Test Drive: Classroom Performance System

Electronic assessment tool

By David McQuin -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2004

eInstruction Corporation, 308 N. Carroll Blvd. Denton, TX 76201 (888) 707-6819 www.einstruction.com $2,995. PC or Macintosh.

Have you ever wondered if your students understood the concept you just presented? Sure, most kids seem attentive. But how many of them really got it? The Classroom Performance System (CPS) by eInstruction takes the guesswork out of evaluation. CPS assesses each student's learning, keeps a roomful of kids involved in lessons, and even eases teachers' record-keeping chores.

CPS is a wireless hardware/software system that provides teachers with instant feedback from all of their students. The Classroom Performance System consists of software, a wireless remote pad—a device that looks and works like a TV remote control—for each student, and an infrared receiver that connects to the teacher's computer. Here's how the system works. After a teacher asks a question, students respond by pressing one of eight buttons on their pads. CPS's software immediately tallies the students' responses and summarizes the results. If you have a data projector, the questions and results can be shown on a screen for the entire class to see; if not, you can share the results with your class the old-fashioned way—verbally.

CPS is an outstanding instructional tool. I use it in a regular classroom with the receiver positioned so that every student has an unobstructed view of it. CPS allows me to actively engage all of the kids; none of them simply sit back and relax. I monitor students' understanding by asking questions, both prepared and spontaneous, and adjust my teaching to correspond to their responses. EInstruction also offers prewritten, standards-based content, but for me the real power of CPS is how teachers can use it to quiz students and reinforce their lessons. I can even construct a Jeopardy-like board using CPS's Team Activities, group exercises that teachers can customize to their curriculum needs. And CPS's software lets students take tests by simply using their remote pads—their responses are then automatically scored and recorded.

The cost of a single Classroom Performance System with one receiver, 24 remote pads, software, and a storage case is $2,995. Systems are available with additional remotes for larger classes. If you are looking for a way to make your lessons more engaging or increase students' accountability, I strongly recommend the Classroom Performance System.