Study shows students do better on paper than on computer

[Apollo16]

Published Online: June 14, 2010
Ore. Students’ Writing Scores Lower on Computer Tests
By The Associated Press

Bend-La Pine principals and district officials have puzzled over recent preliminary writing test scores showing students who took the online version of a state writing test scoring lower than students who completed a paper version.

Some administrators have suggested various culprits, from a lack of spell-check on the test’s word processing program to students writing fewer drafts before turning in the test. But the preliminary test scores raise an issue about teaching writing, spelling and grammar in an age when students spend so much time on a computer.

Bend-La Pine Schools Chief Academic Officer Lora Nordquist, who oversees curriculum for the district, said elementary school students still learn spelling and basic grammar in a traditional manner.

“Students in the formative years, we are really focusing on them learning the skills,” Nordquist said. “Spelling is absolutely part of their instruction, as is usage and mechanics. … Most of them are not diagramming sentences, but definitely the focus in elementary school is on teaching fundamental skills.”

Part of the reason students study those subjects traditionally, Nordquist said, is limited access to laptops or computers on a regular basis.

“That’s really primarily at middle school where that begins happening,” she said. “And a little of that at middle school is dependent on what the availability of computers is, so it differs a little from middle school to middle school.”

When students use computers for writing, Nordquist said they’re trained to use tools like spell-check and grammar-check.

“I think we would be remiss as teachers if we didn’t do that,” she said. “We’re not teaching writing for the Oregon state assessment. We’re teaching it because it’s important to do. In the adult world, all of us make use of these technology tools.”

Oregon is offering the state writing exam to high schools in both online and paper-based formats; some middle schools tested the new online format this year.

But the tests have come under scrutiny because some schools around the district and state have reported significant score differences between the online and paper-based tests.

The Oregon Department of Education is planning to analyze the data to determine what, if anything, went wrong, but reports from schools around Bend and La Pine show that students were much less likely to pass the online version of the test.

The obvious reason is that they didn’t have Scrivener.

Apollo16

[Jaysen]

Wait. The teachers blamed lack of spellcheck and other tools as a culprit. Since when did PAPER come with a sepllchecker embedded?

This is my primary complaint with what schools are “teaching”. Instead of the mechanics of writing, science, mathematics, and art, kids are being taught to be dependent on “tools”.

BAH!

[Apollo16]

I think this is a bad quote in the article. I think the teacher was saying that the kids KNEW there was no spellcheck on the paper but ASSUMED there was one on the computer and were more careless. They saw no red and thought they were good.

Still… I agree that teaching of concepts is being hampered by teaching of techniques. Many students can’t do math because the problem isn’t set up like it is in the book!!

Apollo16

[PJS]

I wonder, did the irregularity, sloppiness, and cutesy jargon of e-mail (not to mention texting) influence the work? That is, were computer users writing in a substantially different mode from those writing with pen and paper?

ps

[Wock]

Since the Number 2 pencil is the most popular pencil in existence why is not called the Number 1?

In light of the story. The kids now a days are very stupid, fat, have no fingers and big thumbs, and are afraid to go outside. I blame this solely on Barney the Dinosaur.

[AmberV]

Blasphemy! That numeral is reserved for Pens.