Personal learning tools take a leap forward with engaging assessment programs: PLTs are portable and affordable and they may be helping close the achievement gap.

EVERY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR WANTS TO IMPROVE student achievement. That effort raises a critical question: With diverse populations, complex learning needs, and limited resources, which tool can best help accomplish this goal?

"That's the key question," says Terry Crane, a well-known industry consultant and former senior executive at Apple and AOL. "We haven't closed the achievement gap yet, so there's continuing pressure to think through the ideas that we have about technology in the classroom and how it supports learning. But one of the surprising facts that has become clear is that the challenge of one-to-one learning was not met by the distribution of millions of computers in classrooms over the past 20 years. Educators have been struggling with that fact."

Desktop computing has done poorly in raising student achievement levels in ESL, test-taking, reading, and math, Crane says, noting that the next decade of educational technology is likely to focus on personal learning tools (PLTs)--portable, interactive, engaging, and affordable electronic products--and multisensory books. "The question is, what are the new form factors that are driving the introduction of portable, affordable, wireless educational [technology] tools that will help educators bridge the gap?" Crane asks.

The answer--in part, at least--includes sub-$100 PLTs that deliver on the promise of one-to-one technology by solving the triple challenges of affordability, ease-of-use, and portability, Crane says. The use of PLTs in classrooms allows for "focused learning with more time available for the tasks assigned, individualized learning paths for each student, and extension of learning with a school-to-home connection."

Crane's views are hardly theoretical. In a growing number of districts, PLTs are implemented and making an impact.

"We committed as a school and as a community to make sure everyone is reading at or above grade level within four years," says Rebecca Doyel, Learning Disabilities Specialist, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), Louisville, Kentucky, "so we looked at our entire structure, including professional development, intervention, curriculum, and technology. We decided that in order to meet our students' needs, we needed supplemental materials for extra practice in phonemic awareness and phonics education for our K-1 students. And we knew that they had to have a multisensory component, since all the research we found supported the idea that a hands-on approach for young kids gives teachers another way to teach than just using worksheets. Not all kids learn that way."

The challenges go beyond different learning styles and aptitudes, she adds. "Unfortunately we have kids who come to school without any idea of the alphabet or even the concept of writing their names. Since our students need to learn the 44 separate phonemes and since each phoneme requires at least 50 repetitions, it's impossible for a teacher with 25 kids to address each student individually with the standard tools."

LeapFrog SchoolHouse's (LFSH) interactive Literacy Center permits students to interact with the reading and math modules for repeated practice lessons, either one-on-one or with a group. Headphones minimize outside distractions and permit students to more quietly practice lessons without outside distractions.

The solution for JCPS: four LFSH Literacy Centers at each of the district's 87 elementary schools. Implementation began in the 2004-2005 school year and will be districtwide by September 2005. The Pre K-2 Literacy Center, which includes, among other technology tools, the LeapPad PLTs, LeapDesk workstation, and the LeapMat learning surface, provides explicit instruction in the five key components of an effective reading program (as defined by the National Reading Panel Report in 2000): phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The Literacy Center includes multisensory learning aids that integrate three unique multisensory technology components, including the following:

* The LeapDesk workstation speaks the names of letters of the alphabet and produces their phonetic pronunciations in the context of specific words. Students see and feel the shapes of letters, while hearing the letter names and sounds. The LeapDesk system teaches and assesses early literacy skills, including letter-name recognition, letter-sound association, and phonological awareness.

* The LeapMat learning surface teaches letter-name recognition, letter-sound association, and spelling of three-letter words.

* The LeapPad PLT brings books to life with audio interactivity at a touch. Students use the LeapPad system to read specific words, sound out decodable words, and read entire pages.

Such engaging programs are working in the classroom. "The human brain seeks novelty and excitement in order to learn," notes Jefferson County's Doyel, "and The Literacy Center provides that for the students. Its tools allow a teacher to put into practice the ideal of one-to-one learning."

Educators are taking advantage of the products' low cost and portability and are lending the units for take-home use. The extended-learning advantages are numerous, including family involvement and more practice time for students on critical skills.

In fact, the overall concept of portable learning is getting a boost, according to Crane. "In 1978 when I first saw a personal computer in a store I thought, 'This is going to change education,'" she recalls. "I had the same thought when I saw learning products in the new personal learning tools category."

James Smiley is a freelance education writer based in Los Angeles.