Students in West Las Vegas can now benefit from latest teaching technology

Terry Webster

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2000 | 11:12 a.m.

Clark County school officials begin today what some educators are calling the district's greatest effort to bolster student performance in West Las Vegas' at-risk schools.

A new computer program at the district's community service center on West Owens Avenue will provide students in grades 3 through 12 the opportunity to brush up on reading, math and science and to improve their performance on the state TerraNova and High School Proficiency exams.

"This is the first time that the Clark County School District is making a concerted effort to provide the same kinds of services that children of privilege always have been given," Yolanda McKinney-Arrington, the center's director, said. "We think this is a wonderful beginning."

Today marks the dedication of the center's PLATO Technology Learning Lab, an expansion that houses computers and computer software donated by various businesses and organizations.

A technology lab manager will oversee the program -- along with 30 computers -- while five licensed teachers will provide after-school tutoring. Starting in January services will be offered Monday through Thursday and on Saturday, officials say.

The PLATO software, for which the lab is named, allows students to progress through tutorial lessons at their own pace.

In each lesson, the computer keeps track of how many questions students answer correctly and provides a quiz at the end.

Students can't progress to higher levels until they master skills at the lower levels.

"If a student gives a wrong answer, the computer tells them it was incorrect," McKinney-Arrington said. "It also tells them why the answer was incorrect and explains the correct answer. It teaches higher-level thinking skills and critical thinking."

One of the biggest pluses of the PLATO program, McKinney-Arrington said, is that it was tailored to match the district's curriculum and the skills tested on the state TerraNova and High School Proficiency exams.

A pilot program using the software at Chaparral High School produced successful results for a group of students who had failed the High School Proficiency Exam, she said.

"About 90 percent of the students who failed the proficiency exam passed it after using (PLATO) for a couple of months," McKinney-Arrington said.

The program also will provide a computer printout listing skills students need to improve. Teachers can use the information to design extra-help programs.

"It will profile the students," Gloria Washington, the center's office manager, said. "It tells where they are and what they need."

The ultimate goal, McKinney-Arrington said, is to have PLATO offered at all schools in the district.

Since the community center opened two years ago, more than $300,000 has been raised to provide services that range from a resource library to a Web TV pilot program, McKinney-Arrington said. Other programs at the center focus on parental involvement and community outreach efforts.

The center was founded with the help of School Board member Shirley Barber, whose District C includes the neighborhood, in an effort to help students and parents with socioeconomic challenges that can hurt student achievement.

"If students can come into the center for an hour a day, four days a week, I think it will make a really big difference," Barber said.