ICT and Raising Standards

Recent research also points to ICT as a significant contributory factor in the raising of standards of achievement in schools.

Schools judged by the school inspectors to have very good ICT resources achieved better results than schools with poor ICT.

Schools that made good use of ICT within a subject tended to have better achievement in that subject than other schools.

Socio-economic circumstances and prior performance of pupils were not found to be critical.

Secondary schools with very good ICT resources achieved, on average, better results in English, Mathematics and Science than those with poor ICT resources.

A range of research indicates the potential of ICT to support improvements in aspects of

literacy, numeracy and science.

Improved writing skills: grammar, presentation, spelling, word recognition and volume of work .

Age-gains in mental calculations and enhanced number skills, for example the use of decimals .

Better data handling skills and increased ability to read, interpret and sketch graphs Improvements in conceptual understanding of Mathematics (particularly problem solving) and Science (particularly through use of simulations)