement leads to improved
student achievement, better school attendance, and reduced dropout rates, and that these
improvements occur regardless of the economic, racial, or cultural background of the family
(Flaxman & Inger, 1991).
TCR Connections increases parent/community involvement…








provides online access 24 x 7 to all students, teachers and parents/families
provides online training for parents
provides leadership academies for administrators responsible for creating a result-oriented
school environment
provides learning resources to help parents become partners I the development of literacy
provides online scored assessments to give parents feedback on the student’s performance
in content-area reading tasks
allows student products to be confidentially emailed from home tot he teacher
provides an enriched “Parent View” of the Curriculum Resources, including goals and
objectives of the lesson, relevant curricular and performance standards, and extension
activities
provides program evaluation services to drive results and enable data-driven decision
making, including: formative evaluation, needs assessments, development of survey and
observational assessments, data collection/analysis, report writing, formative evaluation
6 – Getting Results
TCR is explicitly designed/developed to apply a broad base of rigorous, independent research on
reading and learning improvement. In particular, TCR is developed to promote the following four
validated, critical elements for sustained learning improvement:
 strategic reading skills including graphic organizers
 using newspapers in education
 raising expectations/creating challenging learning environments
 balanced reading approach that integrates multiple instructional/assessment models
-8No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
Strategic Reading Skills/Using Graphic Organizers.
Numerous studies show reading skill improvement from development of strategic reading skills,
reading for a purpose, developing a plan, comprehension monitoring, creating graphic organizers
(Baker & Brown, 1984; Paris, Wasik & Turner, 1991; Devine, 1991; Van Patten et al., 1886;
Hyerle, 1996;).
Beyond rote drill and practice, the development of these skills aids in the development of actual
reading for understanding.
Using Newspapers in Education.
Numerous studies specifically describe the benefits of current primary source material, such as
newspaper information, as a teaching tool for at-risk students (Palmer, 1989; Zamorano, 1993).
Use of self-selected real-world sources are associated with improved reading comprehension,
vocabulary and motivation. Notably, it has been estimated that at least 70% of reading tasks on
achievement tests are based on the use of non-fiction.
Raising Expectations for All Learners.
Educational opportunities for “at-risk” students who have been characterized as "economically or
educationally disadvantaged" have traditionally been based on lower expectations, and focus on
the acquisition of “basic skills” following rote, drill-and-practice instruction.
Research (Means and Knapp, 1991) indicates that at-risk student achievement may actually be
hindered by school factors such as narrow curriculum and rigid instructional strategies. Recent
findings indicate that by depriving at-risk students of challenging content and complex thinking,
schools underestimate students’ capabilities, postpone interesting and meaningful work, and
deprive them of a meaningful context for learning and for using the skills they are taught
Thomas & Collier (1997) report longitudinal research that English language learners (ESOL)
achieve significantly better in programs that teach language through cognitively complex
academic content (in both native and second languages) in math, science, social studies and
literature, through problem-solving, discovery-learning, and other interactive learning strategies.
Balanced Reading Approach that Integrates Multiple Instructional and Assessment
Models.
Federal program guidelines under the No Child Left Behind Act require
reading programs to reflect a coherent design that balances:
 explicit instructional strategies
 coordinated sequences (spiraling)
 ample practice opportunities
 in-build assessments
 coordinated reading, writing, speaking listening
 facilitates active student engagement in a variety of reading-based activities
To ensure progress for all students TCR Connections supports multiple instructional and
assessment models. No single teaching or learning strategy is best for all students in all tasks.
Effective instruction must be designed to promote the numerous instructional models have been
linked to effective literacy instruction, including: directed strategy (Pressley & Harris, 1990),
thematic units (Tchudi, 1991), meta-cognitive strategies, problem-based learning (Stephien,
Gallagher, & Workman, 1993). Assessment also requires a multi-dimensional approach.
Reliable evidence of real understanding requires teachers to gather evidence from a variety of
sources and representing different types of data (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998).
-9No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
TCR Connections gets results…












is based on a broad base of scientific, research-based approaches to reading improvement
supports balanced approach that integrates multiple instructional models, including: directed
instruction, thematic units, standardized test prep, problem-based learning, and project-based
learning
directly promotes reading instruction shown to raise test scores, including strategic reading,
graphic organizers, newspapers in education, raising expectations, balanced approach
integrating multiple instructional models
motivates students to read by offering students a high level of control/choice and providing
access to relevant, real-world content
features “hi-low” (high interest – low readability) newspaper content.
Naturally incorporates linguistic, cognitive and academic development in all activities in all
subjects
Provides in-built assessments featuring Self-Check’s that give instant feedback on the
vocabulary and reading comprehension skills targeted by state/national standardized tests
provides Kaplan Test Prep Hints that give students, teachers, and parents just-in-time help
on important skills targeted on high-stakes tests.
balances open-end and close-end assessment techniques
incorporates project-based assessment and performance rubrics into all activities
links all activities to state standards via the McREL-Achieve standards database
goes beyond rote drill-and-practice to teach reading for real understanding
- 10 No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
Bibliography
Achieve (2000). High Standards: Giving All Students a Fair Shot.. Achieve Policy Brief, 2: 1-8.
Baker, L., & Brown, A.L. (1984). Metacognitive skills in reading. In P.D. Pearson (Ed.), Handbook of reading research
(353-394). New York: Longman.
Berman, P. & McLaughlin, M. W. (1978). Implementing and sustaining innovations. Vol. 8 of federal programs supporting
educational change (R-1589/8-HEW). Santa Monica, CA: Rand. (ERIC Document Reproduction Services No. ED 159
289).
Carr, J. & Harris, D. (2001). Succeeding with standards. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Collins, A., Brown, J.S., & Newman, S.E. (1989). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the crafts of reading, writing, and
mathematics. In L. Resnick (Ed.), Knowledge, learning and instruction: Essays in honor of Robert Glaser (453-494).
Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Desimone, L. (2000). Making Comprehensive School Reform Work: An In-depth Review of the Recent Experiences of
Restructuring Schools. Washington, D.C., American Institutes of Research.
Devine, T.G. (1991). Studying: Skills, strategies, and systems. In J. Flood, J.M. Jensen, D. Lapp, & J.R. Squire (Eds.),
Handbook of research on teaching the English language arts (743-753). New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Eisenberg, M. B. & Berkowitz, R. E. (2000). The Big 6 Skills: Information Problem-Solving Approach. http://big6.com/
Flaxman, E., & Inger, M. (1991). “Parents and schooling in the 1990s”. The ERIC Review, 1(3), 2-6.
Fullan, M. (1991). The new meaning of educational change. NY: The Teachers College Press.
Gusky, T. R. & Sparks, D. (April, 1991). Does your staff development program make a difference? Paper presented at
the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, Illinois.
Hyerle, D. (1996). Visual tools for constructing knowledge. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Joyce, B. & Showers, B. (1988). Student achievement through staff development. New York: Longman.
Lento, E. M., O’Neill, D. K., & Gomez, L. M. (1998). “Integrating Internet Services into School Communities.” In Learning
with Technology: 1998 Yearbook of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, edited by Chris Dede.
Alexandria, VA.: ASCD.
Little, J. W. (1982). Norms of collegiality and experimentation: Workplace conditions of school success. American
Educational Research Journal, 19, 325 – 340.
Means, B. & Knapp, M. S. (December 1991). Cognitive approaches to teaching advanced skills to educationally
disadvantaged students. Phi Delta Kappan, 73 (4), 282-89.
Murray, Janet (2000, January). Applying Big6 Skills and Information Literacy Standards to Internet Research. Big6
eNewsletter. http://www.big6.com/
Oppenheimer, T. (1997, July). “The computer delusion.” The Atlantic Monthly, pp. 45 - 62.
Palmer, B. C. (1989) An investigation of the effects of newspaper-based instruction on reading vocabulary, reading
comprehension, and writing performance of at-risk middle and secondary school students: Final report. Syracuse, NY:
ERIC Document No. CS009935.
Paris, S.G., Wasik, B.A., & Turner, J.C. (1991). The development of strategic readers. In R. Barr, M.L. Kamil, P.
Mosenthal, & P.D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of Reading Research (Vol. 2, 609-640). New York: Longman.
Perkins, D. N. & Grotzer, T. A.. (1997) “Teaching Intelligence.” American Psychologist, v52 n10 p1125-33.
Pressley, M., & Harris, K.R. (1990). What we really know about strategy instruction. Educational Leadership, 48, 31-34.
Resnick, L. B. (1987). Education and learning to think. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
- 11 No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement
read. write. think.
Stepien, W., Gallagher, S., & Workman, D. (1993). Problem-based learning for traditional and interdisciplinary
classrooms. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 16(4), 338-357.
Tchudi, S. (1991). Planning and assessing the curriculum in English language arts. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Thomas, W. P. & Collier, V. P. (1997). School effectiveness for language minority students. National Clearinghouse for
Bilingual Education.
U.S. Department of Education (2001). NAEP: National Assessment of Educational Progress (2001).
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.
Van Patten, J.R., Chao, C.I. & Reigeluth, C.M. (1986). “A review of strategies for sequencing and synthesizing
information.” Review of Educational Research, 56, 437-472.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Zamorano, W. J. (1993) Eighth grade reading improvement with CNN Newsroom and USA Today. Syracuse, NY: ERIC
Document No. CS011659.
- 12 No Child Left Behind: TCR’s Technology Tools for Learning Improvement