Educators at Cedar Park Christian Schools in Washington are customizing their school to fit the many needs of their students. As all educators know, each student is different. Yes, some can fit fairly well into general categories, but each has a unique perspective, skill, or need that impacts his academic achievement.

According to Katie Gallaher, middle school administrator, Cedar Park has six campuses throughout the Puget Sound region and a student body comprised of about 1,800 students. An evangelical Christian school system, its classes are taught very traditionally with teacher in front and students in desks facing the teacher. For more than eight years now, the school has been using Switched-On® along with these traditional classes to fit each student's needs.

Gallaher said, "Over the years, we have seen that Switched-On has really committed to developing the program to meet the needs of a teacher who wants to use it in a traditional classroom setting. We are able to bring the integration of technology to a traditional classroom environment."

Normally, the students take their Switched-On course as a group, working at the same pace. They have the same review, quiz, and test days, and every day their teacher lets the students know the day's objectives. If a student in the classroom shows that he is more capable, the teacher allows him to work at his own pace. Once he finishes the course, he can either choose an elective or start on next year's lessons.

That's not the only way Cedar Park uses Switched-On, however. The faculty also uses it for transfer students who might be a bit behind, for summer school, and for student services, their one-on-one teaching program. Gallaher explained that following an individual's request for a summer school course, she was able to set up and explain how to use the course in just 30 minutes. The student went on to complete a year-long course in just six weeks!

In addition, the faculty of Cedar Park came up with another idea of how to help students succeed using the Switched-On online program. This fall teachers are creating an After School Academic Enrichment Club for advanced or gifted students who would like to take an extra course or two. Students who want a challenge outside of their current curriculum would be given an hour in the computer lab after school with a teacher available. When students go home, they will be able to continue working.

Another student that stuck out in Gallaher's mind was one of her 6th graders from years ago. The year before the school started using Switched-On, this student was struggling. He was at the bottom of the class and while he was capable, he was not very motivated. The next year, when they transitioned to Switched-On, the same student was at the top of his class. Gallaher believed it was because of Switched-On's learning environment which includes plenty of multimedia. With this, students can focus on learning at their own pace without being distracted.

What positive effects have you noticed using multimedia in your classroom? We would love to hear your stories, too!