Mounting Evidence of the ActivClassrooom
Impact on Student Achievement

Dr. Robert Marzano, a leading educational researcher, has completed a multi-year study (2008-2010) to determine the effectiveness of the Promethean ActivClassroom as a tool to help student achievement.

Study Findings

Academic performance by students increased by an average of 16 percentile points when teachers taught their lessons using the ActivClassroom (Haystead and Marzano, 2010). In the report, "Evaluation Study of the Effect of Promethean technologies led to sustainable improvement in student achievement. In an Education Week article, Colorado's Education Policy Center senior researcher Dr. Gene V. Glass summarized the study this way:

"One way to phrasing their findings is that a class employing the technology would gain 12 months' achievement in a 9 month school year."

Beyond the 16 percentile point average achievement gain, the findings have shown gains were:

• Immediate
• Across All Subject Areas
• Across All Levels of Teacher Experience
• Increased with Usage
• Across All Grade Levels
• Across All Student Populations

Professional Development Improves Results

The higher the confidence level in using the technology, the higher the use, and the greater the student gains.

Marzano and Haystead (2009) reported findings that suggested substantial gains in student achievement under the following conditions:

"The Sweet Spot"

• An experienced teacher
• Who has been using the Promethean ActivClassroom for two years or more
• Who uses the Promethean ActivClassroom between 75-80% of the time in their classroom
• Who has had enough training to be confident in their use of the technology

About the Study

This multi-year independent research project to determine the impact of the ActivClassroom on student achievement was launched in 2008. The nationwide study included nearly 5,000 students, 123 teachers, and 76 schools spread across rural, urban and suburban districts. It is the largest research project of its kind, and is both mathematically sound and statistically robust. The first report was issued in the fall of 2009. A copy of the complete study can be found at www.PrometheanWorld.com/research.

About Dr. Robert Marzano

Robert J. Marzano, PhD, is cofounder and CEO of Marzano Research Laboratory in Englewood, Colorado. A leading researcher in education, he is a speaker, trainer, and author of more than 30 books and 150 articles on topics such as instruction, assessment, writing and implementing standards, cognition, effective leadership, and school intervention.

Dr. Marzano's Presentation at CUE, 2009