Mathematics Intervention Initiative Increases Achievement for At-Risk Middle School Students in Texas, Achieves National Recognition

DALLAS, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) (TI), a leader in educational technology, and the Richardson Independent School District (RISD), a 34,000-student district in North Texas, today announced the 2006 pass rate for at-risk middle school students participating in a new mathematics intervention jumped 33 percent over 2005 as measured by the Texas statewide standardized mathematics test. The mathematics intervention, jointly developed and implemented by RISD and TI, helps address the performance gap between the various ethnic groups represented in the student body and improves 7th and 8th graders' mathematics scores.

In recognition of the TI-RISD partnership, the intervention was cited by the Council for Corporate and School Partnerships as having compelling data that reflects positive impact on student achievement and/or overall education experience. Their National School and Business partnership award included a $10,000 grant to further the partnership efforts.

"The RISD-TI mathematics intervention is a truly promising practice and an excellent model for how a company and a school district can collaborate to improve student achievement. We are excited to see the continued success of this program in increasing mathematics performance in RISD and in other districts around the nation," said Lizzette Reynolds, Secretary's Regional Representative, United States Department of Education, Region VI.

The intervention addresses several key factors that impact mathematics performance, including:

   -  Providing additional professional development and training for
      teachers
   -  Increasing classroom learning time with block schedules that run for
      100 minutes instead of 50
   -  Using aligned curriculum with common assessments and benchmarking
      tools to track student progress
   -  Integrating the TI-Navigator(TM) Classroom Learning System and TI-73
      Explorer(TM) graphing calculators to enrich classroom instruction and
      assessment
   -  Using accelerated curriculum and setting higher expectations for all
      students
   -  Increasing administrative and parent support of mathematics teaching
      and learning.

After spending several months planning the mathematics intervention, RISD and TI conducted a pilot during the 2005-2006 academic year at Lake Highlands Junior High School (LHJH). The pilot participants included 125 students, many of whom were African-American or Hispanic, or were from economically- disadvantaged circumstances.

Pilot data was obtained for 79 students who had failing math scores on the 2005 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS(TM)). The remaining students, whose scores were not reflected in the pilot data, were those who had either barely passed or not taken the TAKS in 2005, including Hurricane Katrina-related transfers.

   Success Highlights
   Among the pilot mathematics intervention results highlights:

   --  Student mathematics achievement on the 2006 TAKS increased
       significantly.  One-third (33 percent) of the pilot students
       successfully passed the 2006 TAKS test.  In contrast, a comparable
       group from another RISD school who did not participate in the
       mathematics intervention had a 19 percent pass rate.

       On average, all pilot students increased their scores by six points
       or more, while all other students in the district declined by almost
       one point on a scale used to compare tests between years.*

       Independent researchers found the effect size of the mathematics
       intervention to be very strong.  Effect size is a scale used to
       measure the gains in students' scores.

   --  RISD improved its district rankings.  The mathematics intervention
       contributed to RISD moving from acceptable to recognized under the
       Texas accountability rating system, and both the district and LHJH
       "Met Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP) this year under the federal No
       Child Left Behind rating system.

       LHJH also increased its district rankings in benchmark exams from 7th
       to 2nd in grade 7 and from 7th to 5th in grade 8, demonstrating test
       scores well above the district average for both grades.  Students who
       participated in the mathematics intervention showed continual
       improvements on benchmark assessment exams given throughout the year.

       "We made significant changes to our approach to mathematics education
       for at-risk students, creating a total solution that encompassed
       every facet of our mathematics program.  The results have been worth
       the effort," said Lorine Burrell, principal at Lake Highlands Junior
       High.  "Students who previously struggled in mathematics have not
       only increased their TAKS performance but are excited about math.
       Parents and teachers alike have noted a positive difference in the
       children's performance and attitudes."

   --  Educators increased their content knowledge and improved their
       teaching techniques.  After receiving just-in-time training in
       mathematics content, teachers' knowledge of numbers and operations,
       patterns, functions and algebra improved significantly.  In general,
       educators reported that they had improved their teaching
       effectiveness and techniques during the mathematics intervention.

       "The intervention has been a success on so many different levels.
       The extra training and technology have helped me refine my teaching
       approach to make mathematics a more interactive experience.  I love
       the extra 50 minutes of class to make sure that each student
       understands the material at the end of the period.  My students are
       much more engaged in class, and I can use the benchmarks to track
       their progress throughout the year and help them in real-time," said
       LHJH teacher Georgeanna Jones.

   --  Teachers reported increased student participation and engagement.
       Educators integrated the TI-Navigator system into their daily
       teaching and assessment.  The TI-Navigator system is an interactive
       classroom learning system that links students' graphing calculators
       with a teacher's PC.  The system uses real-time feedback to instantly
       assess student understanding and provides students with a more
       interactive and engaging learning experience.

       The teachers reported that the use of technology helped to increase
       student engagement, reduce many behavioral problems in class, shift
       responsibility for learning to the students, and encourage group
       participation.  Students spent more time working through problems,
       were able to realize corrections more quickly, and retain
       information.

  Future Impact

The mathematics intervention program provides a model that is being replicated and scaled into other schools. Based on the pilot program's success, RISD and TI are continuing the intervention in LHJH, expanding the intervention to four additional junior high campuses, and piloting a 9th grade Algebra program with the students who participated in the LHJH pilot.

"Due to the success with RISD, TI has plans to work with at least three other U.S. districts this year to implement similar interventions to improve student engagement and mathematics performance," said Melendy Lovett, president, Educational and Productivity Solutions business, TI. "We are committed to conducting ongoing research around the effectiveness of the intervention and the impact of our proven mathematics learning technology. We are pleased with the RISD results, applaud the RISD teachers and leadership, and know we have much work to do to sustain and scale the results."

The results were reported by independent researchers from Winick & Lewis Research, LLC, and The University of Texas at Austin.**

For more information about the mathematics intervention, please visit http://education.ti.com/research .

For information on TI classroom technology, research, curriculum and professional development resources, visit http://www.education.ti.com/ .

* According to the Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) index. Because each year's TAKS is a different test, it is necessary to convert scores to the NCE index to make year-to-year comparisons. This is a more conservative method of comparison than use of test scores.

** The RISD-TI mathematics intervention research results were developed and reported by two third-party research organizations.

        --  "Year 1 Assessment of the RISD-TI Intervention Model" published
            August 2006 by Winick & Lewis Research, LLC.
        --  "Texas Instruments Project: Regular Mathematics Class Student's
            Mathematics TAKS Results" published August 2006 by Celeste
            Alexander and Walter Stroup, University of Texas at Austin.

  About RISD

RISD is located in northern Dallas County and has an enrollment of approximately 34,000 students. This area encompasses most of the city of Richardson, as well as portions of the cities of Dallas and Garland. The district is composed of four high schools, nine junior high schools, one freshman center, 41 elementary schools and one alternative-learning center. For more information about RISD, please visit http://www.risd.org/ .

About Texas Instruments

Educational & Productivity Solutions, a business of Texas Instruments, provides a wide range of advanced tools connecting the classroom experience with real-world applications and enabling students and teachers to explore mathematics and science interactively. Designed with leading educators and researchers, Texas Instruments' educational technology and services are tested against recognized third-party research on effective instruction and improved student learning. Such research shows that use of graphing calculators and wireless collaborative technology in the classroom helps teachers implement instructional strategies that lead to higher student interest, engagement and achievement in mathematics.*** For more than 15 years, TI has worked closely with educators and administrators to develop student-focused curricular and supplemental classroom materials, and it supports the world's largest professional development organization for the appropriate use of educational technology. More information is available at http://www.education.ti.com/ .

Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company includes the Educational & Productivity Solutions business. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries.

Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com/ .

*** See http://education.ti.com/research for more information.