LEAP Pilot Network is a LEAP Innovation project that connects educators and tech innovators through pilot programs around personalized learning. The Pilot Network, based in Chicago, works directly with edtech entrepreneurs and educators to explore ideas, guide personalized learning technologies and share the research.
The results from the first year of pilots, 2014-2015, were released in a report, Finding What Works. LEAP found signs of positive impact: Classes in grades 3 to 8 that participated in the Pilot Network gained 1.07 additional test-score points above what a control group achieved on NWEA assessments. Though a small number, this represents a significant narrowing of the achievement growth gap on NWEA’s assessment measures.The project involved 15 schools and more than 1,600 students from across Chicago.
LEAP offered five key takeaways:
- Buy-in is crucial for pilot success.
- Teaching and learning practices must come first.
- The pilot must be carefully designed.
- Edtech companies need research support.
- The data extracted from edtech products is critical.
Pilots measure more than the success and failure of edtech products in the classroom; they also assess teaching practices by gathering data on the different edtech integration methods used in the classroom and then measuring the effect on NWEA results.
The full report is chockful of significant results and insightful tidbits.
