--- Forwarded Message from Susan Cefola <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date:         Wed, 21 May 2008 13:18:11 -0400
>From: Susan Cefola <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #8846 Online language lab solutions
>To: [log in to unmask]
>cc: Susan Cefola <[log in to unmask]>

We're using OWL Testing Software throughout the Pittsburgh Public School
system and have been very happy with it for years.  We assess thousands of
students online every year with it, and it does everything you seem to be
asking for and more. 

What the heck is Perl?  No one has to know any programming language at all
to use OWL.  I can't even begin to imagine teachers having to spend time
learning some kind of programming language - or having to put pile on one
more system responsibility on our already-over tasked IT department.  The
entire OWL Testing Software application is web-based.  It's accessed by
teachers and students using just their browser.  No client apps to mess with
and no programming classes just to learn how to use it.  The training with
OWL Testing Software is literally a half-day session and they come to your
school to do it.

OWL also allows us to quickly and easily build media-rich classroom quizzes,
practice activities, and high stakes tests using mostly drop downs and mouse
clicks.  What we put online for our kids covers both the machine-scored
activities for reading and listening skills, as well as teacher-assessed
tests for writing and speaking skills.  We've built our own rubrics for the
oral proficiency tests based upon ACTFL's ratings and are very proud to say
that our teacher assessments have an 82% validity rate when compared to
certified SOPI and OPI ratings.

When it comes to data, what we get from OWL Testing Software is way beyond
click counts and simple timers.  Sure, it will tell us how long each student
spent on each activity but the information we get from OWL is also how we
have been able to quantify longitudinal student, program and school
proficiency improvements with hard data - and win over $3million in FLAP
grants.  A lot of it is because of the teaching, learning, and testing
process improvements coupled with real data management that we get from
using OWL Testing Software.

I'd be happy to share some more insights if anyone wants to email me. 

You can check out OWL Testing Software at www.owlts.com.



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