Pilot Program at Curtis Middle School Making the Grade

It was green-lighted last summer, and already administrators are calling it a success.

During the Sudbury Public Schools Committee meeting on Jan 22 at Curtis Middle School, Principal Stephen Lambert and other administrators reported a pilot 1:1 program for sixth-graders has already showed positive signs.

The program, which allows every student to use a Chromebook, has helped 94 percent of students communicate better, according to a recent survey. The survey also reported 96 percent of parents believe it has enhanced their children's collaboration with teachers and peers.

"These are good numbers," Lambert said.

Chromebooks are laptops with Google Chrome as its operating system.

In one example of how the Chromebooks have helped, Lambert explained how one student had difficulty finding a South American article.

Thanks to an online message board he and other students could access and collaborate, the student was able to find the article.

Lambert said the program should be fully implemented in the near future.