Letter from Kimberly B:

I am returning to college and have to take a math placement test. I can not tell you how very happy I am with your Math Upgrade course. I have always avoided math with the explanation that “I’m just not good at it.” Well, I have completed your course in six weeks (about 20 hrs) with a 99.87%. I now have a new found love for math and feel very confident that I will pass my test with flying colors! I have never been as proud of myself (academically that is) as I was when I printed out my Gold Level certificate of achievement!

The same year that California high school students were required to pass an exit exam to graduate, high school dropouts spiked, according to an AP/Los Angeles Times article. One of the original goals of the exit exam, often referred to as CAHSEE, was to boost performance of California’s high school students. An unintended consequence is that students who cannot pass the exam after repeating it several times may be dropping out of school.

The key issue this brings up is effective instruction or intervention for at risk high school students. A test alone does not make student performance increase. Schools need to provide effective instruction for 9th graders at risk to fail CAHSEE or 10th graders who fail on their first attempt. While schools may be having success with “bubble” students just below the threshold of passing, the “far below basic” students are failing repeatedly.

It is our hope that new approaches to intervention for students failing CAHSEE are put into place, to prevent further dropouts. This includes high interest online courses targeting at risk youth, such as Comprehension Upgrade and Math Upgrade.

Read the LA Times Article

In recent months three new low-cost notebook computers have been introduced that will bring access to web-based learning to a new group of students worldwide. The first is the One Laptop per Child (OLPC), which will be sold to governments to bring computing to children in developing countries. Next comes the Classmate PC from Intel, which also aims to bring a low-cost notebook computer to families who would not be able to afford a traditional computer.

Both these computers are aimed at children in the developing world. However, a new computer called the Eee PC from Asus is bringing an affordable, child-friendly computer to any family that wants to buy one. For $399, you can buy this small, sleek notebook. It lacks a hard drive or Windows software, but includes a web browser, WiFi for internet access, and basic software for editing documents, email, etc.

Traditionally, a notebook this small and portable would have cost around $2,000. The Eee PC can fit in a student’s backpack or move with them around the house.

We at Learning Upgrade are hopeful that these new affordable student computers will provide more students with access to the world of online learning. Over the next few months, we will be testing to make sure our Math Upgrade and Reading Upgrade courses work on these new computers. If you have an experience with our courses on these laptops, please let us know in the comments.