6. ➢ Not user-friendly for the kids.
➢ The drag and drops are too difficult and do not
mirror Ohio State Tests (OST) drag and drop.
➢ Students may lose interest due to repetition.
➢ Many of the games are geared towards younger
students.
➢ Older students may find some of the games to be
monotonous.
➢ Only focuses on the skill and not in-depth
knowledge of the content/ question framework
formatted by the OST.
Study Island
weaknesses
10. SuccessMaker- strengths
➢ Visually stimulating
➢ Engaging lessons
➢ Adaptive lessons
➢ Has print option for
offline lessons
➢ Home or school
➢ Reports easy to
read
➢ Teachers can
custom make
lessons based on
standards
11. ➢ Expensive
➢ Kids can do poorly on purpose
to make the lessons easier.
➢ Kids can leave screen stagnant
and still have time counted.
➢ Takes struggling readers a long
time to finish lessons
➢ Teachers cannot
access what
students do at
home.
➢ Only goes up to 8th
grade so a school
has to have 2
systems.
➢ Mobile app not
accessible
SuccessMaker-
weaknesses
14. Quizlet- strengths
• Instant feedback
• Easy to use
• Has a game mode
• Can get lessons from other people
• Can add content
• Free
• Can be used offline
15. Quizlet weaknesses
• Information can be incorrect
• Time consuming for teachers to create assessments
• Time consuming for teachers to create content
• Not aligned
Study Island, Successmaker and Quizlet are all adaptive learning systems that can assist students in learning in the 21st century. Both Study Island and Successmaker are assessment driven, where the system adds in content after initial placement is attained. They are also both competency based, where only lessons that the student scores below a certain score are added into the individual's curriculum.
By contrast, Quizlet in adaptive technology that is teacher driven and requires the teacher to create the assessments and add in content.
Study Island is a competency based adaptive learning K-12 product created by Edmentum which has a variety of products. It was created in 2000. It is not meant to be a stand alone curriculum, but is meant to supplement lessons being taught in the regular classroom. Study Island collects pre assessment information based on standards for the purpose of content being assigned within the system until mastery is attained.
After students take the initial placement, the data is collected on reading levels and gaps in learning. There are 5 session types from which to choose.
Additionally, worksheets can be printed off for extra assistance or in the case of not being able to access technology.
Game mode is a favorite of the students and mimics a video game.
Study Island has a clicker option that is fun for students and gives another level of anonymous competition.
The dashboard in Study Island is user friendly for teachers, students, and parents.
It shows the standard being worked on and the objective.
It also shows the scoring threshold of a 70% to be able to move to the next lesson.
This visual dashboard is pleasing to the eye.
While Island has many strengths it also has some weaknesses.
For younger students it tends not to be as user friendly and can be difficult to follow.
The directions are sometimes vague and misleading.
Although the curriculum is aligned to Ohio Standards, the drag and drop function does not mirror the OST test.
Games are often geared toward younger learners and may become monotonous to older learners.
Only focuses on skills and not in depth content.
Study Island is a moderately expensive option for schools struggling with finances.
It requires a license for each student signed on at a time.
Students can sign on from home for no additional cost.
Successmaker is a competency based adaptive K-8 technology learning system created by Pearson Learning. Successmaker collects pre assessment information based on the standards that are being assessed. Lessons are assigned inside of the system so that content can be assigned. Lessons are taken until mastery is achieved.
Successmaker includes four types of learning components. After initial placement which takes about 2 sessions, the system assigns the students a specific skill to master. It starts with a reading component followed by an interactive lesson. There is also an option for the text to be read aloud to the student. Addition print worksheets can be supplied to students for extra practice or in the event that students do not have access to technology.
Successmaker has many strengths including being media rich with visually stimulating lessons and an audio component. The lessons are engaging and keep the students interested. The lessons are adaptive and large classes can all be working on different levels simultaneously. There are offline lessons and the ability to make worksheets for whole class instruction as well as reinforcement with lessons. Depending on the package that is purchased, students can work from home or school. The reports are easy to read for teachers and they can be custom made.
The downfalls of the Successmaker product is that it is very expensive as the home option is an additional cost and then the teacher access is another fee. Another weakness of SM is the students can manipulate the system and do poorly on purpose to stay in lower grade level curriculum. Teachers must create incentives to motivate students and it is often “time on” lessons that is counted. Students can leave their screens stagnant and still have time counted in reports. Successmaker only has K-8 so if students in middle school go above 8th grade concepts, there is no curriculum for them to do.
Quizlet is a teacher driven adaptive K-12 technology created in 2009, by a small group of entrepreneurs. It is 100% customizable in every subject.
Quizlet Learn is powered by the Learning Assistant Platform, which uses machine learning to process data from millions of anonymous study sessions, and then combines that data with proven techniques.
Quizlet has different ways to learn terms. The first is the learn session, then students can use flashcards, or a matching game to reinforce the vocabulary. Finally there is a quiz that can be multiple choice, written responses or fill in the blank. All of the lessons are created by the teacher or found within the quizlet system.
The information is collected as pre assessment and is used to drive the lessons and the content that the teacher creates.
Quizlet has many strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strengths are that it provides instant feedback, is easy to use and has engaging lessons. It can be worked on at home and has an offline print option. It has a free version and can also have an upgrade for more classes. Lessons can be shared and found from other teachers. The lessons are engaging and there is a game mode which students enjoy.
Quizlets weaknesses include that since the content and assessments are created by educators and not a company, information can be incorrect and spelling is often wrong. Some lessons are more rigorous than others and it is time consuming to create assessments and content.
Quizlet is free with the basic applications and is only $15 for the year. With the full membership a teacher can create unlimited classes.
With finances not a consideration, I would choose Study Island. Study Island can be used for students from K-12. It has an easy understandable dashboard for teachers, students and parents. The curriculum is aligned to the Common Core and updated frequently. The last reason is that the gaming mode appeals to 21st Century learning styles and can be practiced on a Smartphone.
Study Island fits the learning goals for our school, as we are looking for a system to help close gaps in basic skills. We are not looking for a stand alone curriculum and this will supplement our teaching effectively
The other two systems, while competitive do not fit the needs of our learners financially or curricularly.
