Swift Visits Voke Students Using Online Tutoring System
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA), March 8, 2002
By Martin Luttrell
WORCESTER — Gov. Jane M. Swift stopped by Worcester Vocational High School yesterday to see how students use an online tutoring program that helps those most at risk of failing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test.
The governor used the occasion to proclaim ``March to Educational Excellence Month,'' and urged students to use available MCAS remediation programs. ``We have stuck to a policy believing that every single student can achieve the basic skills in math and English that will make you successful throughout your lives,'' Ms. Swift said to about 25 students in a second-floor computer lab.
``We recognize that establishing standards and even providing money, while difficult at times, is the easy part,'' she said. ``What is difficult is the hard work that each of you are putting in in the classroom, on weekends, after school every single day.
``The results of the most recent retests of the MCAS showed very clearly a correlation between the amount of time students spend on their studies and how successful they are on the assessment exam.''
Of the 580 Worcester high school students who took a retest of last spring's 10th-grade MCAS test, 439 — or 76 percent — failed to achieve a passing score. The failure rate on the English portion of the MCAS retest was 56 percent.
Yesterday's visit showcased an Internet tutoring program that was started in the city's high schools in January, a partnership between the state Department of Education and Smarthinking Inc. The program uses ``whiteboard'' technology, similar to instant messaging, to allow students to go over problems with tutors in real time.
Currently, more than 600 students from Worcester, Brockton, Fall River, Lynn, New Bedford and Springfield are using the program on a weekly basis. This summer, through a Board of Education grant, the program will be expanded to Chelsea, where math will be offered in Spanish.
Ms. Swift sat next to 16-year-old Margaret M. Hayes, a junior at the school, who was working with an online tutor to compute the prices of two restaurants in determining how $4.50 could most efficiently be spent.
Another student in the program, Jennifer Reynoso, told the group that her confidence has been boosted by what she has learned from working with online tutors.
``It's a really cool program,'' the 17-year-old junior said. ``It gives us a chance to review questions we missed on the (MCAS) test. I never feel embarrassed or nervous like I would in the classroom. ``I feel good when I get something right. ... When I retake the MCAS in the spring I know I'll be better prepared.''
Ms. Swift said that the state has spent tens of millions of dollars for remedial and summer school programs to help students pass the MCAS, and urged students to make the most of their educational opportunities, even if their financial situations require them to work.
``We recognize that there are other important things that take priority,'' she said. ``Some of you have jobs that you work at after school and in the summer. It is my plea that you put education first, that you make time to invest in your studies.
``At the end of the day all of the things we do only work if you take advantage of them. That will pay many dividends, not just to get a diploma, but in work you do for the rest of your lives.''
Students in the class of 2003, this year's juniors, are the first class that must pass the English and math MCAS exams in order to graduate. Students get five chances to pass the exam. Students who pass the MCAS can retake it if they want to improve their scores.
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