More students in South Carolina district make the grade with introduction of SMART products
CALGARY, ALBERTA --- January 25, 2007 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces that teachers at Columbia’s Richland School District Two are seeing better test scores from both lower performing and advanced-placement students after installing more than 1,000 SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards in 95 percent of the district’s schools. Test scores in an advanced-placement biology class at Spring Valley High School have risen 30 percent more than classes that are not using SMART Board interactive whiteboards in every lesson. Another class at Spring Valley that had lower performing students began using SMART products and had a 10 percent increase in test scores. Richland School District Two plans to continue installing even more SMART products in the 28 schools within the district.
Richland started outfitting classrooms with SMART Board interactive whiteboards in 2000. Teachers conducted a side-by-side comparison with other interactive whiteboards and reported a distinct preference for SMART Board interactive whiteboards and SMART Board software because they allowed for greater lesson sharing and collaboration. The award-winning district encompasses thirteen elementary schools, five middle schools, four high schools, three stand-alone elementary magnet centers, a child development center, an adult education and technology center and an alternative school. Richland Two is one of the fastest growing districts in South Carolina, adding 1,000 new students annually. To accommodate this rapid growth, the district is midway through a US$273.9 million construction project that is adding new schools and rebuilding others. As the new schools are built, provisions are being made to ensure classrooms are designed to accommodate wall-mounted SMART Board interactive whiteboards. AirLiner™ wireless slates and SynchronEyes™ classroom management software have also been integrated into the district’s schools.
“I could not do the same type of teaching without the use of SMART products,” says Jeff Gregory, a teacher at Spring Valley High School. “It has transformed the method by which I deliver information to students and because of active engagement, my students’ test scores have increased.”
“SMART Board interactive whiteboards have proven to be the most important fundamental change in the way instruction takes place in the classroom – even more so than the introduction of computers,” says Tom Cranmer, director of information technology for Richland School District Two. “Students are requesting to be in classrooms where SMART products are part of every lesson.”
“Richland School District Two, like many school districts across the United States and around the world, recognizes the need to integrate technology into 21st-century teaching and learning,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “The district’s wide adoption of SMART Board interactive whiteboards and other SMART products underscores its commitment to giving its students the skills that prepare them for life and work in the 21st century.”
About SMART Board interactive whiteboards
The SMART Board interactive whiteboard is a large, touch-sensitive display. Connected to a computer and projector, the interactive whiteboard is like a giant computer screen that students and teachers simply touch to operate. Using their finger or a pen as a mouse, teachers and students can access and control any computer application, file or multimedia platform, including the Internet, CD-ROMs and DVDs. They can also write over applications in digital ink, then save their work for future study and review. The SMART Board interactive whiteboard engages students with diverse learning styles by providing both immediate access to a wide range of digital materials and a common focus for the entire class – not something easily achieved with other classroom technology products. It is the number one choice among primary and secondary school educators in more than 100 countries because it captures the imagination of students of all backgrounds and abilities in order to help them learn together, understand better and achieve more. For more information, visit www.smarttech.com/smartboard.
About Richland School District Two
Formed in 1926, Richland School District Two is a suburban public school district located in Columbia, South Carolina. The district serves a diverse population of over 20,000 students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in thirteen elementary schools, five middle schools, four high schools, three stand-alone elementary magnet centers, a child development center, an adult education and technology center, and an alternative school. In 1996, the district superintendent launched the Superintendent’s Vision for Technology, an initiative that set the stage for winning school board and community acclaim – and crucial funding – for its determination to integrate modern technologies into every aspect of the education process. Today, the district is focused on providing leadership far beyond the borders of South Carolina to others who want to deliver a high-quality, technology-infused education for 21st-century classrooms.
