Oct. 23, 2002  
Private school takes online approach to learning
By Julie Elliott
Staff Writer, Dallas Morning News

Computers close book on lost paperwork, test-grading trials

Crystal Nieuwenhuyse sits at the computer in her beige cubicle and quickly fills a text document with notes before clicking on her calendar to see what’s up next.

The cubicle isn’t in a professional office building. It’s in the 16-year-old’s Landmark Christian Academy classroom on East Church Street in Lewisville. The campus switched to a computer-based curriculum this year for its 27 students in third through 12th grades. Landmark serves about 40 students total, ranging down to kindergartners. 

“I feel like I get a lot more work done on the computer,” said Crystal, an 11th-grader. “This is bringing us to a higher level because the system is up to date and it purposely challenges you. And I hate writing things, so being able to type everything is great.”

School leaders adopted the computer-based curriculum to help tailor individual assignments to the child’s ability and to keep each student challenged and learning. Teachers also liked having the ability to update the curriculum as needed so the students would have the latest information about their core subjects.

“Most of the kids are more computer literate today,” said Doris Sales, who helped found the school with her husband, Billy Sales, in 1979. “They take to the computers, and they like it.” 

The curriculum, Alpha Omega Publications’ Switched-On Schoolhouse, is designed to coach students through an entire year of curriculum while charting their progress.

The program’s core subjects include language arts, math, history, science, geography and the Bible. Students can also take a variety of electives such as Spanish, health, consumer math, college planning and state histories. All assignments are automatically graded, and scores are entered into a record, which students can view daily to see their progress.

And despite the move from teacher lectures to computer learning, students still have traditional assignments and exams with multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, true or false, and essay questions. Only now, responses are entered on the computer.

For example, a college planning assignment might require students to pretend they plan to be an elementary school teacher, to research at least three potential colleges, and then to write an essay on which college would be the best to attend.

“It is more comprehensive than memorization,” said Cheri LaGrone, high school supervisor at the academy. “If the kids are studying a particular country, there are video clips that take them on a virtual tour. If we are studying a presidential speech, we have audio clips of the speech. At a click of the button, it is all there.”

Danese Tarbet agreed, “I’ve seen so much more interest in their work this year,” said Ms. Tarbet, who supervises third-through seventh-graders. “We also do a lot of extra stuff like learning the state history and Spanish so they can get away from the computers for a while each day.”

Earlier this week, Crystal worked on a Bible lesson in which she was required to read about the Apostle Paul and his missionary journeys. After reading the material, the rapid click of her keyboard could be heard as she answered several questions.

Another student reviewed her grades on her personal record sheet, while another looked over his calendar to see what assignment he wanted to tackle next.

Across the classroom, Ms. LaGrone worked with a student who had raised a small U.S. flag to alert the teacher to her question.

And the lack of paper and bulky textbooks? Most students agree it is a treat to not need them. 

“I like that all your subjects are in one place and that you can’t lose things or forget your textbooks at home,” said Nathan Payne, 17, a senior who was deep in a math assignment. “It is very well-organized, and it is easier to get work done, even though the problems on the computer seem a lot harder.




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